Lamar makes run to Class A football state championship game after slow start
Silver Foxes to face undefeated Bamberg-Ehrhardt for crown
Lamar – There was a wait-and-see attitude concerning the Lamar High School football team entering the 2025 season and rightfully so. There was a lot of talent returning from a 9-4 team that pushed eventual state champion Abbeville to the limit in the quarterfinals of the Class A state playoffs. However, LHS would have to adjust to a new head coach in Tyler Boyd.
Fast forward five months though and the Silver Foxes are still waiting to see -- if they are going to be state champions. They beat Lewisville 48-27 for the upper state title and will take on undefeated lower state champion Bamberg-Ehrhardt for the state title on Friday, December 5, at South Carolina State’s Oliver C. Dawson Stadium in Orangeburg.
“Maybe surprise isn’t the right word because we just didn’t know what to expect,” said Boyd, who played both football and baseball at Lamar for his father, J.R. Boyd, who led LHS to three straight football state titles from 2002 through 2004. “There may be a little surprise from how we started the season. We had to get a lot better than we were at the beginning of the season and we did.”
The Foxes lost two of their first three games. They lost to Darlington County rival and AAAA school Darlington 22-13 in the season opener. In the third game, they suffered a 55-20 loss to Central, which played for the AA lower state title last week.
Since then, Lamar has reeled off 11 consecutive victories to take a 12-2 record into the title game. The winning streak started with a 62-36 shootout against Lake City.
“Lake City was the turnaround game for us offensively,” Boyd said. “Our offense just looked way better. Over that one week we got a lot better.
“It was just a matter of doing what we were supposed to do. We had the athletes to put up the points We went from people not knowing exactly what to do to not having nearly as many missed assignments.”
Lamar is playing in its first championship game since 2018 with its last state title coming in ’17.
LHS is led by senior quarterback Zori Pierce. A Touchstone Energy Cooperatives Bowl all-star game selection as an athlete, Pierce is a 4-year starter behind center.
Pierce has completed 95 of 156 passes for 1,851 yards and 16 touchdowns against just four interceptions. He has rushed for 793 yards and 19 TDs on 130 carries.
“He’s been solid and consistent all year,” Boyd said. “He tells half the team what to do along with trying to see what the defense is doing. He’s crucial to our success.”
Starting at wide receivers are seniors Julian “JuJu” Morris and Kamiil McCoy. Morris is the leading receiver with 27 catches for 567 yards and eight scores, while McCoy has 26 receptions for 422 yards and four touchdowns.
Sophomore Lamont Williams is the starting tight end and has eight grabs for 167 yards and two TDs. Junior H back DeChayzar Green has 19 catches for 338 yards and one score.
The Foxes are averaging 246.6 rushing yards per game. Senior Nygel Eady starts at running back and is the leading rusher with 1,271 yards and 17 touchdowns on 161 carries.
Sophomore TJ Samuel and junior Jaquez Dargan also get plenty of totes at running back. Samuel has 51 carries for 418 yards and seven TDs, while Dargan has 70 carries for 392 yards and six scores.
Opening up the running lanes and protecting Pierce are junior Messiah Simes at left tackle, sophomore Travionne Goodson at left guard, junior Roy Vest at center, senior Tom Katko at right guard and senior Da’vaughn Locust at right tackle.
The defense had to go through some growing pains as well. After giving up 134 points in the first four games, Lamar has allowed 83 in the last eight contests with 49 of those points being allowed in a 44-22 win over Hunter-Kinard-Tyler and the 27 it allowed against Lewisville last week.
“I think for the defense it turned around against North Central,” Boyd said of a 47-0 triumph the game following the Lake City win, the first of four shutouts. “I think everybody started knowing their responsibilities, trusting each other and not trying to do too much.”
To say Lamar has a big play defense might be an understatement. The Foxes have 145 tackles for a loss, 37 quarterback sacks, 18 interceptions and 13 fumble recoveries. Adding to that is the fact they’ve scored six defensive TDs, five on Pick 6s and the other on a scoop and score.
LHS uses a 3-man front on defense with Locust starting at noseguard with freshman Robert Cooper and senior Travis Durant on either side of him as defensive ends. Locust has 38 tackles, 11 TFLs and two sacks, Cooper has 33 tackles, seven TFLs and two sacks, and Durant has 67 tackles, a team high 21 ½ TFLs and 5 ½ sacks.
Williams and Eady start as outside linebackers , while Green and Dargan are the inside backers. Each is a big play waiting to happen.
Green has four of the six defensive TDs. He’s returned three of his five picks for scores and returned a fumble for a TD. He leads in tackles with 101 and in interceptions to go with 17 TFLs and 2 ½ sacks.
Williams leads the team in sacks with 12 and has 20 TFLs among his 70 tackles. Eady has 67 tackles, 13 TFLs, three picks and 1 ½ sacks, and Dargan has 60 tackles, nine TFLs and one sack.
Sophomore Nygerion Quillen sees plenty of action at OLB and has 43 tackles, 12 ½ TFLs and 4 ½ sacks. Junior Torin Carroway is a backup ILB with 25 tackles and three TFLs.
Starting in the secondary are sophomore Jaylen Morris and McCoy at cornerbacks, Pierce at free safety and sophomore Jeremiah Moses at strong safety.
Jaylen Morris has four INTs, returning one for a score, 26 tackles and one TFL, McCoy has 32 stops and one interception, Pierce has 13 tackles and one interception, and Moses has 37 tackles and one TFL
Senior Isaiah Chacon is the placekicker and is 45 of 59 on extra point attempts. JuJu Morris handles the punting duties. Eady has returned a kickoff for a touchdown, while Jaylen Morris has taken a punt back for a score.
STARTING LINEUP
OFFENSE
QB – 1 Zori Pierce Sr.
RB – 19 Nygel Eady Sr.
H BACK – 2 DeChayzar Green Jr.
WR – 3 Julian “JuJu” Morris Sr.
WR – 4 Kamiil McCoy Sr.
TE – 8 Lamont Williams So.
LT – 66 Messiah Simes Jr.
LG – 51 Travionne Goodson So.
C – 77 Roy Vest Jr.
RG – 55 Tom Katko Sr.
RT – 72 La’vaughn Locust Sr.
DEFENSE
DE – 25 Robert Cooper FR.
NG – 72 La’vaughn Locust Sr.
DE – 54 Travis Durant Sr.
OLB – 8 Lamont Williams So.
ILB – 2 DeChayzar Green Jr.
ILB – 21 Jaquez Dargan Jr.
OLB – 19 Nygel Eady Sr.
CB – 9 Jaylen Morris So.
CB – 4 Kamiil McCoy Sr.
FS – 1 Zori Pierce Sr.
SS – 15 Jeremiah Moses So.
SPECIAL TEAMS
PK – 31 Isaiah Chacon Sr.
P – 3 Julian “JuJu” Morris Sr.
State Championships
At Oliver C. Dawson Stadium
In Orangeburg
Friday, December 5
3A
Belton-Honea Path (14-0) vs. Oceanside Collegiate (12-2), 12:06 p.m.
1A
Lamar (12-2) vs. Bamberg-Ehrhardt (14-0), 4:06 p.m.
5A Division II
Northwestern (12-1) vs. Irmo (12-1), 7:36 p.m.
Saturday, December 6
4A
South Pointe (13-1) vs. South Florence (13-1), 12:06 p.m.
2A
Strom Thurmond (12-2) vs. Hampton County (11-3), 4:06 p.m.
5A Division I
Dutch Fork (11-1) vs. Summerville (12-2), 7:36 p.m.
