Lewisville Ranked Number 1 in Class A, Coached Up By Boulware, Two NFL Veterans
Dion Brown (left) and Sheldon Brown
By Billy G. Baker
Publisher
Lewisville — Not many high school’s football teams in South Carolina have two former NFL veterans as full-time volunteer coaches working with the defense, but at Lewisville High this season, 12-year pro Sheldon Brown, and five-year NFL player Mike Barber are fully engaged working with the Lions defense at each and every practice.
Lewisville’s second year head coach Leon Boulware is very appreciative. “First of all, I am more an offensive coach, so to have two former Lewisville High players, who are former team mates and best friends mentoring our defense I am very happy about that.
“They never try to force their opinions on me, and they are respectful of me being the head coach and we get along very well,” said Coach Boulware who saw his Lions go 11-3 a year ago. “I am not joking; I do stop and ask them about how they would defend one of my special plays on offense. I figured they would have a good idea on how to defend it.
“I can tell you that our kids love being around both of them and we have had some high intensity practices this season with Sheldon and Mike around,” said Coach Boulware. “it is isn’t every day a young man gets to be coached up by two guys who both played in the NFL for an extended period of time.”
Brown led Lewisville to a state football title in 1996 before going on to South Carolina where he was a two-time all-SEC player. Brown was drafted early in the second round by the Eagles after college. Barber went to Clemson after finishing Lewisville in 1989. He was an undrafted free agent by the Seahawks in 1995 and he spent five seasons in the NFL.
With Bamberg-Ehrhardt’s loss to Denmark-Olar last week Lewisville is the new number one ranked Class A team in South Carolina going into week two games. The Lions started the season with a 24-7 road loss to AA power Oceanside Collegiate.
“We were trailing 14-7 going into the fourth quarter against Oceanside and we were driving,” said Coach Boulware. “We made some mistakes at the worse time, but we are a better team for going down and competing against them.”
In week two Lewisville bounced back and defeated Buford 49-0. This week (September, 1) they are playing Chesterfield (1-0) who defeated Lee Central 32-6 earlier.
Lewisville had a crazy week getting ready to play Buford. “We were supposing to play Wagener-Salley but earlier in the week of the game one of their beloved school teachers got killed by a falling light pole after a freak car accident and she was killed, so the school called and cancelled the game,” said Coach Boulware. “We scrambled around and thought we had picked up a game with Orangeburg-Wilkinson so we started preparing for them.
“Then O-W called on Thursday morning and said they had to back-out of the game also so we are really scrambling to find a game that late in the week,” said Coach Boulware. “Buford just happened to have an open date so we now had to prepare for our third team one week. Our kids and coaches responded very well to the situation.“
Lewisville entered the 2023 season with 19 starters returning for the 2023 season, and they won the Region 3-A title in 2022 cast of juniors. Adding to the 19 starters returning was the mid-summer transfers of Clover players Dion Brown and Cade Pilgrim. Brown is currently committed to Clemson for baseball while Pilgrim is a LHP committed to South Carolina.
Brown caught 43 passes for more than 1,000 yards and 11 TD’s, averaging 24.2 yards a catch at Clover last year. He had over 300 yards receiving in a game against Dorman last season. Pilgrim is a DB with good cover range who can also double up as a speedy running back if needed. Brown will be a Y receiver for the Lions while Pilgrim will play in the secondary.
The Lions return a core group of senior starters led by LB Jaquan Howze (6-0,180), RB Damien Fee, WR Denari Garcia, and DL KT Davis. Ian Grissom is a strong armed Jr. QB who can run and throw while Jr. Zach Rogers is a sure-handed DB. Promising sophomores DB Jordan Strong will also provide depth in the team. The OL consists of LT Ethan Shipman, RT Makiel Crane, LG Naterious McCullough, RG Malik Harrison and center Cade Foster.
Several other veterans return on defense in DL Monroe Fletcher, DL Jaquese Buchana, LB JaQuinta Cousar, KB Daquan Evans, LB Elisha Baker, along with DB’s RiQvarius Harris and DB Jakarri Strong.
In the game against OC DB Ri’Quaris Harris had a pick six in the third period to close the deficit to 14-7.
In the win over Buford, De’Andre Robinson scored on an 83-yard pass from Grissom. Damion Fee next scored on a 5-yard run. Zach Rogers next scored on a 44- yard pick-six. Dion Brown next scored on a 21-yard pass reception from Grissom. Jordan Strong next scored on a 50-yard run. Damion Fee next scored on a 27-yard run. Jordan Strong scored on a 50-yard run . Fee then scored on a 27-yard run and Strong closed the scoring with a 20-yard run late in the first half.
After two games Grissom is having Player of the Year numbers. The QB has completed 20-of-27 passes for 438 yards and four TD’s. His top two receives are Brown with 7 catches for 131 yards and one TD along with De’Andre Robinson who has four catches for 120 yards and one TD. The top rushers include is Fee at 115 yards and two TD’s. Markel Fee kicked all seven PAT’s.
The tackle index is led by all-state candidate Joaquan Howze (6-0,180) who has 27 tackles and two TFL after two games. Kentez Davis has 22 tackles followed by Jordan Strong with 12 and Jaquintas Cousar with 10.
Lewisville appears to have the team to compete for a Class A state tile in 2023.
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