High School Football From A to Z
Ashley Ridge, one of two new high schools in the Lowcountry. The Swamp Foxes will compete at the Class AA level for two years. Coach Doc Davis won 178 games and five state titles at Spartanburg.
Burke, whose head coach, John Rose, became a father Tuesday when he and his wife Anna welcomed daughter Alyssa Joanna into the world.
Cane Bay, the other new area high school. The Cobras will compete at the Class AA level for two years. Coach Jeff Cruce hopes to repeat what he accomplished at Hanahan, where his teams won 113 games in 12 seasons.
Duane Chisolm, who should be a force for the Beaufort Eagles. The defensive end recorded 113 tackles, including 15 sacks in 2007. He's eyeing Clemson and South Carolina.
Expectations, which are high at Military Magnet after the Eagles went 5-6 last year in only their second season of varsity competition.
Fordham. Aldrick Fordham, the Timberland star had 57 tackles from his defensive end position as a junior. He's already committed to play for the Gamecocks.
Greg "Gregory the Great" Roper, the top 400-meter dash man in the state with three straight state titles. The St. John's star also is one talented football player with more than 1,000 yards rushing and 100 tackles last fall.
Hanahan's top hawk: Defensive back Nick Carson, who should be in the hunt for all-state honors after picking off 10 passes and recording 67 tackles as a junior. He's also a state champion in the high jump.
Interceptions. North Charleston defensive back Denzel Myers led the Lowcountry last year with 11 picks. He also broke up 17 passes and recorded 46 tackles.
John McKissick, the Summerville coaching legend, who begins his 57th year at the helm of the Green Wave. He turns 82 on Sept. 25 and is football's all-time winningest coach with a 556-130-13 record.
Kicker. Bishop England's Thomas Warren is a top area returning kicker. Last year, he was 35 of 38 on PATs, while booting two field goals.
Location. The location for the Class AA and AAA and AAAA title games have changed this year. The games will be contested at Clemson instead of in Columbia.
McElveen. Donny McElveen, the grandson of John McKissick, transfers from Mount Tabor (N.C.) to Summerville for his senior season. He led Mount Tabor to the state title game, completing 125 of 237 for 1,865 yards and 14 touchdowns.
Northwood. Look for Northwood Academy to contend for the SCISA Class AA state title. The teams is coached by Jerry Stoots, who was inducted into the state coaches association hall of fame this summer.
Offense. The Berkeley Stags averaged 34.6 points last year and reached the Division II-AAAA state semifinal game. But the Stags must find a replacement for All-America running back Andre Ellington, who will play at Clemson this fall.
Politics. Politics are one big reason why the state championships were moved from centrally located Williams- Brice Stadium to Clemson's Death Valley. Can you say $4 a gallon?
Quinton Washington. The Timberland offensive lineman begins the season as the top senior football player in the Lowcountry. He already has offers from South Carolina, Clemson, Tennessee, Alabama, Maryland and North Carolina.
Rivals. Berkeley plays Stratford on Sept. 12. Fort Dorchester plays Summerville on Sept. 19. St. John's plays Baptist Hill on Oct. 31. On the other hand, Bishop England doesn't play its two biggest rivals this year: Porter-Gaud and Hanahan.
Stackley and Stratford. Ray Stackley returns for his 24th year at Stratford, where he has amassed 222 career wins. He was inducted into the state coaches hall of fame earlier this summer.
Touchdowns. Nobody scores touchdowns like Timberland running back Rockarius King. He scored 20 last year to bring his three-year total to 59. He's rushed for more than 5,000 yards in what has been a brilliant career.
Underclassmen. Wando's Lee Oree was one of the top underclassmen in the Lowcountry last fall. As a sophomore, he rushed for 1,003 yards and five touchdowns for coach Bob Hayes' team.
Versatile. Fort Dorchester quarterback Galen Bennett is very versatile. As a junior, he passed for 873 yards and nine touchdowns during the regular season and rushed for 800 yards and 14 touchdowns.
Woodland. Woodland could challenge for the Region 6-AA championship if rising sophomore quarterback Robert Smith continues to develop. He completed 147 of 250 passes in the regular season last fall for 2,310 yards and 24 touchdowns.
X-Factor. Some coaches have told me they have players who could be the X-Factor in big games. I'm not sure what that means. Does it have something to do with the X-Files?
Young. West Ashley quarterback K.J. Cohen is one of the top young guns around. As a sophomore, he was fourth in the Lowcountry in passing yardage for the regular season with 1,492 yards.
Zero. That's how many times I will likely write about former Summerville star A.J. Green this fall. Seems like only yesterday that he was making headlines on a weekly basis. No doubt he'll be making headlines at Georgia.
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