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After losing an entire season, Lee Central’s seniors are ready to show the world that the Stallions haven’t gone away.

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Lee Central seniors (front row, left to right) Jamarion Johnson (79), Kenneth Albert, Samir Toney, (back row, left to right) Jaquan Powell, Khalir Hannibal, Lawrence Burroughs, Zyquan Jones and Kwantre Harry are the Stallions who stuck with the program despite the team not playing in 2020. Read more about Lee Central on page C9.

Lee Central seniors look back at a lost season of football

BY TIM LEIBLE tim@theitem.com

Painful.

Sad. Devastating.

These words and more described how Lee Central High School football players felt last fall.

While almost every other school in South Carolina played football, the Stallions were at home, as the school district elected for forgo sports for the entire 2020-21 school year.

“It kinda hurt,” senior Khalir Hannibal said. “We really wanted to play. It was just overwhelming.”

Quarterback Kwantre Harry couldn’t bring himself to go out to games on Friday nights.

“It was bad. I didn’t like it. I wanted to be on the field instead of just watching people play,” he said.

COVID-19 threw the world for a loop in 2020, and the decision was made to prioritize health over football. That was not an easy decision.

“I think for our school district and for our parents and our community, when COVID-19 first hit nobody really knew what we were up against,” head coach Justin Danner said. “I think at the time, everyone was for what was best for the kids first, so our district decided that they would cancel sports. Our kids understood that. Though it was tough losing a season, there were so many people losing so much more.”

Current senior Jaquan Powell echoed the sentiments of many of his classmates. They were frustrated, but they understood the decision.

“It was a little disappointing, but we had to stay out of the way so everyone could be safe and healthy, so it wasn’t too big of a deal,” he said.

Powell’s Class of 2021 and the underclassmen could look to the future, but last year’s seniors didn’t have that luxury.

“It was tough not to play, especially

Lee Central’s Zaquan Jones (41), Jamarion Johnson (79), Kenneth Albert (4), Jaquan Powell (18), Kwantre Harry (1), Lawrence Burroughs (8), Samir Toney (9) and Khalir Hannibalare are the only players that come into the season with any varsity experience. for our seniors. We had a big senior class actually, and we hurt for those young men,” Danner said. “We did have a few kids that were able to sign some scholarship deals, but our kids that remained stuck true to the program, and we’re just excited to get going now. Football is back at Lee Central, and we’re happy about it.”

Sticking to the program was a simple decision for many of these seniors.

Some of them, like Lawrence Burroughs, had friends at other schools trying to pull them away from Lee Central, but at the end of the day this group was committed to their program.

“Nah, I love these guys,” Burroughs said of potentially leaving for a school that was playing football. “I love them with everything in me. I wouldn’t leave them. I look at all my coaches like fathers and all my teammates like brothers. It’s a big family right here.”

Senior running back Kenneth Albert added, “Lee Central is heart. Lee Central comes first. We’ve got great coaches

that teach us well and do the things we’re supposed to do to make sure we’re right.”

Senior center Jamarion Johnson said the thought to leave never crossed his mind because the Stallions were still a team even if they didn’t play last year.

“I was more focused on the Stallions.

We had a team last year, so it was more about looking at each other and keeping in touch,” he said.

Without a season, it was difficult to stay in shape. Players had to hold themselves accountable without a coaching staff that could push them on the practice field and in the weight room. At first, guys got together to work out. As the year went on and there was no hope of sports resuming in the 2020-21 school year, those workouts petered out.

In the spring, the Stallions finally got the news they were hoping for: football was back. They were able to start football activities in the spring and had a full summer slate.

“It was like having the playoffs in the

spring to be back after being off a year,” Johnson said.

Zayquan Jones added, “It was a good feeling to put these shoulder pads back on, run and be with my coaches and see how everyone else was doing during the pandemic. It was lit.”

With a year off from football, the Stallions were out of shape. Everyone was excited to be back at practice, but it wasn’t smooth sailing at the beginning.

“I was happy. I was excited to get back to work. Sitting out for a year, we had to hurry up and get back to it,” Hannibal said.

Another challenge to missing a year of football is the lack of experience. The last time the Class of 2021 played, they were sophomores. Most of them were reserves with little varsity experience.

The classes behind them haven’t played a snap of varsity football. That puts a lot of added pressure on the seniors who come into the season with any experience.

“Us guys that have played varsity have to speak up and tell people, ‘This is what we have to do,’” Hannibal said.

“We’ve got to go handle business.”

Whatever this season brings, the Stallions are excited to get out onto the field for their first varsity game in almost two years.

“It’s going to feel like homecoming for us,” Jones said.

Powell added, “I can’t wait. I’ve been waiting a year for it. This is about to be good.”

No one on the outside truly knows what the Lee Central football team is going to look like this year with so many new faces. The Stallions are excited to show the world what Lee Central football is all about.

“We gotta go out and get it. We’ve got to play hard. We’ve got to put our city back on,” Albert said.

Samir Toney added, “We want everyone to know that we’re back, and we’re coming to play. We’re going to put our name back on the board.”

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Sumter’s backfield looks a lot different in 2021 with Keion Brown (3), Zyeir Gamble, Jabari Tiller (4), Jeremiah Horace (23) and Chris Ramirez (1) splitting duties, while most of them also start on defense.

New faces ready to shine at Sumter High The following preview is taken from our interview series with local head coaches on our sports podcast, The Blitz. You can hear more about the Gamecocks from Sumter head coach Mark Barnes by opening your camera on your smartphone and hovering over this QR code.

KEY LOSSES

NATHAN HARRIS-WAYNICK – RB JUSTUS BOONE – DE DAVIN JACKSON (INJURY) – DE MILES CAPERS – LB DESHAWN MCKNIGHT – LB HAYDEN VAZQUEZ – QB MARUS LANE – WR ANTEON CHINA – CB JEHU MCCRAY – K/P

ADDITIONAL KEY PLAYERS MALIK MCKINZIE – LB DERRICK MCKNIGHT – WR NATE BUTLER – WR BRENT BROOKS – OL DONOAVN PRIOLEAU – OL JAKARRIEZ SANDERS – DB

SCHSL REGION VI-5A SUMTER CAROLINA FOREST CONWAY SOCASTEE ST. JAMES 8-1 LAST SEASON, 4-0 IN REGION

A lot of new faces are getting ready to step in at Sumter High. That starts at quarterback, where Ryan McCants takes over for Hayden Vazquez.

“Ryan McCants is coming in this season. He’s been a backup for us for two years, which weird in today’s time.

Most guys figure out that they’re not starting and want to transfer to another school, but Ryan’s paid his dues here, and as a head coach I respect that and need to make sure I put him in the best opportunity he can get in to be our starting quarterback.

We’re going to do more quarterback-run stuff with him and let him do what he’s best at. He’s a good thrower of the football too, but we’re not going to be as much of a drop-back throwing team. We’re going to have more play-action throwing team off of quarterback-run type stuff.

The thing I love the most about Ryan is that he’s a winner, he’s loyal and he’s paid his dues and he deserves the opportunity to be the leader of our football team.”

Running back also sees some important turnover. Nathan HarrisWaynick was the centerpiece of the Sumter offense last season. Now the Gamecocks turn to a fourheaded monster in the backfield with Jabari Tiller, Zyeir Gamble, Keion Brown and Chris Ramirez.

Two of those players started on defense last year and will now share time playing both ways.

That’s because Barnes wants to use his best athletes on the offensive side of the ball this year.

“We’re going to be a little different offensively. The biggest transformation we made and the biggest lesson we learned last year was that in the old days you could win playing great defense and stopping people, and if you get enough possessions, you find a way to score 21 points. What other teams are doing now is putting their best skill guys on offense. We were really good last year on defense and we still couldn’t keep Dutch Fork under 21 because they had such good skill that when they got loose, they could score on our guys.

KEION BROWN

We’re using a little more of our better skill guys on offense this year that normally would be just defensive players for us. I think we’ve got four tailbacks.

All of them are going to start on defense for us, and all of them are going to play tailback on Friday night, and we’re going to rotate them in. We’re still going to try to be great on defense. We’ve just got to get more skill on offense.”

The defensive front lost two big stars. Justus Boone graduated and is now playing in Florida, while Davin Jackson tore his ACL over the summer.

“You’d be an idiot to say losing a guy like that isn’t going to affect us.

It’s going to affect us depth-wise as much as anything.”

Sumter will now have to lean on another player with Division I offers, Monteque Rhames III. They’ll also get a boost from Tajon Roach, who missed most of last season with an injury.

“I think it’s a great test for Monteque. He has all of these offers, and we think he’s a great player, and we’re confident he’s going to be, but sometimes it’s easier to be the third guy than it is to be ‘the’ guy. Last year, when people come to attack us blocking scheme-wise, they’re going to worry about Justus and DJ and now they’re going to worry about Monteque, so we’re going to see how he’s going to handle that.

Another guy that’s been a tremendous player for us is Tajon Roach. His motor is so good and I think he played one game last year and had a finger that had a tendon or ligament problem that we had to get fixed because he might’ve had drop finger and he wouldn’t be able to use it the rest of his life. He came back for the Dutch Fork game. He’s been a great player for us, so we’re kind of losing DJ and we’re getting Tajon back.”

The rest of Sumter’s defense will be moving around, with players like Jabari Tiller moving from safety to linebacker. Barnes’ approach to

JABARI TILLER

SENIOR RB/DB

SENIOR RB/LB

4 TOTAL TDS, 596 ALL-PURPOSE YARDS IN 2020

41 TACKLES, 2 INTS, 3 TACKLES FOR LOSS IN 2020

setting up his defense is simple.

“We’re trying to get the best 11 meanest, fastest dudes that we’ve got and put them over there and not worry about what position they play.

We’ll figure that out once we’ve got the best 11 over there.”

Sumter has dominated the punting and kicking game for the last few years with players like Pressley Harvin III, Dyson Roberts and Jehu McCray. Barnes hopes Judah Keaton is ready to step in to be the next great specialist.

“We have (Judah) Keaton, who kicked for the JV team, and we think for extra points and field goals he’s the guy. Punter and kickoff guy, we’re not as sure about that. We’ve looked some other possibilities and we’ve got to get in the soccer program and find some guys as well. We’re really worried in that area, to be honest. We’re looking at other ways to do it, but we’ve been really good at it over the years. We think (Keaton) is good at kicking extra point and field goals, but the punting part is not natural to him, and for the kickoff, his leg needs to get a little bit stronger or we’ve got to be more creative as the way we kick off.

But we were worried about Jehu (McCray), too, until he did it. He came in as a kicker and ended up being a kicker and a punter.”

Sumter made it to the lower state championship game last year. Their goals remain the same in 2021 despite the turnover.

“We want to be county champions first. We’ve heard talk that Crestwood is loaded, and we’re really aware of that, and those Crestwood and Lakewood games are really important to us. Of course, we always want to be region champions, and we want to be relevant in the state championships, and we were that last year. We want to continue to step one more step on that ladder. A lot of what we’ve done this year as a staff is learning how to beat those guys like Dutch Fork. It used to be we have to figure out a way to win our region, and we’ve done that five out of six years. We have to figure out how to do those things still, but we need to make decisions offensively and defensively for the teams we have to beat, the Fort (Dorchester), the Dutch Forks teams like that. We did that on our schedule a little bit, too. We’re going to get tested this year. We haven’t lost a regular season game in I don’t know how many years. It’s been a good while. I’m not saying I want to lose a regular season game, but if we don’t, we’ll know when we kick it off in the playoffs that we’re playing really good teams non-conference-wise, and we’re getting tested.”

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THE SUMTER ITEM

MICAH GREEN / THE SUMTER ITEM

Crestwood quarterback Javion Martin (1), center, is surrounded by fellow Knights Ryan Cowell (22), Maki Williams (6), Nick Fortune (2) and Brent Hilliard (32). This group will lead the Crestwood offense, while Hilliard also shores up the middle of the defense this season.

Knights carry experience into 2021

The following preview is taken from our interview series with local head coaches on our sports podcast, The Blitz. You can hear more about the Knights from Crestwood head coach Roosevelt Nelson by opening your camera on your smartphone and hovering over this QR code.

Last season, Crestwood finished 3-3 despite not having a proper offseason to integrate freshman quarterback Javion Martin into the offense. With a full offseason, Roosevelt Nelson is excited about the development of his sophomore QB. “I’ve seen him make a big jump from his freshman to sophomore year, definitely some good things. Right now he’s a lot more vocal than he was last year as a freshman, understandably. He’s taken control of the offense and is one of our team leaders being a younger guy, but he plays like a veteran.

(He is) taking initiative as far as his pre-practice preparation, not being told to get on the field early, to get the receivers

and running backs doing drills. As far as being a leader of the offense, correcting guys if they’re not lined up correctly or not running a route full speed. He has a great grasp of what we’re trying to get done offensively.”

“As a staff, we felt like Ja’Mori last year during our six game season, he really took off around game three.

The light bulb came on and he made a lot of good plays for us. He had a good summer, a good spring and he’s ready to go. I’m looking forward to seeing him do some good things for us.”

“Those guys we’re looking forward to taking a big step.

Last year they played for us and caught some balls and did some good things, but I think their maturity level has taken a bigger step.”

The skill guys will get a boost from an offensive line that Nelson thinks is gelling nicely.

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FORECLOSURE OF REAL ESTATE MORTGAGE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF SUMTER Ocwen Loan Servicing, LLC, Plaintiff, v.

Any heirs-at-law or devisees of Robert A. England a/k/a Robert England, deceased, their heirs, Personal Representatives, Administrators, Successors and Assigns, and all other persons or entities entitled to claim through them; all unknown persons or entities with any right, title, estate, interest in or lien upon the real estate described in the complaint herein; also any persons who may be in the military service of the United States of America, being a class designated as Richard Roe; and any unknown minors, incompetent or imprisoned person, or persons under a disability being a class designated as John Doe; Sonja G. England a/k/a Sonja England; Brittany England, Defendant(s).

TO THE DEFENDANT(S) ABOVE NAMED: YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED and required to appear and defend by answering the Complaint in this action, a copy of which is hereby served upon you, and to serve a copy of your Answer on the subscribers at their offices at 3800 Fernandina Road, Suite 110, Columbia, SC 29210, within thirty (30) days after the service hereof, exclusive of the day of such service; except that the United States of America, if named, shall have sixty (60) days to answer after the service hereof, exclusive of the day of such service; and if you fail to do so, judgment by default will be rendered against you for the

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Summons & Notice 787-9678, be and hereby is appointed Attorney for any unknown Defendants who are, or may be, in the Military Service of the United States of America and as such are entitled to the benefits of the Servicemember's Civil Relief Act aka Soldiers' and Sailors' Civil Relief Act of 1940, and any amendments thereto, to represent and protect the interest of said Defendants,

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CONTRACTORS WANTED!*

ORDER APPOINTING GUARDIAN AD LITEM AND APPOINTMENT OF ATTORNEY It appearing to the satisfaction of the Court, upon reading the filed Petition for Appointment of Kelley Woody, Esquire as Guardian ad Litem for unknown minors, and persons who may be under a disability, and it appearing that Kelley Woody, Esquire has consented to said appointment.

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Estate:/Rollie K. Jackson #2017ES4300722

Personal Representative Ellen B. Jackson 4760 Olivia Lane Pinewood, SC 29125

Estate:/Waddell Williams #2017ES4300725

FURTHER upon reading the filed Petition for Appointment of Kelley Woody, Esquire as Attorney for any unknown Defendants who may be in the Military Service of the United States of America, and may be, as such, entitled to the benefits of the Servicemember's Civil Relief Act, and any amendments thereto, and it appearing that Kelley Woody, Esquire has consented to act for and represent said Defendants, it is

Personal Representative Colette W. Terrell 1057 Crown Landing Pkwy McDonongh, GA 30252

Estate:/David L. Lee, Jr. #2017ES4300720

Personal Representative James T. Lee C/O A. Paul Weissenstein, Jr. Attorney at Law PO Box 2446 Sumter, SC 29151

ORDERED that Kelley Woody, Esquire, P.O. Box 6432, Columbia, SC 29260 phone (803) 787-9678, be and hereby is appointed Guardian ad Litem on behalf of all unknown minors and all unknown persons who may be under a disability, all of whom may have or claim to have some interest or claim to the real property commonly known as 609 N Magnolia Street, Sumter, South Carolina 29150; that she is empowered and directed to appear on behalf of and represent said Defendants, unless said Defendants, or someone on their behalf, shall within thirty (30) days after service of a copy hereof as directed, procure the appointment of Guardian or Guardians ad Litem for said Defendants.

ALL THAT CERTAIN PIECE, PARCEL, OR LOT OF LAND, TOGETHER WITH THE IMPROVEMENTS THEREON, IF ANY, SITUATE, LYING AND BEING IN THE CITY AND COUNTY OF SUMTER, STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA, BEING SHOWN AND DESIGNATED AS LOT # 14, AS SHOWN ON THAT CERTAIN PLAT PREPARED BY JOSEPH R. EDWARDS, RLS, DATED MARCH 14, 1986, AND RECORDED IN THE OFFICE OF THE REGISTER OF DEEDS FOR SUMTER COUNTY IN

Estate:/Vinia Gamble Williams #2017ES4300726

Personal Representative Colette Terrell 1057 Crown Landing Pkwy McDonongh, GA 30252

Estate:/Raymond Eldrid McIntosh #2017ES4300721

Personal Representative Leslie B. McIntosh 1685 Reynolds Road Pinewood, SC 29125

Estate:/Pauline Bays Calhoun #2017ES4300724

Personal Representative David A. Calhoun C/O Kenneth R. Young, Jr. Attorney at Law 23 W. Calhoun Street Sumter, SC 29150

AND IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that Kelley Woody, Esquire, P.O. Box 6432, Columbia, SC 29260 phone (803)

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Estate Notice Sumter County

NOTICE TO CREDITORS OF ESTATES

Persons having claim against the following estates are required to deliver or mail their claims to the indicated Personal Representatives, appointed to administer these estates, and to file their claims on Form #371PC with the Probate Court of Sumter County Courthouse, N. Main Street, Sumter, SC, 29150, on or before the date that is eight months after the date of the first publication of this Notice to Creditors, (unless previously barred by operation of Section 62-3-803), or such persons shall be forever barred as to heir claims. All claims are required to be presented in written statements, indicating the name and the address of the claimant, the basis of the claim, the amount claimed, the date when the claim will become due, the nature of any uncertainty as to the amount claimed and the date when due, and a description of any security as to the claim.

TO THE DEFENDANTS ABOVE NAMED: YOU WILL PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that the original Complaint, Cover Sheet for Civil Actions and Certificate of Exemption from ADR in the above entitled action was filed in the Office of the Clerk of Court for Sumter County on October 3, 2017. A Notice of Foreclosure Intervention was also filed in the Clerk of Court's Office.

THE LAND REFERRED TO IN THIS POLICY IS SITUATED IN THE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA, COUNTY OF SUMTER, AND DESCRIBED AS FOLLOWS:

$

Brock & Scott, PLLC 3800 Fernandina Road, Suite 110 Columbia, SC 29210 Phone 844-856-6646 Fax 803-454-3451 Attorneys for Plaintiff

NOTICE OF FILING COMPLAINT

The premises covered and affected by the said Mortgage and by the foreclosure thereof were, at the time of the making thereof and at the time of the filing of this notice, more particularly described in the said Mortgage and are more commonly described as:

as low as

AND IT IS FURTHER ORDERED That a copy of this Order shall be forth with served upon said Defendants by publication in The Item, a newspaper of general circulation published in the County of Sumter, State of South Carolina, once a week for three (3) consecutive weeks, together with the Summons and Notice of Filing of Complaint in the above entitled action.

Property Address: 609 N Magnolia Street, Sumter, SC 29150

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Summons & Notice PLAT BOOK 86 AT PAGE 320, AND HAVING SUCH METES AND BOUNDS AS ARE SHOWN ON SAID PLAT, THIS DESCRIPTION BEING IN LIEU OF METES AND BOUNDS AS PERMITTED UNDER SECTION 30-5-250 OF THE 1976 CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA.

TMS No. 2490102024

YOU WILL ALSO TAKE NOTICE that under the provisions of S.C. Code Ann. § 29-3-100, effective June 16, 1993, any collateral assignment of rents contained in the referenced Mortgage is perfected and Attorney for Plaintiff hereby gives notice that all rents shall be payable directly to it by delivery to its undersigned attorneys from the date of default. In the alternative, Plaintiff will move before a judge of this Circuit on the 10th day after service hereof, or as soon thereafter as counsel may be heard, for an Order enforcing the assignment of rents, if any, and compelling payment of all rents covered by such assignment directly to the Plaintiff, which motion is to be based upon the original Note and Mortgage herein and the Complaint attached hereto.

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This being the same property conveyed to Robert A. England by deed of the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development of Washington, D.C. dated November 12, 1984 and reocrded November 12, 1984 in book 385 at page 443 in the records for Sumter County, South Carolina.

Thereafter, Robert A. England conveyed his interest to Robert A. England and Sonja G. England, as joint tenants, with right of survivorship, and not as tenants in common, be deed dated October 27, 1998 and recorded November 2, 1998 in book 722 at page 149 in the records for Sumter County, South Carolina.

YOU ARE FURTHER SUMMONED AND NOTIFIED to apply for the appointment of a guardian ad litem within thirty (30) days after the service of this Summons and Notice upon you. If you fail to do so, application for such appointment will be made by Attorney for Plaintiff.

YOU WILL ALSO TAKE NOTICE that Plaintiff will move for an Order of Reference or the Court may issue a general Order of Reference of this action to a Master-in-Equity/Special Referee, pursuant to Rule 53 of the South Carolina Rules of Civil Procedure.

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WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden and administration officials have encouraged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other top Israeli officials to wind down the bombardment of Gaza, a person with knowledge of the discussions said Tuesday, as the BIDEN Israeli and Palestinian death tolls mounted and pressure grew on Biden to move more forcefully to stop the fighting.

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TUESDAY, JANUARY 9, 2018

CLASSIFIED DEADLINES

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster’s executive order on May 11 allows parents to opt their children out of wearing masks in public schools because of widespread coronavirus vaccine access for adults in South Carolina.

Parents of children in public school must fill out a form to opt their children out. The form developed by the state Department of Health and Environmental Control is available for Sumter School District students at www.sumterschools.net. It can also be downloaded from DHEC’s website at https://bit.ly/3eYb7az.

A separate form must be filled out for each child.

The governor’s order also limits local governments from issuing mask ordinances based on his prior emergency declarations related to the COVID19 pandemic. Those governments will have to find justification for such mask rules within their own ordinances.

“Our goals this year are to win the opener, win the conference, beat Lakewood, beat Sumter, beat Manning and win a state championship.

Those are our goals this year and we’re definitely not going to shy away from it. The kids know it, and they’re going to look forward to meeting those goals head on.”

SCHSL REGION VI-3A

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The Knights hope to build on a solid season last year, and Nelson is setting high expectations.

“It’s a plus. You can’t coach experience. They can make ingame adjustments and they’re going to be where they’re supposed to be and they’re going to work tremendously hard and they hold each other ac-

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“That’s something we work on a lot. We try to hang our hat on special teams and we’ve been very very consistent in that area the last couple of seasons. (Guys like) Gavyn Zimmerman and Robert Reed don’t come around a lot, guys that kick the ball like they did, but we’ve got a couple of guys in there trying to fill those shoes.”

Behind them is a complete set of returning linebackers to lead the Knights defense. Derrick Prince is a four-year starter, Brent Hilliard brings three years of starting experience and Curtis Wilson also returns.

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Crestwood’s special teams were electric last year.

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There is a mix of experience and new pieces around Martin. Two important players will be senior receivers Maki Williams and Nick Fortune.

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2021 GRIDIRON

THE SUMTER ITEM

AUGUST 21, 2021-AUGUST, 23, 2021

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C5

No fly zone secondary looks to lead Lakewood to success The following preview is taken from our interview series with local head coaches on our sports podcast, The Blitz. You can hear more about the Gators from Lakewood head coach Larry Cornelius by opening your camera on your smartphone and hovering over this QR code.

KEY LOSSES JAMES WRIGHT - SAF KOBY WAGNER – DE JAYLEAL FULLER – DE

ADDITIONAL KEY PLAYERS DIVON WOODS – RB/LB SADEAK MOORE – DE

SCHSL REGION VI-3A CAMDEN CRESTWOOD LAKE CITY LAKEWOOD MANNING MARLBORO COUNTY 1-5 IN 2020, 1-4 IN REGION

Last season, Lakewood was hurt by not being able to spend the offseason getting first-time starter Ben Hill ready to go at quarterback.

Larry Cornelius has seen him progress but hopes mixing in Zayveon Wells – the team’s star defensive back and offensive weapon – at quarterback will open up the offense.

“Not being able to have summer workouts last year, or very limited, we had to plug in a new quarterback. After Cody Windham graduated Ben Hill had to come in and take the helm and Ben had never taken a varsity snap, never had spring practice with us, so he was behind the 8-ball. You don’t blame it on them, you blame it on the situation and try to get better from it. Certainly we have to have better quarterback play and throughout the offseason Ben has done a really good job on the mental aspect and the playbook aspect and we’re rolling Zay Wells in there as well to give us a little wrinkle and, to be honest, they’re still battling it out. We still have scrimmages remaining and we’ll see who the best is, but they’ll both be involved in our offense in some capacity.”

Using Gators who are known for success in the secondary on the offensive side of the ball will be a trend this year, as Brandon Cisse and Kameron Rodriguez will play major roles on offense along with Wells.

MICAH GREEN / THE SUMTER ITEM

Lakewood defensive backs, from left to right, Brandon Cisse, Zayveon Wells and Kameron Rodriguez will be the top skill players for the Gators on both sides of the ball with Wells even seeing time at quarterback in 2021. “(Wells) gives you that double threat to be able to throw the ball or be able to do things with his feet. He’s not the fastest kid in the world, but he’s quick, has vision and he’s a playmaker. I think it’s a great changeup.

We have guys that are playing both ways. Brandon Cisse and Kam Rodriguez are two guys that we’re looking to lean on at the receiver position.”

The strength of the Lakewood offense will be the guys up front, led by Tre Croskey, Bryson Dickens and Julius Robinson.

“The O-line, without question, they have to set the tone.

I think that’s where our experience is. Going through our

spring practice, I felt really good about our offensive line.

There’s a lot more that we need to work on, but they just seem to be gelling.”

Lakewood’s numbers are low this season, but Cornelius isn’t afraid of

turning to some younger players early in the season.

“I feel like we have a lot of young talent, a lot of sophomores that maybe in some

SEE GATORS, PAGE C11

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2021 GRIDIRON

AUGUST 21, 2021-AUGUST, 23, 2021

THE SUMTER ITEM

MICAH GREEN / THE SUMTER ITEM

Wilson Hall seniors Tate Sistare (5), William Reese (9), Max Kaziah (11), Doc Walker (6) and Alex McLeod (7) will look to lead a young Baron team to success in 2021 after going 3-5 last season and 1-3 in region play.

Wilson Hall looks to take a leap bouyed by big sophomore class

The following preview is taken from our interview series with local head coaches on our sports podcast, The Blitz. You can hear more about the Barons from Wilson Hall head coach Adam Jarecki by opening your camera on your smartphone and hovering over this QR code.

KEY LOSSES GRAHAM VANPATTEN – UTILITY MILLER JONES – WR/DB HUNTER IVES – LB WILLIAM COULTER – DB

Wilson Hall head coach Adam Jarecki has been waiting for the current sophomore class to make the jump to varsity. The likes of Clark Kinney, Miles VanPatten, Blake VanPatten, Dylan Jones and Landon Gilly look to make an instant impact.

“We’re excited about our young group that’s moving up.

Our JV program the last couple of years has been very successful because of a big group of this year’s sophomores that have started to move their way into the varsity ranks. They’re our better athletes.

Our numbers are really strong in that group.

We’re going to lean on them a lot this year.

We’ve been waiting for this group for a while. We knew as it was coming up mainly because of the strong numbers and just the different kind of athletes we had in that class. We’ve been waiting and watching them come along, and we feel like the next three years we ought to be competitive with this bunch.”

This young group will bring some versatility to the lineup. Kinney will split time with incumbent starter Tate Sistare at quarterback, but Jarecki says both will be on the field regardless of who is playing quarterback. “(Sistare has) been a great kid, and he works hard and he’s done everything he’s supposed to do to get better. He’s matured physically and mentally over the last few years, and he’s getting stronger. I really noticed that with baseball last year. You can see him each year taking that step, getting more physical, getting that girth about him.

That’s going to be a positive this year. He’s one of our better athletes, no doubt.

Clark is one of our best athletes, period. He’s going to be on the field somewhere. If he’s not playing quarterback, he’ll be a B back or an A back, and defensively we can move him around.

He’s one of our better players, which is a luxury to have.

Tate has been the veteran and taking 99% of the snaps over the last few years, and this gives us another option. Tate probably throws it a little better than

Clark, a little more polish throwing the ball. Clark is kind of a bulldog. He runs hard, and a lot of time with what we do, we kind of like to have that bulldog. Both of them are going to be on the field somewhere.

They’re our better players.”

That versatility will be key as the Barons try to replace Graham VanPatten, who was the focal point of their offense. With more skill players this year, Jarecki hopes that having multiple options offensively will offset the loss of their star player.

“Graham was a huge part of our whole program, so replacing him is a big key, but we feel like we have a lot of options there. We have a lot of skilltype players.”

Wilson Hall’s biggest challenge offensively will be up front, where the Barons graduated every single one of their starting linemen.

Jarecki is hopeful their offensive scheme will help ease those new players in.

“It all starts up front, and

WILSON HALL 2021 SCHEDULE ADDITIONAL KEY PLAYERS MAX KAZIAH – LB WILLIAM REESE – RB/LB DOC WALKER – RB/DB HUGH MCLAURENCE – DL WILL SINGLETON – DL ALEX MCLEOD – DB/LB

AUG 27 SEPT 3 SEPT 10 SEPT 17 SEPT 24 OCT 1 OCT 8 OCT 15 OCT 22 OCT 29

v. Trinity Collegiate @ Lee Academy @ Pinewood Prep v. Hammond v.Cardinal Newman @ Augusta Christian v. Ben Lippen @ Thomas Sumter @Heathwood Hall v. Laurence Manning

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we’re really starting from ground zero there. We don’t have a ton of great big guys, but with what we do, you don’t have to be.”

Wilson Hall has been rebuilding a bit the last few years, but Jarecki thinks this team is a step closer to breaking through in the extremely competitive SCISA 3A. “We want to compete every week. We don’t want to go into a situation where you’re playing one of these monsters and you just lay down, and I don’t feel like (that will happen) with this group coming up. They’ve experienced a lot of success coming through the ranks, and some of our older players now have been a part of that. They know how to be successful, and they know how to compete, and we really saw a lot of that this summer.”

SCISA REGION I-3A WILSON HALL AUGUSTA CHRISTIAN BEN LIPPEN CARDINAL NEWMAN HAMMOND HEATHWOOD HALL

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2021 GRIDIRON

THE SUMTER ITEM

AUGUST 21, 2021-AUGUST, 23, 2021

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C7

Swampcats begin quest for third straight championship appearance The following preview is taken from our interview series with local head coaches on our sports podcast, The Blitz. You can hear more about the Swampcats from Laurence Manning head coach Austin Floyd by opening your camera on your smartphone and hovering over this QR code.

Laurence Manning Academy has played for the SCISA 3A state championship for two years in a row, but they’ve always played the role of the underdog. Head coach Austin Floyd is embracing that role heading into his third year with the Swampcats.

“We’re kinda like the red-headed stepchild that somehow figures out a way to win and be competitive. And we do. I tell my kids that we’re not the most talented – we’ve got some playmakers, don’t get me wrong – but we try to be the tough, country school I guess. We’re excited, and our kids take a chip on their shoulder, and we have to. We can be overlooked as the small team from Manning, and we try to thrive on that attitude.”

SCISA REGION II-3A LAURENCE MANNING FIRST BAPTIST PINEWOOD PREP PORTER-GAUD TRINITY-BYRNES

ADDITIONAL KEY PLAYERS MICKEY JORDAN – LB DALTON BROWN – DL JACKSON BROWN – RB/WR JACKSON BRUNSON – WR BRYCE ACORD – WR/DB JAMES OLDEN – OL JOE WILSON – OL BRYSON HODGE – LB/DE LANDON PRESCOTT – LB

KEY LOSSES GABE HARRIS – WR/DB BENNETT STEPHENS – LB BRITTON MORRIS – OL/LB HENRY BLACK – OL/DL JONATHAN GRIFFITH – DL JARRETT POOLE – DB

The Swampcats live on pounding the rock on offense and playing strong defense. They’ll bring a lot of talent back in the backfield, so Floyd is looking to keep that gameplan going. With a bruising back in Nolan Osteen leading the way, they’ll be able to run the ball. The added dimension this year may be more passing.

“I’m a firm believer that playing good defense and running the ball wins games.

With that being said, we have a lot of guys that can run and catch it, and Tyler is a pretty good quarterback, so as they develop we’ll expand. We’re going to start with our basics and build off of it.”

If the Swampcats are going to pass more, they’ll have to rely on sophomore quarterback Tyler June.

LAURENCE MANNING 2021 SCHEDULE AUG 20 AUG 27 SEPT 3 SEPT 10 SEPT 17 SEPT 24 OCT 1 OCT 8 OCT 15 OCT 22 OCT 29

v. Lewisville v. Heathwood Hall @ First Baptist v Porter Gaud @ Ben Lippen @ Hammond v. Florence Christian v. Cardinal Newman @ Pinewood Prep v. Trinity Collegiate @ Wilson Hall

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Laurence Manning wide receiver Brandon King is slated to return for the Swampcats’ opener against Lewisville after tearing his ACL last season. LMA went 9-4 last year, losing to Hammond in the 3A state championship game.

MICAH GREEN / THE SUMTER ITEM

“He wants to perform and wants to play well. He wants to be one of the better quarterbacks in this league, I think, and hopefully we can get him coached up and challenge him and have him not get tired of that. Sometimes I think for a younger guy if they get a ton of reps early, you can get into him thinking he knows what he’s capable of and doesn’t want to be coached anymore. If you look at the great ones, they talk about how they want to be coached, and I think if he can be that kind of guy, he can be a really good player over the next couple of years.”

The most dynamic player on the offense may be Brandon King, who returns to the lineup after tearing his ACL last season. He’ll be crucial to LMA, as he’ll need to pick up where Gabe Harris left off last year as a dynamic threat outside that can turn around and carry the football, too.

“Brandon King is on pace to be back Week 0. He’s worked hard. We expect big things out of him, and we’re going to get him back into that role where

he’s comfortable and knows that we want to win games at the end of the year. We want to win them all, but we want to be healthy and be playing our best at the end. Brandon is one of the most dynamic receivers in our league, and he’s a great defensive player as well and we as coaches have to do a good job of getting him, and the other playmakers the ball.”

Laurence Manning has a lot of talent back this year, but the one area that lacks experience is in the trenches. LMA’s top offensive and defensive linemen, along with some sure tackling linebackers, mostly graduated. Floyd is looking forward to seeing who steps up to fill those shoes early in the season.

“I don’t think we’ll know until week 2 or 3 to be honest. I coach that group, and I’ve challenged that group. We run three down on defense, and I’m trying to get to a point where we’ve got eight guys in those eight positions, and I don’t know who they are yet. I’ve got an idea, but we don’t know yet.

We’ve just got to put them

out there and see who wants to tackle and be physical. I think winning football games is blocking and tackling, and that’s something I can teach you technique, but a lot of it is attitude. A lot of these guys haven’t taken a lot of varsity reps.

We’ve got some good looking guys, and they look good moving around from time to time.

In 7-on-7, they cover ground and we work hard in the weight room, and I’m super proud of that, but we just have to see.”

The defensive backfield will mirror the skill positions offensively, as LMA brings back a strong core minus Harris.

“We’ve got a lot of guys in secondary. I definitely think we can cover some ground, cover some people. Up front we’re not slouches. Dalton Brown is back. He was AllState last year and All-Conference the year before. But I think in the secondary we’re going to have a lot of guys we can roll in and out of there.

We’ve got to teach them what to do, but a little more than last year. We’re not going to

SEE LMA, PAGE C11

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2021 GRIDIRON

AUGUST 21, 2021-AUGUST, 23, 2021

THE SUMTER ITEM

Saints work to build around star WR Horton The following preview is taken from our interview series with local head coaches on our sports podcast, The Blitz. You can hear more about the Saints from Clarendon Hall head coach Anthony Reitenour by opening your camera on your smartphone and hovering over this QR code.

SCISA 8-MAN REGION I CLARENDON HALL ANDREW JACKSON CATHEDRAL ACADEMY CHARLESTON COLLEGIATE CONWAY CHRISTIAN FAITH CHRISTIAN HOLLY HILL PATRICK HENRY

Kylic Horton is the heart of the Clarendon Hall football team. The receiver is committed to South Carolina, and head coach Anthony Reitenour has loved his development.

“He’s definitely been working hard. He’s one of the few players that’s pretty much been to every weight-lifting session. The only ones he’s ever missed is when he’s at a football camp, and I usually missed them, too, because I was with him. He’s been to everything. He’s been working.

Mentally, he’s definitely growing. I’ve had him since eighth grade.

He knows what I’m going to say before I say it. He knows when I’m getting frustrated, he knows why I’m getting frustrated. He sees me looking at a kid, and he already knows what I’m about to say to him. What I’m starting to see out of him, especially with the other receivers and the quarterbacks, offensive linemen, everyone, he’s starting to step up in a role and tell people, ‘This is your job. When you run that route, try this.’ He’s helping the other guys progress,

Clarendon Hall has high hopes for the season thanks to the likes of (from left to right) Nathan Carlisle (99), Kylic Horton (1), Darius Aiken (2) and Colt Gibbons (front). The Saints went 4-6 last season.

MICAH GREEN / THE SUMTER ITEM

which is what you need from a kid of that caliber. A receiver of that caliber that has Power 5 offers at a small school, you need that guy helping others get motivated. I can tell you, if Kylic comes to practice and sits on the picnic table, there’s going to be four or five other kids sitting on that picnic table. If he gets on that line and takes off and sprints, everyone is going to try to catch up to him. If he jogs, he’s gonna have some joggers with him. He sets the tone for that entire team.”

The key to Clarendon Hall’s

CLARENDON HALL 2021 SCHEDULE AUG 27 SEPT 3 SEPT 10 SEPT 17 SEPT 24 OCT 1 OCT 8 OCT 15 OCT 22 OCT 29

@ Palmetto Christian @ Cathedral Academy v. Laurence Academy v. Newberry @ Holly Hill Academy v. Andrew Jackson v. Charleston Collegiate @ Patrick Henry @ Faith Christian v. Conway Christian

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success will be getting contributions from everyone else. That starts with quarterback Colt Gibbons, who was thrown into the fire last season with little prep in the offseason.

“One thing he’s great at is his IQ and picking up my offense. I can spit it out in three seconds and he’s got it and he’s relaying it to the huddle just like I did. He does a great job leading the team. He knows what each person is supposed to do. He did a great

KYLIC HORTON

SENIOR WR/DB

TALLIED 1,002 TOTAL YARDS WITH 18 TDS, 4 RETURN TDS, 2 DEFENSIVE TDS

job of that early on last year, just learning it. There were a few hiccups here or there early on, but he does a real good job of playing that leadership role.”

One group that Reitenour is excited about is his backfield, which could take significant pressure off of Horton as teams have to commit players to defending the box.

“I’m really liking my backfield right now. I have two young, sophomore running backs. One of them has some of the best footwork I’ve ever seen. He’s got to get a little bigger though. He’ll be in the slot with Kylic a lot, and that’s Wilder Robinson. I really see a lot of potential out of him. I love his vision and his speed.

Then I have Darius Aiken, another sophomore. Darius is a ball player. He’s put on some serious strength this offseason. He’s really worked and

SEE SAINTS, PAGE C11

Expectations remain high at Lee as they move on from Price at QB The following preview is taken from our interview series with local head coaches on our sports podcast, The Blitz. You can hear more about the Cavaliers from Lee Academy head coach David Rankin by opening your camera on your smartphone and hovering over this QR code.

ADDITIONAL KEY PLAYERS ANDREW HAIR – RB HAMPTON GASKIN – RB/LB DALTON HACKWORTH – RB/LB HUNTER ARLEDGE – FB/TE/LB LANCE FRIEDENBERGER – TE DREW NIX – WR/DB ANDREW PAULSON – WR/DB LIAM HOOPAUGH – OL/DL

SCISA REGION II-1A CALHOUN ACADEMY CHRISTIAN ACADEMY DILLON CHRISTIAN KING’S ACADEMY LEE ACADEMY THOMAS SUMTER ACADEMY

Head coach David Rankin has had sustained success at Lee Academy, and he expects that to continue this season. While the Cavaliers have lost some key players from last season, Rankin says the winning culture of the program is the most important piece.

“We’ve had our run of athletes and we’ve got some on this team. We’ll still be fine this year. It’s kind of like when we were not very good and we had a losing mentality. Now we’re got a winning mentality and you don’t want to let go of that thing. We’re riding the wave as hard as we can. When you’ve got 28 out of 34 every day, and some days you have 34 in there, a lot of coaches can’t say that. We outwork a lot of the people we play, and that’s very important for us.

The thing is knowing how to practice, what to do in the summer. They’ve been around that.

They know how to practice, know what it takes to win, know what we’ve got to do to get our goals to where we want to go. It’s been a culture thing at Lee. I don’t think it’s been an athletic thing as much as a culture thing.

We’re 62-16 the last six years, and it’s because we practice the right way. We’re there all the time. We know how to play smashmouth football. Even though we were a shotgun team, we ran the ball downhill with the smashmouth mentality. Defensively, we get after the ball. We don’t wanna be the team that doesn’t win eight or nine games.”

TIM LEIBLE / THE SUMTER ITEM

Lee Academy will look to pound the rock this year with guys like Andrew Hair (3) thanks to returning linemen Tripp Strange (70) and Eli Tomlinson. Lee went 9-4 last year, falling to Thomas Heyward Academy in the SCISA 1A championship game.

The biggest individual hole to fill is at quarterback. Keaton Price was electric as a runner and thrower for the last two seasons, but Rankin has had a knack for finding players to succeed in that role over the years.

“We’ve been as good as anybody at quarterback for the last three quarterbacks we’ve had in Bryce Barrett, Jet Smith and Keaton Price. All of those were running quarterbacks. We’ll have a sophomore this year. All of them started as sophomores. It’ll be a sophomore quarterback in either Clayton Catoe or William West. They’re not LEE ACADEMY 2021 SCHEDULE going to be the runner Keaton was. We’ll be ok throwing the ball and the leadership will be AUG 27 @ Williamsburg 8:00 p.m. there. Very pleased with both SEPT 3 v. Wilson Hall 7:30 p.m. of them. Both of them can SEPT 10 v. Calhoun 7:30 p.m.

SEPT 17 @ Florence Christian 7:30 p.m.

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KEATON PRICE – QB OCT 8 v. Carolina 7:30 p.m.

JARRETT HUETTMANN – OL/DL OCT 15 @Christian Academy 7:30 p.m.

JOSH KIRVIN – WR/DB OCT 22 v. King’s Academy 7:30 p.m.

JENKINS MCCULLUM WR/DB OCT 29 @ Thomas Sumter 7:30 p.m.

LUCAS FRIEDENBERGER – TE

run our offense, and we’ve still got a quarterback battle going.”

Both of those quarterbacks will play elsewhere if they don’t win the starting job and they’ll add to the biggest strength of the Cavalier offense: the running game. With returning runners and a stacked offensive line, Rankin expects to move the ball on the ground.

“The strength of our team will be up front, no doubt about it. Our offensive line will be the strength of our team.

We’ll go with Cooper Bradt at 330 pounds at offensive tackle. We’ll be 240 at guard beside him, 250 at center. Our other guard will probably be Eli Tomlinson who’s 240, and then our other tackle will be at 180 in Nathan Garrick or Alex Garrick. They’re the twins. Whichever one doesn’t play offense will play defense. The best thing is that all of them are underclassmen, except Tripp Strange will be our only senior lineman. Maybe Parker Wilkes will get some. He’s a senior lineman

SEE LEE, PAGE C11

2021 GRIDIRON

THE SUMTER ITEM

AUGUST 21, 2021-AUGUST, 23, 2021

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Lee Central nearly starting over as team returns after missing 2020 The following preview is taken from our interview series with local head coaches on our sports podcast, The Blitz. You can hear more about the Stallions from Lee Central head coach Justin Danner by opening your camera on your smartphone and hovering over this QR code.

After missing the 2020 season due to COVID-19, the biggest thing the Lee Central football team is missing is experience. Head coach Justin Danner has taken a simple approach to the offseason since only eight players on the team have even been on the varsity roster before.

“On field experience. That’s the biggest piece because my seniors were just sophomores when we left. That’ll be challenging in itself, but as a coach you just have to keep it as basic as you can and just get those kids to be able to play as hard as they can. Our summer was kind of like that. We spent a lot of time trying to not put the carriage before the horse, so to speak. Our kids have definitely responded well. And our parents and community have really been behind us. I guess they want to get those kids out of the house a little bit.

It’s a lot like when you come in and take over a football program.

You come in, and you’re trying to figure out who goes where, and you’re not saying any kid knows anything yet. Anything they do know is an added bonus, but you’re teaching it from ground zero, and that’s what we’ve done. We’re taking it day by day, step by step.”

ADDITIONAL KEY PLAYERS

One of those returners in Kwantre Harry. He’ll be the team’s starting quarterback after serving as the Stallions’ backup in 2019.

SAMIR TONY – RB/LB DOMINIQUE WASHINGTON – RB LAWRENCE BURROUGHS – RB/DL XAVEION PERKINS – RB/DB TYREESE WILLIAMS – RB/DB DERRICK BRADLEY – WR/DB ISAAC JOHNSON – WR/DB ROBERT TAYLOR – OL TYIKUS HOLLOMAN – OL/DL EVERETTE BURNS – OL CAM DINKINS – OL JT POWELL – DE/TE TRENTON RICHARDSON – DL KHALIR HANNIBAL – LB CHRIS THOMAS – LB

“He’s one of our best athletes on the team. He’s allowing us to be able to do different things within our offense scheme because of his ability to run, but he also does throw the football pretty well. He’s a leader for us. He knows our system.”

Of the skill positions, Lee Central has the most depth at running back, which is needed in their Wing-T offense. That starts with senior captain Kenneth Albert, but will include a total of six runners at least.

SCHSL REGION VII-2A ANDREWS KINGSTREE LATTA LEE CENTRAL MARION MULLINS

“Whether they were young or old, somebody is going to be back there running that football.

One of our leaders for our team and a captain is Kenneth Albert. He plays one of our running back positions, and he is a 225pound running back we’re excited to have, and he’s also a middle linebacker for us. He will bring back experience to our backfield.

We like to mix it up with a lot of different

MICAH GREEN / THE SUMTER ITEM

The Lee Central football team is excited to be back on the field after missing the 2020 season.

The school district decided to forgo the season due to COVID-19. guys, keep those legs fresh, and they’ve been doing a really good job thus far.”

Danner likes what he’s seen out of his offensive line so far. They’ll be led by center Jamarion Johnson, who was a starter in 2019.

“We’ve returned our starting center.

He’s definitely our leader on the offensive line. He’s a captain for us, and we’re excited that he does return. He was definitely a young man that was weight training throughout the entire process.

He has some post-high school football aspirations and he’s working towards that.

The exciting part is that other than my senior, a lot of these guys should be around for a few years. The offensive line, we’re going to have a little more beef, and we’re excited to run behind that beef.”

The early returns on the defense are also good, especially up front. Albert will be one of the anchors there as an outside linebacker in their 3-4 scheme and Danner likes the speed and athleticism of the group overall.

“I think we run really well to the football. I think we have a few kids that can go on and play, so a little bit of our depth I don’t feel is a tremendous drop off. All those guys have kind of grown together.

They play well together, mesh well together. This team is very coachable, and I

hope that pays dividends.”

Most of all, this team is hungry to succeed. After a year off, the guys stuck around and didn’t need Danner to poke and prod too much to come and workout in the offseason.

“Sitting at home and watching others and not having a chance, you really realize how much you do miss it. A lot of those guys were calling me throughout the pandemic. They didn’t wanna believe that this wasn’t going to happen. Since we’ve been back, I haven’t had to call kids asking why they weren’t in the weight room. These guys have been ready.”

Danner spent last season watching the other teams in their new region, and he thinks his team is going to be able to compete this season.

“Your goal every year is we want to come out and win our conference. We have to have a goal going into it. Sometimes it may not be as realistic as other years, but you get out of it what you believe put into it. We’re invested in trying to get our guys to buy into us winning the conference. That is our goal. We want to get better every time we go out. And for us, those wins for us (in preseason and non-region) are asking if we’re better than we were going in. If it took us to not winning any and we went into our conference and we were a better football team, I would take that.”

Thomas Sumter looks to take big step forward after 1-win season The following preview is taken from our interview series with local head coaches on our sports podcast, The Blitz. You can hear more about the Generals from Thomas Sumter head coach Brannon Tidwell by opening your camera on your smartphone and hovering over this QR code.

Last season, the Generals struggled to move the ball on offense. They look to change that this season with a lot of new faces on that side of the ball. It starts with a new quarterback, Jamari Harris, who replaces Layton Kennison, who moved away in the offseason.

“We’re looking forward to him doing some good things for us. He did a good job up there. I would compare his height and athletic ability to a high school Russell Wilson when it comes to being 5’8” and 175. He can make all the throws on the field. He can hit square ins and deep vertical routes and things like that. He runs the ball well, too. We’re excited to see him on the field.”

lightning combo of Javion Lammie and last year’s breakout, Ayden Allen, and you can see why the Generals expect to score more.

“It used to be back in the day that defense wins championships. That has changed. Now you have to score points to give the defense energy. Last year we were great on defense, but we weren’t great on offense and at some point, every game they’d be like, ‘Well we’re not going to score any points.’ And when they got past 14, the floodgates opened. I expect us to score and do some good things on offense, which will give the defense a lot of energy. There’s some good weapons over there and I’m excited to watch them play.”

get some players back to fighting shape after battling injuries last season. That carries over to the defensive side of the ball, where the Generals have most of their starting players back. Tidwell is optimistic TSA will have a big jump this season.

“My year one records are 1 win, 3 wins and 4 wins, and year two records have been 9 wins, 10 wins and 9 wins. I put high expectations on myself. We went from 9 losses to 9 wins in Georgia in the same situation. Now I don’t expect us to get 9 wins, I just want us to win the first one, but when it comes to me, I have high expectations that we can go out and compete each Friday night. I want to win the first one and then win the second one after that.”

Harris will have some help at Thomas Sumter also returns a ton of the skill positions, most talent to its offensive line and will notably Matthew Hawkins, THOMAS SUMTER 2021 SCHEDULE who starred for the basketball OTHER KEY PLAYERS and track teams last year. Add AUG 27 v. King’s Academy 8:00 p.m.

GATLIN KIMBRO – WR/LB in a backfield with a thunder

SCISA REGION II-1A KEY LOSSES ETHAN LISENBY – UTILITY PRESTON HOUSER – OL/DL LAYTON KENNISON – QB

and

1-6 LAST SEASON

CALHOUN ACADEMY CHRISTIAN ACADEMY DILLON CHRISTIAN KING’S ACADEMY LEE ACADEMY THOMAS SUMTER

BEN JUNE – WR/DB LANDYN STEVENS – WR/DB DEV PATEL – WR HAYDEN POSTEN – OL/DL CHARLIE JOYNER – OL JAMES CLAFFEY – OL JACKSON BARNES – OL JHYLIL BRADFORD – OL CONNOR BRAZELL – DL JAKE JAMES – LB

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@ Carolina Academy @ Dillon Christian @ Pee Dee @ Williamsburg @ Christian Academy v. Beaufort v. Wilson Hall @ Calhoun Academy v. Lee Academy

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2021 GRIDIRON

THE SUMTER ITEM

The Hammer returns to Scott’s Branch. Again.

The following preview is taken from our interview series with local head coaches on our sports podcast, The Blitz. You can hear more about the Eagles from Scott’s Branch head coach Leonard Johnson by opening your camera on your smartphone and hovering over this QR code.

ADDITIONAL KEY PLAYERS ZAKEE RENDELL – QB TYLER KIND – RB MONTREZ SINKLER – WR SHA-RON MARTIN – OL SHANE BROOKS – OL DESANE WASHINGTON – RB/ DB

SCHSL REGION IV-1A C.E. MURRAY CARVERS BAY EAST CLARENDON HEMINGWAY SCOTT’S BRANCH

Leonard Johnson and his famous Hammer offense is back at Scott’s Branch this year. He didn’t get to spend the offseason with his team, as he was hired just before fall practices began, but he immediately got to work implementing his system.

“It’s a simple philosophy. Block down, kick out, get four yards, dust yourself off, and come back and do it again. It’s a very patient offense. You have to be satisfied with getting four yards, and you have to be very disciplined on the offensive line.

That’s what makes everything go is the offensive line. If the offensive line is in sync, (anyone) could get behind there and do what he has to do. I think our kids understand it, but some kids love the flash and dash. I understand that, but we’re not here to win games.

We’re here to do what it takes to play on that last Saturday in the year.”

Scott’s Branch found success last year with a different system under Rodney Barr, going 5-3. Johnson said his biggest challenge is convincing his young players why his less flashy offense is the one to run.

“They ran a different system last year and they were successful with that system. We had to explain why we can’t do that anymore to get where we want to go.

Our goal is to be playing that first Saturday in December and I don’t see too many teams that are doing this spreadtype thing and playing the last game of the season. It’s going to be a continuous conversation. We just have to get them in that mode that when you control the ball, you win ballgames.”

One coaching hire Johnson made to help in that regard is Adrian Coard, who won a state championship under Johnson at quarterback. He’s also heavily involved in local AAU

TIM LEIBLE / THE SUMTER ITEM

Scott’s Branch senior Zakee Rendell (5) handled quarterback duties the last time Leonard Johnson and the Hammer were with the Eagles and will likely handle those duties this year.

Scott’s Branch went 5-3 last year with a 2-2 record in the region.

basketball and his younger brother played for the team last season. He provides that link to a younger generation.

“Adrian knows what the system is. He understands me and the kids in the area.

He had a thumb on them. That was a fit for everyone.”

But Johnson knows that he may have to run more than one play. He’s made some tweaks to the Hammer during his year away from coaching that he thinks will help.

“The system has changed a little bit.

We’ve enhanced it, we think, and that’s the answer to the question everyone has of ‘will kids get excited about this system?’

Sometimes its good to take a year off and look back at things and see how we can make this thing better without losing our core values. It’s the same stupid play – block down, kick out, get four yards – but we put a different dress on it.”

Johnson also likes the early returns

on his 3-3 defensive scheme, which is led by coordinator Jimmy White.

“I think it’s going to be good. Seeing Jimmy work this morning, the I think he’s going to do some good things with the defense. The guys are listening, and that’s all we can ask for. We’ve got a good thing going. The coaches are engaged, and that’s what we want to see.

We’re still going to keep our same concept, which is man-to-man in your face.

We’re still going to keep that pressure on, and we’re going to have guys at linebacker who can run. We want to make sure we’re stopping them before they can get started.

We’re going to stop the run and I’m not as concerned about the pass because we disrupt pass patterns with our defense.

We’re not going to die by 700 cuts. Either you’re going to score quick – which is alright, we can fix that – or you’re going to get stopped cold and force you to do things that you’re not comfortable doing.

Johnson’s main goal is to be playing

SEE EAGLES, PAGE C11

East Clarendon looks to make a jump with new skill players The following preview is taken from our interview series with local head coaches on our sports podcast, The Blitz. You can hear more about the Wolverines from East Clarendon head coach Scott Cook by opening your camera on your smartphone and hovering over this QR code.

The East Clarendon offense is going to look a lot different this year. Gone are long time staples like Cub Cook and Marques Webb. The guy leading the way is Kyler Odom, the 1A CoPlayer of the Year will step in as the team’s starting quarterback and head coach Scott Cook likes what he’s seen.

“Kyler’s main thing with me is I love his competitiveness and how he works. Last night we finished practice at 8:30 or 8:45 p.m.,and I didn’t leave the weight room until about 10 because Kyler was in there working out.

Kyler really scans the field more, which is good for us and he’s going to depend on those big linemen up front. All five linemen are returning this year.

Kyler’s got a good arm, but he’s real smart back there, and he’s athletic. He’s really quicker than people think he is. He’s got pretty decent speed. I always give him a hard time because he reminds me of Freddie Freeman. He plays first base, too, and he’ll steal a base for you if you fall asleep on him.”

KEY LOSSES CUB COOK – QB MARQUES WEBB – RB JOSH BARRINGER – WR/DB KEYON WILSON – UTILITY TJ OWENS – WR/DB

Odom will have a fresh stable of backs to hand off to with newcomers Jyre Fulton, Qawiee Singletary and Jay Webb, along with returner John Michael Hardy.

“They all have good speed. Marquis (Webb) was a straight on runner, but these guys have the side to side speed. Qawiee and John Michael are probably more

TIM LEIBLE / THE SUMTER ITEM

East Clarendon returns Amarius Prince (54) and several of their top linemen from last year, building in the trenches on both sides of the ball. The Wolverines went 2-5 last season. physical runners than Jyre and Jay.”

The Wolverine’s biggest strength will be in the trenches, where East Clarendon has some big bodies with varsity experience.

“It all starts up front. I know that’s cliché, but I’m old school and it all starts with the offensive and defensive line. We’re excited about our offensive line this year.

We’ve got two guys that are both guards that are over 300 pounds in Austin McKenzie and Cannon King. Jack Welborn is going to be at center. He’s a sophomore that’s come a long way from last year and

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gotten stronger. And our two tackles are Amarius Prince and Coleman Yates. And we’ve got some guys that have come up from the B team that can spare us here and there so those guys can play defense for us also.”

SEE EC, PAGE C11

ADDITIONAL KEY PLAYERS RAULSTON MCKENZIE – WR/DB LAINE LEE – WR/DB CADE COOK – WR/DB

2021 GRIDIRON

THE SUMTER ITEM

AUGUST 21, 2021-AUGUST, 23, 2021

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Monarchs see growth after winless season The following preview is taken from our interview series with local head coaches on our sports podcast, The Blitz. You can hear more about the Monarchs from Manning head coach Reggie Kennedy by opening your camera on your smartphone and hovering over this QR code.

Last season did not go according to plan for Manning last season. A young team without an offseason was a rough combination, but head coach Reggie Kennedy has seen things turn in the right direction.

That starts with their top offensive weapon, quarterback Justin Daniels.

“He’s our leader. Being a three-year starter, you can see the difference with him at quarterback. He knows how we think, what we’re looking for and if we call a play wrong or a formation, he knows how to correct it without asking us. He’s going to be our backbone offensively. He’s had an outstanding offseason in the weight room too. You can see his body has changed in the last year.

The biggest thing with him now is that he’s calmer back there at quarterback. He’s playing with a lot more poise. He wanted to rush things a lot last year with the run game and the passing game, but I can see the difference in him now.

He’s much more settled back there and has more confidence at quarterback.”

ADDITIONAL KEY PLAYERS NAJEIR BURGESS – CB AMARYON KENNEDY – CB KEENAN JAMISON – DB/WR EMMERY MOUZON – WR XAVIER WOODS – WR

SCHSL REGION VI-3A CAMDEN CRESTWOOD LAKE CITY LAKEWOOD MANNING MARLBORO COUNTY

their strengths, putting an extra The running back group returns hand on the ground by moving to a 4-2 front. Four-year starter Bobby some talent, but they’re replacing starting running back Ernie Allen, an All-Region player last year, will be with three-year starter Calloway. While they lost that Michael Brown, along with Jamon workhorse, there is talent with Jaleel and DaQuan Brock.

Myers, Jabari Harrison, Nizhajuan McFadden and Montez Kennedy.

“We feel like our D-line is our strong That’s probably our strong point is running back. We’ve got a stable of backs.

They’ll run behind a line with three returning starters in DaQuan Butler, Clayton Rose and Darren Dawkins.

Kennedy has liked how the group has gelled together this offseason.

“The biggest thing I’ve seen with those guys is the camaraderie up front, they take a lot of pride in what they do. They’re hard workers on and off the field and when you’ve got those kinds of guys up front, you see the development a lot easier.

I think they can be a special group.

That confidence in the trenches carries over to the defensive side of the ball. The Monarchs are playing to

LEE FROM PAGE C8 too. We’ve got some subs in there. That’s our strong suit, we feel like we’re going to be able to move some people off of the ball.”

With that strength, Lee will be moving the quarterback under center, which they haven’t consistently done for a few seasons.

“Something we haven’t done in seven years is we’ll go back under center some and go back to the wing T. We’re a wing T base out of

SAINTS

FROM PAGE C8

he’s super fast. It looks like now we’ve got another kid coming in, D’Andre Canty, working in the backfield as well. He’s a big boy. He’s strong and he’s fast. If we get a strong running game going, it’s going to make it tough for teams to stack on Kylic.

They’re going to have to pick their poison.”

Clarendon Hall’s biggest issue last year was defense. Reitenour thinks the Saints have made some big strides this offseason, which would pay dividends in the playoffs.

“I see Brock Mathis stepping up and really doing big things for us and his brother Tucker. It’s really hard to gauge your defense until you get into padded practice, but we’ve spent a lot of time this offseason on footwork and

TIM LEIBLE / THE SUMTER ITEM

Manning High quarterback Justin Daniels comes into his senior season with three years of starting experience and head coach Reggie Kennedy thinks he’s developed more poise.

the gun anyway, so it doesn’t change anything for our offensive linemen.

We’re under center because of our running back situation. We’re going to play to our strength, our offensive line and our running game with our running backs carrying the football.”

The strength in the trenches will carry over to the defensive side of the ball, where Lee has talent returning and some newcomers that have been successful early. That’s going to be

The biggest key to the defense, which also brings back both starting corners, will be getting off the field on third downs.

important, because the rest of the Lee defense is filled with newcomers.

Rankin was particularly glad to have 7-on-7’s this summer to get his secondary ready.

“We lost 8 of 11 on defense, so it was very important to get out there and put our defensive backs under fire because we lost two defensive linemen and the rest were skill people, so it was very important for us on defense to get out there and understand how to compete, understand the coverages.

We can kind of throw every-

technique stuff and conditioning drills to teach them more and more to get them further along. It was also a new defensive coordinator last year and there were some roadblocks there.

I feel very confident in my defense. I feel like we’re going to get a lot better.”

The Saints have had a lot of success under Reitenour and he expects that to continue this season.

“I’m pushing them to the end. I feel like the group we had last year could’ve won it all. If you look at the film and the games we played, Holly Hill Academy that won the state championship, that was a two-point game. That was before we had the rash of injuries that we had. There’s no reason that this team with 99 percent of the team returning and some new pieces cannot go all the way. So I’m going to demand and push for excellence all season and I think this group can do it.”

SCHSL SCHEDULES WERE IN FLUX AT TIME OF PRODUCTION, SO HEAD TO B SECTION FOR ALL OF THE SCHSL SCHEDULES

point, probably one of the strongest D-lines we’ve had since I’ve been here.

They’re going to have to play well up front for us to be good defensively.

We went to a four-man front. Last year we played a three-man front with a lot of moving, but this year we’ll be more of a 4-2-5 team to try to cover up some of those young linebackers by putting an extra hand on the ground. Jabari Harrison played quite a lot at linebacker last year, Jaleel Myers will have to be a twoway player for us and Deionta McFadden will step in to play that linebacker for us.

thing at the wall and see what sticks and we’ll go with that.”

Expectations are always high at Lee Academy, especially coming off of a trip to the 1A title game.

Rankin expects to have another successful season with this group.

“Our goal is to win the region and then after that, the chips fall where they may.

We’re going to try to have a winning season, win that region and its cliché, but be the best football team we can be. If we do that, then we’re fine.”

EC FROM PAGE A10 The defense will mirror the offense, with good size up front. That will help eat some blocks and free up a linebacking corps based around Luke Robinson.

“It’ll be set around Luke Robinson at middle linebacker. Luke torn his ACL last year against C.E. Murray and worked hard with the trainer this offseason to get back. Coleman Yates is in the middle, we’ll have Ryan Sullivan in there and Devon Harrison. At outside we’ve got Qawiee Singletary and

EAGLES

FROM PAGE C10

the last game of the season, but to get there the Eagles have to play catchup on conditioning after missing offseason activities.

John Michael Hardy.”

Head coach Scott Cook thinks this group is ready to make the jump this year after narrowly missing out on the playoffs last season.

“We always talk about our goals as winning a region championship and go as far as we can in the playoffs and hopefully end up at Benedict College. That’s always our goal and we don’t shy away from that. If that’s not our goal, we tell them to stay at home.

This group right here wants to succeed. They really want to get at it.”

“The number one goal is to get in condition. Number 2 is be patient with the system, let us coach it, let us get you in position to win.

We start with the end in mind, we want to play in that first Saturday in December and you just have to piece it out.”

“We played too many snaps last year.

Hopefully we can learn to get off the field on third down. Last year we found a way to stay on the field on third downs, so hopefully they learned from that last year.”

Despite last season’s struggles, Kennedy thinks the Monarchs are headed in the right direction.

“Our first goal is to always win a state championship and then our second goal is to have a winning season, our third goal is to win the region and our fourth goal is to make the playoffs. It’s always good to have goals.

This could be a special group, they’ve played together a long time. They played together in middle school. This junior group was undefeated in middle school and were undefeated in JV then they had to suffer losing last year. Hopefully they learned from that.

Our biggest thing is let’s get it back on track, let’s get a tradition going. Manning has a lot of tradition when it comes to football and we want to regain that tradition back this season.”

GATORS

FROM PAGE C5

“programs may stay on JV, but in our program it’s varsity time and they’ve got to become big boys real quick. We feel confident that as long as we have a standard schedule this year that by the time we get into region play this year, they’re going to be ready.

We’re going to take some lumps along the road, some youthful mistakes, but as long as they’re giving it 100 percent, we can learn from that.”

Cornelius is setting the bar high for the Gators as they look to compete in a tough region.

“You’ve got to set the bar high.

If you’re only talking about making the playoffs, I think you’re doing a disservice to your kids and to your school. Our goal is to win the region and our goal is to host a home (playoff) football game. Lakewood has never done that in our history. We have to set the bar high.”

LMA FROM PAGE C7 have so many liabilities out there.

We should have more out there that can run and cover.”

As always, Floyd expects to be contending for a state title.

“Do we talk about playing for state title and winning one? Absolutely, but I think it’s more so a week-to-week thing. We talk about it, and I say it all the time, but we want to be playing our best football in November when games matter and we’re driving to that, but you get there by playing week to week and focusing on where you’re at right now. We set expectations for ourselves. We want to be one of the better teams in this league, we don’t shy away from that. We’ve lost the last two, but I think we’ve won 20 games the past two years, but that’s all the past two years.”

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2021 GRIDIRON

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