2021 Season Preview: Hartsville Red Foxes

Ian Guerin August 8, 2021 @ 02:38 PM

There’s a respect factor attached to Hartsville football. It’s why the Red Foxes, despite losing some 60 percent of their starters from last year’s team, are already getting some significant mentions as a possible contender in Class 4A. So, did Jeff Calabrese, the longtime Hartsville coach, like the fact that no matter what, there was an expectation attached to his program? “That’s a question for other people out there,” he said. “That’s not really how we look at it. Our job is to get the kids ready to play. We certainly have talented kids in this town. The nature of the beast is ‘It’s my turn now. It’s my time to play for the Red Foxes.’ We’ve got to earn it each and every day. Certainly, it’s nice that people say those things. But that’s not our concern.” It’s clear that those about to get their shot to suit up in the red, black and white will have every opportunity to shine. Several of them will be responsible for filling up the touches that Owen Taylor and [player_tooltip player_id="89112" first="Dariyan" last="Pendergrass"] chewed up last fall, when Hartsville narrowly missed the reduced playoff field. Now, it will be up to J’Shawn Anderson and Carmello McDaniel - two running backs to put up a combined 760 yards and seven touchdowns last year - as well as new starting quarterback McKendire Douglass, a 6-foot-2, 180-pound sophomore who was slipped in some last season. But while those three will be crucial to the success of this team, the bigger impact may come in the trenches. And we mean big. Slayton Stokes is 6-foot-5 and 300 pounds. [player_tooltip player_id="91190" first="Reggie" last="Cabbagestalk"] is 6-foot-5 and 325 pounds. And [player_tooltip player_id="59488" first="Matt" last="Stroud"], who was injured this summer and nearing a return, is 6-foot-5 and 275. The Red Foxes’ defenses will include what Calabrese deemed a line by committee, a steady rotation of as many as seven players, including senior Robert Williamson, who had six tackles in limited action last year. Behind them will be two senior linebackers Alex Hunt (34.5 tackles) and Antonio Hicks (13.5 tackles, one fumble recovery) and senior defensive back Ty’Jai Peterson (21 tackles, two interceptions), all returning starters. “They understand what we’re trying to do,” Calabrese said. “It’s a mixed bag between a lot of experience and none.” And expectations nonetheless.