2021 Season Preview: Beaufort Eagles

Ian Guerin July 20, 2021 @ 03:55 PM

Bryce Lybrand is in charge of one of the hotter Class 4A teams in the state entering 2021, and that hasn’t stopped the vast majority of his focus between now and the season opener falling on his defense. What a difference a year makes for Beaufort. “Last year, it was the opposite. we were going to be breaking in offensive guys and had some defensive guys who we knew what we were getting,” Lybrand said. “We felt like we had some known qualities on defense. This year, it’s the complete opposite. We have known commodities on offense. We need to find out where to fit where defensively.” In defensive linemen Alvin Wilson and [player_tooltip player_id="89341" first="Eamon" last="Smalls"] and cornerback [player_tooltip player_id="91356" first="Daryl" last="DePass"], the Eagles have one heck of a nucleus of battle-tested stars (all with college offers). Safeties Colton Phares and Hunter Rast also have some quality experience. As for the rest, it’s going to be a moving target to ensuring that new starters Jalin Porter (corner), Jack Sumner (defensive line), and Zach Talbert and Jake Alvarez (linebacker) fill in some of those holes. But no matter how you shake it, being able to spend so much of his energy on the that side of the ball is as much about what Lybrand has coming back on offense as it does what he needs to replace on defense. Beaufort is expected to be one of the highest scoring teams in Class 4A, much like it was a year ago when it averaged 41 points per game. That’s because Beaufort is loaded. There’s [player_tooltip player_id="89319" first="Tyler" last="Haley"] (pictured), the lefty quarterback who last year completed two-thirds of his passes for 1,271 yards and 10 touchdowns against just three interceptions while rushing for another 471 yards and five scores. There’s running back Amariee Morris, a tailback who went for 605 yards and 13 scores while frequently rotating in and out with now-departed teammate Jaylin Houseal. Morris’ carries will increase, according to Lybrand. There’s receiver Kacy Fields, who had a team-leading 430 yard and four touchdowns last year and will spell Morris some in the backfield. And fellow receivers McLeod Reichel (306 yards, one touchdown) and newcomers Michael Dennison and Zyrin Odom will allow the Eagles’ four-wide sets to keep everyone else scrambling to pick their poison. It’s why Lybrand is OK with the defense taking some time to figure out its kinks. He can put the onus to win all those offensive weapons. “We’ve got to lean into the fact that we need to score more points than everyone; we’re going to have to win some high-scoring games with the way the game has changed the last five years,” he said. “The game now is score points. When Nick Saban flips to having to score 40-50 points to win a championship, you know the game has changed.”