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<p>Beaufort High football fans got a sneak preview of next year’s team —&nbsp;and a first look at their new head coach — at the team’s annual spring game Friday night.</p>
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<p>And as often is the case during the spring, optimism abounds.</p>
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<p>“I thought it went well,” new head coach Bryce Lybrand said. “I was happy with what I saw.”</p>
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<p>The first-team offense and first-team defense took turns on the field for 10-play sequences. As Lybrand expected, the offense was ahead of the defense thanks to four returning starters on the offensive line, along with star running back James Dagin and quarterback Tyler Haley.</p>
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<p>Haley split time with senior Jeffrey Smyth at quarterback last season but took on a bigger role as the season progressed. That experience helped him hit the ground running with the offense this spring.</p>
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<p>“We’ve got so many guys coming back on offense that we were able to do almost our full offensive install in the spring,” Lybrand said. “There wasn’t really anything that we installed that he didn’t already know. We were able to throw a lot at him.”</p>
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<p>Speaking of throwing, Haley had quite a night Friday. He completed 12 of 17 passes for 255 yards and three touchdowns, hooking up often with speedster Tre Smalls, who had four catches for 190 yards and two TDs. Dagin broke three long touchdown runs of 60 yards or longer and finished with 209 yards and three TDs.</p>
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<p>While the offense stole the show, the defense provided some highlights, as well. Alvin Wilson had multiple sacks and knocked down multiple passes, Kaedin Grissom had an interception, and William Winburn made several tackles to lead the defense.</p>
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<p>The Eagles open the season Aug. 23 at A.C. Flora and play their first home game Aug. 30 against Battery Creek.</p>
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<p><em>Above: Quarterback Tyler Haley performed well during Beaufort High’s annual spring football game Friday night. After splitting time with senior Jeffrey Smyth last season, Haley is poised to take over the role full-time in 2019.</em></p>
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