The new executive director of the S.C. Athletic Coaches Athletic Coaches Association, Scott Earley, spoke to an audience of many familiar faces on Thursday at the Laurens County Touchdown Club.
Earley, a S.C. high-school football coach for 27 years, spoke of his relationships with several coaches in the room, and ex-Laurens athletics director Billy Strickland, longtime Presbyterian assistant coach Bob Strock, and his predecessors in his current position, Laurens’ Shell Dula and Clinton’s Keith Richardson.
Mostly he was speaking to the athletes in the audience from CHS, LDHS, Laurens Academy, Thornwell Charter and Presbyterian College.
“You won’t know how special these times are until you get to my age,” Earley, who had 17 consecutive winning seasons, said. “Football doesn’t build character. It reveals it.”
Earley attended the 100-year anniversary celebration of Clinton High football earlier this fall and said Wilder Stadium’s atmosphere was “like nothing I’ve seen in years.”
As Red Devils head coach Corey Fountain said, “It’s a great time to be a Red Devil.”
Clinton (6-2, 3-0) and Chester (8-1, 3-0) will settle the Region 4-3A championship on Friday night at the Big Red’s stadium.
Laurens (2-7, 2-1 Region 2-4A) can earn a likely home playoff game with a victory over Eastside (4-4, 0-2) in Taylors.
“When we beat Riverside (two weeks ago), it gave us a lot of adrenaline,” said head coach Daryl Smith.
Laurens Academy (3-6) hopes to work out of a slump at Newberry Academy (2-7), and Thornwell (1-6) takes on Atlantic Collegiate Academy (4-3) in Conway.
Two Red Devils will be playing when the playoffs are over. Earlier this fall, defensive back Zay Johnson, a Cincinnati commit, was named to the South Carolina team in the 87th Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas, to be played Dec. 16 at Spartanburg High School.
Now Kadon Crawford, who plays tight end and linebacker for Clinton (6-2), is on the North roster for the 76th Touchstone Energy Cooperatives North-South Bowl, Dec. 9, in Myrtle Beach.
Presbyterian College placekicker Mack Mikko made the 22-player watch list for the Jerry Rice Award as the Football Championship Subdivision’s Freshman of the Year.
That a kicker from a non-scholarship FCS school would win the award is as long a shot as the 0-6 Panthers winning the Super Bowl, but it’s quite an honor for the Newnan, Ga., product who has thus far connected on 10/14 field goals.
Idaho quarterback Gevani McCoy won it last year.
FCS Jerry Rice Award Watch List
Marqui Adams (QB, Delaware State)
Camden Coleman (QB, Richmond)
Quincy Craig (RB, Portland State)
Champ Dozier (RB, Houston Christian)
M.J. Flowers (RB, Eastern Illinois)Syeed Gibbs (DB, Rhode Island)
Eli Gillman (RB, Montana)
Carter Glassmyer (LB, Saint Francis)
Malachi Hosley (RB, Penn)
Brendan Jenkins (WR, Samford)
Jaylon Joseph (DE, Lafayette)
Alex McLaughlin (DB, Northern Arizona)
Mack Mikko (PK, Presbyterian)
Zach Mitchell (WR, Southern Utah)
Connor Moore (LT, Montana State)
Tye Niekamp (LB, Illinois State)
Marco Patierno (LB, Elon)
Aaron Spears (CB, Stephen F. Austin)
Beau Sparks (WR, Utah Tech)
Tak Tateoka (QB, St. Thomas)
V.J. Wilkins (WR, Campbell)
Ty’Jarian Williams (QB, Mississippi Valley State)
Shorts: In women’s soccer, PC goalkeeper Kelly Hall made a career-best 10 saves, but the Blue Hose managed only a draw against Charleston Southern. … The men also tied, 2-2, versus Furman. Damorney Hutchinson and Jamari Busby scored the PC goals. … Laurens Academy, the top seed in its bracket, opens the playoffs against either Curtis Baptist or Wardlaw Friday night. …
Clinton swept to the county cross-country meet, taking four the top five positions, led by William Reid at 16:52. Laurens’ Cody Patterson was fourth at 17:40, and Thornwell’s J.T. Shorter was ninth at 19:04. … Only the Red Devils fielded a full team in the girls’ race, won by the Red Devils’ Skyler Collins at 24:52. Laurens’ Gabriella Helton was second at 25:13. … Clinton traveled to Piedmont to face Wren in the volleyball playoffs.
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Nightrider's Lament 