Silver Bluff looking to add to championship tradition
Aug. 9—Silver Bluff followed a path similar to Strom Thurmond's a year ago — a bit of a tough start due to self-inflicted errors before righting the ship and putting together a winning streak.
The Bulldogs won five of six games down the stretch and reached the second round of the playoffs. The one loss late in the regular season came against Strom Thurmond, as the Rebels' defense was too strong in a 17-7 victory to lock up the region title.
Now Silver Bluff is coming back with eyes on that title — and more. Head coach De'Angelo Bryant said he's pleased with the way his team continues to grow as a unit, and like the Rebels the Bulldogs are counting on a lot of senior leadership to set the tone.
Defensive end/linebacker Jordan Boyd, a Georgia Tech commit, and lineman Christian Echols, who's committed to Charleston Southern, are the catalysts. Bryant is also excited about the growth of junior lineman Garris Chambers, and junior linebacker Trevion Harris and do-it-all senior Malik Mozone are other program leaders Bryant is counting on this season.
Then there's the new guys — and that doesn't just mean incoming freshmen. The Bulldogs made significant additions through transfers like All-State linebacker/defensive end Jayden Fuller from Aiken High, All-State running back Joenathan Peeples from Midland Valley, All-State defensive tackle Jaydon Eason from North Augusta, and quarterback Mickenzie Atterberry from Aiken High.
"Oh, they fit in great," said Bryant, who's entering his sixth season as head coach at his alma mater. "One of the things we're always going to do is we're going to do things the Bulldog way. We're always going to keep the standard. Any guys that join this program, whether they're new or they're coming from middle school or whatever it may be, it's going to be done the right way. All those guys that have joined us now, they understand that there is an expectation. Those guys just fit in greatly."
Fuller, who recently committed to Miami of Ohio, and Eason are major upgrades for an already-stout defense with several returning starters. Bryant said now offenses will have to pick their poison — they can't just try to avoid Boyd like last season. If they do, there's trouble on the other side.
"The great thing about all of them is they're playing very unselfish, and that's the key," Bryant said. "... I really don't think any of them are worried about accolades or all-star games, all that other stuff that comes with it. I think they understand that we've got to take care of business to reach our goal, and that's to make sure we not only make it back to the state championship but we want to go and be able to finish at the state championship. They understand that all of those accolades and different things like that are going to come as the team receives accolades, as well."
Mozone is a versatile player who's spent a lot of time on the field for the Bulldogs the last three seasons. He's willing to do what's best for the team and move around, which this year means going back to safety and playing as a rover in the defensive backfield. He can also move up into the box and play inside linebacker, and he's willing to dole out punishment as a running back.
It's a crowded group that's looking for carries, starting with the bruising Peeples who rushed for 933 yards last season at Midland Valley. Daniel Jones is the change-of-pace back, and Bryant is excited about thunder-and-lightning freshmen Drelyn Brown and Aden Coates.
Atterberry is in the mix along with DeAntray McCorkle to take over the job held for the previous four seasons by Maleik Williams, who left Silver Bluff holding practically every meaningful quarterbacking record in the program's rich history. Bryant said Atterberry and McCorkle share some similarities and have sharpened one another through competition, and they've worked on building chemistry with receivers Hiszari Gantt and DesJuan McCorkle.
That all adds up to a championship-or-bust attitude from this group, which Bryant said has been apparent from the way they've practiced and approached their offseason and preseason activities — the way he sees it, they're champing at the bit to create their own legacy.
He's well aware of the gauntlet in front of them in region play, then a loaded Upper State should they make a deep playoff run.
"You've got teams like Strom Thurmond, year in and year out a very respected program," Bryant said. "Coach Webb and his staff do a great job of coaching those guys, and those guys are fierce competitors. We've always had a great rivalry throughout history with Strom Thurmond. Saluda, I tell you what, those guys are as tough as tough gets. I would beg to differ if anybody told me any different about that group and what Stewart Young is doing up there.
"To be honest with you, you can never count out Batesburg. Batesburg is still a great program, and I think they've got some consistency at coach with Coach (Greg) Lawson up there. Coach (Lemuel) Lackey over at Fox Creek is a great coach, and you never know what you're going to get out of that group. Those guys are fierce. They're competitors. Coach Lackey does a great job with those guys."
Bryant estimated there's around eight teams in the Upper State alone, starting with defending champion Abbeville, that could wear the Class AA crown this season. The expectation at Silver Bluff is to be among that group.
"Even before we were able to add guys, our guys were really working," he said. "We set high expectations here at Silver Bluff, and that's going to always be the standard of what we're doing. We work hard, and like I told our guys, when it comes to Friday night, that's when we're going to earn our paycheck. We're going to work hard during the week. Friday night, we're going to collect our money. That's going to continue to be the theme here as long as myself and the rest of the coaching staff are blessed to be at Silver Bluff. We want to make this a premiere program, and we want to not just compete, but we want to make sure that we're bringing some hardware back to this place and continuing to add to the legacy of Silver Bluff."
