Jefferson Davis football focusing on the basics over the summer
Raiders return everyone along the line from 8-4 team that reached 8-man semifinals
Blackville – Head coach Anthony Reitenour said his Jefferson Davis Academy football team will be light on numbers for the upcoming season and heavy on linemen. The Raiders expect to have a 17-man roster on their 8-man team with six of them being linemen.
That’s a combination Reitenour has never had to deal with during his tenure at Jefferson Davis or his previous head coaching stop at Clarendon Hall. That has him and his staff focusing on the small details with the team over the summer.
“The big thing for us is going to be the line,” said Reitenour, who led Jefferson Davis to an 8-4 record and the semifinals of the state playoffs last year. “We’ve got guys who have been starting since 2023, and if not that they’ve played a good bit on both sides of the ball. They’re going to be the ones we invest a lot of time in.
“Our goal is to get in sync and going back to the basics. When you lose a lot of outside firepower like we did you go back to the basics and try to be as good as you can be up front. We want to be good and ready to go when (fall) practice starts (on July 23), so we’ve spent a lot of time on that.”
Senior Fischer Robinson is back at left tackle, senior Bryson Livingston is back at center and senior All-Region 2 selection Davison Owens is back at right tackle. Others back up front are senior Stanse Youngblood, junior William Williams and sophomore Carson Sumner.
The Raiders have just three players returning who were major contributors at the skill positions. They are senior Reece Still, senior Harrison Ray and senior Judson Bowers.
Still moved around on offense. He ran for 452 yards and six touchdowns on 34 carries while catching 11 passes for 200 yards and four touchdowns. He could be the quarterback this season though with the graduation of Dalton Nix. That will depend on how a couple of incoming freshmen in Shamarion Brown and Braylon Owens come along over the summer.
Ray had 297 yards and two scores on 47 carries while catching 27 passes for 728 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Bowers rushed for 351 yards and seven touchdowns on 56 carries. Reitenour is looking to give Bowers more opportunities this season.
“Judson had some good runs last year,” but he was more of a change-of- pace back,” Reitenour said. “We need him to be an every-down back. We need him to step up and give us 15 to 20 carries a game.”
Reitenour said Jefferson Davis has been weightlifting every day and practicing twice a week. However, he said with most of his student-athletes working on the local watermelon farms, he has had limited participation at times.
“We just want to continue getting stronger, faster, learn the basics so going into camp we can hit the ground running. This is the first time since 2016 or ‘17 where we really, really have emphasized bare, basic stuff, fundamental stuff.”
Jefferson Davis will be hosting its annual jamboree on August 7 and has Andrew Jackson Academy, The King’s Academy and the Coastal Hurricanes lined up to participate.
The Raiders will open their season on August 14 when they play host to Providence Athletic Club.
KINLEE RAY SELECTED SOFTBALL ALL-STATE
Jefferson Davis’ Kinlee Ray was selected to the SCISA All-State softball team.
Ray had far and away the best batting average for the Raiders with a .404 mark. She had team highs in on-base
percentage at .509, in hits with 19 and runs scored with 17 while sharing the lead in doubles with three. She also had a triple, 10 runs batted in and 11 stolen bases.
