Lewis Takes Over Eagles Football ProgramChesnee Athletic Director James Hyatt said that when he saw that new Chesnee head football coach Clay Lewis was born in Roberson County, NC and was raised on a tobacco farm he knew "he was a tough son of a gun and a hard worker." That work ethic along with Lewis' track record as a head coach are two of the things that caught Hyatt's attention. When asked what will help him succeed at Chesnee Coach Lewis pointed out his experience at Hibriten High School in North Carolina. "The number one thing is my experience," said Coach Lewis. "The program I just left in North Carolina was not always a great program and we had to build the program up. We built that program up from twenty-seven straight losses to where we finished last year's regular season with thirty straight wins. I have experienced being in a struggling program and have learned how to build that program up." Chesnee has made a lot of changes to the football stadium as well this off-season from remodeling the inside of the Chesnee fieldhouse and including many other upgrade grades around the stadium. The community effort lead by Coach Lewis, Coach Hyatt, and the Chesnee Booster Club has given the Chesnee Football team a much better place to call home and Lewis is thankful for the communities support of these projects, "It's meant a whole lot for the community to buy into our program," said Coach Lewis. "Our kids work hard in the off-season and the kids want to win. The community has been very supportive of our team and they want a team that does well and that is what we are working towards." Coach Lewis says that it is very important to have everyone buying in to the program. "I'm not one to just do things for one season," said Coach Lewis. "We are going to start to do things the right way and build a program." Eagles Look To Improve In 2019Last season was a rough year for Chesnee Football that saw them finish in fourth place in Region II-3A, and fall on the road in the first round of the playoffs. The Eagles lost players like OL/DL Malik Busby, WR/DB Dez Tate, DB Matthew Wood, and WR/DB/QB Kyler Reagan to graduation after the 2018 season however the cupboard is not bare for the Eagles. Chesnee has several great returning players including sophomore Cole Hoskyns. who was an All-Region selection last season, and several players joining the varsity team from JV as they look to rebuild quickly behind new head coach Clay Lewis who lead Hibriten High School in NC to a state title in 2017. Offensively this season Chesnee will transition from a spread offense to an option attack similar to the one Coach Lewis ran the past several years at Hibriten. Coach Lewis looks to improve the team's production on the ground after the Eagles averaged only ninety yards a game rushing a game last season. "I believe in order to be a successful football team you have to be able to run the ball," said Coach Lewis. "We need to establish our running game and be efficient in our pass game to have success." Chesnee is returning starting quarterback Jacob Kimbrell along with fellow quarterbacks Camden Burns and Nyquille Ofair all of whom Coach Lewis expects to see playing time in his system this season. "We will go through preseason practice and everyday will be a competition not just at quarterback," said Coach Lewis. "We will evaluate those guys and see which guy gives us the best opportunity to be successful. All three of those guys are real good players and they will all be on the field somewhere." Another returning bright spot is junior wideout Alijah Means who really helped the Eagles make the playoffs last season with his seven catches for 113 yards and three touchdowns against Carolina. Means finished the year with twenty catches for 230 yards and four touchdowns. One of the strengths coming into the season for Chesnee is it's offensive line, a group that improved in every game last season and has several key returners. "I have been very impressed with Jacob Ingle and Brayden Sprinkle," said Coach Lewis. "Corey Seay and Blaine Thompson are doing a good job just to mention a few as those guys are really coming around and they are young guys. Carson McDowell will in the mix along with Parker Robinson and Caleb Rentz as well who really impressed me this spring." Chesnee had a relative inexperienced defensive last season but that experience should pay off this season as they return top tacklers Avery Fogle and Cole Hoskyns. "We expect those two to be leaders for us but we have to keep developing defensively," said Coach Lewis. Coach Lewis has said that he is pleased with what he has seen this spring and summer from his defense. "We have had some kids out there that have done a really good job for us," said Coach Lewis. "Rodney Alexander has done a great job throughout the summer along with Camden Burns. Nyquille Ofair, AJ Littlejohn, Adam Coxey, and Lorenzo Duren are some of the experienced players coming back and we expect them to do a good job every single week." On special teams, Chesnee is also returning punter Cole Hoskyns, and kicker Ian Harris who both had solid seasons last year. One of the biggest changes this off-season besides the offense has been the strength and conditioning program. "It's a work in progress," said Coach Lewis. "The main thing is to get in the weight room and hold kids accountable by making sure they have great technique and giving great effort in everything they do. It is going to take us a year to get everything implemented and do things the way we need to be doing them but we have made great strides since April. Fogle Looks To Lead On And Off The Football FieldChesnee senior linebacker Avery Fogle has had an eventful few months that started with being elected student body president and then a trip to Anderson University where he participated in Palmetto Boys State all while preparing for the upcoming football season.
"It has been a crazy summer but a fun one," said Fogle. "I'm excited to get back on the football field and help my team have a great season." Fogle said being elected student president has also helped him on the football field. "It has given me the confidence that my peers believe in me and that has helped with my confidence and belief in myself on the football field," said Fogle. Fogle is one of the key returning players on what is expected to be a much improved Eaglez defense as Fogle finished last season with fifty tackles, four tackles for loss, a forced fumble, and an interception. New Chesnee head coach Clay Lewis is expecting big things out of his senior linebacker. "He is a hard nosed kid, he is very smart, and he understands the game," said Coach Lewis. "One of the things I noticed on last year's film is just how hard he plays." Not only does Coach Lewis expect big things from his senior but so does Fogle's father and Chesnee Assistant Tripp Fogle. "I'm proud of him," said Fogle. "He has worked hard and is a great kid." Comments are closed.
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