BYRDS -- Two years later and Appalachian State’s name is still being invoked by football coaches with teams facing seemingly insurmountable odds.

Woodland head coach Reed Charpia has done his share of taking his team back to the Mountaineers stunning 2007 victory over Michigan this week as he prepares to take his Wolverines on the road to face annual state title favorite and national power, Byrnes High School (3-0), Friday night in Duncan.

“We are trying to let our kids know that we are capable of playing with Byrnes,” Charpia said. “We don’t try to fool them and say that everybody on our squad is a lot better than they have. We just tell them you have to go out and you have to play 48 minutes. You have to play hard and let the chips fall where they will. Nobody in the world gave App. State a chance against Michigan ... so, we are going up there and play hard and we are going to play to win ... that is for sure.”

Woodland is no pushover, featuring a high-powered spread offense led by quarterback Robert Smith, a two-time All-Area first team selection. In a 48-40 loss to a strong North Charleston team last week, Smith was 14 of 23 passing for 231 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 78 yards and two touchdowns.

Still, even with Smith, if the odds makers in Vegas put a line on this game, Byrnes would likely be a four-touchdown favorite.

Take a look at the Rivals.com Top 100 list of the best prep players in the country and Byrnes is all over the place. Leading the way is tailback Marcus Lattimore, the second ranked running back in the nation, and sixth-ranked player overall.

Protecting Smith figures to be quite a job. At one defensive end spot, Byrnes has Corey Miller, the 28th-ranked player in the nation, who had over 100 tackles as a junior. At the other end spot, the Rebels feature Brandon Willis, the 38th-ranked player in the nation, who had 144 tackles, 24 for loss and 13 sacks last season. Both players have committed to Tennessee.

And, oh by the way, quarterback Chas Dodd is featured this week in Maxpreps Player of the Year Watch. Dodd is 47 of 67 passing on the year for 778 yards and 13 touchdowns.

“They are as good as most people say they are,” Charpia said. “On film, they have the players to compete in the league they are competing in.”

Stopping Byrnes will be tough, but Charpia feels like his team can move the ball on the Rebels. Still, it will be tough considering that over his long tenure, Charpia admits this may be the most talented high school team he has faced.

“But, we are looking forward to going up there and playing them and seeing what happens,” he said.

Win or lose, the Wolverines will at least have a postgame treat. Charpia worked it out with former Bamberg-Ehrhardt coach and current Seneca head coach Ron Duncan so that Woodland could spend the night at Seneca High School. Saturday, the Wolverines will take in the Clemson-Boston College game.

Jarecki happy with CA’s play

Adam Jarecki’s Calhoun Academy football team will be shooting for a 4-0 start to the season Friday when it hosts Richard Winn.

“They have a couple good receivers,” Jarecki said. “They are going to throw it to. They have a good quarterback, a good defense. They get after you on defense, and they are well coached.”

Jarecki said he was pleased with his team’s first two games of the season, but called last week 13-7 win over Florence Christian a letdown. Still, talk to the coach for a moment and it’s clear he is happy with the effort his Cavaliers have put forth.

“It’s been a lot of fun,” he said. “They have a great attitude, and they have worked hard. I’m getting a lot done at practice. Things have gone well. I can’t be disappointed in anything.

“We have had some guys step up,” he added. “I’m really proud of (linebacker) Caleb Chappell. He has really taken on a leadership role. Our defensive line has played better up front than we have in years. Our offensive-line play has been good. We kind of got smacked around a bit last week, but the first two weeks I was really pleased. (Bryan) Love has been carrying the ball well along with Caleb (Chappell). Jamie Sanders is a sophomore that has stepped up with some big catches and nice runs. Jordan Rucker has done a good job at quarterback, and Matt Arant has made some big catches. He has had a big catch in every game.”

The next level

The “Bamberg Bookends,” Da’Quan Bowers and Ricky Sapp appear poised to have a strong last season together at Clemson and the potential is there for former Calhoun County star Alshon Jeffery to do big things at South Carolina. That much has been evident this season, but there is plenty of talent from The T&D Region running around the college ranks.

Former Bamberg-Ehrhardt star Chris Presley went to Coastal Carolina as a quarterback, but has since switched to wide receiver and over the weekend the 6-4, 180-pound speedster hauled in his first catch, a 50-yard touchdown from quarterback Zach MacDowall, in Coastal’s 24-17 win over Monmouth... Presley has a couple of former Orangeburg-Wilkinson standouts as teammates at Coastal Carolina. Through two games, linebacker Brian Harrison has four tackles and a half sack and linebacker Derrick Frasier has four tackles... Another former Bruin, wide receiver Kwame Krakue leads Charleston Southern with 12 catches for 124 yards through two games. Krakue’s best performance? Six catches for 63 yards against defending national champion Florida.

T&D Sports Editor Brian Linder can be reached via e-mail at blinder@timesanddemocrat.com or by phone at 803-533-5553.

 

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