Wilson has Wilson playing good football
Tigers off to a 5-3 start in head coach's first season after winning just 1 game in 2024
Florence – The Wilson High School football team went just 1-9 last season and had just 13 victories over the five previous seasons coming into this year.
Enter Brian Wilson.
Having been an assistant coach at Sumter for several years, Wilson was hired as the Tigers new head coach. It’s been so far, so very good to date. Wilson is 5-3 overall and 2-2 in Region 5-AAAA.
Wilson – the head coach, not the school – admits even he is surprised by the success so far. He gives the credit to his players though.
“Above,” was Wilson’s response when asked if the Tigers had played at, above or below his expectations coming into the year. “They have grown a lot since I arrived. Their ability to fight to win has increased.”
Wilson’s two losses have both been by less than a touchdown to Gilbert and perennial power Hartsville. The Tigers lost to Gilbert 29-28 in overtime and to Hartsville 27-21. Both of the games were on the road.
Wilson’s victories are perhaps more impressive than the losses. The Tigers own wins over AAAAA schools Conway and West Florence, perennial AAA power and region foes Lakewood and Crestwood.
Senior quarterback Tristen Howard leads the offense, completing 74 of 115 passes for 913 yards and 11 touchdowns against six interceptions through six games. Howard’s top target is senior Myquan McWhite. He had 36 catches for 482 yards and five touchdowns. Junior Kayden Bethea has 17 caches for 227 yards and three touchdowns, and junior Davon Bowman has eight catches for 76 yards and two touchdowns.
McWhite was the leading rusher with 206 yards and three scores on 35 carries. Senior Caleb Collins had 187 yards on 72 carries, and senior Taumaury Echols had 160 yards and four scores on 38 carries.
The defense is led by senior outside linebacker Jaden Boston, who had 64 tackles and 10 tackles for loss, both team highs. Junior linebacker Jordan Davis had 44 tackles and sophomore linebacker Jaquan Burgess had 42. Bowman, a safety, had a team high four interceptions and 33 tackles, while Echols, a defensive end, had two picks and 34 tackles.
Wilson plays at Lower Richland on October 9. A victory there sets it up for a showdown against defending AAAA state champion South Florence on October 17 with the region title possibly on the line.
The Bruins, who have won two of the last three AAAA state titles, are 5-1 and 3-0 in region play. Bruins head coach Drew Marlowe said his team is continuing to progress as a unit.
“We need to continue to improve in order to achieve our goals for this season,” said Marlowe, who has led South Florence to a 46-5 record over the past 3 ½ seasons. “We have shown glimpses of being a good team, but we need to do it more consistently on both sides of the ball.”
South Florence has four all-star selections. Quarterback Messiah Jackson was selected as an athlete for the Shrine Bowl along with offensive left tackle Josiah Mason. Linebacker Terry Gordon and right tackle Ethan Cash were chosen to play in the Touchstone Energy Cooperatives Bowl.
Through five games, Jackson had completed 40 of 73 passes for 645 yards and five touchdowns while rushing for 233 yards and 10 scores on 56 carries. Gordon had a team high 14 TFLs and six quarterback sacks among his 33 tackles.
West Florence is 3-4 overall and 2-1 in Region 5-AAAAA. The season has been an up-and-down one in the Knights’ first year under head coach Chad Wilkes.
“We are a young team that is still learning how to execute the little details it takes to win games,” Wilkes said. “We have shown flashes of being good, but also flashes of being bad. As we continue through the region season, picking up the level of consistency will be what determines how good we can be when it matters here in October and November.”
West Florence defensive end Jamie Williamson was named to the Shrine Bowl roster.
