Central – It had been 22 years since the Daniel High School Lions had won a state championship
in football when they captured their sixth AAA state championship in 2020. Since that time, they have
won another championship and fashioned a record of 50-1 heading into their matchup with Camden on
Saturday at Oliver C. Dawson Stadium on the campus of South Carolina State University in
Orangeburg.
The Lions will be looking for their third title in four years and with a win they will move into a
tie with Columbia, Clinton, and Greenwood with eight state championships overall.
When Daniel head coach Jeff Fruster was asked what the difference was in this team compared
to the two most recent championship teams, he said, “All teams are different. Our job is to meet the
athletes where they are and work hard to improve their athletic standing. It is important to us as a
program to focus on continuous improvement. Our goal is to be a better version of ourselves
every opportunity we get.
“It’s been a great season so far. The kids have handled adversity very well. I’m proud of how the
kids have overcome the bad things that can happen in a game. Mentally they’re in a great place right
now.”
The Lion’s will be facing a familiar foe in the AAA title game in the Camden Bulldogs. This
Will be the third meeting in the past four AAA state title games between the two teams with Daniel
winning the first two 52-31 and 45-20. The Bulldogs come into the game with an 11-3 record
after dispatching Brookland-Cayce 46-30 in the lower state final.
The Bulldogs are led by 3-year starter at quarterback Grayson White, who has accounted for
over 9,500 total yards and 93 touchdowns during his career. Senior wideouts Jaquarius “Jah”
Mayrant and Aidan Heriot are his main targets, and each has over 1,000 yards receiving and
have scored a combined 23 touchdowns. The Bulldogs have averaged 40.8 points per game
this season.
Defensively, the Bulldogs have thrived on forcing turnovers with 44 heading into Saturday’s
contest. They are led by senior linebackers Wilson Nash, Emmanuel Presbot and Tyrin
Macklin. Nash leads the team with 185 tackles, while Macklin has 22 tackles for loss to lead
the Bulldogs.
“Coach (Brian) Rimpf has done a great job of having his programs continually competitive.,” Fruster
said. “They have become a mainstay in the lower state AAA rankings. His athletes play extremely
hard for him.”
The Bulldogs will face one of the top offenses in the state of South Carolina on Saturday. The Lions
Average 47.5 points per game and scored over 50 points seven times during the year. Their lowest output
of the season came in last week’s upper state championship game victory over Belton-Honea Path, 28-23.
Leading the Lions attack is an offensive line that paves the way for 442 yards of total offense a game.
They show their versatility as they average 226 yards rushing and 216 passing yards per game. They do a
great job of getting to the second level, and when needed they can play smashmouth football.
The line is made up of left tackle Watson Young, left guard Seth Corontzes, center Sean
Bolger, right guard Rocky Herd and right tackle Logan Konareski.
The trigger man for the Lions is senior quarterback Kolton Chapman. He rebounded from a
slow start to throw for 2,279 yards and 23 touchdowns. He also rushed for 328 yards and eight
more scores. He has a quick release and throws a catchable ball.
Senior Kari Bennett is the team’s leading rusher with 1,377 yards. He is also one of five
Lions with at least 20 receptions. He has crossed the goal line 27 times. Senior Tory Shaw and
junior Lee Turnipseed have combined for 1,200 yards and 20 touchdowns and will factor in the
run game as well.
Seniors Grayson Nix and Sam Earle are Chapman’s top targets with Nix snagging 60 balls
for 651 yards and seven scores, while Earle has 34 receptions for 572 yards and another five scores.
The other two Lions with 20-plus receptions are junior Jason Bish and freshman Christian
Chancellor. Bish has grabbed 25 balls for 426 yards, while Chancellor has 30 receptions for 326
yards.
Defensively, the Lions line up in a 4-3-4 formation They allow just 12 points a game and have
held six of their opponents to seven points or less with three shutouts. They are led by junior linebacker
Spencer Conn and senior linebacker Ty Plumblee. Conn leads the team with 137 tackles and in
tackles for loss with 12 1/2 and is tied for the team lead in quarterback sacks with seven, while Plumblee is
second in tackles with 87. Senior Preston Rollins rounds out this stellar group, and he has 45 tackles on the year.
The defensive line is a senior-led group with tackles Jaedyn Young and Qwentin Welborn and
defensive end Ben Joplin, and sophomore defensive end Dexter Johnson. This group combined for
41 1/2 sacks and tackles for loss on the year. Johnson leads the line in tackles with 55 while Joplin has
53 tackles. Young is tied with Conn for the team lead in tackles for loss with seven while Welborn has five.
Senior safety Isaac Turner is the leader of the secondary and had nine pass breakups to go with 56
tackles. He also averages 30 yards punting and is the team’s top kickoff return man with 242
yards.
The rest of the secondary is made up of junior cornerbacks Tremaine Davis Jr. and Jamarion
Williams and junior safety Jackson Howell. Davis led the team with four interceptions to go with five
pass breakups, while Howell has 68 tackles. Davis also figures prominently in the return game as
he averages over 30 yards on kickoff returns and seven yards on punt returns.
Williams has been a shutdown corner. He has one of the five blocked punts for the Lions to go
with a fumble recovery..
Junior Bruce Brown handles the kicking chores and is a weapon for the Lions. Has 20
touchbacks on the year. He has scored 93 points on the year and is 78 of 79 on extra points and
has hit five of eight on field goal attempts with a long of 35 yards.
Fruster credits his coaching staff for the team’s success. “They work tireless hours and put a lot
of effort into ensuring our athletes have a chance to be successful.”
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