BLACKVILLE – A model of consistency is what the Blackville-Hilda football program has embodied under head coach David Berry.

No public high school football program in the T&D Region has posted as high a winning percentage, as many double-digit victory seasons and region and state titles as the Hawks during Berry's 18 seasons there. Yet regardless of finishing the previous year a region or state champion like in 2005 or falling short of both of those lofty goals last season, Berry and the Hawks take the same methodical approach into each upcoming season

"You can't worry about what happened last year," he said. "You can't live in the past. You've got to look forward to trying to do what's best for this group coming up."

The just-completed spring drills at B-H put that philosophy to the test. With graduation depleting his offense of key skilled players (quarterback Brandon Pressley, running backs Taylor Hampton and Broderick Raysor and wide receiver Andre Simmons) and coming off a 12-2 campaign which saw the Hawks dethroned by Bamberg-Ehrhardt as Region 5-A champion, Berry spent the practice days more in an evaluation mode.

"The first 2,3,4 days we focused mostly on the defensive side of the ball and trying to make sure we had the right people in the right spots," he said. "The next couple of days, I moved to the offensive side of the football. We've got some shoes to fill."Arguably the biggest shoe Berry will have to fill at place-kicker where his son, Brandon, handled field goals, extra points and punts at an All-State level the past two seasons. With Brandon headed to Newberry College on a college scholarship, Berry admits it may take two people to handle the kicking duties.

"It's always a weapon to have somebody who can punt and kick and knock those extra punts through for you," Berry said. "But we've got a couple of kids that's going to work at it this year and we feel pretty confident, especially on extra points and field goals. We've got to find a punter, so it's been a little different not having (Brandon) around, but I feel like we can find somebody to do an adequate job."

Berry is excited about the possibilities from some of his returning skilled players on offense like running back Joe Thomas and Dustin Beasley and potential ‘surprises' among the newcomers. It also helps to have stability on the offensive and defensive line with three returning starters.

The losses on offense will mean B-H will have to rely even more on a defense which led the state in total points allowed (94). But while Berry acknowledges defending champion Bamberg-Ehrhardt and Division I runner-up Allendale-Fairfax are returning larger numbers on both sides of the football, he's not ready to call the upcoming season a ‘rebuilding' year nor willing to change his approach.

"We just try to maintain," he said. "We hope to do the same thing year in and year out. We've just got a lot of work ahead of us."

"We're not going to do anything any different. We went to a few (7-on-7) passing camps last year. We may do a couple of them this year also, but it's the kids' summer. I hate to take a bunch of it away and it's just 3,4,5 night a week. They need some summertime and they need some time away also."

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