L.J. Anderson graduated from Sumter High School in 2004 as a strapping 6-3, 312-pounder.
Anderson, a 2-year starting offensive guard for the Gamecocks football team, said that he still had a lot of growing to do as he entered Central Florida ready to play for then-first year head coach George O'Leary.
"I went to this team thinking that wherever I went (after high school), I was going to do a lot of growing within myself," Anderson said. "Little did I know that when I got here, the whole team needed to do a lot of growing up."
Anderson, who helped anchor Sumter High's massive offensive line in the 2003 season in which the Gamecocks went 14-1 and reached the 4A Division I state championship game, realized that even though he was redshirted for 2004. The Golden Knights are coming off a 0-11 season as they prepare for their season opener against South Carolina Thursday in Columbia.
"Compared to high school, it was a shock," Anderson said about going from one of the best high school teams in the state to a winless college team. "I knew I had to grow on the inside and that the redshirt year would help me do that."
Getting ready to play on a college line would take a few changes to his techniques, though.
ANDERSON
"The first thing they changed was my stance," Anderson remembers. "It was kind of parallel (to the defensive line) but now they've put me in a stagger stance. Other than that, my footwork is still the same, but it's just a lot more intense."
That increased intensity might be part of any college program in the preseason, but Anderson attributes Central Florida's sense of urgency to O'Leary.
O'Leary, who was 52-33 with Georgia Tech in seven years, took the head coaching job at Notre Dame after the 2001 season but resigned after some discrepancies were revealed on his resume. He served as an assistant coach with the Minnesota Vikings before taking the Golden Knights job and now will see Central Florida into its first year as a member of Conference USA.
Knowing that, Anderson said that O'Leary is a coach who knows how to prepare a team.
"I don't really know too much about the team before he got there, but players who have been here for awhile said that he really changed the tempo in practice," Anderson said. "He's real serious. A lot of players didn't like his style of practice and whatnot, and he drove a lot of players away, but it's very intense and up-tempo. It allows us to get a game feel in practice."
While he didn't play last year, Anderson still felt the pain of losing, and noticed that the team did not work as a cohesive unit. This season is different, he said.
"Our comraderie wasn't the best last year, but since then we've all grown tremendously together. We're a lot tighter team and we've got a lot of comraderie."
In converting from high school lineman to college player over that season and in the offseason, Anderson said he did. Physically, however, he became smaller: he's listed on the roster at 6-3 and 280.
He entered camp pegged as the team's starting left tackle, but Anderson said that he ended up losing weight "that I didn't need to lose" as preseason practice carried on. For Thursday's season opener, Anderson is not slated to start. He is, however, listed as a backup right tackle.
"I'll be rotating (with the starting right tackle) every other series or something like that," said Anderson, who will be wearing jersey No.63.
"At tackle, you're on an island with you and the defensive ends," Anderson explained. "You have to have quick feet and quick hands."
Anderson expects to have both as he returns to Williams-Brice Stadium for the first time since the Sumter fell 28-21 to Gaffney in the 4A Division I title game. He's excited not only to return to South Carolina, but also doing so in front of a national television audience. The game, Steve Spurrier's first as head coach of the Gamecocks, will be televised on ESPN.
"It brings joy to my heart knowing I can come home and my family can come see me," Anderson said. "Coming home in front of ESPN and over 80,000 fans is going to be great."
He's also glad to be seeing one of his former Sumter High linemates, USC sophomore James Thompson.
"James Thompson and me are like brothers," he said. "It's going to be a thrill knowing that we're going to be playing each other. We were side by side in high school and it's kind of weird that we're going against each other, but at the same time it's thrilling."
Bruz Crowson / The Item Sumter quarterback Kendrick Pressley runs past Crestwood defensive back Derrick Loney, right, in the Gamecocks’ 17-14 win Friday at District 2 Memorial Stadium.
DALZELL — Sumter placekicker Chris Taylor missed his first varsity field goal attempt early in the third quarter of the Gamecocks’ season opener against Crestwood Friday.
He was not as unfortunate on his second try, kicking a 35-yard field goal with 3:01 left to give the Gamecocks a 17-14 victory before a capacity crowd at District 2 Memorial Stadium.
With Crestwood leading 7-0 early in the third quarter, Taylor missed wide on a 34-yard attempt. But after the Gamecocks evened the score at 14-14 in the fourth quarter, Taylor split the uprights on a 35-yarder for what would prove to be the game-winning points.
“That was a big one for him,” said Gamecock head coach Paul Sorrells. “That was his first varsity field goal and it went right down the middle. He hit it good, it was a good snap, we had good protection, I’m just glad it was good.”
Sorrells had good reason to be relieved at seeing his placekicker punch a game-winner through, because the Gamecocks had suffered early-season jitters in the first half and felt the heat of an oppressive Crestwood run and pass defense throughout the game.
Chris Moore / The Item Sumter's Phiilip Burk runs after making a catch against Lakewood last Friday in the Sumter County Jamboree. Sumter meets Crestwood tonight.
Last year's football game between Crestwood and Sumter high schools was a pivotal moment for both the Knights and the Gamecocks.
It was the season opener for both teams and Crestwood defeated SHS 21-14.
The teams open the season together again this season, when they meet at 7:30 p.m. today at District 2 Memorial Stadium in Dalzell.
"You want to get out there and play well and hope to win the football game," said Knights head coach Keith Crolley. "It's one ball game, and one game does not a season make."
Last year's victory over the Gamecocks sure put Crestwood on the right track, though. It marked the start of a 12-game winning streak.
Crestwood went on to finish 12-1, winning the Region VI-3A championship and losing only to Dillon in the third round of the 3A state playoffs.
For the Gamecocks, it marked the first of five straight defeats to open the year as they began to break in a new starting lineup on both sides of the football.
The next stop on the Cleveland Pinkney tour of the National Football League? Envelope, please. The answer is: Seattle!
Pinkney, a 6-1, 300-pound defensive tackle who starred at Sumter High School and the University of South Carolina, was picked up by the Seahawks on Aug. 9 after being cut by the Carolina Panthers a couple of weeks earlier. Seattle is the sixth organization Pinkney has been with since signing as a free agent with the Indianapolis Colts in 2001.
This will actually be the fourth organization Pinkney has been with inside the last year. Last year, he was with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Atlanta Falcons and the Panthers. The affable Pinkney is taking his traveling show in stride, however.
“I’m getting to see a lot of the country,” Pinkney joked during a telephone interview from his home in Seattle. “My whole career has been an uphill-climb type of thing. I’ve gained an understanding of the business side of the game. I’m just going to relax a little bit, because it’s always going to be an uphill climb. I think I will have the chance to play.”
Pinkney said he wasn’t surprised when he was cut by the Panthers, but he was surprised by the timing of it. He was cut July 25, three days before Carolina opened training camp in Spartanburg.
“I had an idea they were going to make a move because there were too many of us defensive linemen in the meeting room,” Pinkney said. “The only thing I wish they would have done is made the move earlier. All of the rosters were full.”
Which left Pinkney on the outside looking in for a couple of weeks until the Seahawks came calling. Seattle had a roster spot open up with an injury, and Tim Ruskell, Seattle’s president of football operations, signed Pinkney. Ruskell was working with Tampa Bay and Atlanta in another capacity when Pinkney was with both organizations.
Pinkney doesn’t lack confidence in his ability to play in the NFL. He believes the aforementioned business side of the NFL is why he hasn’t been able to stick to date, and he also thinks the fact that he keeps getting signed is an indication of his ability.
“All of this bouncing around has nothing to do with my ability,” he said. “My ability has nothing to do with whether I play or not; it has everything to do with the business side. It comes down to how much they have in a player (money-wise) and sometimes it comes down to size (Pinkney is considered small for his position).
“I can play though. That’s why they keep picking me up. I know I can play.”
Pinkney has played in both of the Seahawks’ preseason games, a 34-15 win over New Orleans on Aug. 12 and an 18-10 loss to Dallas Monday. Pinkney had two tackles and one assist against New Orleans. He had two tackles and three assists against the Cowboys.
“I felt pretty good about the way I played. I got in on a lot of snaps,” Pinkney said of the Dallas game. “I could have made a few more plays, but I thought I did OK. My conditioning is superb, so I felt real good last night. It was a perfect night for football. I could have played all four quarters.”
Pinkney likes his chances of making the Seattle roster. The first cut will come on Aug. 30 when teams cut their rosters down to 65 players. The final cut to the 53-man roster will be on Sept. 3.
If this is the life Pinkney has to lead to play in the NFL, he is OK with it.
“It’s always been a fight for me in the NFL,” he said. “If that’s what I have to do, then that’s what I have to do. It doesn’t seem all that bad to me. I’m not married and I have no kids, so it’s just me.”
The next stop on the Cleveland Pinkney tour of the National Football League? Envelope, please. The answer is: Seattle!
Pinkney, a 6-1, 300-pound defensive tackle who starred at Sumter High School and the University of South Carolina, was picked up by the Seahawks on Aug. 9 after being cut by the Carolina Panthers a couple of weeks earlier. Seattle is the sixth organization Pinkney has been with since signing as a free agent with the Indianapolis Colts in 2001.
This will actually be the fourth organization Pinkney has been with inside the last year. Last year, he was with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Atlanta Falcons and the Panthers. The affable Pinkney is taking his traveling show in stride, however.
“I’m getting to see a lot of the country,” Pinkney joked during a telephone interview from his home in Seattle. “My whole career has been an uphill-climb type of thing. I’ve gained an understanding of the business side of the game. I’m just going to relax a little bit, because it’s always going to be an uphill climb. I think I will have the chance to play.”
Pinkney said he wasn’t surprised when he was cut by the Panthers, but he was surprised by the timing of it. He was cut July 25, three days before Carolina opened training camp in Spartanburg.
“I had an idea they were going to make a move because there were too many of us defensive linemen in the meeting room,” Pinkney said. “The only thing I wish they would have done is made the move earlier. All of the rosters were full.”
Which left Pinkney on the outside looking in for a couple of weeks until the Seahawks came calling. Seattle had a roster spot open up with an injury, and Tim Ruskell, Seattle’s president of football operations, signed Pinkney. Ruskell was working with Tampa Bay and Atlanta in another capacity when Pinkney was with both organizations.
Pinkney doesn’t lack confidence in his ability to play in the NFL. He believes the aforementioned business side of the NFL is why he hasn’t been able to stick to date, and he also thinks the fact that he keeps getting signed is an indication of his ability.
“All of this bouncing around has nothing to do with my ability,” he said. “My ability has nothing to do with whether I play or not; it has everything to do with the business side. It comes down to how much they have in a player (money-wise) and sometimes it comes down to size (Pinkney is considered small for his position).
“I can play though. That’s why they keep picking me up. I know I can play.”
Pinkney has played in both of the Seahawks’ preseason games, a 34-15 win over New Orleans on Aug. 12 and an 18-10 loss to Dallas Monday. Pinkney had two tackles and one assist against New Orleans. He had two tackles and three assists against the Cowboys.
“I felt pretty good about the way I played. I got in on a lot of snaps,” Pinkney said of the Dallas game. “I could have made a few more plays, but I thought I did OK. My conditioning is superb, so I felt real good last night. It was a perfect night for football. I could have played all four quarters.”
Pinkney likes his chances of making the Seattle roster. The first cut will come on Aug. 30 when teams cut their rosters down to 65 players. The final cut to the 53-man roster will be on Sept. 3.
If this is the life Pinkney has to lead to play in the NFL, he is OK with it.
“It’s always been a fight for me in the NFL,” he said. “If that’s what I have to do, then that’s what I have to do. It doesn’t seem all that bad to me. I’m not married and I have no kids, so it’s just me.”
The next stop on the Cleveland Pinkney tour of the National Football League? Envelope, please. The answer is: Seattle!
Pinkney, a 6-1, 300-pound defensive tackle who starred at Sumter High School and the University of South Carolina, was picked up by the Seahawks on Aug. 9 after being cut by the Carolina Panthers a couple of weeks earlier. Seattle is the sixth organization Pinkney has been with since signing as a free agent with the Indianapolis Colts in 2001.
This will actually be the fourth organization Pinkney has been with inside the last year. Last year, he was with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Atlanta Falcons and the Panthers. The affable Pinkney is taking his traveling show in stride, however.
“I’m getting to see a lot of the country,” Pinkney joked during a telephone interview from his home in Seattle. “My whole career has been an uphill-climb type of thing. I’ve gained an understanding of the business side of the game. I’m just going to relax a little bit, because it’s always going to be an uphill climb. I think I will have the chance to play.”
Pinkney said he wasn’t surprised when he was cut by the Panthers, but he was surprised by the timing of it. He was cut July 25, three days before Carolina opened training camp in Spartanburg
The 2006-2008 realignment in the South Carolina High School League might bother some athletic directors around the state if their school was left in a region with only five teams. Sumter High athletic director Donna Bisom, though, doesn't see it as a problem at all.
"We are going to move forward with it," Bisom said of Region VI-4A going from six schools to five. "We are fine with it. It will cause us to have to look for one more non-region game (for football).
"Sumter doesn't have a problem filling its schedule," she added. "We tend to fill our schedule easily. People like to play Sumter because we have nice people and nice facilities."
Region VI became a 5-school region when Marlboro County dropped to 3A, and the realignment didn't replace it in the region.
Prep Football Schedule
FRIDAY Sumter at Crestwood, 7:30 p.m.
Lakewood at Scott’s Branch, 7:30 p.m.
Manning at Spring Valley, 7:30 p.m.
Lamar at Lee Central, 8 p.m.
East Clarendon at Waccamaw, 7:30 p.m.
Wilson Hall at Robert E. Lee, 7:30 p.m.
Laurence Manning at Thomas Sumter, 7:30 p.m.
Holly Hill at Clarendon Hall, 7:30 p.m.
Bisom said Sumter's geographic location puts SHS in a tough spot when it comes to placing it in a region. It is neither close to nor far from the coast or Columbia.
"We did originally send in a proposal before the realignment was made," Bisom said. "We thought we provided an even number of teams and a fair balance of schools geographically."
The proposed realignment, Bisom said, had Sumter grouped together with Columbia area teams Ridge View, Richland Northeast, Dutch Fork, Irmo and Lower Richland. Sumter was in a region with all of those schools at one time or another before joining Region VI last year.
Bisom, however, said SHS chose not to appeal the realignment by the Aug. 17 deadline because as a Big 16 school, traveling comes with the territory when playing other Big 16 schools. Bisom also stated that to her knowledge, no other Region VI-4A school sent in a counterproposal.
Sumter is certainly not the only school that is looking at changes in 2006.
In 3A, the upper state will have only three regions to the lower state's four.
The lower state adds four schools, while the upper state consolidates into its three regions. Besides Marlboro County moving into 3A, Swansea makes the jump from Region 2A to 3A. Hilton Head drops from 4A to join Stall, a 2A member this year, in Region VII-3A next year.
Marlboro County will compete in Region V along with Crestwood, Lakewood, Lake City, Darlington and Wilson. Marion, which used to belong in Region VI-3A with those teams, will drop down to 2A.
The upper state regions, regions I-III, have eight teams apiece, while the lower state's four regions have six teams.
Crestwood and Lakewood's region, currently Region VI, will only incur the change of Marlboro County for Marion.
Scott's Branch and East Clarendon will remain unaffected in Region VII-1A.
Only three schools are making the jump up to 4A next year. Clover and South Point, a new high school in Rock Hill, will join Region III.
Bisom isn't concerned about losing points in the points system to determine seedings in the Big 16 football playoffs. She said this season's schedule shouldn't vary next year except for one game.
Fall practice offers chance for coaching staffs to form cohesion
Sumter High School head football coach Paul Sorrells (with hands on hips) and his coaching staff watch from the sidelines during the Gamecocks’ scrimmage against Richland Northeast last week. Sumter is breaking in a new defensive coordinator in Chad Hoshour after losing three coaches from last year’s varsity staff.
By DENNIS BRUNSON Item Sports Editor
Fall practice for high school football teams is generally about players learning plays, and more importantly, learning how to interact together and come together as a team, both on the field and off of it.
The job for a coaching staff is to teach the players, that is unless there are a number of new coaches on the staff or coaches in new positions on the staff. If that's the case, then the fall is a time for the staff itself to gain cohesion as well.
The staffs at both Sumter and Lakewood have been having to make such adjustments through fall practice. Gamecock head coach Paul Sorrells and Gators head man Greg Crolley believe their staffs have come together in a positive way with the regular season set to start Friday.
"We go look for a fit and not let ourselves get in a position where we hire someone just to fill a spot," said Sorrells, whose team opens against Crestwood at District 2 Memorial Stadium in Dalzell. "We hire people to fit in our system, to fit our philosophy. We try to make sure that applies to football, coaching, teaching and everything else that goes with it."
"All of the coaches are going to have different personalities," said Crolley, whose team will visit Summerton Friday to face Scott's Branch. "All of them are trying to find their spots, where they fit in on the staff. All of them seem to be working real well together." SHS lost four coaches from its staff last season — defensive coordinator Randy Gold, defensive assistant Gerald Tomlin, kicking coach Damon Hubert and head B team and strength coach Frankie Ward. Only one new coach has joined the varsity staff, that being veteran high school and college coach Ken Treadway, who will coach the inside linebackers. Chad Hoshour, who coached the defensive backs last season, is the new defensive coordinator. Herb Keefe moved from the junior varsity staff and will coach the outside linebackers.
Hoshour, who will continue to coach the secondary, is one of the younger coaches on the SHS staff. However, he doesn't see that as a disadvantage.
"I feel like I do have a big advantage because the older coaches have a lot of experience," Hoshour said. "They listen to what I have to say, and I listen to what they have to say. We all have an understanding of how we want to run the defense.
"We have an idea of what we want to do (defensively)," Hoshour added. "I tell them what I'm looking for. If they don't agree with me, we'll talk it out. But there's always the understanding that I'm the one held accountable for what the defense does, so it's my decision."
Sorrells said there have been no problems with the transition on the defensive coaching staff.
"Chad's been here, and he knows what we like to do," Sorrells said. "I don't think there have been a lot of cases where they had to feel each other out. I think they are all pretty much on the same sheet of music. I think the transition this year has been very simple."
Hoshour said the biggest change for him has been in the amount of film he has to watch.
"Since I coach the secondary, I don't get to look at the other parts of the defense as much as I would like," he said. "So I have to look at film to see where the problems are up front and on the rest of the defense. When you're held accountable, you want to see what's happening."
Lakewood has two new coordinators in offensive coordinator Mike Peavey and defensive coordinator Darrell Witt. Peavey replaces Mike Pope, who retired, while Witt takes over for Richard Schrader, who is now the head coach at Woodmont High.
Peavey is new to the Lakewood staff while Witt coached defensive backs last season. Tyrone Pringle and Tracy Adams are also new to the Gators staff.
"It's a work in progress," Crolley said of bringing the staff together. "They are getting along good and by the start of the season they'll be working real well together.
"We've just got to try and blend those personalities. Coach Peavey is real fiery, while our offensive line coach (Sean Gilley) is kind of laid back. We just need to blend them together in working with the kids."
As a star offensive tackle on the 2003 Sumter High School football team that played for the 4A Division I state title, James Thompson blocked for a team that was equally as successful throwing the football as it was running the football.
He believes he could be doing the same thing for the South Carolina Gamecocks this season in the offense under new head coach Steve Spurrier.
"I believe we could be running 75 to 80 plays a game this year because of the pace of the offense," Thompson said. "The style is similar to what we did at Sumter High School. I think we're going to have a chance to be very successful with it."
And the odds are that Thompson, a 6-4, 314-pound true sophomore, will be playing a role in it as a guard. He is listed as a starter on the right side on the most recent depth chart as the Gamecocks prepare for their season opener against Central Florida on Sept. 1.
THOMPSON
"I think I'll be in their for the first (offensive) play," said Thompson, who pretty much wasted his freshman season under former head coach Lou Holtz, playing in just three games in a reserve role. "I feel like I'm improving every day I'm out there practicing. If I keep doing like I'm doing, work hard and try my best, I think I'll hold my spot in the starting lineup."
Thompson likes playing for Spurrier, who took over the Gamecocks after Holtz retired following a 6-5 season. He doesn't like comparing the coaches though.
"The practices have been more physical than they were," Thompson said. "It's just a different style of coaching. We're not going to be doing the same thing on offense. We're going to be able to run the ball and we're going to pass the ball."
USC struggled throwing the football last year with quarterbacks Syvelle Newton and Dondrial Pinkins. With Pinkins having graduated and Newton now at wide receiver, redshirt sophomore Blake Mitchell will be the starting quarterback. However, he will be under the tutelage of Spurrier, who has made his reputation as being an outstanding quarterbacks coach.
Thompson said he wasn't surprised when Mitchell was named the starting quarterback just a few days into fall practice, even after Spurrier had been saying there would be a battle for the spot throughout the fall.
"You could tell in spring ball (practice), that he already had the feel of the offense, already knew some of what he needed to know," Thompson said of Mitchell. "You knew he was further along.
"He earned the position he is in right now. I hope he does well as the first-string quarterback."
Thompson is part of an offensive line that has two returning starters in senior tackles Na'Shan Goddard and Jabari Levey. Chris White will be at center, where he started one game last season, along with nine others at guard. Thompson and left guard William Brown will be first-year starters.
While Spurrier has had good things and bad things to say about the offensive line through the fall, Thompson is happy with its progress.
"We're improving from day to day," Thompson said. "We've had to learn a new system. We've been working hard to learn the plays and know what to do. The offensive line, we're doing good."
The Gamecocks are ready to get the season started, especially after tumultuous period that started with the brawl in the season-ending loss at Clemson last November. The Gamecocks were then denied a trip to a bowl game because of it, had several players arrested dismissed or suspended over the next few months and recently found out the program had violated NCAA rules and is awaiting a penalty.
"The team has handled all of this very well," Thompson said. "All the stuff that happened, we've put that behind us. We're worried about our assignments and what we have to do win games." (full story)
Chris Moore / The Item Sumter's Kendrick Pressley heads for the end zone for a touchdown against Lakewood in the Gamecocks' 21-0 win in the Sumter County Football Jamboree Friday at Sumter Memorial Stadium.
The Sumter High School varsity football team had the ball only three times on offense Friday at the Sumter County Football Jamboree against Lakewood High.
It made efficient use of the time as it scored three touchdowns and earned nine first downs en route to a 21-0 victory in the preseason scrimmage.
“That is the best we have looked so far,” said Sumter head coach Paul Sorrells, whose team opens the season against Crestwood at District 2 Memorial Stadium in Dalzell Friday. “We knew we were capable of moving the football that way, but that was the sharpest we’ve looked. Of course, coming out here under the lights gets a lot of energy going that makes things different.”
Lakewood head coach Greg Crolley thought his running game had some moments of success when it powered the ball up the middle. Crolley hopes to have more success Friday when the Gators open the season against 1A Scott’s Branch in Summerton.
“We had some plays,” said Crolley, whose team is trying to rebound from a 2-8 record last season. “When we tried to power the ball a little bit, we moved the ball. We wanted to work on our running game (Friday.)”
Sumter won the toss and got the ball first, starting on its 30-yard line. After a dropped pass by junior wide receiver Brian Leneau on the first play from scrimmage, junior quarterback Kendrick Pressley took control, moving the ball down the field without another hitch.
Pressley connected with wide receiver Kelton Tindal down the right sideline, ran for 15 yards on a QB choice option and completed two more passes to make it 7-0.
Sumter's Colclough returns punt 66 yards for touchdown in victory
The Associated Press Pittsburgh's Ricardo Colclough, center, runs past Philadelphia's Quintin Mikell (27) , Dexter Wynn (31) and the rest of the team on his way to a 66-yard punt return for a touchdown in the Steelers' 38-31 preseason win in Pittsburgh Monday.
By ALAN ROBINSON Associated Press Writer
PITTSBURGH – Maybe the Philadelphia Eagles should revise that letter they sent absent wide receiver Terrell Owens hours before they opened their exhibition schedule as dreadfully as any team could imagine.
The new message: Help.
Owens' 1-week ban from training camp for his disruptive behavior had nothing to do with the Eagles allowing the Pittsburgh Steelers to score the first two times they touched the ball in a 38-31 exhibition victory Monday night.
Or did it?
The Steelers scored on an interception return - of Donovan McNabb's first pass of the preseason — a punt return by former Sumter High School standout Ricardo Colclough — and a kickoff return, a trifecta of return touchdowns no NFL team has accomplished in a game that counted. Luckily for the NFC champion Eagles this one didn't, as they fell behind 14-0, 21-7 and 28-10 before rallying to make it close in the second half with reserves on the field for both teams.
"If we didn't understand the importance of special teams before, we certainly do after today," Eagles head coach Andy Reid said. "You have to take that part of the game seriously, too. You have to take care of the football and you have to block and tackle."
The Eagles' first-team offense outplayed Pittsburgh's, except for Willie Williams' 10-yard interception return touchdown with 12 seconds gone, but that 14-0 deficit after only 2:05 elapsed was too much to overcome with the starters playing just over a quarter.
Colclough, who is in his second year with Pittsburgh and is vying for time at cornerback, returned the Eagles' first punt 66 yards to score, an uncharacteristic mistake for a John Harbaugh-coached special teams unit that is usually among the NFL's best.
The 24th edition of the Sumter High School/Sertoma Club Sumter County Football Jamboree will have a bit of a different look with Laurence Manning Academy becoming a part of the jamboree.
Laurence Manning will face off against rival Wilson Hall in one of the three scrimmages set for the jamboree, which will be held Friday, Aug. 19, at Sumter Memorial Stadium beginning at 6 p.m. LMA will be replacing Thomas Sumter Academy in the jamboree lineup.
LMA and Wilson Hall will face off in the second of three scrimmages. The scrimmage is scheduled to begin at 7:05. Wilson Hall is coming off an 11-2 season in which it finished as the runner-up to Heathwood Hall in the SCISA 3A state playoffs. The Barons have played for the SCISA title five straight seasons. Laurence Manning, which went 4-6 last season, will be in its first season under the guidance of head coach Ken Kellahan.
The other two scrimmages will include the three Sumter County high schools — Sumter, Crestwood and Lakewood — and Manning High School.
The first scrimmage, scheduled for 6:15, will pit Manning against Crestwood, two teams that went deep in the 3A state playoffs last season. Crestwood went 12-1 last season and reached the third round of the state playoffs, where it lost to eventual state runner-up Dillon. Manning was 12-2, losing to Dillon the following week in the state semifinals. Manning's other loss was a regular-season defeat at the hands of Crestwood.
The final scrimmage between Sumter and Lakewood is scheduled to begin at 8:10. Sumter is coming off of a 6-7 season in which it recovered from a 0-5 start to reach the second round of the 4A Division I playoffs. Lakewood went 2-8 last season.
Sumter, Lakewood, Crestwood crank up for football season with first practice
Chris Moore / The Item Crestwood head football coach Keith Crolley watches as his team runs sprints Friday morning during their first day of practice at the school.
After nearly a week of sweltering temperatures near or above 100 degrees, local high school football players caught a break Friday morning: The first day practice was allowed for the upcoming season.
“It was pretty nice out there,” said Crestwood head coach Keith Crolley, whose team started practice at 8 a.m. “I think the Lord blessed us this morning.”
Crolley, Sumter head coach Paul Sorrells and Lakewood head coach Greg Crolley said keeping their players hydrated was important Friday as it will be for the rest of preseason practice.
“We mention it to them all of the time,” Sorrells said. “We have an open water policy, where the players can get water any time they need to. Really and truly, it was cooler this morning than it had been, but it was still pretty humid, so we pushed it.”
“We had plenty for them to drink with water and Gatorade,” said Greg Crolley, the brother of Keith. “It’s been hot all of these days, and we make sure they are getting enough in them.”
“We practiced from 8 to 12 with a little break in between so the kids wouldn’t have to come back,” said Keith Crolley. “We had ice water and plenty of Gatorade. We’ve got to watch out for them, because if you wait for a kid to tell you he needs something to drink, sometimes it’s too late. We provide them plenty of opportunities to get something.”
Of course, beginning preparations for the Aug. 26 opener was at the top of each coach’s agenda Friday. Sumter and Crestwood will face each other at District 2 Memorial Stadium in Dalzell in the opener, while Lakewood will open the season with a home game against Scott’s Branch.
“It went alright today,” said Sorrells, whose team also had an afternoon practice. “It was just about like every first day. Everybody is very anxious, but things went well. Our numbers were pretty good, even though we were missing some people for different reasons. Ninety-five percent (of the players) got everything done they were supposed to do, so we chose to focus on them.”
Sumter is coming off a 6-7 season in which it reached the second round of the 4A Division I state playoffs after starting the season 0-5.
Crestwood will be trying to replace 24 seniors, including 17 starters, from a team that went undefeated in the regular season and finished 12-1.
“We had a pretty nice number of players out there,” said Keith Crolley, whose team reached the third round of the 3A state playoffs before losing to Dillon. “We’ve got a lot of younger guys who will be coming in to see if they can carry things on. Today they were looking pretty good.”
Lakewood is coming off a 2-8 season in which it lost 13 seniors. However, many of those players were 2-way starters, meaning the Gators still suffered significant losses and will be very young.
“We’ve still only got nine seniors out there now,” said Greg Crolley. “That’s good for the future. We had about 75 (varsity and junior varsity) players out today. The ones who are here are working as hard as they can.”
The Sumter High School football coaching staff will have a decidedly different look to it this fall with the loss of four coaches, including defensive coordinator Randy Gold, and the hiring of two new coaches and some reshuffling on the staff.
Along with Gold, who has stepped away from coaching to take an administrative job at Dutch Fork High School in Irmo, SHS has also lost coaches Damon Hubert, Frankie Ward and Gerald Tomlin. Hubert, who handled kickers and special teams, has entered private business, while Ward the B team head coach and head strength coach, accepted the head baseball and strength jobs at Manning High School. Tomlin, who was on the staff for six years and coached outside linebackers last season, stepped down for personal reasons.
SHS head coach Paul Sorrells stressed that each of the coaches left of his own volition.
"These guys are going to be missed; they were all outstanding coaches," said Sorrells, whose team went 6-7 last season. "Still, I'm very excited with the people that we've hired."
Gold's replacement came from the current staff as Chad Hoshour has been named the defensive coordinator. Hoshour is an SHS graduate who was a starting quarterback in the early 1990s. He coached the defensive backs last season in his first year on the staff.
Hoshour, who coached defensive backs at Crestwood High School for three years before coming to SHS, said not to expect many changes with what the Gamecocks did under Gold.
HOSHOUR
"We're pretty much going to do what we've done in the past," Hoshour said. "We're going to continue in the Base 60 and adjust out of what we see. We're still going to be aggressive and get to the ball quickly."
Even though this will be his first time in a coordinator position, Hoshour feels comfortable with his new job.
"The biggest adjustment for me will be the time I take in breaking down opponents," Hoshour said. "Whereas before I was worried about pass routes and what they (opponents) were trying to do through the air, now I have to be aware of how they attack us altogether."
Veteran coach Ken Treadway has been hired to coach the linebackers and special teams. The 58-year-old Treadway won state championships as a head coach at Lake View High School and has also served on collegiate staffs at Wake Forest, East Carolina, West Texas State and Virginia Tech, according to Sorrells.
Herb Keefe, who was a junior varsity assistant last season, will coach the outside linebackers on the varsity. Returning to the varsity staff are offensvie coordinator Grayson Howell, running backs coach Carl Baker, defensive line coach Allen Jonson, receivers coach Darrien Harrison and offensive line coach Chris Seaborn.
Stanley Barrett will return as the junior varsity head coach with Michael Sponn and Brooks Shumake returning as assistants. Corey Tomlin will move up from the B team to assist on the junior varsity.
Jody Ortmann, a B team assistant last season, will be the head coach this year. Joe Norris will return as an assistant and Paul Riggs has been hired to serve as an assistant.
Sorrells said there is a possibility one more coach could be hired before the start of the school year.
"I think we've hit a home run and have put together a great staff," he said. "I'm really excited where we're going."
