As football kickoff inches closer around the country, MaxPreps forecasts the top five teams in the state of South Carolina for the 2009 season.
It's full speed ahead for Byrnes and RB Marcus Lattimore.
Photo by Don Wessel
The Rebels’ rise to national elite has hit its peak as they enter the year as the No. 1 team in the country according to the MaxPreps computer rankings. Led by the nation’s No. 3 recruit overall, senior running back Marcus Lattimore (6-foot-1, 204 pounds) and third-year starting quarterback Chas Dodd, Byrnes appears well equipped to win its third straight state title and seventh in eight years. Potential All-State linemen, Florida State-bound Corey Miller (6-4, 245) and Brandon Willis (6-4, 255) lead a rugged defense and are two of 10 returning starters overall. Miller and Willis rank No. 5 and 17 nationally on CBS/MaxPreps recruiting expert Tom Lemmings’ top defensive end recruit list. A showdown at Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) on Oct. 2 could very well determine Byrnes' fate as a potential national champion.
2. Rock Hill (11-3)
The Bearcats return a whopping 14 starters to a team that went 11-3 in one of the nation's high school football hotbeds. Among the best returners are quarterback Jatavious Stewart (5-10, 175), wide receiver Xavier McFadden (6-0, 170) and tailback Jamal Tyler (5-10, 160). Rock Hill averaged 30 points per game last season and with so many skill-position players back and so much team speed, look for that average to increase to 40.
3. Sumter (12-3)
Ranked No. 2 among in a McClatchy Newspaper Prep Writers’ 4A preseason poll, the Fighting Gamecocks return one of the most physically imposing quarterbacks in the state in 6-3, 220-pound Stephen Curtis, who threw for 2,372 yards and rushed for 418 while accounting for 33 touchdowns last season. Other top players returning are 6-6, 260-pound tackle Marques Pair and strong safety Timmy Rogers (5-9, 180). Senior receiver Tyler Smith (33 catches, 638 yards, 8 TDs) returns to an offense that averaged 36 points per game.
4. Dorman (Roebuck, 13-1)
The Cavaliers defeated arch-rival Byrnes during the regular season but were eliminated in the state semifinals by the Rebels. They lost loads to graduation but return loads more talent including one of the country’s top junior receivers, Charone Peake (6-3, 180), who accounted for 868 all-purpose yards and scored eight touchdowns in the run-oriented offense. Look for Dorman to pass much more with senior quarterback Johnny Foster. The defense, the team’s strength a year ago, is led by senior linebacker Ryan Pruitt, ho had 159 tackles, 13 for loss, and defensive end Drew Bailey (163 tackles, 21 for loss).
5. Chester (11-4)
The Cyclones return 13 starters to a team that lost for the second straight year in the state 3A championship game. They are the favorites to win it this year behind a rugged offensive line and talented quarterback Tony McNeal (6-1, 180). The line is anchored by a pair of studs in Kalon Davis (6-5, 340) and R.J. Canty (6-2, 270) and should give McNeal loads of time to throw to a talented receiving corp. A state championship hinges largely on how a young and thin defense responds.
Others considered: Clover (9-4), Myrtle Beach (14-1), South Pointe (Rock Hill, 15-0).
