MaxPreps 2012 Preseason Xcellent 25 Football preview: No. 13 Byrnes

Last season, Byrnes (Duncan, S.C.) was in an unusual spot.

Typically the top dog around South Carolina, Byrnes was out of the limelight for much of the season as Gaffney enjoyed a high national ranking for most of the year.

Then the No. 8 all-time top football dynasty did what it so often does: It won the state championship, stunning Gaffney in the process.

This fall, Byrnes returns many of the players that were key to last year’s title run.

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Offensively, Byrnes will pass the football. A lot. Shuler Bentley is back behind center, with top targets Akia Booker and Tavin Richardson back on the outside. Last season, Bentley tossed for 3,495 yards, but he could top that prodigious number in 2012.

Shakeem Wharton has graduated, so Byrnes needs to find a running back, a position it is not accustomed to filling after it got multiple years of production from Wharton and Marcus Lattimore.

Three starters on the offensive line offer continuity and experience at a key position.

Six starters are back on defense, including a secondary, featuring KeKe Ashmore and Shane Samuels, that is basically intact. Head coach Christopher Miller also feels good about his linebackers, but the team needs to retool up front.

Local look: "Byrnes will be a favorite to win a third-straight 4A Division I championship. Chris Miller always has this team ready. He's possibly the best defensive coach in the state, and there's no doubt defense won the championship against Gaffney last year. Don't be surprised to see them in early December again."
- Kevin Melton, Spartanburg Daily Herald

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Size: Class 4A




Enrollment: 1,600 (approx.)


2011 finish: 13-2, Class 4A-I state champion


Head coach: Chris Miller


Years at school: 7 (five as head coach)


Career record: 103-39


Notable players coached:
QB Willy Korn (Clemson)



RB Marcus Lattimore (South Carolina)

QB Chas Dodd (Rutgers)

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No. of returning starters: 7 (offense), 6 (defense)


Key losses:
RB Shakeem Wharton

DL Rashad Dillard

DL Jamaal Johnson



Key returners:
QB Shuler Bentley

WR Akia Booker

WR Tavin Richardson

DB Shane Samuels

DB KeKe Richardson

Key newcomers:
RB Isaiah Hill



DL Blake Hayes

LB Travis Thomas



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Toughest game: Gaffney. The Indians could be as talented as they were last season. Defensive end Jaylon Smith and receiver Shaq Davidson return from the team that smacked Byrnes 35-13 during the regular season, only to lose in the state finals. The Byrnes/Dorman game will be circled on the calendars of fans across the state and should be one of the biggest games in the country this fall.

Question mark: Will the defensive line be good enough to capture another state title? Right now, the unit is clearly Miller’s biggest concern. He trusts the players that will be slotting in, but they are untested.



Local outlook: Woodruff could provide a challenge to Byrnes, but as mentioned, the biggest game on the team’s schedule, and most highly anticipated game in the state, will be the Byrnes/Gaffney clash. After a rebuilding year in 2011, Dorman, which beat Byrnes in the 2009 state finals, should also be improved.

Overall outlook: Byrnes is awfully hard to beat in the playoffs. It’s not the most absurdly talented team each year, but it is extremely well-coached and always seems to answer the bell in December. This fall, the offense will be a well-oiled machine, while the defense has a chance to be very good as well. A recipe, no doubt, for another state title run.

Coach quote: “We’ve got a good bit of returning guys, and we’ve got some young guys coming up that we’re excited about. We’ve got a group of ninth graders that are really a good group, too. Things are looking good for the future.”
- Chris Miller, head coach

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