Pee Dee is back to defend its SCISA AA football state championship
Golden Eagles to face undefeated Bethesda Academy once again
Mullins – Pee Dee Academy won the SCISA AA football state championship last season with a 12-0 record while outscoring its opponents 530-197. The Golden Eagles graduated 18 seniors, thus lending to the perception there could be a drop-off in w025.
And there was. PDA lost a game, actually three of them. However, it won eight of them with the last two being In the state playoffs. That means Pee Dee will be trying to defend its crown when it faces defending runner-up Bethesda Academy on Saturday at noon at South Carolina State’s Oliver C. Dawson Stadium in Orangeburg.
Eagles had coach Jonathan King is proud of this team and the program as a whole.
“I think really looking at it this validates the fact that we have a great program,” said King, who will be trying to guide PDA to its third state title in four years. “We have great support from the school, the community. The kids buy in, the coaches do a great job. I think it shows our football program does things the right way.
“A lot of people counted us out, especially early when things were not going well. We got the ship righted though. All the credit goes to the guys and the way they prepare.”
After beating Trinity Collegiate 14-12 in the season opener, Pee Dee lost to Williamsburg Academy 39-22 and to Florence Christian School 21-0. That’s when King and his coaching staff made a decision that changed the trajectory of the season.
“Florence Christian took it to us pretty good,” King said. “We were still trying to do the spread, and it just wasn’t working for us. That night we had to decide who we wanted to be. That’s when we decided to do heavy run package stuff, do something different. We went to the single wing and started to run right at people.”
King said the Eagles weren’t particularly receptive to the change when it was first announced. However, a 44-36 win over Carolina Academy in the next game helped to quickly gain their favor.
“Once they saw the results they bought in and knew it could work,” he said. “They were always competing, but once we found our identity, we took it and ran with it, both literally and figuratively.”
King doesn’t even list a quarterback in the starting lineup. Instead, there are four running backs, five offensive linemen, a tight end and a split end.
Senior Tristan Heckman is the leader in the backfield. He has rushed for 1,361 yards and 16 touchdowns on 140 carries, good for an average of 9.7 yards per carry.
Junior Judson Martin has 818 yards and 11 touchdowns on 118 carries, and junior Miles Wiggins has 266 yards and three touchdowns on 30 carries. Junior Walker Trussell, mainly a blocking back, has seven carries for 22 yards.
Though not a starter on offense, senior Ryan Small has 412 yards and five scores on 73 carries.
The offensive line is made up of senior guard Cole Pursley, senior tackle Judd Hayes, junior tackle Gavin McGill, junior guard Holden Lane and freshman center Cadyn Price.
Senior Gage Elliott starts at tight end, while senior Cohen Williamson is the split end.
PDA has only thrown the football 42 times this season. Heckman has completed 12 of 23 passes for 178 yards and three TDS, while Wiggins is 12 of 18 or 211 yards and six scores.
Heckman and Small are the leading pass catchers, both with six. Heckman has 93 yards and three touchdowns, while Small has 112 yards and two scores.
Williamson has two catches, both for TDs, and 61 yards, while Gage Elliott has one reception for 16 yards and a score. Sophomore Avery Robinette has two catches for 36 yards and the other TD catch, and Martin has two catches for 26 yards.
Trussell, McGill, Lane and Gage Elliott start on the defensive line. Trussell has 21 tackles and one TFL, Elliott has 19 tackles, three quarterback sacks and three TFLs, McGill has 14 tackles two sacks and two TFLs, and Lane has eight tackles.
Martin, senior Chandler James and sophomore Cayden Elliott start at linebacker. Martin is the leading tackler with 80 to go with three TFLs, James hias 57 tackles and two TFLs, and Elliott has 27 tackles and one TFL.
Heckman, Small, Wiggins and Robinette start in the secondary. Heckman has 69 tackles and one TFL, Robinette has 32 tackles, Wiggins has 43 tackles and Small has 54 tackles, two interceptions and one TFL.
Senior Jacob Freeman is the placekicker and is 23 of 28 on extra point attempts. Freshman punter Rivers Tucker is averaging 31.6 yards on 22 punts with three landing inside the opponents’ 20=yard line.
Sophomore Tallon Pridgen is the holder, and freshman Ridge Tucker is the long snapper.
Sophomore Tristan Rabon and sophomore Jesse Smith are the main kickoff returners. Rabon has seven returns for 161 yards and Smith has six for 132 yards.
Robinette is the leading punt returners with five for 51 yards.
The lone loss for Pee Dee since the switch to the single wing came at the hands of Bethesda by a 49-0 count for the Region 1 title. King and his players think they can turn the tide on Saturday.
“To say they took it to us might be an understatement,” King said of Bethesda, which is 11-0 on the season. “They led 23-0 after one quarter, 37-0 at halftime and we had a running clock in the second half. They’re a very good team, very talented. They have great player. It was a perfect storm. They played incredibly well, all the credit for them.
“I know people think we’ve got no sho, but the kids believe we’ve got a shot. We feel like we will represent ourselves better than the first time. The kids think we can come out and compete. They’re a great team, one of the best in SCISA. We have to play incredibly well, but we just believe we can come out and compete. That’s where their minds are.”
Offense
RB -- Tristan Heckman Sr.
RB -- Judson Martin Jr.
RB -- Walker Trussell Jr.
RB -- Miles Wiggins Jr.
OT – Judd Hayes Sr.
OG – Cole Pursley Sr.
C -- Cadyn Price Fr.
OG – Holden Lane Jr.
OT -- Gavin McGill Jr.
TE -- Gage Elliott Sr.
SE -- Cohen Williamson Sr.
Defense
DL - Walker Trussell Jr.
DL -- Gavin McGill Jr.
DL -- Holden Lane Jr.
DL -- Gage Elliott Sr.
LB - Judson Martin Jr.
LB -- Chandler James Sr.
LB – Cayden Elliott So.
DB - Miles Wiggins Jr.
DB -- Avery Robinette So.
DB -- Ryan Small Sr.
DB -- Tristan Heckman Sr.
Specialists
P - Rivers Tucker Fr.
PK - Jacob Freeman Sr.
H - Tallon Pridgen So.
LS - Ridge Tucker So.
KO Return – Tristan Rabon So.
and Jesse Smith So.
Punt Return – Avery Robinette So.
SCISA Championships
AA
Saturday
at Oliver C. Dawson Stadium
in Orangeburg
Pee Dee (8-3) vs. Bethesda (11-0), noon
Class A
Saturday
at Oliver C. Dawson Stadium
in Orangeburg
Williamsburg (10-1) vs. Colleton Prep (9-2), 3:30 p.m.
AAA
Saturday
at Oliver C. Dawson Stadium
in Orangeburg
Wilson Hall (11-1) vs. Pinewood Prep (9-3), 7:30 p.m.
