Beaufort’s Kacy Fields taking lack of recognition personally
LowcoSports.com
Two games into his senior season, Kacy Fields broke character.
“Don’t mean to be like this but watch how disrespectful I get this season,” Fields posted on Twitter, adding a zipper-face emoji, perhaps to indicate he was done talking. Those 14 words said enough. His play could fill in the rest.
A little over a month later, Fields is the breakout star Beaufort High’s offense needed to blossom back into a state title contender despite graduating tons of talent from last year’s Class 4A runner-up squad, but that single loaded tweet is still fresh in his mind because it has become something of a mantra.
“Gotta take it personally,” Fields says. “It’s my last year, and I’ve gotta make a name for myself.”
Despite his best efforts, which have included rushing for 899 yards and 13 touchdowns in four games since moving from wide receiver to take over as the Eagles’ primary ball carrier, Fields hasn’t caught the eye of many college coaches. His lone collegiate offer is from NCAA Division III Anderson University.
And that motivates him.
“I wouldn’t say I’m better than other people, but I feel like I work harder than most people out there, and I think it’s showing on the field right now,” Fields says. “I’ve got however many games left until the state championship, so I’m just going to continue to work hard and let my talent speak.”
His play has been screaming for attention for the past month.
Looking for a spark on offense after a 6-0 win at Goose Creek, Beaufort coach Bryce Lybrand shifted Fields to the backfield to give the ground game some more juice and ease the pressure on an inexperienced quarterback. The Eagles’ new workhorse took over in the second half at May River, rallying Beaufort for a 13-7 win with a pair of second-half touchdowns.
That set off a stretch for the ages that included a 341-yard outburst and five touchdowns against Bluffton, another 271 yards and four TDs against Philip Simmons, and 125 yards and two scores in a rout of rival Battery Creek.
The damage: 103 carries, 899 yards, and 13 touchdowns … and counting.
Fields will look to keep rolling when the Eagles travel to North Charleston on Thursday in their final tune-up before a region-title clash with Hanahan to end the regular season. And with Beaufort’s dominant offensive line leading the way, the odds are good that Fields will put up another spectacular stat line against the Cougars.
“I love my big guys up front. They’ll make the hole, like, a bus can fit through the hole type of thing,” Fields says with a beaming smile. “It’s hard to miss. They’re getting the job done, for sure.”
The magical run has included plenty of memorable moments, but none bigger than Fields’ final carry against Bluffton. Needing just 13 yards to reach the 300-yard mark, Fields knew his playing time was going to be limited with the game getting out of hand. Lybrand told him he had two plays.
He only needed one.
“Coach Lybrand was like, ‘You got two plays left,’ and we ran the first play and scored,” Fields laughs. “When we were running on the field my offensive line was like, ‘You’re gonna score right here,’ and the next thing you know I scored my fifth touchdown.”
Still, the phone is mostly quiet on the recruiting front. The nature of the system makes it difficult for late-bloomers who break out during their senior season to get on the radars of coaches who are already thinking years ahead, but Lybrand believes college coaches have been whiffing on Fields’ raw talent and work ethic since he emerged as a freshman on Beaufort’s varsity squad.
“That kid’s the most slept-on kid in South Carolina, I’ll never understand it,” Lybrand said. “He’s just a really hard-working good kid, and if you’re a college coach you should take a shot on him, because he’s unbelievable.”
Fields is the first to say there’s no secret to his success on the field and in the classroom, where he boasts a GPA over 4.0. It’s simply the product of hard work and the support of his parents and brother, Tre, himself a former star for the Eagles.
“We work out almost every weekend, on the beach, on the field, in the weightroom, wherever,” Fields says. “Anywhere we can get the work it, just get it in so I can get better.”
Fields still dreams of playing college football, but he won’t sacrifice his plans to study engineering to do it. His top choices at the moment are Appalachian State, where teammate Colton Phares has committed, and South Carolina State. If either offers him a spot on the roster, they’re likely to land a diamond in the rough who won’t rest until reaches his peak.
“I don’t really have a problem with walking on,” Fields says. “As long as I get an opportunity, I know I’m gonna show out. I just need an opportunity.”
Kacy Fields will earn the respect he’s due. Even if he has to get disrespectful to do it.
BY THE NUMBERS
A look at Beaufort High senior Kacy Fields’ production since moving to the backfield and taking over as the Eagles’ primary ball carrier:
Opponent Att Yds Avg TD
May River 27 162 6.0 2
Bluffton 30 341 11.4 5
Philip Simmons 26 271 10.4 4
Battery Creek 20 125 6.3 2
Totals 103 899 8.7 13
Friday’s Lowcountry Prep Football Schedule
All games at 7:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted.
Colleton Prep at Beaufort Academy
Estill at Bethune-Bowman
Colleton County at Lucy Beckham
Ridgeland-Hardeeville at Edisto
Andrew Jackson Academy at Patrick Henry
Pinewood Prep at Thomas Heyward
John Paul II at Hilton Head Christian
James Island at Hilton Head Island
Trinity Collegiate at Hilton Head Prep, 3:30 p.m.
Cross Schools at The Kings Academy
Bluffton at May River
Beaufort at North Charleston
Branchville at Whale Branch
Justin Jarrett is the sports editor of The Island News and the founder of LowcoSports.com. He was the sports editor of the Island Packet and the Beaufort Gazette for 6½ years. He has a passion for sports and community journalism and a questionable sense of humor.
