By Bill Mitchell,
Special Writer
CHAPIN – Chapin’s wrestling Eagles have had a lot of success, but will have to take their glittering 31-2 record on the road in the upcoming Class AAA wrestling playoffs, thanks to a loss to Lugoff-Elgin for the Region 4-AAA championship.
The Eagles fell to the Demons 33-29, but it could have been very different.
“We had our chances,” said Chapin coach Scott Harmon. “We left a lot of points on the mat. We had 12 wrestlers wrestle as we thought they would and two who didn’t and that made the difference.”
The loss puts the Eagles on the road at Riverside, one of many teams that could wind in the finals of Class AAA playoffs. Post-season play begins Feb. 3.
“The upper state AAA bracket will be very strong,” said Harmon. “Westminster, Wren, Eastside, Riverside, Lugoff-Elgin and us make the going tough. Anybody could win it.
“The parity among the top teams is great,” he added. “It’s certainly going to be interesting.”
Chapin lost a home match when the Demons prevailed, but still has plenty of weapons to take it to the top.
“All 14 of our starters have a winning record,” Harmon said. “Despite that and our success so far, we’re still a pretty young team. Nine or ten of our starters are freshmen or sophomores.”
The captains include Spencer Bown, Cory Cromer, both seniors, and Stuart Hope, a junior. Cromer came into the L-E match with one loss and Hope is the defending state champion at 112 and undefeated.
Nat Polly, a junior, at 130 is a returning state runner-up at that weight and is currently top-ranked at that spot in Class AAA. Chase Owens a sophomore at 135, is ranked second in his weight class. Sophomore Scott Swindell at 152 owns a 40-2 record.
“All of thee guys come up through our youth and middle-school program,: said Harmon. “We’re able to move people around some and we strive to have two performers at each weight class. Right now, we have 30-35 kids on our varsity team.
“We have great competition in our internal wrestle-offs to see who is going to be the starter,” Harmon said. “You really can’t have a bad day at practice.”
The Eagles’ program brings Harmon wrestlers who are well grounded in the fundamentals.
“We want to develop kids who are ready for varsity competition,” he added. “Our more veteran wrestlers have been in the program five to six years.”
Earley's Eagles make progress, still have work to do
By Rob Gantt
Special writer
Chapin (11/12/09) Chapin's first season under Scott Earley was marked and defined by progress.
The Eagles finished with a 7-4 mark and advanced to the Class AAA playoffs. Earley's team actually started out with a perfect 7-0 mark before a season-ending injury to quarterback Michael Weimer helped lead to a rocky finish.
"At the end we digressed a little bit," Earley said. "We had a lot of injuries. We had something like six starters out. We had some adversity. Not that it's an excuse because you have to be able to play through adversity? I would say we made some progress but we've got a long ways to go to build the type of program we want around here."
The Eagles lost to Union County in the opening round of the playoffs. The Eagles were outmuscled in the blowout loss.
"The kids play hard and they got some confidence this year," Earley said. "The next step is to get physically stronger, physically faster and mentally tougher. Those things started last Monday (in the weight room) and will have to continue until we kick it off against Dutch Fork next fall."
With the Chapin area growing so quickly, Earley said there's a chance the Eagles could get a few players for next season they don't know anything about right now.
"That's one positive about living in a place that's growing so well," he said.
Among the group moving on from Chapin is receiver/quarterback Victor Frick, who will play in the North-South all-star game Dec. 12. In all, the Eagles lose 15 seniors.
Frick was Weimer's top target before having to step in and play quarterback. He finished with nearly 600 yards receiving and eight touchdowns receiving.
"He's got a chance to play college football at some level if he wishes to do that," Earley said. "I wish I could have coached him for longer. I thought he did an honorable job at quarterback when he had to move there for us."
Weimer leads a group that's returning along with running back Josh Sanga. Weimer passed for 1,687 yards and 14 touchdowns before getting hurt in the eighth game of the season.
"Having him back is big for us," Earley said. "We've still got to develop some more quarterbacks for sure so I don't know if we're going to be able to take as many chances with him next year."
Sanga ran for 839 yards and nine touchdowns.
Hunter Bickley, Chase Austin and Brian Langlois all return to help lead the defense.
The Eagles' middle school and JV teams also had good seasons, Earley said.
"We did lose a lot of good players but I think we've got the potential to replace most everybody," Earley said. "I feel good about our younger players."
Chapin Eagles dealing with key injuries as season ends
By Rob Gantt
Special writer
Chapin (10/29/09) Chapin is guaranteed a spot in the Class AA football playoffs and seeding will be determined after a game with Fairfield Central Friday.
The bad news is the Eagles will be without starting quarterback Michael Weimer and running back Josh Sanga for the rest of the season due to injuries.
Weimer had thrown for 1,687 yards and 14 touchdowns before leaving last week's Lower Richland loss with an injury.
First-year Eagles coach Scott Earley said he has no idea what they're going to do this week at that spot against the Griffins.
"We're going to have to be very creative," he said. "We've got about four guys that might play there."
Sanga had rushed for 839 yards and nine scores.
"We're limping to the finish line right now and we'll see if we can't make a decent appearance in the playoffs," he said.
The Eagles are 7-2 overall and 2-2 in region play, while Fairfield Central is 6-3 overall and 3-1 in the region, tied with Chester for the region lead, though the Griffins hold the head-to-head tiebreaker.
"They're just really fast everywhere," Earley said. "They're not as a big as Chester but they've got more speed than anybody. They play fast. They're coached to play fast. If they make a mistakes, they're wide open doing it."
The key will be for the offensive line to continue playing well, Earley said.
That group is Zack Rich, Allie Bates, Michael Youngblood, Madison Abbott and Michael Proctor.
"I feel like our offensive line has had as good a year as any I've ever coached," Earley said. "That is the strength if this team. They've been very impressive."
Victor Frick is the top receiver and now a quarterback option. He has made 45 catches for 532 yards and seven touchdowns.
Conner Lowder has 28 catches for 315 yards.
Defensive end Ryan Elliott and linebacker Chase Austin have been two of the key players on defense.
In the Lower Richland game, the Eagles led 24-6 before losing a tough one, 36-30. Sanga had 102 yards and a TD run before getting hurt.
Weimer was 9 of 22 for 123 yards. Frick had five catches for 37 yards, while Joe Rister made four catches for 88 yards.
Rister is also the punter and got off two punts for a total of 91 yards.
Frick rushed for 28 yards and scored three touchdowns.
Earley: Eagles need miracle to beat Chester
By Rob Gantt
Special writer
Chapin (10/14/09) - Chapin's unbeaten streak is on the line this week against defending Upper State champion Chester.
And Eagles coach Scott Earley knows just how tough the task will be. He coached Myrtle Beach past Chester in last season's finals.
"They're very fast and they return their whole team," Earley said. "It's been a great seven-game run but we've got some guys with the flu that won't play Friday and some injuries. It's looking like it's going to be one of those mismatches."
Both teams defeated fellow region foe Lugoff-Elgin 24-21.
"Chester went up 21-0 on them and sort of got bored," Earley said. "It was all we could do to win."
Also, the Cyclones played without star quarterback Tony McNeal. He will return this week.
Chester is 6-1 on the season and has several of the top players in the state.
"Miracles happen," Earley said. "That's what we're going to need."
The Eagles are being led by quarterback Michael Weimer, who is 80 of 140 for 1,172 yards and 11 touchdowns. He's also rushed for 130 yards.
However, primary target Victor Frick is questionable for the game. He's caught 32 passes for 408 yards and six touchdowns. He's also rushed for 138 yards and five more touchdowns out of Chapin's version of the Wildcat.
Conner Lowder has 19 catches for 242 yards and Matthew Hood-Pittinger has hauled in 12 passes for 154 yards.
Running back Joe Sanga is 45 yards short of 600 and has scored three touchdowns.
Defensively, linebacker Chase Austin has 79 total stops, followed by outside linebacker Brian Langlois (43 tackles), defensive back Alex Fisher (41 tackles), defensive tackle Tony Downs (39 tackles), free safety Bradham Wilder (38 tackles) and defensive end Ryan Elliott (36 tackles).
Punter Joe Rister averages 38.4 yards per punt and Colden King is 23 of 23 on extra points and has nailed four of five field goals.
Eagles enter region play against Lugoff-Elgin
By Rob Gantt
Special writer
Chapin (09/30/09) - The Chapin Eagles enter region play with a sparkling 5-0 record but now it really matters.
"We've got to put our big-boy pants on and go play big-boy, Class AAA football in a tough region," Chapin coach Scott Earley said. "You gotta bring you're A game and be ready to play every week. It's been fun but none of this means anything. It goes by what you do in the region, and we understand that."
First up for Earley's Eagles is Lugoff-Elgin.
"On one series they're in the Wing-T and the other series they're in the spread," Earley said. "They're a bunch of juniors and seniors and they're very well-coached. On film, this looks like the best Lugoff-Elgin team they've had in a while."
The Demons are 4-1. They're coming off a win over Brookland-Cayce.
Chapin is off to a 5-0 start for the first time since 2005 thanks to a fourth-quarter drive last week against Mid-Carolina. Versatile offensive player Victor Frick scored the go-ahead touchdown on a 5-yard run from the quarterback spot with under two minutes left. It was his 11th touchdown of the season.
He's lined up at wide receiver and running back this fall.
"He's showing up every week and just doing amazing things," Earley said.
Frick has caught 24 passes for 324 yards and rushed for over 100 yards.
Quarterback Michael Weimer is 63 of 114 for 987 yards and 10 touchdowns. Against Mid-Carolina, he tossed a 68-yard scoring pass to Joe Rister and a 39-yarder to Frick. Running back Josh Sanga scored Chapin's other touchdown on a 40-yard run. He finished with 109 yards against the Rebels and now has 376 yards on the season.
On the year, special teams have been solid.
Kicker Colden King is 3 of 4 on field goals and Rister is averaging 38.4 yards per punt.
Linebacker Chase Austin is the leading tackler with 60 stops, while Brian Langlois has 42 stops.
Chapin off to 4-0 start heading into homecoming game
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By Rob Gantt
Special writer
Chapin ?( 09/23/09 ) - Chapin?s football team continues to stay unbeaten and heads into the Mid-Carolina game this week with a perfect 4-0 record.
The Eagles scored 14 points in the fourth quarter Friday to edge Newberry 17-10.
?I?ve been in this thing for about 13 years and I?ve been on the other end of those games where you ain?t supposed to win but you end up winning anyway,? first-year coach Scott Earleysaid. ?These boys are getting good at that. But I hope the boys understand, we?re going to have to play our butt off in the region to make the playoffs.?
Mid-Carolina enters the game with a 3-1 mark after beating Pelion 29-12. The Rebels like to play a physical brand of football, Earley said.
?They?re just like Newberry,? Earley said. ?They put you in a phone booth and make you responsibility football. Looking at the film and knowing the program, it looks like we?ve got to overachieve again.?
Quarterback Michael Weimer is 52 of 94 for 787 yards and nine touchdowns. Running back Josh Sanga has 270 yards and a TD run. Weimer has rushed for 97 yards.
Receiver Victor Frick has 20 catches for 269 yards and six touchdowns and has also rushed 17 times for 76 yards and three scores. The other top receivers are Conner Lowder (12-176) and Matthew Hood-Pittinger (11-144).
Junior Allie Bates, senior Madison Abbott and center Zack Ridge have been the forces up front.
On the defensive front, Tony Downs and Ryan Elliott have been the catalysts.
?That?s been the difference in our games,? Earley said. ?We?ve been getting it done in the trenches.?
Punter Joe Rister averages 37.7 yards per punt and kicker Colden King is 16 of 16 on PATs and has made two field goals.
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Earley: Eagles must be perfect to beat Newberry
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By Rob Gantt
Special writer
Chapin ? Chapin?s football team was able to overcome four turnovers in a 28-24 win to Gilbert last week.
There can be no mistakes this week if the Eagles want to beat Newberry, Eagles coach Scott Earley said.
?I think we?ve got to play perfect and hope they make as many mistakes as they can,? said Earley, whose team takes a 3-0 record into Friday?s game. ?They do a lot of things well. They kind of remind me of Dillon. I think we?re a little overmatched Friday.?
Against Gilbert, while Earley says his team didn?t deserve to win, the Eagles kept scrapping and fighting. Quarterback Michael Weimer hit touchdown machine Victor Frick with a 6-yard scoring pass to the winning points with over four minutes left in the game.
Weimer and Frick have hooked up five times on touchdowns this season. Weimer is 39 of 70 for 646 yards and eight touchdowns. Frick has caught 15 passes for 212 yards and five scores.
Conner Lowder (9-176) and Matthew Hood-Pittinger (8-126) are Weimer?s other favorite targets.
Josh Sanga paces the Eagles in the running game with 234 yards on 28 carries. He had a short touchdown run in the win over Gilbert.
Defensively, Chase Austin leads that side of the ball in tackles with 34 total tackles. Linebacker Brian Langlois has 27 total stops. Jessie Morris has 24 stops.
Ryan Elliott leads with six tackles for loss, followed by Austin with three TFL.
Newberry enters the Chapin game with a 2-1 mark. The Bulldogs just knocked off Fairfield Central 36-22.
Newberry scored 15 points in fourth quarter to win. Marcus McMorris scored on a short touchdown run and took an interception back 35 yards for the two fourth-quarter TDs.
Chapin?s players of the week were Allie Bates (Off. POW), Fisher (Def. POW), Zach Gause (Big Hit) and Rion Tapp (Integrity).
Colden King, who is 14 of 14 on PATs, was special teams POW.
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Chapin 2-0 heading into matchup with Gilbert
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By Rob Gantt
Special writer
Chapin (09/09/09) ? In another year or so, first-year Chapin football coach Scott Earley will have a better idea of what to expect from this year?s opponents.
But for now, the former Myrtle Beach coach is going off the game film and some assistants? scouting.
Next up for the Eagles is 2-0 Gilbert.
?They look like a pretty good team to me,? said Earley, whose team is 2-0 after mashing Brookland-Cayce 45-7 Sept. 4. ?They?re very well-coached. They?ve got a quarterback that reminds me of (former Myrtle Beach quarterback) J.D. Melton. They?re really good on offense. And like all high school football teams, they?ve got some good spots on defense but some other spots that are not as strong.?
Against B-C, the Eagles lit up the scoreboard in the first half, scoring 35 points, and tacked on 10 points in the third quarter before freely substituting.
?It was good to get all those young guys in the game,? Earley said. ?They work just as hard as the other guys.?
Quarterback Michael Weimer was 10 of 16 for 248 yards and four TDs and running back Josh Sanga rushed for 116 yards on 12 carries. Weimer added 30 yards rushing.
Joe Rister hauled in three passes for 105 yards and two scores, while Conner Lowder had four grabs for 92 yards and a touchdown. Victor Frick caught three passes for 51 yards and the other touchdown pass. Seth Stevens added two catches for 53 yards.
Backup quarterback Cole Morris came on to go 2 for 3 for 51 yards passing. He also got off a 39-yard punt in the Eagles only fourth-down boot. Kicker Colden King made a 41-yard field goal.
In all, the Eagles rolled up over 440 yards of offense.
Defensively, linebacker Chase Austin and defensive lineman Tony Downs had nine total tackles each, while defensive back Jesse Morris had eight total stops along with linebacker Ryan Elliott.
Morris also intercepted a pass and returned it 20 yards.
Austin leads the defense with 22 total tackles. Brian Langlois has 19 total stops and Downs has 18. Morris has 16 stops on the year, while Elliott and Bradham Wilder have 15 total stops.
Hunter Bickley has 14 total stops.
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Eagles set to tangle with Brookland-Cayce in Week 2
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By Rob Gantt
Special writer
Chapin ? Much like Chapin upset Strom Thurmond to begin the season, new Eagles coach Scott Earley knows the same could happen to them now that they?re the favored team heading into this week?s game against Brookland-Cayce.
?We?re by no means where we need to be,? said Earley, who came from Myrtle Beach with a 72-28 career record. ?We?re just trying to get better every week. We?ve got to concentrate on that.?
After besting the Class AA powers to open the Earley era, Chapin had an open date Friday.
?It was a good chance to get back down to earth and get healthy and humbled,? Earley said.
Earley went out to watch the Bearcats play Friday in Week 1. He can see where they?re better than their 54-7 loss to Airport might indicate.
?They might have quit a little bit early,? he added. ?It could have been a lot closer game. They?re very big and athletic and fast. If they could put it all together, they can be a very good football team.?
It all came together for the Eagles against Strom Thurmond in Week 0. They used a big second half to rally for the 28-21 win.
Jalen Pauling got loose for an 88-yard kickoff return on the opening kick of the second half and tied the score at 14-14.
After receiver Victor Frick raced 75 yards on a catch-and-run to put the Eagles on top 21-14, Pauling was again Johnny on the Spot. He picked up a blocked punt inside Strom Thurmond?s 15 and took it back 13 yards to make it 28-14.
?We won the game on special teams,? Earley said. ?They are very important. We won four games (and a state title) at Myrtle Beach last year just because of special teams. We caught them on the right night and the ball bounced our way.?
Offensively, quarterback Zach Weimer was 10 of 19 for 183 yards and two scores in the win over the Rebels. Frick caught six passes for 129 yards and another 49-yard touchdown catch. Matthew Hood-Pittenger had two catches for 40 yards. Conner Lowder and Robbie Howard also caught passes.
Frick and Howard led the Eagles on the ground, combining for 62 yards.
Colden King made all four of his extra points and punter Joe Rister averaged 37 yards per punt.
