Marlboro County Athletics Set For 2026-27 School Year
Cory Johnson enters his third season as the head football coach and now athletic director, he has brought focus back to football and getting better on the field.
Marlboro County Athletics Set For 2026-27 School Year
By David Shelton
Senior Writer
Bennettsville – Things got back to normal last school year for the Marlboro County football program.
The Bulldogs posted eight wins last season and reached the second round of the AAA state playoffs, losing to eventual state champion Oceanside Collegiate, 24-7.
Marlboro County had one of the state’s top teams in 2024. On the field, the Bulldogs went 9-1 in the regular season, losing only to Dillon. However, the final record was officially 1-9 after it was determined the team had six ineligible players participating. The players were transfers from schools in North Carolina and several did not comply with the residency rules of the South Carolina High School Leage.
Last fall was Cory Johnson’s second as the head football coach and the coach has brought the focus back to football and getting better on the field. Johnson also has assumed duties as athletic director in addition to keeping his role as head football coach.
Johnson brought to Marlboro County a winning pedigree, posting a 61-12 record as a head coach in Clinton, North Carolina. Most of coaching background is on defense but his teams also have been quite adept at scoring points.
The coach has been hard at work with his players this offseason and there will be a focus on repeating the success of last season.
The 2026 Bulldogs show a lot of promise as several key players return on both sides of the ball. Offensively, junior Tre Blakeney returns at quarterback after a sophomore season that produced 1,639 passing yards and 761 rushing yards. Junior running back Khrishawn Smith and senior receiver LaQuincy Leach also return as impact players.
On defense, leading the list of top returners are linebackers Layton Chavis and Jamorie Williams.
In his role as athletic director, one of his jobs is to make sure the varsity coaches have what they need to best compete. Hiring new coaches is another major task but Johnson reports that no varsity teams had a coaching opening this summer.
Among the varsity coaches are Ryan Pierce (baseball), Kevin Inglis (softball), Demetrius Knox (boys basketball), Leah Zimmerman (girls basketball), Deon Quick (boys golf, girls golf), Anthony McMillan (wrestling), Dori Sanders (cheer), John Nall (boys soccer), Hallie Dyer (girls soccer) Ashley Pate (volleyball), and Dennis McFatten (track and field).
