By Thomas Grant Jr.
The ‘bye’ week may have occurred at the right time for Brookland-Cayce.
“We had a few bumps and bruises to get healed,” Bearcats head coach Rusty Charpia said. “We also dealt with school out due to weather.”
Brookland-Cayce now returns to action for arguably its biggest test of the season. The 2-0 Bearcats head to Memorial Stadium to face an A.C. Flora team which is also coming off a one-week break.
Prior to the ‘bye’, the Class 4A ninth-ranked Falcons routed Dreher 61-13 in bouncing back from a 24-23 loss to Greenwood. A.C. Flora is also 5-0 all-time against the Bearcats, including a 72-43 win last year in Cayce.
“A.C. Flora is big and fast with lots of numbers,” Charpia said. “The team is well-coached. They scored 70 points on us last year. We hope we still have a chance late in the game.”
Brookland-Cayce will look towards its potent running game which has helped it outscore the first two opponents 94-6. Deshaun Washington has rushed for 245 yards and four touchdowns and Will Young is coming off running for three scores in the shutout win over archrival Airport.
Charpia hopes to open the passing game as the season progresses. Defensively, the Bearcats will look to slow down running back Noah Kelson who rushed for 220 yards and three touchdowns against Dreher and quarterback Roger Wentzky who threw for 237 yards and four touchdowns in the same game.
Airport at Lugoff-Elgin.
Last Friday’s 10-3 victory over Lamar not only marked the Eagles’ first win over a ranked opponent since 2020.
That was also the last time Airport opened the season 2-1.
“Friday night was great for our group because they fought through adversity and won a tough physical football game against a premier program that’s ranked in the Top 10 in the state,” Airport head coach Shane Fidler said. “You could see our defense gain confidence each possession and our offense get closer with each touch of the ball before finally breaking through.”
Those are not the only positives the first year can point to so far. The passing game with Airport quarterback Jesse Ray Hoover has developed with wide receivers Shiloh Perry and Avery Jones.
It was Hoover’s 29-yard touchdown pass to Perry in the third quarter which put Airport ahead. Jones helped set up the score as he took the direct snap on a fake punt and scampered 26 yards for the first down.
Hoover and Perry also connected on a 50-yard reception which set up a 32-yard field goal by Eduardo Hernandez.
“Coach (Lee) Williams and Coach (Paxton) Brooks have done a great job developing a wide receiver corps with zero varsity football snaps previous to this year,” Fidler said. “They have a long, long way to go to where they need to be, but the progress and playmaking ability when we need it has been refreshing.”
For the second time this season, the Airport defense did not allow a touchdown. Lamar’s final two possessions ended with an incompletion out of the endzone on fourth down and Kelby Stroman getting a tipped interception with less than 30 seconds left.
Airport now heads on the road to face Lugoff-Elgin (1-2). The Demons picked up their first win of the season in a 7-0 victory over Darlington, the lone score coming on a 35-yard run by Myles Hamilton.
A win will give the Eagles their best record after four games since 2015.
“I know that would mean a lot to our community and supporters, but for us it’s all about playing our best game right now,” Fidler said. “I don’t think we’ve even come close to being the best version of ourselves yet and that’s what we are striving to be.”
The Palmetto State Sports Network will carry both Brookland-Cayce and Airport games starting at 7 p.m.
Both teams can be followed this season by either downloading the app or visiting https://network1sports.com/station/pssn.
S.C. PREP FOOTBALL MEDIA POLL
Class 3A
- Dillon (16) (2-0)
- Daniel (1) (2-0)
- Clinton (2) (3-0)
- Chester (3-0)
- Belton-Honea Path (1) (2-0)
- Gilbert (2-0)
- Camden (2-1)
- Chapman 2-1
- Brookland-Cayce (2-0)
- Broome (2-1)
Others receiving votes: Manning, Crestwood, Seneca, Philip Simmons, Beaufort, Loris, Pendleton, Powdersville, Crescent
