We’ve come to the end of another football season in the Lowco, and this year’s edition may have been one of the most special yet. We saw a pair of state champions defend their titles and another team run the gauntlet all the way to the final weekend in Columbia. We witnessed a Lowco star crowned as the top player in the state, and a number of others earn recognition for their hard work on and off the field. We’ll always look back on this 2021 season, and especially these moments and stories that captivated us over a memorable fall.
Thomas Heyward head coach Nic Shuford passed his toughest test yet to win a fourth consecutive state title.
It’s nearly impossible to prepare for the situation of losing a team’s key leader, and quarterback Dietrich Shuford’s injury midway through the season dealt a sizable blow to Thomas Heyward’s chances at another SCISA 1A crown. Nic knew he had the talent of a blazing run game and a terrific offensive line to work with, but even he was impressed by the young man who stepped up in his son’s place. Tyshon Mansell took over under center with the responsibility of managing the game for a team with sky-high expectations, and the sophomore rose to the challenge. With the help of a pair of electric runners in Anthony Fripp and Tony O’Banner alongside a do-it-all athlete in Brandon Howard, Mansell quickly found his groove and led his team all the way to Charleston Southern to capture Heyward’s fourth straight title. He didn’t have to play hero ball, but Mansell made the accurate throws in the key moments as the Rebels pounced for 42 points per game in their postseason run. It’s not easy to prepare your third-string signal-caller with little experience, but Nic Shuford found a way to get the most out of all of his players and cement his Rebels as a true Lowco dynasty.
Bryce Lybrand and the Beaufort High Eagles captivated us all on a special state title run.
Going into the postseason, not many people believed that Beaufort High could hang with a menacing gauntlet of Region 6-4A teams. But Bryce Lybrand did. He knew that his players had it in them after stunning Benedictine, a Georgia powerhouse led by Auburn signee Holden Geriner that went on to win the GHSA 4A state championship. There were signs midway through the season that maybe the wheels were falling off from a potent Tyler Haley-led Beaufort offense, but over the course of four memorable weeks, the Eagles proved their doubters wrong and shocked the state by vanquishing top-ranked Myrtle Beach in the Grand Strand. Haley came up clutch with a beautiful touchdown pass to McLeod Reichel, and a determined defense shut the door on a two-point conversion try to topple the Seahawks and bring the Lower State championship game back to the Lowco. It was a coronation at home the next week, as Amariee Morris and the Eagles blitzed West Florence and punched their ticket to the state title game for the first time since 2007, setting up a date between Lybrand and former mentor and Beaufort High coach DeVonte Holloman. It may not have been the Eagles’ night up at Benedict College against a loaded South Pointe Stallion roster, but Lybrand and Beaufort High knew they had done something special for their town and their county. Lybrand was filled with love and pride for his team at the journey’s end, and we certainly felt the same way.
After having the lights shut out in 2020, a batch of Ridgeland-Hardeeville stars shined again.
When the COVID-19 pandemic struck the world and the Lowcountry for the first time nearly two years ago, we knew the ripple effects on the sports landscape would be mighty. For a handful of Ridgeland-Hardeeville student-athletes, it meant losing the coveted opportunity to take the field. But Brandon Howard, Speedy Robinson, Jordan Mikell, and Symir Mitchell weren’t ready to give up on their dreams to compete for a state title. On a Saturday afternoon in November, they achieved their goals and made enormous impacts for a pair of championship teams. Robinson was an indispensable piece of a juggernaut Hilton Head Christian Academy offense, gashing his opposition on the ground for 705 yards, 18 touchdowns, and a memorable state title. Mikell and Howard led a beastly Thomas Heyward Academy defense, including 123 tackles for Howard and three interceptions for Mikell, and Mitchell was a key cog in the trenches to help the Rebels achieve an incredible fourth state championship. These resilient student-athletes never wavered from their goals with adversity in their faces and found a way to put in the effort in every moment to fulfill their dreams and create memories that will last a lifetime.
Jaylen Sneed believed in himself, and made Lowco history on his way to Notre Dame.
Just a few weeks into his freshman year, Hilton Head High football coach BJ Payne had a feeling that Sneed would be something special. With an inspiring work ethic and drive over a spectacular four-year career, the Seahawk star proved his coach right. A talented athlete with the passion to hone his craft on and off the field, Sneed did a bit of everything for Payne’s group over his illustrious career, playing numerous positions including quarterback, running back, wide receiver, defensive lineman, and safety. Oh, and he even played special teams, blocking a handful of punts during his senior year. But his strength was at linebacker, and he grew to be a physical force that could blow up plays from any angle. Nicknamed “Nuke” from the classic baseball movie “Bull Durham,” Sneed became an uncontainable force in the heart of the Seahawk defense and quickly rose to become one of the most highly-touted prospects in the state. Then, when spring practice was shut down after his sophomore season due to COVID-19, Sneed took it upon himself to lift weights, watch film, and elevate his game in any way he could to prepare himself for the years ahead. After a brief junior season due to pandemic issues, Sneed pulled off a phenomenal senior year, making 101 tackles while piling up 815 rushing yards at quarterback. His high school career culminated with earning the state’s highest honor for a football player last Saturday, winning the Touchstone Energy Cooperative’s South Carolina Mr. Football award and becoming the first linebacker to ever achieve the coveted distinction. Then, on Wednesday, Sneed made his college choice official, joining Marcus Freeman and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. It was hard to know if Poona Ford’s career could ever be topped, but Sneed may have done it, and could very well be following in his footsteps all the way to the NFL.
We talk all the time here at LowcoSports.com about putting the area on the map, and our football players and coaches certainly did that over these last few months. With the Beaufort High Eagles conquering the Lower State’s 4A gauntlet, Hilton Head Christian Academy and Thomas Heyward retaining their crowns atop SCISA football, and Jaylen Sneed emerging as a national star, there’s no denying that Lowco football is on the rise.
Thanks to an incredible group of coaches that dedicate themselves to their players’ successes each and every day, the future of our community’s favorite sport is as bright as ever. There are so many other names and stories we could’ve listed, but we’ll honor them all at the end of the month with our All-Lowco teams. It’s been a pleasure covering another football season here at LowcoSports.com, and I look forward to documenting more amazing memories to come.
By Wes Kerr
