Hard work and the company you keep were major themes last Wednesday by speakers before the Laurens County Touchdown Club’s annual meeting.
Clinton Football Head Coach Corey Fountain was named the 2022 Coach of the Year. In 4 seasons, he and his coaching staff have carried the Red Devils to 4-7, 3-3, 11-2, and 13-1 records.
Clinton Football Senior running back - linebacker Bryson James was named the 2022 Player of the Year, rushing for more than 1,500 yards on the team that averaged 9.3 yards per play.
“Any accolade that I receive or any player receives it’s all because of the other players on the team, and it’s also because of the coaches and everyone involved,” Fountain said as he recapped the Red Devils’ Region Championship season.
Fountain and Laurens Football Head Coach Daryl Smith were named Coaches of the Year in their respective regions.
Making a 9-minute talk - something that Voice of the Red Devils Buddy Bridges was his longest time talking this past season - Fountain said, “Everyone wants to be a champion but not everyone wants to prepare like a champion, and this past summer, they prepared like a champion. They came ready to work each and every day. They practiced; they prepared; they watched film; they did everything we asked them to do, and it was a great season. The ending (upper state championship loss) wasn’t what we wanted, but the journey is one to remember. … I look forward to seeing their future endeavors. No dream is too big.”
Fountain gave the audience Red Devil Records-set in 2022: 1st downs, 29 vs Batesbur-Leesville; 641 points scored; the previously mentioned yards per play; 5,048 yards rushing; 77 points scored vs Palmetto; and 526 yards rushing in a game vs Woodruff.
In a season when all 3 Laurens County high school football teams - Clinton Red Devils, Laurens Raiders and Laurens Academy Crusaders - made the playoffs, rhis is the 2022 Laurens County Football All-County Team:
OFFENSE
QB Andrew Codington - LA
RB Jishun Copeland - CHS
RB Clarence Bertoli - LA
RB Jayden Robinson - CHS
WR Buddy Baker - LA
WR Cayson Elledge - LDHS
WR Jay Pulley - LDHS
OL Jay Martin - CHS
OL Naiim Mays - CHS
OL Reese Munyan - LDHS
OL Rion Gordon - CHS
OL Dre Aiken - CHS
TE Kadon Crawford - CHS
DEFENSE
DL Hezekiah Kinard - CHS
DL Malik Jackson - LDHS
DL Eric Robinson - CHS
DL Garrett Murphy - LA
DL Nick Woodruff - LDHS
LB Jordan Roberts - LDHS
LB Gemire Darden - LDHS
LB Bryson James - CHS
LB Kason Copeland - CHS
LB Noah Mosley - LDHS
DB Justin Copeland - CHS
DB Jaedon Goodwin - LDHS
DB Zay Johnson - CHS
DB Jackson Martin - LDHS
Kicker: Roberto Luna - LDHS
Lakelands FCA Christian Character Award Winners
Clinton High School - Keegan Fortman
Laurens Academy - Dylan Frey
Laurens District High School - Jordan Roberts
Presbyterian College - Keith Boyd
Finalist for Player of the Year Award 2022
Clarence Bertoli - Laurens Academy
Bryson James - Clinton High School
Jackson Martin - Laurens District High School.
Guest speaker Buddy Pough reflected from his days at Fairfield Central and with South Carolina and now with South Carolina State on players and boys who wanted to be players and what they are doing now. His “coaching tree” includes coaches at many levels, equipment managers, strength coaches, some current D1 football coaches and, yes, NFL players. He said, “You never know who is going to do what down the road; we don’t know what’s inside (a player).”
Pough said he was at national coaching association meeting, having breakfast and saw a young woman with a Brown University shirt on. He asked her what she does at Brown, and she says, “I’m the quarterbacks coach; he says, “Quarterbacks coach, where?” She says, “The quarterbacks coach at Brown University.” He emphasized that women also have a role and a future in football.
“Have you looked at some of these football coaches lately? They look like nerdy guys, they look like they’re playing Madden. You might say, ‘If he can do it, I can, too.’ … The things that you learn from football you can use them anywhere. If you keep the right company, if you commit yourself to being good at something and be trustworthy, you’ve got a shot to do pretty much anything in this world and be successful at pretty much anything you do.”
