Richard Winn Tries to Complete Undefeated Season with Title
By Worthy Evans
hssr.com Associate Editor
Winnsboro -- Although Richard Winn Academy football head coach Paul Brigman knew this year’s team had a lot of promise, he said the young Eagles had to work hard to make it to the final game of the SCISA 8-man championship being hosted at W.W. King Academy.
“It has been a special season,” Brigman said. “We had a very senior-laden team last year; lost eight guys, and most of them had played a lot. We had several spots that we were just unsure about coming into the season.”
Among those key players lost to graduation included Drew Spires, the 2023 Region Player of the Year, and All-Star selection, who caught 188 passes for 3,345 yards with 57 touchdowns in his career. He also rushed for 1,013 yards and 14 TDs on offense. On defense, Spires made 11 interceptions and scored three touchdowns, including 137 tackles.
Replacing the production of Spires and the other seniors proved to be easier than Brigman and his coaching staff thought. This year the Eagles, who are 11-0 on the season, blew through their regular-season schedule and scored at least 44 points in nine games.
With its 31-12 victory over Wardlaw last week, Richard Winn reached the 8-man football state championship for the first time since 2020.
We were unsure of these guys, but we found that we have some awesome leaders on this team,” Brigman said. “They’ve really stepped up and have been the backbone. We haven’t really had that down game where we were far below the expectations.”
The Eagles meet 9-3 Laurens Academy for the title. Richard Winn beat the Crusaders twice in the regular season by the scores of 56-20 and 62-12.
Junior quarterback Charlie Bonds leads the offense. Bonds is a dual threat, completing 52 of 69 passes for 21 touchdowns while rushing 95 times for 1,117 yards and 20 TDs.
Junior running back Eli Smith provides run support behind Bonds. Smith has 1,165 yards and 15 touchdowns on 118 carries.
“We run the ball a lot more than we were doing last year,” Brigman said. “We have an excellent running back in Eli Smith and he and Charlie have been an unbelievable 1-2 punch running the football. Charlie’s not just one-dimensional, he can throw it as well.”
Bonds also has more than capable receivers. The Eagles’ top receivers include senior Josh Tyndall, who has 16 catches for 523 yards and 11 touchdowns, and junior Bennett Nicholson with 18 catches for 291 yards and four TDs. Senior Jake Gaillard has eight receptions for 255 yards and four scores. Smith has six catches for 118 yards and a TD as well.
“Jake Gaillard and Josh Tyndall are our top receivers for the year and we have run more than we have passed this year, but we’ve got excellent receivers that allow us to stretch the field,” Brigman said.
Behind the skill people is a seasoned front line that includes seniors Justin Autry, Harlan Kamb and Aaron Geddens.
“It’s vital, it can definitely mean the difference between winning and losing,” Brigman said of having a healthy and seasoned front line. “The entire offensive line was seniors last year, but we’ve had some mature guys that had been in the program for years and understood what it took.
“Those guys have stepped right in and they have been a big part of it. Justin Autry, Harlan Kamb, those guys have been catalysts, and our center Aaron Geddens kind of anchors the line.”
On defense, Autry, Kamb, Geddens and others hold down the defensive line as well. Autry has a sack and six tackles on the year, while Kamb has two sacks and six tackles and Geddens, an interior lineman, has a sack, 28 tackles and a fumble recovery.
Guillard can set on the line as a defensive end or as an outside linebacker. The 8-Man Football Defensive Player of the Year leads the team in tackles with 62 and has a sack, an interception, and a fumble recovery.
JT Wilkes can also double as a defensive lineman or an outside linebacker. An All-Region selection, Wilkes has 57 tackles, four sacks and an interception this year.
Bonds leads the secondary with four interceptions, two sacks and 33 tackles. Nicholson, who as a receiver had 18 catches for 291 yards and four touchdowns in addition to 26 carries for 309 yards and four scores, starts in the secondary and has four interceptions, 19 tackles and two fumble recoveries.
“Bennett Nicholson’s current streak of four games with interceptions includes three Pick-6s,”Brigman said. “He’s a dominant cover guy when people try to throw on us.”
The kicking game is something of a secret weapon for the Eagles, as most 8-man squads don’t have accomplished kickers and have to try for 2-point conversions instead. Tyndall gives Richard Winn a good shot at extra points and has good kickoff and field goal range as well.
“We’re fortunate to have the ability to kick field goals this year along with having an extra-point guy who’s about 95 percent,” Brigman said. “It gives us a lot of flexibility to kick or to go for two.”
Bonds is the punter even though Brigman said with a laugh, “We didn’t use him a lot.”
Richard Winn has scored 564 points, an average of 51.3 per game. Richard Winn’s ball control and scoring ability has Brigman and the team feeling good about the final game as they try to get their first state title since 2014.
“This team has really resolved to make it happen,” Brigman said. “We know it’s still in front of us though, and we’ve got a lot of work to do.”
