Young Bulldogs Look To Compete In 2021 SeasonLast season the Boiling Springs football team graduated over thirty senior players that the team will be looking to replace this season but they believe they have the talent to be a competitive group especially after getting a full offseason this year. ”Having such a young group can be both exciting and scary,” said Boiling Springs head coach Rick Tate. “We’ve had big senior classes before but probably not one with as many starters as we did last year. That’s the hard part because we don’t have a lot of kids coming back with that experience on Friday nights. It’s exciting seeing these young kids running around though and hopefully the ones that have looked impressive this summer will carry that over to the fall when the lights come on for Friday night football. We’re going to be patient with these kids and it’s going to be fun seeing them grow and seeing who this team becomes this season.” Heading into the 2021 season there are many new changes for the Bulldogs and the first major change is that the team was able to have a normal offseason unlike last year when the team, like all others around the country, had to comply to stricter Covid-19 policies. The chance to get back to some normalcy was big for Coach Tate and his team. ”This time last year we were worried about dividing kids into groups of nine or fifteen,” said Tate. “Now you can get back to some normalcy by shaking people’s hands or putting your arm around a kid. It’s nice to get back to some kind of normalcy and we hope that it stays that way where we can have a normal football season.” While the Bulldogs graduated a lot of seniors from last year’s team and will be seeing a lot of new faces on the field there will also be two new faces leading the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. Curtis Nash takes over as offensive coordinator for the Bulldogs and George Pierson will take over as the defensive coordinator. Nash takes over after spending last season as the Bulldogs quarterbacks coach and Pierson joins the Bulldogs after spending last season with Eastside High School. Coach Tate is very excited about what each coordinator is going to bring to the Bulldogs program. ”Both those guys bring a lot of knowledge,” said Tate. “I knew last year I might be needing a new offensive coordinator eventually so I moved Coach Nash to that side of the ball and he has been a part of a lot of good offenses as both a player and a coach. Coach Pierson has been at a lot of places and ran great defenses at all of them. We knew with our personnel we’d probably be switching back to a 3-4 defense and that’s his specialty. I feel real confident about having both those guys leading each side of the ball.” On the offensive side of the ball the Bulldogs will be looking to replace two year starting quarterback Jalen Dodd along with their starting running back duo of Cam Mills and Charles McFadden in the offensive backfield. At the running back position the Bulldogs feel like they have a very deep group of players that includes a junior and three sophomores that will be led by Cam Williams and Calvin Jackson. ”We feel really good about our running backs as we got four quality guys and that doesn’t even include our rising ninth grader,” said Tate. “Our oldest guy will be a junior and they’re just a real physical group of guys and we feel like we may be deeper at running back than we have ever been. We don’t have anyone with the experience of Cam Mills but we think we got a group that can be special and at the end of the day being successful at football is being able to run the ball on offense and stop the run on defense.” The Bulldogs have a battle at the quarterback position, one that Tate says is very close and probably won’t be decided until they see them under the pressure of real game action, but the two front runners currently for the job are Kairon Hines and Jacob James. ”The quarterback job is still up for grabs as all of them have shined well at different times,” said Tate. “We won’t know who will be our quarterback until we see them in live action and see who is the one that leads our football team. They’re all hungry and each one feels like they have a shot of leading the team.” At the wide receiver position the Bulldogs will be returning an experienced group that should help whoever takes over at quarterback. The wide receiver group will be led by Jaiquez Thompson, Keondre Keenon, and Zach Watson as the position is one that the Bulldogs think will be able to help their young group on offense. ”We have guys like Jaiquez and Keondre coming back,” said Tate. “We also have Zach Watson whose had a phenomenal offseason and turned himself into a very good football player. He may be the heart and soul of our football team with the way that he works. We feel like we got a really good group there at wide receiver.” On the offensive line the Bulldogs saw a lot of players graduate as well and Coach Tate believes that while they may be a smaller group on the line than fans have been used to seeing, that they will be a quicker bunch which should help the team with their goals of running the ball. ”We’re a little thinner on the line than we’re used to as we tend to make up our differences from tackle to tackle,” said Tate. “While we may be thinner they’re a more athletic group and we’re actually ahead with our feet placement.” On the defensive side of the ball the Bulldogs will be replacing a group that saw four players sign or walk on with Division I programs including both their starting safeties from the last three seasons. The defensive side of the ball will be the youngest side of the ball for the team but the Bulldogs will be counting on a senior group of Malik Harper, Brent Fowler, and Mon’tavias Perry-Dillard to lead that side of the ball. Tate said that while Harper played defensive end last season they are working to move him around the defense to see where he helps the team best this season. ”Malik will be our leader on defense but we’re not exactly sure where that will be yet,” said Tate. “You could see him at multiple positions whether it’s at inside or outside linebacker or even back at defensive end. We’ve spent a lot of time this summer finding out where he can be the most dangerous to the opposing team and hopefully by kickoff we’ll have pinpointed exactly where that is going to be.” Harper said that while the defense will be a younger group that the expectations are still the same for the defensive group as they were last year. ”We always have high expectations,” said Bulldogs defender Malik Harper. “We expect greatness on both sides of the ball at Boiling Springs and with Brent and I being the leaders we expect effort along with getting to the ball every snap.” Fowler echoed the sentiments of Harper saying that their expectations haven’t changed. ”Like Malik said the expectations are really high,” said Bulldogs linebacker and H-back Brent Fowler. “Everybody is going to be hungry and everyday in practice it’s always eleven helmets going to the football.” The most experienced group for the Bulldogs will be on the special teams unit where they return kicker Kaillou Touch who was a weapon for the Bulldogs offense last season. ”If you’re not consistent in the kicking game it’s going to cost you, so to have someone like Kaillou is a huge plus,” said Tate. “Knowing you have someone like that you can trust, especially from forty yards in, takes some pressure off your offense because you know that as long as you get to a certain point you have a shot at three points.” Coach Tate said that for the first time this season he has named his captains before the season starts with Fowler, Harper, and Zach Watson all getting the honor and as a group they said it’s their job to get the young team ready for the experience of playing on Friday nights. ”We have to teach them what to expect when you play on Friday night,” said Fowler. “Wednesday night and Thursday night games in middle school and junior varsity is completely different than the experience on Friday nights.” Watson said that the change in atmosphere to Friday night football is a hard transition and he said that he only just got a taste of it last season with the smaller crowds because of Covid-19. ”It’s going to definitely be hard because I know it was hard for me not completely understanding what the atmosphere was going to be like,” said Watson. “With Covid I got a little different view of it but this year it should be bigger with full crowds and it’s hard to show them that atmosphere until you’re there. If we practice hard and execute like we’re supposed to, along with listening to our coaches, and as the captains leading them in the right direction I feel like we will be good.” Coach Tate said that the opportunity to get to play in scrimmages and jamborees for his young team will be vital to their success as it’s the only way for them to gain the experience while it’s also better for the depth of the team. ”It’s big every year to get in the scrimmages and jamborees but for this team this year it’s vital,” said Tate. “We can’t afford to miss the opportunity at competition and we can take care of our players better by scrimmaging other teams than we can scrimmaging each other.” The 2021 season will also mark the ninth season with Coach Tate leading the Bulldogs program where he has secured his place as the second winningest coach in the history of the program just twenty-five wins behind the legendary Tom McIntyre, who has 77 wins. Tate said that being a life long Boiling Springs guy it’s a honor to just be the coach of the Bulldogs program and his only regret was never being able to play for the man that sits just ahead of him on the wins list. ”It has been a honor to just be the coach at Boiling Springs,” said Tate. “When I first started coaching as a volunteer coach it was just a honor that Coach Andy Jones even gave me the opportunity to put the title coach in front of my name. To be able to play here, grow up here, coach here, and finish my career here that’s a honor in itself. My only regret, with all that I’ve gotten to do at Boiling Springs, was not getting the opportunity to play for Coach McIntyre because I hear stories about how great of a man and coach that he was and I wish I could of had that opportunity.” Boiling Springs will kick off the 2021 season when they travel to Dorman on August 27th before a big home matchup the next week on September 3rd against long time rival Chapman. Bulldogs Celebrating 25th Anniversary Of 1996 TeamWhen the new season rolls around for the Boiling Springs football team it will mark the 25th anniversary of one of the most successful teams in school history, the 1996 Bulldogs, a team that set many firsts in the program and were close to setting many more. The 1996 team finished their season with an 8-5 record becoming the winningest Boiling Springs football team since the 1965 team, who finished the year with a 9-2 record, and were also the first Boiling Springs team to defeat Byrnes since the two teams started playing each other in 1972, with a 28-12 victory. They also were the first team to host a playoff game at Boiling Springs while also picking up the first playoff win since 1986 by defeating Walterboro 42-40. Boiling Springs was led by head coach Mac Bryan, who is now the head coach at Avery County High School in North Carolina, and a large senior class that wanted to prove themselves. "I tell kids now that athletic ability is great but that team unity is still the difference maker," said current Bulldogs head coach Rick Tate, who was a defensive assistant on the 1996 team. "That 1996 team was one of the first I was part of that just had a special unity about them. They were a big senior class that had grown up playing little league ball with one another and even after our playoff loss that year you could see that unity amongst the team." Tate added that Coach Bryan was a perfect coach for that team with his ability to relate to his players. "Mac Bryan for me was a perfect coach for that team and a coach that I learned a lot from," said Tate. "One thing I never got to thank him for, but I'll take the opportunity now, was that he taught me how to try and treat players. He was a great players coach that done a great job of relating with both players and coaches." James Davis, the current defensive coordinator at Chesnee High School, was a starter on the 1996 team and said that the closeness of that group was a closeness that they were basically family. "The first thing that comes to my mind when I think of that team is brotherhood and family," said Davis. "We all started playing football together in middle school and that's where we first all came together under Coach Carroll Green. It only continued as we got older because we'd have clinics and football camps under Coach Bryan but we'd have to spend a lot of time at the school in the offseason where we would just bond as a team." With the success of that team there was also a lot of support that came from the community and Davis said that the atmosphere in the community helped in the success of that team. "We were the first team to play over at Gibbs Stadium and I remember seeing that stadium packed, it's probably the biggest high school game atmosphere I've ever been a part of," said Davis. "I can also remember we used to have these tunnels of kids giving us high fives and handshakes on the way to the field and it was big because we didn't want to let the kids down because we all remembered being one of those kids ourselves." With all of the success of that team there were two games that season that Davis says the 1996 team will still discuss when they get together for team reunions. A close loss to Spartanburg, in the first ever game at Gibbs Stadium, and the final game of the year a 28-26 playoff loss at Darlington, which some in the Boiling Springs community still question because of a punt return for a touchdown by Darlington that was believed to be a fair catch. "People forget that while we were playing against Darlington the number one seed Laurens was losing which was opening up that whole side of the bracket," said Tate. Many players off that team have went on to success in many areas including quarterback Phil Petty, who became the first quarterback at the University of South Carolina to win back-to-back bowl games, and others who have gone into coaching like Davis and Shelby (NC) head football coach Michael Wilbanks, who was an offensive lineman on that team. Tate and Davis both believe that the success of that football team has helped lay the foundation for teams that have come along since them. "We had some success under Coach Stubbs prior to that team but I think the 1996 team was the first one to get us over the hump of believing we could start winning in the playoffs and not just getting there," said Tate. "I believe our team had a lot to do with the future success because a lot of what those coaches instilled in me I passed on to those kids," said Davis, who was a defensive assistant on the 2016 Boiling Springs Upper State championship team. "They knew about our team and knew the foundation we set. The 2016 team reminded me a lot of our team because they were always together and while they may have fussed and fought, like family does, when it came time to play the game they were ready to go." The 1996 Bulldogs team is still the fourth winning team is school history behind the 1967 team (9 wins), the 2011 team (10 wins), and the 2016 team (13 wins). Bulldogs Playing College FootballAfter a year of confusion due to the pandemic on when or if teams would be playing their season, the 2021 football season brings back a little bit of normalcy at least for the college football landscape. So that you can keep up with the location of former Bulldogs we've included the below list with their known colleges so that you can follow their progress throughout the upcoming season. Najee Thompson – Georgia Southern Chris Evans – Coastal Carolina Dre Pinckney - Coastal Carolina Will Brown – Clemson Grayson Atkins – North Carolina Storm Duck – North Carolina Michael Bollinger – Liberty Caden Sullivan - Appalachian St Chad Gardner – Wofford Donovan Anderson – Wofford Wyatt Bartkowiak - Wofford KJ Rodgers – Walsh University Jalen Dodd – Carson Newman Kylick Lynch – Carson Newman Cameron Mills – Carson Newman Ethan Rennels - Campbell Justin Corbitt – North Greenville Joseph Gregory – Limestone Caden Peeler – Limestone Shamar Wilson – Limestone Tanner Robbins – Limestone Carter Sloand - Limestone Ethan Ray – Charleston Southern Patrick Smith – Charleston Southern Trayson Fowler – Charleston Southern Marquise Graves – Ramah Academy *If anyone has been missed please e-mail me at [email protected] and let me know the player and the school they are attending Bulldogs Moving To Digital Ticketing In New SeasonA new change that the Boiling Springs community will see this year is the change from paper ticketing at events to digital ticketing for all sports. The new change is for two reasons: one reason is to keep up with the modern trends of ticketing while the other extends from dealing with Covid to keep contact between people at games to a minimum.
“We’ve decided to go to a digital platform with tickets for multiple reasons,” said Boiling Springs athletic director Evan Moxie. “One reason is because it’s what everyone else seems to be doing and we want to stay up to date with other places. The second reason is for Covid reasons as we don’t just want to cut down on hand-to-hand transmission but it also cuts down on lines and the number of people needed for each game to handle tickets.” While the process will be new to people in the community it should make it an easier process for them overall as they will have plenty time to purchase tickets in advance and will even be able to purchase tickets through the end of the event. They’re will also be options for people to purchase individual game tickets or purchase an All-Season pass that will allow fans access to all sporting events. “To purchase a ticket it’s a pretty simple process as you will go online and select an individual ticket or All-Season pass,” said Moxie. “When you go to purchase your option you’ll just have to put it your name, email, and a phone number before it takes it to you a page to purchase your selection. The reason it asks for email and phone number is because the email is where your ticket will be sent to, while the phone number will be used, if you opt in for notifications, to send you texts to notify you if the game has to be postponed or moved for some reason.” With the online purchasing there will be a small service fee which is why Moxie suggests that Bulldogs fans purchase the All-Season pass because it will only be a one-time fee for a whole season of athletics. “There will be a small service fee as there is with any online purchases which is why I suggest all Bulldogs fans buy the All-Season pass,” said Moxie. “It’s a one-time service fee and you’re then able to get into any game. You can take a picture of it and constantly have it on your phone or if you have a grandparent you can print it out and laminate it for them so they’ll have it at all times.” Moxie also suggests that Bulldogs students buy All-Season passes because they have lowered the cost of that this season for students so that more students will be able to attend more athletic events. “Our student passes, which is any student with a Spartanburg District Two email address, the cost is only $50 for a student All-Season pass,” said Moxie. “It’s cheaper than it has been in years past and that’s because we really want to drive our students to the games. If I’m a parent of a student I’m buying them one of those passes.” Single game tickets for football will be the same price ($7) plus the service fee while other events like volleyball will be $5 plus the service fee. An All-Season pass for the normal fan will be $135 which will also give you access to the Bulldog Nation sponsorship club which fans can find out more information about on the athletics website. There will also be reserved ticket and parking options available but fans that buy the All-Sports pass will have the first option to these especially on Friday night. Moxie also adds that if fans decide to attend an event at the last minute there won’t be a cutoff on ticket sales until the event is over. “There are no cutoffs as those tickets will be available to the end of the event,” said Moxie. “So if someone is sitting at home on Friday night and decides at the last minute they want to go see the game they can just go to the webpage, buy a ticket, scan it, and then walk right into the game.” One thing Moxie wanted to make sure everyone knew is that they will still be accepting district issued passes at the gate as well. Comments are closed.
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