Here’s how my Friday night goes----I usually head out to the top game of the night and cover it before coming back to co-anchor the Frenzy. I think I’m pretty well versed in Lowcountry HS football, I know the coaches, know the star players, know the good teams---so I thought it was a pretty obvious choice to cover the Fort Dorchester vs. Beaufort game. The Fort is traditionally a well coached, high speed, offensive program. They’ve got a returning star QB, Galen Bennett, and several other studs---that program, going up against Beaufort, a team just flat out loaded on defense. I saw them in the state championship game last year in Columbia—and they’re flat out good. Their Coach, Mark Clifford (who very well can be 7 feet tall—every time I interview him, it looks like the shot is looking right up his nostrils) has a solid QB in Blake Gruell—but more notably, Duane Chisolm, a 6-4, 2 hundred something pound full of muscle DL who has every college coach in this region salivating. A long convoluted setup to my story---but the game plays out the way it probably should---Fort holds it tight, fumbles a coupla times in the 2nd half leading to Beaufort easy touchdowns. Beaufort’s D is fantastic—Eagles win 28-14. Post game, Phil Bowman from the Post and Courier and I interview Fort D Head Coach Steve LaPrad. In his first comment, LaPrad says something to the effect of, after losing 2 QB’s—I’d say we held in there pretty well. I think Phil and I both thought to ourselves… “2 QB’s…hmmm..thats odd---Galen Bennett, #12 was in there at the end…made 2 big fumbles.”. Both of us kinda let it slide until LaPrad brings it up again. I ask “Coach, but what about Galen’s 2 fumbles there at the end??” LaPrad answers, “yea, that wasn’t Galen Bennett…That was our 14 year old freshman scout team QB Devron Glenn”….HUH??? So Phil and I, who have both seem our fair share of HS football, have certainly both seen Galen Bennett play many times, have no idea whatsoever, that we were actually NOT watching him. Granted, this all could have been made much easier if the Patriots equipment guy had possibly given him ANY OF THE OTHER 98 JERSEY NUMBERS in the bin to key us in—it wasn’t Galen Bennett! But the moral of this story is Fort Dorchester very well may have a stud on their hands. Devron Glenn is 14 years old. He’s a freshman in high school….He was in MIDDLE SCHOOL last year---and he gave everything he had, played his heart out, didn’t play scared and held his team in it until the very last buzzer against Beaufort, and a defense that features one of the top defensive prospects in the nation. Plus, he had 2 of us reporter types convinced that he actually was Galen Bennett—one of the best QB’s in our area.
Coupla other notes this week---stay with the Fort Dorchester theme- I am so psyched for former Patriot Robert Quinn. Less than a year ago, he was diagnosed with a brain tumor and we were very concerned he may have brain cancer. Luckily, he doesn’t. Now, he’s playing for the North Carolina Tar Heels, and on Thursday night, delivered the hit of the week, against Rutgers on ESPN-national TV. Awesome!
Another Fort D product, Durrell Barry will see his time to shine. With Brian Linthicum transferring from Clemson—Barry, set to get plenty of balls thrown his way from Cullen Harper this year---aleady has a coupla nice grabs. Look for him in the coming weeks.
Kudos to AJ Green from Summerville---you’ve proved yourself…again! Coming back to the Palmetto State, playing for Georgia—you lead the Bulldogs in receiving with 61 yards against USC, the team who wanted you so bad. Oh by the way, it’s your first win at Williams-Brice Stadium, after that terrible state championship game against Byrnes last year.
Finally—my player to watch this week is John Gadson from Stall. 240 yards on the ground this past week. He’s a fantastic runner, and look for him at the next level—he’s big enough, fast enough, and has unreal vision. I’ve also seen him run kicks, and he’s got elusive, breakaway speed. Watch for him.
Til next time
Scott
