Yet another season of high school football draws to a close. Many teams and individuals

had 2005 campaigns that provided much excitement for their communities, schools, and

families. This newsletter will attempt to cover the many accomplishments of the teams,

coaches, and individuals that are active in our organization.

Blackville-Hilda: Head Coach-David Berry, Strength Coach-Darriel Kitchens

Batesburg-Leesville: Head Coach-Courtney McInnis, Strength coach-John Burgess

Strom Thurmond: Head Coach-Lee Sawyer

Clinton: Head Coach-Andy Young, Strength coach-Stoney Lunsford

Richland Northeast: Head coach- Jay Frye, Strength coach-Ryan Kendall

Byrnes: Head coach-Bobby Bentley, Strength coach-Mike Srock

Gaffney: Head coach-Phil Strickland, Strength coach-Ben Fuller

These are the teams that won or finished second in their football region and

participated in the region/state strength meets. Congratulations to the players and staffs

of these schools.

Blackville-Hilda: 12-0.

Lamar: 11-1. Only loss was to 2-AA power Cheraw.

Batesburg-Leesville: 10-2.

Columbia: Undefeated in region play, 8-3 overall.

Edisto: 9-3 overall.

Mullins: 10-2 overall, undefeated in region play.

Carver's Bay: 10-2 overall.

Belton-Honea Path: 7-4 overall.

Clinton: 9-3 overall.

Fairfield-Central: 10-2 overall, 5-0 in region play.

Strom Thurmond: 11-1, undefeated in region play.

Marion: 8-4 overall.

Timberland: 11-1 overall, undefeated in region play.

Manning: 8-4 overall.

Byrnes: Another ho-hum year for Bobby Bentley, Mike Srock, and Co.

Gaffney: 9-3 overall.

South Aiken: 7-5 overall.

Richland-Northeast: 12-1 after November 17th.

Marlboro County: 9-3 overall.

Conway: 9-3 overall.

Stratford: 10-2, undefeated in region play.

Again, congratulations to these teams for outstanding 2005 campaigns. None of these

teams are "one-year wonders." They are all consistently strong, successful

programs. I think their head coaches and strength coaches would say that off-season

competition is one of the most valuable components of their overall strength and

conditioning process

that contributes to their winning ways. If you have not been a part of our region and

state strength meets, please consider doing so.

I have often said that one thing that makes the region and state strength meets so much

fun is they attract the hardest working kids, because the last thing a kid with poor work

habits wants to do is compete in a lifting meet. Four of last years meet participants were

selected as finalists for Mr. Football. Those were Stanley Taylor (Columbia), Prince

Miller(Byrnes), Coco Hillary(Strom Thurmond), and Rodney Paulk(RNE). Prince Miller and

Stanley Taylor both were region strength meet winners, while Rodney Paulk finished as a

runner-up.

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Congratulations to the coaches of our organization that also will be working The Shrine

Bowl or North-South Game. Their schools were region/state meet participants. The SCHSSCA

should feel an element of pride this year as three of our past presidents are working in

all-star games this year.

Reggie Kennedy-Fairfield Central High School

Kemper Amick-Columbia High School

Ken Schofield-Great Falls High School (Past President of SCHSSCA)

Ed Bouknight-Lexington High School

Bill Kimrey-Dutch Fork High School

James "Nate" Thompson-Carvers Bay High School

John Abercrombie-Mauldin

Bobby Bentley-Byrnes High School

Dean Boyd-Marlboro County High School

Ron Blackmon-North Central High School(SCHSSCA Past President)

Doc Davis-Carolina Forest High School(SCHSSCA Past President)

These were the young men that participated in a region meet/state strength meet in 2005

that later were selected for all-star games.

Jayson Ayers-Marlboro County, Racheed Gause-Conway, Matt Holmes-Strom Thurmond,

Jake Johnson-Hartsville, Otis Key-Strom Thurmond, Taj Lesane-Carolina Forest, Prince

Miller-Byrnes, Adam Patterson-RNE, Stanley Taylor-Columbia, Alex Wolfe-Conway, Duvall

Young-Daniel, Rodney Paulk-RNE.

Trandon Dendy-Laurens, Ben Anderson-South Aiken, Clay Champion-Gaffney, Josh

Hale-Daniel, Lorenzo Hall-Fairfield Central, Wes Lancaster-York, Coco Hillary-Strom

Thurmond, Calvin Harrison-RNE, Eric McLaughlin-Marlboro County, EJ Brown-Stratford, Jamar

Anderson-Byrnes, Craig Brewton-Byrnes, CJ Youson-Stratford, Leroy Burgess-Ridgeview,

Marvin Hodge-Lakewood.

It is not going out on a limb to say that Barry Avant is one of the most experienced

and knowledgeable football coaches in South Carolina. He is as intense a student of the

game as anybody working in our state. He has taken 3 teams to Williams Brice Stadium. He

took an Allendale-Fairfax team to the championship game in 1996, and also took two from

Manning.

Late in the 2003-2004 school year, Avant took over the reigns at Georgetown High

School. He was hired so late that he actually had spring practice during the first two

weeks of the summer vacation. His first year ended in a frustrating 1-9 year.

But Avant's patience and persistence paid off. The Bulldogs finished the year with an

overall record of 8-4. Amongst their highlights was a victory over a strong Myrtle Beach

team, as well as a tight 10-7 contest with Carver's Bay. They also finished 5-1 in region

play.

(Lightning strikes twice)

Any coach that assumes the head job at a school that has struggled dreams of having a

significant and instantaneous impact on the won-loss column. For years, the football

program at West Florence was one of those schools. But at one point, Jeff Calabrese is

hired as the head coach, and in a few years West Florence is playing at Williams-Brice

Stadium for the 3-AAA State Championship. They finish that year with a 12-3 season.

Luck? In 2004, Hartsville High School endures a 2-9 season. Soon thereafter, Jeff

Calabrese is hired, and the Red Foxes finish the ensuing year 8-3. It was the most

successful Red Fox season since playing for the 4-AAAA State Championship in 1997, and the

second time that Jeff Calabrese has turned a program around quickly.

As is often the case when a coach assumes the head coaching position at a school, one

of Calabrese's first steps was to jumpstart the strength and conditioning. His players

immediately responded with an outstanding effort in summer lifting, as well as in several

passing leagues. In addition to the 8-3 record, Calabrese's first season as Red Fox leader

can boast of wins over Marlboro County, York, Camden, and Sumter.

This is by no means an official title, just a thought. But if there were such a team,

the Cavaliers of Richland Northeast High School would probably be it this year. They were

one of the first schools to participate in the region/state meets, and they have always

had some incredibly strong kids. But what RNE did in 2005 is above and beyond most years.

When three of your starting eleven defensive players are athletic enough to be selected

for all-star teams, it is hard not to be good on defense. RNE did that this year with

Calvin Harrison, Rodney Paulk, and Adam Patterson. With all three having vertical jumps of

30 inches or better, you can probably assume they have a lot of speed and agility on the

field.

A strength feature on RNE would not be complete without mentioning running back

Keyzelle Thomas. Thomas was the region champion in the 220 pound class, and took third in

the State Strength Meet. He is one of the few kids in the state that can parallel squat

over 500 pounds with no knee wraps. Thomas has 1,094 rushing yards and 18 TD's going in to

the rematch with Spring Valley.

In addition to being very active in the meets of the SC High School Strength Coaches

Association, RNE became probably the first South Carolina school to ever host a sanctioned

USA Weightlifting competition. Regardless of the outcome of the upcoming rematch with

Spring Valley on November 25, the players and coaches of RNE have had a very special year.

Congratulations to Jay Frye, Ryan Kendall and other members of the Cavaliers.

Needless to say, many players in our region/state meets had outstanding

years. Coaches were asked to send information rather suddenly for this newsletter. Players

"selected" for this article were selected somewhat randomly, and their coaches

were the ones that responded to my requests for season stats. Many others of equal ability

could certainly have been included.

1) Rodney Paulk-LB-Richland Northeast: Coaches across the state will

breath a sigh of relief knowing Rodney Paulk will not be back with RNE next year, but he

could have been. Paulk just turned 17 years old. He had 155 tackles on the season, with 22

of those being for loss. He was also a headache for quarterbacks as he had 12 sacks and 2

interceptions. Paulk is a finalist for Mr. Football, and has committed to USC.

2) Adam Patterson-DE/DT-Richland Northeast: Patterson has received

over 25 offers from Division I schools already, and is a Shrine Bowl selection. After the

game with Beaufort, Patterson has 64 tackles and 18 hurries. With a vertical jump of 32

inches, he is one of the most explosive linemen in the state. He was the Region IV

champion in the 260 pound class, and runner up in the State Strength Meet.

3) John Tillman-DL-Marlboro County High School: When John Tillman won

his weight class at the 2004 Schoolage Nationals in New Jersey, he raised a lot of the

eyebrows amongst the Bulldog coaching staff. After a solid sophomore year, Tillman had his

breakout season in 2005. He scored two touchdowns, and took a pass that he blocked against

Irmo all the way down to the 15 yard line. He had 56 assists, 21 pressures, and 18 total

sacks/tackles for loss.

4) Jayson Ayers-DE-Marlboro County: Jayson was a promising, but tall

and awkward looking, ninth grader at MCHS in the 2002 season. But maturation and weight

room dedication steadily transformed Jayson into an impact player that received early

offers from the likes of Tennessee and NC State. After 12 games he had 37 first hits, 48

assists, 7 sacks, 11 tackles for loss, caused three fumbles, and recovered three fumbles.

He also threw a touchdown pass midway through the season. He was selected for the Shrine

Bowl, and the Ayers family is one of the few to have two members (Robert Ayers was in the

2003 game) play in the Shrine Bowl.

5) Adam Wade-LB/DL/FB/Long snapper-South Florence High School. Adam

had a stellar season for the Bruins on both sides of the ball. He was in on 151 tackles,

had an interception, and four sacks on defense. Late in the year he was put in at fullback

and gained 320 yards on 24 carries. He also had two receptions for 36 yards. He is

carrying a 3.7 GPA, and is leaning towards USC as an invited walk-on. His mere appearance

would indicate outstanding strength. But more specifically he has a 535 squat, 330 bench

press, and 275 power clean to his credit.

6) Anthony Smith-QB-Seneca: After 11 games, Seneca had scored 364

points for a 33 point-per-game average. Much of that is due to Anthony Smith. He finished

the year with 121 completions for 1,662 yards. He also scored twelve TD's of his own.

7) Michael Bradley-RB-Seneca: Bradley had 10 touchdowns and 570 yards

on just 102 carries for a formidable 5.6 yards per carry. He won the region strength meet,

and at that meet displayed some attempts that would account for his ball-carrying ability.

He combined for a 505 squat and a 4.65 forty yard dash at that meet.

8) Brooks Burnette-QB/DB-Timberland: Burnette finished his year with

855 rushing yards and averaged over eight yards per carry. He had an additional 752 yards

in the air and nine touchdowns. He had a hand in 20 total TD's. He also had 53 tackles and

5 interceptions, and a touchdown on defense.

9) Jon Bennett-RB/LB-Timberland: Bennett finished the year with 1,407

yards on 190 carries, which yielded 17 touchdowns. He had 59 tackles, 3 interceptions,

blocked two kicks, and scored a touchdown on defense. At the Region 1 Strength Meet at

Stratford, Bennett squatted 415 and bench pressed 300 at a bodyweight of 162 pounds.

Bennett and Burnette were two of the main reasons Art Craig and Timberland went in to the

Dillon game having scored 400 points.

10) Prince Miller-Athlete-Byrnes: Prince Miller may be the most

dangerous player in the state this year. According to strength coach Mike Srock, Miller

has ran the ball or had a reception for a combined 54 plays. In those 54 plays, Miller

scored 13 times. That is an average of once every four plays. Through 14 games, Miller

also had 358 yards on 24 punt returns, 239 yards on 9 kickoff returns, was in on 60

tackles, and had 5 interceptions. Miller was the Region 5 Strength Meet winner of his

weight class.

11) Stanley Taylor-RB-Columbia. The strapping 137 pounder shows that

size often does not matter. He finished the year with 2,406 yards, 32 total touchdowns,

and 198 points scored. He has been selected for the Shrine Bowl and is a finalist for Mr.

Football. At last years region/state lifting meets, he posted efforts of a 340 squat and a

4.75 forty yard dash. He was the Region 11 strength meet winner last year.

12) Coco Hillary-QB-Strom Thurmond. After 14 games, Hillary had

amassed 2,150 yards in the air with 16 touchdowns. He carried the ball 138 times for 744

yards and another 18 touchdowns. In the Lower State Championship game vs. Dillon, Hillary

threw for 2 touchdowns and had 2 rushing touchdowns. Including the Dillon game, Hillary

has scored at least twice in the last three playoff games.

It is very doubtful that any young man that entered our meets since 1983 was considered

one of the best players in the NFL, USATF, or one of the lifting sports three and a half

years later. It is also doubtful that any of our previous competitors made trips to the

Middle East, Australia, and Russia in their first three years out of high school. That has

now been done. 2002 Byrnes graduate Lance Frye was one of only two male lifters from the

USA to finish in the top 10 of their weight class at the World Weightlifting Championships

in Doha, Qatar. He finished 10th in the 77kg/169 pound class. The USA's other tenth place

finisher is 31 years old. Frye is just 21, so his future is extremely bright. Being a

medallist in the Olympics some year is a very reasonable goal.

UPCOMING EVENTS OF THE "STRENGTH CALENDAR"

1) Informal business meeting of SCHSSCA. December 6th , contact Mark Wade at South

Florence High School for additional information.

2) Business meeting of SCHSSCA. Williams-Brice Stadium, January 18th. Contact Mark Wade at

SFHS more times and additional info.

3) February 11th. Strength meet-SQUAT-BP-POWER CLEAN. Carolina Forest High School, contact

Rayburn Poston for additional information.

4) February 24-25. South Carolina chapter of NSCA in Columbia. Emphasis on combine

testing. Contact Dr. Jim Carson at (803)777-0809.

5) March 24-25. University of Tennessee Strength Clinic. Contact Chris Stewart at

(865)974-0567

6) March 18th. University of North Carolina Strength Clinic. Contact Jarrett Ferguson at

(919)843-4087.

7) TENTATIVE DATE: State Strength Meet, April 30th, White Knoll High School. This may be

voted on at the December 6th business meeting. If you have an opinion on this subject,

forward it IMMEDIATELY to Mark Wade at SFHS.

ADDITIONAL NOTE ON STRENGTH CALENDAR

The strength clinic at University of Tennessee is one of the most established coaching

clinics of any sport in the country. Untold thousands of coaches have attended this clinic

since the 1980's, and some of the nations most highly respected coaches have spoken at

this clinic. This year Mike Srock of Byrnes High School was invited to be a speaker.

At the risk of embarrassing one of my friends, I would like to say that I don't think

it is an exaggeration to say Mike Srock is one of the most dedicated and knowledgeable

strength coaches in the country at any level. At the 2004 State Strength Meet, he was one

point away from winning four of the eleven weight classes. He is the only coach in SC to

ever have kids lifting in weightlifting meets at a higher level than the Schoolage

Nationals. He is the coach that started Lance Frye on his current journey.

He has taken kids to competitions in Maryland and Pennsylvania immediately after away

football games. Since arriving at Byrnes in 1999, he has taken kids on road trips to St.

Louis, Florida, Vermont, Pennsylvania, New York, Indiana, Atlanta, Chicago, and New Jersey

in the name of strength and conditioning. He did all the driving on most of those trips.

When I was at Sumter, he would bring kids down from Spartanburg on weeknights to be in

lifting meets. I was once unable to reach him at his house at 10:30 on a Friday night

because he was helping to set up a wrestling tournament, and doesn't even coach wrestling.

What makes this all the more amazing is that he is doing this as a retired coach from the

Florida school system, and he is over 60 years young!! Is it any wonder what one of the

things that is making Byrnes tick right now is?

CURRENT GOVERNING BODY/CONTACT PERSONS

President: Mark Wade, South Florence High School

Vice President: Mike Srock, Byrnes High School

Secretary: David Prince, Lake City High School

Historian/Webmaster: Brian Jackson, Crestwood High School

Treasurer/Public relations: Kevin Kaga, Marlboro County High School

Past President: Doc Davis, Carolina Forest High School

Past President: Ken Schofield, Great Falls High School

Past President: Ron Blackmon, North Central High School

Past President: Rayburn Poston, Carolina Forest High School

Region 1: TBA

Region 2: Brian Jackson, Crestwood High School

Region 3: Kevin Kaga, MCHS

Region 4: Ryan Kendall, RNE

Region 5: Mike Srock, Byrnes

Region 6: John Boggs, Walhalla

Region 7: Paris Mason, Williston Elko

Region 8: Ben Fuller, Gaffney

Region 9: Dan Pippin, South Aiken

Region 10: Rayburn Poston, Carolina Forest

Region 11: Ryan McDonnell, North Central High School