Rock Hill High football will be young in 2022, but the Bearcats have reasons to hope
Bubba Pittman stands off on the side of the Rock Hill High School practice field, looking around and telling a reporter what he sees.
“This guy right here,” the Bearcat head coach begins, pointing at Brandon Watson about 50 feet away, “he’s gonna be good for us.” A few minutes later, he interrupts his own thought to point out a defensive end who’ll “one day be unblockable.”
It’s a scorching and breezy Thursday morning in Rock Hill. It’s picture day for the team, so nearly all of the 125 players in the Rock Hill football program are in their future Friday night garb, smiling and mean-mugging and pointing at cameras.
The outsider would look out on that field and see kids being kids.
Pittman sees that, too.
But he also sees potential.
The Bearcats will be young in 2022. They lost some of the best leaders Pittman has “ever coached” to graduation in May. And they’ll have to weather another tough schedule — one that features perennial York County rivals Northwestern and South Pointe in their non-region slate.
But Rock Hill still has plenty of reason to believe in itself, Pittman and his players say.
“We don’t really have that one or two guys who kind of stand out as the senior leader,” Pittman told The Herald on Thursday. “We don’t really have that. We’re going to have to be more of a collective unit this year. Everyone’s gonna have to contribute.”
Said junior returning quarterback Matthew Wilson: “I feel we’ve come together this summer, as a team and as a family. We’ve just been grinding and getting better, working toward where we want to get to.”
Here’s what you need to know about the Rock Hill football team in 2022.
3 Rock Hill High strengths in 2022
1. A talented returning quarterback. The Bearcats, however young they’ll be in 2022, have the largest luxury one can afford in high school football — and that’s a quarterback with playing experience.
Wilson will enter his third season as a starter for the Bearcats in August. The junior, with offers to play college football at Eastern Kentucky and Clark Atlanta, was slowed down by various injuries in 2021. But he still showed flashes of potential: His most memorable performance came against Clover, when he ran in the game-winning 2-yard touchdown on a gutsy fourth-down call with 24 seconds left in the game.
He’ll have a lot of options to throw to this season — including senior Chris Wright, senior Evion Hinton, junior Jamond Carothers and sophomore Malik Clark, to name a few. And he’ll hand the ball off to a cluster of running backs. Among those in the backfield: senior Brandon Watson, junior Chase Ward, junior Daylen Boulware and senior Damaryion Pichardo, who was the MVP of the team’s 2022 spring game. (Wilson is a dangerous rushing threat, too.)
Rock Hill will introduce a new offense under incoming offensive coordinator Mike Byus, who originally made a name for himself as a state-championship-winning high school football coach in the Charlotte area. And Wilson has embraced the challenge, he said.
“I think it’s fun,” Wilson said of learning the new offense. “It’s something new. I feel like you gotta adapt to changes. Especially as a quarterback, you gotta get used to different things. I feel like it’s a great experience.”
When asked how he’s grown since his freshman year, Wilson gave a thoughtful answer.
“I feel like I’ve just become a better teammate, a better person,” the quarterback said. “My freshman year, I was nervous. And now coming into my junior year, I feel more confident, more composed, more comfortable and confident in my team.”
2. A senior-led offensive line. The Bearcats will be anchored by three seniors on the offensive line. Those guys are Josh “Stubby” McMillan, Hunter Melton and Mike Shook. (Shook received an offer from Erskine earlier this summer.)
They’ll help pave the way for the aforementioned deep backfield Rock Hill expects to use. One of those running backs is Watson, who said he’s doing what he can to let the young guys know about the Rock Hill High tradition.
“We got something to prove this year,” Watson said.
3. “Really young but really talented” defense. Rock Hill’s defense has been a strength for years. The unit was particularly dynamic last year, with The Citadel signee Maurice Bonneau playing a linebacker/defensive end hybrid on one side of the line and North Carolina Central signee Luke Bracey playing on the other side.
The team’s defense will be younger in 2022, and that’s something newly promoted defensive coordinator and Rock Hill football great Tim Jones will have to address. They’ll see a lot of non-senior starters. Among them: sophomore defensive lineman Justice Foster, sophomore safety Zy’on King and sophomore defensive back Rakwon Stradford.
But some upperclassmen will be asked to contribute. Those guys include junior linebacker Daniel Range, junior linebacker Daylen Boulware (will play offense and defense), senior linebacker Brandon Watson (offense and defense) and senior everything-man TaRacqus “Rock” Young, who Pittman dubbed “probably the hardest hitter on the team.”
“I’m trying to teach the young ones to cover their responsibilities, to hit hard and to not be scared of who’s in front of you,” Young said.
And how do you do that?
Young replied with a shrug and a smile: “Lead by example.”
Quotable Bearcats
Young will play cornerback, safety and maybe even linebacker for the Bearcats in 2022. Asked where he expects to play most, he said, “I’ll go wherever they need me.”
Watson on what it’s like being coached by former All-ACC linebacker Tim Jones: “I love getting coached by Coach Jones because he’s not going to let you slack off. He’s not going to let you make the mistakes that he made back in the day. He wants us to lead by example. Coach Jones is one of those coaches that’s like a father figure, and I feel like without him I wouldn’t be the player I am right now.”
Wilson on what it will take for Rock Hill to be successful this year: “I feel like we just have to believe in each other, believe in our team and believe in our capabilities to get it done on Friday nights. We can’t listen to what outside people say, or outside people think. It’s about us. It’s a family. It’s a brotherhood. It starts with us.”
Rock Hill at a glance
Head coach: Bubba Pittman. The Rock Hill High alum is entering his ninth season at the Bearcat helm.
Last year: 2-7 (1-3 in Region 4-5A); made playoffs.
Competes in: After this past winter’s South Carolina High School League realignment, the Bearcats will compete in Region 3-5A. Their region opponents include Clover, Fort Mill, Nation Ford, Blythewood and Spring Valley.
All-Region departures: Luke Bracey (DE/TE, NC Central signee, All-State in 2021); Maurice Bonneau (DE/LB, The Citadel signee); Garrett Pfirman (OL); Moaderell Woods (LB).
All-Region returners: None.
2022 regular season schedule: Aug. 19 at Northwestern — Aug. 26 vs. South Pointe — Sept. 2 at Lancaster — Sept. 9 vs. Lower Richland — Sept. 16 at York — Sept. 23 BYE — Sept. 30 at Spring Valley* — Oct. 7 vs. Fort Mill (Homecoming)* — Oct. 14 at Nation Ford* — Oct. 21 vs. Blythewood (Senior Night)*
This story was originally published July 29, 2022 at 9:00 AM.
.jpeg)