Pivot: Clover LB, Chester RB rotation shine; but what impact will Florence have?
Linebacker epitomizes chip on Clover defense’s shoulder
Clover linebacker Hayden Johnson had Forestview (N.C.) diagnosed earlier this season. He told Blue Eagles defensive coordinator Steven Peeler that he didn’t think Forestview could run on Clover’s defense, which is much tougher up front this season. Once the Jaguars realized that, Johnson posited, Clover could start to send pressure. And it happened just like that as Clover pulled off one of its four wins in five games.
Johnson is a big reason why Clover’s defense has improved markedly in 2018, as a bunch of young Blue Eagles jumped out of the nest and grew up after two tough years when they played as overmatched freshmen and sophomores. Johnson has 41 tackles, two sacks and an interception in four games, but more important is the chip that grew on his shoulder after getting kicked around for two years. He’s piloted a defense that should help Clover compete for a Region 3-5A title.
“No matter the situation in practice (full speed/walk through) he goes 100 percent,” said Peeler. “Sometimes his position coach (Jimmy Sutton) and I have to tell him: ‘this is just a walk through.’”
Chester running backs won’t get tired
Chester dresses just over 30 kids per varsity football game. That figure doesn’t inspire fear from opposing sidelines, but the Cyclones have a quality, not quantity, aspect to their roster. That’s definitely the case when it comes to ball-carriers. And Chester coach Victor Floyd keeps his fresh by religiously rotating them, depending on which one is hot, which one is playing more defense because of a particular opponent’s strength, and several other factors.
Four different players -- running backs Emmanuel Wright, Stan Mills and Pha’Leak Brown and QB Zan Dunham -- have at least 39 carries through the first five games. Only one of the quartet, Dunham, has had 20 carries in a game this season. All bring something different to the offense, and all have been productive so far (Wright, Mills and Brown all average well over eight yards per touch). That rotation will be critical for Chester later in the season.
Fort Mill gets its coach his first win as a Yellow Jacket
It’s been a tough start to the season for Fort Mill, which lost its first four contests and a number of contributors to injury.
But the Yellow Jackets got in the win column last Wednesday, beating also-winless Lugoff-Elgin 41-21. It was Rob McNeely’s first victory as the Yellow Jackets’ head man, and the result was again heavily inspired by Fort Mill senior running back Sebastian Lach. He’s having a monster season -- I’m calling him “The Lachness Monster” without asking. I hope he likes the nickname because I’m riding it into the ground -- and has been the one pulsating bright spot in an otherwise pretty dim season. Lach averages almost seven yards a carry and has already topped 700 yards rushing with 11 TDs, in just five games.
Injuries have taken a toll on McNeely’s roster, but the team only has to win one game to have a shot of making the playoffs from Region 3-5A.
Looking ahead
- It’s unclear what impact Hurricane Florence’s jaunt through the Carolinas will have on local school systems, or high school football this coming Friday. The York, Chester and Lancaster county areas should be fine to hold games this coming Friday, Sept. 21, but the eastern half of the state has a much less rosy outlook. It could be very similar to 2016 when Hurricane Matthew deluged the I-95 corridor and flooding worsened even as the clouds moved on and the sun came out. It’ll be interesting to see if the South Carolina High School League steps in to make any proclamations about the regular season -- like, adding a week maybe? -- and if so, what impact that might have on the North-South and Shrine Bowl all-star games.
- Lewisville’s Region 4-2A onslaught begins this coming weekend against Pageland’s traditional powerhouse, Central. Only two teams in the league have a winning record at the moment, but all six of the other region teams will likely have depth advantages over the 0-4 Lions.
- Northwestern travels south to face Dutch Fork in what, in other years, might have been a highly anticipated matchup. It’ll be less so this year, in part because of Northwestern’s troubles, and in part because the Tommy Knotts’ Silver Foxes look like one of the strongest teams in recent South Carolina history. Dutch Fork has outscored Blythewood, Spring Valley and Irmo 184-7 in three easy wins, while the Trojans have yet to win in four games.
This story was originally published September 16, 2018 at 6:42 PM.