Central Eagles
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Chesterfield's junior Guard Marquan Blount.
Eagles have between 75-80 athletes out for spring football practice
Softball winless in first four region games; baseball starts 2-4
Caden Edmond selected to the AA All-State team
Central High's senior golfer Braelyn Oliver
Central HS senior baseball player Cooper Catoe
Coker College commitment Cade Edmond averaging double-double
Eagles finish 10-3, reach quarterfinals of AA state playoffs
By David Shelton Senior Writer Moncks Corner – At long last, the regular season came to an end and the Class AA state playoffs are upon us. The brackets are set and the fans of the favorites are hoping to make plans in mid-December for Orangeburg and the state finals scene. Who are the favorites in AA? Is there a sleeper or two that may surprise everyone and get to the title game. Most of the time, the teams that survive the grind and reach the fifth week of the playoffs, the title game, are teams that everyone who follows the sport predicts will be there. Let’s have a little fun and handicap the AA field. My process is to list my top four teams in the Upper State bracket and top four in the Lower State, as I see it. Any team not in my top four would be considered a sleeper to make it through the bracket. But, it can be done. In the Upper State, my No. 1 team is Batesburg-Leesville . I know, shocker. The 10-0 Panthers have answered every challenge and have proven to be quite formidable. They allow seven points per game with a defense that has speed and physicality. Nearly half of the total points they have allowed in 10 games came in one game, to Abbeville, in a two-point win. Abbeville is the top-ranked team in Class A and their coach , Jamie Nickles , is a believer. “They are certainly capable of winning the state championship,” he said. Running back Amadre Wooden and quarterback Tanner Watkins are a solid one-two punch offensively. Wooden has rushed for more than 1,500 yards and Watkins has passed for more than 1200 yards. My No. 2 pick to win the Upper State is Clinton. The 7-2 Red Devils have lost only to Woodruff and Daniel. Each of those teams has just one loss this season. The tough non-region schedule makes me feel the Red Devils are battle-tested for close, big games. Quarterback Tashawan Richardson makes it all go for the offense with James Cook adding a major threat in the run game. My No. 3 pick in the Upper State is Fairfield Central . The Griffins lost their season opener to Ridge View and have won nine straight games since. The scouting report needs just one word – speed. The Griffins can run and are explosive. Running back Tydarion Grier has gained more than 1.400 yards and averages 9.3 yards per carry. And, my No. 4 is Saluda . The Tigers’ only loss came to Batesburg-Leesville and they would love another shot at their region rivals. Saluda is another of the top defensive teams in AA and defense wins championships. Tahe your pick as the favorite in the Lower State cause several teams have a shot. My No. 1 going in is Barnwell . While not flashy or dominant, the Warhorses are solid and athletic. Senior Cameron Austin is a great leader at quarterback and if they have success on the ground, game over. No. 2 is Barnwell rival Hampton County . Again, the Hurricanes run the football and have good solid play at quarterback. They made a good run a year ago and I think their confidence level is high. The last two favorite picks are difficult and I ended up with three teams for two spots. At No. 3 I am going with Cheraw . The 8-2 Braves are not great at anything but very solid at most. Running back Cam McClendon is a threat to score from anywhere and the defense gets after it pretty good. For No. 4, I am sharing the spot between Manning and Philip Simmons . Manning has just one loss, the season opener to Crestwood, but their schedule and region was not overly difficult. Philip Simmons went undefeated in a tougher region and seems to be peaking at the right time. The Iron Horses have a veteran quarterback and they really play hard on defense. Class AA state playoff first-round pairings Upper State Pelion at Clinton Strom Thurmond at Chester Columbia at Batesburg-Leesville Andrew Jackson at Liberty Chesterfield at Fairfield-Central Ninety Six at Chesnee Landrum at Central Mid-Carolina at Saluda Lower State Academic Magnet at Barnwell Lake City at Timberland Edisto at Cheraw Andrews at East Clarendon North Central at Manning Woodland at Hampton Co. Mullins at Philip Simmons Kingstree at Whale Branch
By Dennis Brunson hssr.com Associate Editor Pageland – Jonathan Eason’s first game as the football head coach of his alma mater, Central High School , was not a good one. The Eagles lost to Lewisville 20-0. Since that ill-fated start though, Central has exploded offensively and been dominant defensively. The Eagles have shut out Parkwood of North Carolina 22-0, beat Lamar 40-38 in a shootout, whipped Blacksburg 44-14, beat Anson of North Carolina 32-7 and blasted Buford 47-0. “I think we have gotten better every week,” said Eason, whose team was 5-1 and 1-0 in Region 4-AA after the win over Buford. “The kids are working hard and taking pride in getting better.” After failing to put any points on the board in the season opener, Central scored 185 points in the five victories. “Offensively we have been able to make a ton of big plays,” Eason said. “Our offensive line has done a good job creating movement in the run game and our playmakers have done a great job of making things happen once they get in space.” Through the first five games, the Eagles were averaging 178.4 rushing yards per game. However, they are spreading the wealth. Junior running back Aiden Short was leading the way with 343 yards and four touchdowns on 46 carries. Junior Ashten Wilson was averaging 241 and two scores on 31 carries, sophomore quarterback Dwayne Louallen Jr. had 146 yards and two scores on 29 carries, and senior Tray Wilson had 23 carries for 142 yards and five touchdowns. Louallen Jr. had completed 37 of 70 passes for 331 yards and two touchdowns. Three other players have thrown a pass and completed a pass as well. Short tossed a 58-yard touchdown pass, junior Taveon Moore had a 44-yard scoring pass and junior Sean Davis completed a 39-yard pass. Tray Wilson is the top pass catcher with 13 catches for 121 yards and a score. Moore had five catches for 105 yards and a touchdown, Short had five catches for 55 yards and a score and Sean Davis had a 44-yard TD catch. Ashten Wilson had five catches for 45 yards and senior JB Bines had five catches for 61 yards. The offensive line has Brandon Streater at left tackle and Jordan Caldwell at right tackle. The left guard is Malik Gaskins with John Wallace starting at right guard. The center is Brandon Rollins . Eason believes Central’s speed and athleticism are paying dividends on defense. “Defensively I feel like we have been dominant at times,” he said. “We are very fast and the guys get after it.” Senior defensive tackle Kobe Davis leads the Eagles in tackles for loss with eight and quarterback sacks with three among his 18 total tackles. Senior defensive end Dontavias Covington had 20 tackles, 4 ½ tackles for loss and two sacks. Junior defensive end Marques Allen was the leading tackler with 31. Central closes out the season with a road game against Cheraw on October 11, is at home against Andrew Jackson on Octobert 18, at Chesterfield on October 25 and at home against North Central on November 1. “I just want to see uc to continue to improve each week,” Eason said. “I believe that as long as we do that we will be where we want to be at the end of the year.”