BAMBERG – As Randon Sandifer drove in four runs to lead the Bamberg-Ehrhardt baseball team to a repeat Class A championship last Friday, cheering on the efforts was head football coach Kevin Crosby.

The same was true three days later as Sandifer and teammates M.J. Johnson and Will Medlin arrived for Red Raiders’ football practice.

Trading in his bat and glove for a helmet and pads, Sandifer made the transition look effortless as he ran the B-E offense at quarterback.

“Just having Randon back at quarterback was an impact (Monday),” Crosby said. “We had probably one of our better offensive days yesterday as far as throwing the ball. We got a little package in this year that’s going to mix it up a little bit from the wishbone.”

Running the football and defense has served as the Red Raiders’ bread and butter in reaching back-to-back Lower State finals. Crosby is especially excited about the backfield with returning players Javonte Middleton, Demetrius Williams, O’Keefe Jones and eighth-graders Casey Jones and Dovondre Williams.

Having seen Sandifer use his bat to upend Chesterfield and with wide receivers like Johnson, Desmond Kelly, 6-3 junior Fred Smart and Carl Anthony Williams at his disposal, Crosby believes he has the same capability with his arm to accomplish the same feat against the same Golden Rams’ team which has beaten the Red Raiders in the postseason two years in a row.

“They were waiting on (Randon) to get here,” Crosby said. “They were waiting on him to come because he sets the tempo for us. He’s been back there and our kids believe he can run the offense.

“Watching our baseball team beat (Chesterfield) after losing the first game and coming back to beat them twice has opened our eyes that Chesterfield can be beaten. We’ve just got to get after them.”

As much attention as Sandifer is receiving from his teammates, more eyes will be on the play of enter A.J. Cann. The 6-3, 260-pound rising senior has already received more than 30 Division I offers and was most recently visited on campus by Clemson University assistant coach Chris Rumph.

Crosby said despite the active interest, Cann has remained focused on the team’s goals.

“A.J. is a humble kid,” he said. “He doesn’t talk about it. A lot of times when you get a kid who’s been offered by 32-35 Division I schools, a lot of kids believe he’s going to get this treatment, he’s going to act this way. A.J.’s the same kid he was before he got those 35 Division I offers.

“He busts his butt in practice. He’s a leader out there. When you tell him to do something, he asks no questions. He’s front of the line, showing young guys what drills we do offensively and defensively the same thing. He’s responded to it well and hopefully, within the next couple of weeks, that will take a little bit off of him.”

Defensive end Justin Henderson has already decided on a college choice in Kentucky, while fullback Javonte Middleton has received interest from Football Championship Subdivision schools like North Carolina A&T, The Citadel, Georgia Southern and Morgan State. Like Cann, Crosby said the two seniors have not allowed the college interest to distract them.

B-E will hold a spring game at 11 a.m. Saturday at Leon Maxell Stadium. From there, they will begin 7-on-7 drills through the summer and open the 2009 season during “Week Zero” against Edisto on Aug. 21.

 

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