Eagles Looking For Big Things In New Season And New RegionThe Chesnee Eagles enter the 2022 season coming off of a 3-8 season that saw them earn the number two seed in Region II-AA before falling in the first round of the playoffs and they look to have a strong year in a new region this season. The Eagles will move to a new region for the 2022 season as they move to Region 1-AA and it will be unique for the AA classification of football. For all sports except for football Chesnee’s region will feature Blacksburg, Greenville Tech, Greer Middle College, Landrum, and Liberty however for football since Greenville Tech and Greer Middle College do not field football teams, Abbeville and Ninety-six will move over from Region II-AA to take those spots. The Eagles will have a tough region schedule as well as a tough non-region schedule as Chesnee will open on the road at Blue Ridge on August 19th. The two schools have split the last two meetings with the road team winning each meeting. That will be followed by back-to-back home games against Broome and Walhalla on August 26th and September 2nd. The Eagles will follow that up with a trip up to North Carolina to take on the R-S Central Hilltoppers on September 9th. The Eagles will then return home on September 16th to close out the non-region schedule for the ‘Battle of Highway 221” when they take on the Woodruff Wolverines. Chesnee will open up region play on the road against the Landrum Cardinals on September 30th before getting their first region home game on October 7th when they face perennial AA power Abbeville. The Eagles will follow that up with a trip to Cherokee County to play the Blacksburg Wildcats on October 14th before wrapping up the home slate with the Ninety-Six Wildcats on October 21st in a rematch of the 2020 AA playoffs opening round game that saw the Eagles claim a 14-12 win. Chesnee will then close out the region slate with a trip to Liberty on October 28th. One benefit from last year’s season is that a lot of players got varsity experience, including several JV players who may have not expected to see the varsity level, and this will only benefit them heading into the season thanks to the depth this created and experience these players received. “There is nothing better than game experience," said Chesnee head coach Clay Lewis. "We took some lumps last year due and we're still going to be young this year. Fortunately, this year will we have young guys with varsity experience.” While the Eagles will be young overall one position group that will return a lot of experience is the offensive line as they return four starters in Tyler Wood, Jackson Ramsey, Etorian Valentine, and Cade Fisher. While Chesnee lost offensive lineman Caleb Rentz to graduation, they hope Zabian Kendrick can lock down the left tackle spot this season. “Everything starts up front in the trenches," said Lewis. "The team goes as they go. They were young last year and took some lumps, but we have four of those guys coming back and we expect those guys to help lead the way." The Eagles will have a fresh face at quarterback this season as a person with the last name Proctor will once again assume the starting role, as KJ Proctor will take the snaps for the Eagles. Proctor was 5-10 for 77 yards and a pair of touchdowns last season while adding another twenty-three yards and a pair of scores on the ground last season against Crescent in the playoffs, as Proctor will guide the Eagle’s out of Coach Lewis’s familiar triple option attack “While he is a young kid, he is a leader," said Lewis. "He gets in there and he works, he also speaks up when he needs to and a lot of kids respect that because they know no matter the situation, he is going to work hard and be invested. Last season he got some good experience as he had some success, but he also had some moments that showed some things we need to keep working on.” The Eagles look to be strong again at running back as they expect Adonis Burgess and Kyle Martin to take the starting roles at A-Back while Austin Bigford, Prentiss Jefferies, and Hayden Webb are expected to be competing for reps as well. “We have some experience coming back at A-back as we have several players who took varsity snaps last season," said Lewis. "We have several young players who we hope can contribute in a big way.” Last year the Eagles featured Jayden Gossett and Nick Hofer at the B-back position and while the Eagles lost Gossett to graduation, they hope that Hofer can pair with Damarius McDowell and Gunter Gerstenacker to form a strong rotation this season. "When our offense is having success it is generally because our B-Backs are getting the job done," said Lewis. "This year we have several good options going into the season and we hope to be able to develop some depth at the position." The Eagles are hoping to find someone to take over the tight end role as a solid blocking tight end who can also catch a pass is one of the keys to the Eagle’s offense. Chesnee has three players they hope can contribute at tight end in Ezequiel Lazarin, Cade Spake, and Jordan Fitch. “We have to have a good blocker at tight end," said Lewis. "We also need someone we can rely on in the passing game as tight end can be lost by the defense sometimes and we need to take advantage of that.” The Eagles will look to replace Kyjmie Valentine at wide receiver this season as Davion Stradford and Kaleb Swaney will be two players expected to have big roles for the Eagles as they will also be joined by Kaleb Mason and Hudson Jones. “That group has had a great offseason and I don’t expect any drop as a group from last season," said Lewis. "I think we might be a little better this season as I feel like we have four kids who can play well for us this season." The Eagles will return experienced starters Nick Hofer and Ezequiel Lazarin on the defensive line as Jackson Ramsey, Bryson Avery, Aiden Allen Zabian Kendrick, and Clay Davis are some of the other guys who the Eagles expect to contribute. “We have several returning guys that will solidify us up the middle," said Lewis. "One area we'll need work is we're going to need to develop depth on the edge.” The linebacker position for the Eagles is one that saw over six different players record a start due to injuries at different points last season. Chesnee lost Dylan Bennett to graduation and will look to replace him from a group of players that have a lot of playing time and experience returning. The Eagles will look to Gunter Gerstenacker, Dylan Jolley, and Austin Bigford among others to have a big season this year. “We had injuries and last season we had issues with Covid quarantine," said Lewis. "While none of our kids got Covid luckily, they still had to go through the quarantine period. We didn’t know from week to week who would be out there due to quarantine or injury last year, but we believe we will have a successful season this year." Chesnee will have some experience in the secondary, but the biggest question will be depth. The Eagles return lock down corner Davion Stradford while Adonis Burgess, Noah Lawter and Kaleb Mason will look to lock down the cornerback position. Kyle Martin will look to lock down one safety spot while Hayden Webb, Jayden Williams, and Prentiss Jefferies will lock down the other spot. Austin Bigford will also help out at times as a hybrid linebacker/safety. Martin had one of the more unique debuts at the varsity level as he picked off a pass against Blacksburg and returned it sixty-five yards for a touchdown on his first varsity snap. “I think this could develop into a really good group we just need to develop some depth,” said Lewis. Entering the 2021 season one of the biggest questions for the Eagles was at the place kicker position but those questions were quickly answered by Ezequiel Lazarin. Lazarin nailed two game winning kicks for the Eagles including last year, a twenty-four yard walk off game winner over the Landrum Cardinals and a thirty-seven-yard field goal with fifteen seconds left against Legion Collegiate to give Chesnee the win. “Having him return is big for us," said Lewis. "Nothing fazes him in pressure situations, and we have a lot of confidence in him." At punter, Lazarin will compete with Cade Spake and Brenton Suddeth for the starting role. Senior Duo Looking To Pave Wave For The Eagles In 2022The Eagles will look to two seniors to lead the team this season and it just so happens they play right next to each other. Jackson Ramsey will resume his role as the starting center and off his right hip will be right guard Etorian “ET” Valentine as the duo hopes to help pave the way for a successful season for the Eagles. “Those two are our vocal leaders of our team," said Chesnee head coach Clay Lewis. "They help keep everybody accountable and will play a big role in how successful we are this season.” Ramsey will be in his second season as the starting center for the Eagles and feels good about the returning offensive line. “I feel good about the group we have coming back," said Ramsey. "We have several starters coming back and we have a new left tackle we expect to have a big year for us.” Ramsey expects the Eagles to have a really good year on the offensive side of the ball. “I think we will really come together this season," said Ramsey. "We will have a really productive season and have a good running game. We have a quarterback that can throw the ball around and helps us put some points on the board.” Ramsey’s two biggest supports are his parents Kevin and newly retired former Chesnee High School Principal Angie Ramsey. “They mean the world to me," said Ramsey. "They have always supported me since I started playing at the age of four and have always supported me from little league all the way up until now.” Ramsey said he plans to pursue a business degree at the college level after he graduates in May. Etorian Valentine, or “ET” for short is lining up to be Ramsey’s right-hand man at right guard this season and also has good expectations for the line. “I believe we will be really good up front," said Valentine. "We have size as well as experience and we have really gotten better this offseason.” One of the people who has had a major impact on Etorian is his grandfather and longtime Chesnee assistant JB Valentine. “He helps me stay motivated," said Valentine about his grandfather. "He kept me from getting down when I wasn’t getting the playing time I wanted. He has made me a better man and a better ball player.” Valentine hopes to play at the next level where he will look to pursue a business degree followed by attending real estate school to become a licensed realtor. New Faces With Chesnee Connections Join Eagles Coaching StaffThe Eagles will have four new coaches this season and they each have their own unique tie to the program.
Jerry Cash is the most recognizable name of the four to Eagles fans, as he just retired from being the head coach at Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy in North Carolina. He capped off his storied coaching career with 352 career wins in 52 seasons. Cash is a Chesnee graduate who returned home to coach the Eagles in the 1980’s and led the Eagles to three straight upper state title game appearances from 1990-92. He won 89 games during his storied career at Chesnee and will return home to take over as the Eagle’s defensive coordinator this season. Under Cash the Eagles will run multiple formations as the base formation could change from game to game as the staff decides which formation will best help the Eagles. He will also get a unique experience of coaching alongside his son Jay Cash and getting to coach his grandson Noah Kimbrell who is a quarterback in the Chesnee system. “Coach Cash been tremendous," said Lewis. "With as successful as he has been and his experience, that is something that will only help us as a team as he is a Chesnee guy. We are very similar in our goals and we both have the goal of one day helping Chesnee win a state championship.” “It’s been twenty-five years since I’ve been gone, but a Chesnee kid is still a Chesnee kid," said Cash. "They still work hard, and this is a good group of kids. I’m just happy to be back and able to contribute." “A lot of these coaches are Chesnee guys," said Lewis. "They want to see Chesnee succeed and that is what I hope we can do. Hopefully we can achieve that.” New wide receivers Coach DaJohn Rowland is also a former Eagle who returned home as he starred for the Eagles on both the football field and the basketball court. He played multiple positions for the Eagles including quarterback, wide receiver, and defensive back during his playing days and is also a current assistant for the boys’ basketball program. “He has done an outstanding job already," said Lewis. "He is a real good teacher and has developed outstanding relationships with those kids. I’ve been really impressed with his group from spring practice until now. These kids have seen him have success on the field and look up to him in that regard.” “It just comes full circle, and it feels great to be back out here with these players," said Rowland. "I love being out here with these kids and fellow coaches." Rowland said his time with the basketball helped him prepare for his new role with the football team. “Basketball helped me get used to working with the kids and prepared for this role,' said Rowland. "It was an easy transition from basketball to football, you just have a few more kids on the team.” One of the new assistants helping out along the defensive line has perhaps one of the more unique ties to the program as Jon Barrett Lewis is the middle son of Coach Lewis and played under his father at Hibriten. He is entering his first season of coaching after finishing up his playing career at The Citadel. “It makes me feel good as a father and as a coach that he wanted to come here to learn under me and coach with me," said head coach Clay Lewis. "He had other opportunities in coaching he could have pursued, but he chose to come here and that makes me proud.” “I’ve seen a lot and have a lot of connections at the next level," said the younger Lewis. "I’ve have seen players come from different backgrounds and know what it takes to help them be successful.” Lewis said he feels like he can learn a lot from his father and the chance to coach with family was one of the main reasons he chose to come to Chesnee. “I feel like I’m going to learn a lot from him," said Lewis. "He is one of the reasons I wanted to come down here. It’s all football at the facility, but at the end of the day we are still family.” Another new assistant has multiple ties to the program as he is a former Boiling Springs Bulldog, the fellow district school for Chesnee, but he also has ties to the Chesnee athletic department as his sister Abbey is a former All-State basketball and volleyball player at Chesnee High School. Ethan Ray comes to Chesnee as a former multi-time FCS All-American long snapper from Charleston Southern and while this is his first coaching job, he has worked with long snappers in the Spartanburg area for the last several years including Chesnee’s long snappers. He will also be helping out with the defensive backs and the long snappers. “Coach Ray will be working with coach Fogle to help out our secondary this season," said Lewis. "After meeting him and listening to him talk in meetings I have no doubt he will do a tremendous job for us.” “I believe in developing these players into young men by developing their character and their discipline," said Ray. "I believe we should develop them as men first and as a player second. I'm just thankful for the opportunity that Coach Lewis has given me to become a coach and give back to my community.” Comments are closed.
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