Lancaster welcomes improving Chester Friday

The late comedian Bernie Mac had a particular way of describing when he was upset.

“There’s gonna be some furniture moving in here,” he would bellow, his eyes bulging out of their sockets in the way only his could.

Chester football coach Victor Floyd is the kind to figuratively “move some furniture” when he’s unhappy with his team. But he took a different tact after the Cyclones’ 40-7 loss to Fairfield Central in Week Two.

Floyd, known for his tough love during his first stint in charge of Chester’s program, needed to get his point across. But he felt more disappointed than angry. He’d seen his team just do something that irked him to his core, and that was quit on a game.

“I saw that,” Floyd said, “We just had to rectify some things.”

After the Cyclones arrived back at Chester High, Floyd spoke to his team in the school’s gym for 45 minutes.

“He was more disappointed,” said senior linebacker Quan Young. “He didn’t really want to talk, but he still said what he had to say. We just had to figure it out from there. We had to tell each other that we had to pick it up as a team.”

“We went out there and got pounded, got embarrassed,” said Floyd on Wednesday. “We had to do some soul-searching.”

The message - “we’ve got to get tougher” - was received. Chester has played better since, holding its own against Rock Hill, nearly upsetting York in a lightning-delayed game, and thumping Lower Richland.

The Cyclones travel to No. 8-ranked Lancaster Friday to open Region 3-3A play, their best opportunity yet to show how far they’ve come in Floyd’s first eight months back on the job. Friday’s contest will also be a huge validity test for 5-0 Lancaster, which hasn’t played as difficult a non-region schedule as Chester.

“Without a doubt, I think they’re the most dangerous,” on the Lancaster schedule so far, said second-year coach, Bobby Collins. “Coach Vic Floyd will be a hall of fame coach in the state of South Carolina, he’s been doing it for a long time. His kids are disciplined, you can tell they play hard for four quarters. I think it will be the toughest game we’ve played this season.”

The game will feature four of the area’s top-six rushers, two on each side.

Junior quarterback Malik Williams and freshman running back Pha’Leak Brown have carried Chester’s offense so far. Floyd expected a big year from Williams, but Brown has been a revelation for Chester. The 5-foot-10, 170-pound speedster is averaging nearly eight yards per carry (400 yards on 52 carries), and turning the heads of college recruiters already. After some seniors went down with injury, Brown got his shot to start and has taken advantage.

“As soon as Pha’Leak got on board this summer you could see he would have the opportunity to contribute as a freshman, which is rare,” said Floyd. “He’s definitely one of those guys.”

Young said he knew about Brown coming up from middle school, “but I didn’t know he was gonna have that much impact on the team.” Most saw Williams’ impact coming. He’s second in the area in rushing with 548 yards and five touchdowns on 92 carries.

“Malik is a threat to score any time he touches it,” said Floyd.

Williams has scored a rushing TD in every game but one, with a 68-yard scoring scamper against Lewisville and a 70-yarder against York the picks of the bunch. Williams has a recruiting visit to Duke scheduled for late October and also has heavy interest from Wake Forest and California, with Floyd unsure how the Golden Bears caught wind of his standout from all the way on the left coast.

The refreshed outlook post-Fairfield Central, a completely healthy roster, and the production of Brown and Williams has given Chester a rosier outlook as it embarks on its Region 3-3A slate. The Cyclones went winless in region play last year, but heading into Friday look like a team that could contend for a postseason bid.

“Ever since Fairfield, we’ve been getting better every game. That’s how I know that was a turning point,” said Young. “See, we’re kind of under the radar right now. We’ve got to show the state what we’re made of.”

Consider it a chance to move some (football) furniture.

This story was originally published September 30, 2015 at 6:43 PM with the headline "Lancaster welcomes improving Chester Friday."