Inexperienced Pee Dee football team wins season opener
Eagles replacing nine starters on offense and six on defense from SCISA AA title team
Mullins – With only two starters back at the same position on offense and just five on defense from a 12-0 team that won the SCISA AA football state title, one would think the sledding might be a little tough for Pee Dee Academy, especially early in the season. No one knows what the rest o the year holds for the Golden Eagles, but they got off to a good start.
PDA traveled to Darlington on August 22 and came away with a 14-12 victory over AAA Trinity Collegiate School.
“I was very happy with how our team came out and competed from start to finish against a strong AAA opponent on the road,” said head coach Jonathan King, who has led Pee Dee to a state title two of the last three seasons. “It was very encouraging to see a lot of young guys get their opportunity on the field and step up in big moments for us.”
The Eagles, who lost to Williamsburg Academy 39-22 in their second game, are having to replace standout quarterback Colby Richardson, who is now playing baseball for Coastal Carolina. Senior Tristan Heckman, who started at running back last year, is the signal caller.
The other two returning starters are on the offensive line in the person of seniors Chandler James and Cole Pursley. Junior Gavin McGill has another spot locked down, while senior Judd Hayes, junior Holden Lane, sophomore Caiden Elliott and freshman Cadyn Price are battling for the other two slots.
A pair of juniors are at running back in Judson Martin and Walker Trussell. The wide receivers are junior Miles Wiggins and sophomore Jesse Smith, while the tight end is senior Gage Elliott.
On defense, PDA will have four new starters across the front. They are McGill, junior Brayden Lewis, Gage Elliott and freshman Hammer Watson.
Martin and James return as starters at linebacker. Trussell and sophomore Tristan Rabon are competing for the other spot.
Heckman, Wiggins and senior Ryan Small are starting again in the secondary. The newcomer is Smith.
Freshman Rivers Tucker and Trussell are competing for the punting job. Rivers is battling for the placekicking slot along with senior Jacob Freeman.
While young and inexperienced, King likes what he’s seen of the 2025 edition of Pee Dee football.
“We had a great summer of workouts and a strong preseason camp, so to see that pay off for us in Week 1 was awesome,” King said. “I love this team and our chemistry. We have lots of work still to do at practice as we build for the region slate later in the season, but we have the pieces of the puzzle to get plugged into the right places.”
