2022 Preview: Brookland-Cayce Bearcats
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If Brookland-Cayce coach Rusty Charpia has done nothing else for the Class 3A school tucked just off Knox Abbott Drive in Cayce, he’s built a winning-tradition since taking over in 2011. The Bearcats were rarely playoff contenders before his arrival,…
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Continue ReadingIf Brookland-Cayce coach Rusty Charpia has done nothing else for the Class 3A school tucked just off Knox Abbott Drive in Cayce, he’s built a winning-tradition since taking over in 2011.
The Bearcats were rarely playoff contenders before his arrival, but he’s changed that fortune. Brookland-Cayce finished last year 9-3 with a third-round exit from the playoffs. It’s the fourth time in the last six years the Bearcats have advanced to at least the state quarterfinals.
“We feel pretty good about where our program stands across the state,” Charpia said. “We will play anybody, anywhere and that has not always been the case here. We don’t have a lot of numbers in our program but feel like the ones we do have are decent football players.”
Where does that leave the Bearcats heading into the 2022 season? In all honesty, in a very similar position.
Senior quarterback Tanner Staton Tanner Staton 6'2" | 205 lbs | QB Brookland-Cayce | 2023 State SC returns after having a stellar junior season. The 6’2”, 215-pounder threw for almost 3,000 yards with 24 touchdowns while rushing for an additional 500 yards. He committed to Elon a couple of weeks ago and will be counted on to be the catalyst again this season.
“Tanner has a big arm and can make any throw out there,” Charpia said. “He’s big and strong as well. He looks more like a linebacker than maybe a quarterback and he plays with that type of mentality. We need to keep him healthy and see what happens once we get to region play.”
It’s not like Staton will have to do it on his own. The Bearcats have a wealth of talent back at the skill positions. The receiving corps will include versatile Naahzeikial Mays Naahzeikial Mays 5'9" | 175 lbs | RB Brookland-Cayce | 2023 State SC , Jayden Johnson and Will Young. De’shaun Washington was primarily a backup last season, but he will be the main ball-carrier going into the season. A lot of these same players will see time on defense, mainly in the secondary.
Three returners will anchor the offensive line. All region players Kamden Sox (6’4”, 260) and Jalani Golston (6’4”, 280) are back and joining them will be 6’4”, 315-pound Jacory Jones.
Five starters return on defense with the headliners being hard-hitting inside linebacker BJ Pugh along with defensive lineman Tron Pauling, who is a tad undersized but has a no quit motor. Jayden Johnson will also play at outside linebacker or safety, and he’s proven to very versatile to the Bearcats attack.
“I think BJ really came on at the end of last year,” Charpia said. “He understands what we want to do and how we want to play. We need a big year out of him for our defense to reach its potential. Jake and Tron have improved from last year and should be better than they were a season ago.”
Charpia has again loaded the Bearcats non-conference schedule with teams from Class 4A or 5A. Brookland-Cayce will open on the road at Byrnes before playing rival Airport at home. They then travel to traditional power Northwestern before rounding out the non-region portion of the schedule with home dates with Class 4A A.C. Flora and Class 5A Chapin. Last year, the Bearcats defeated Class 5A Blythewood.
The region slate begins at Orangeburg-Wilkinson followed by Lower Richland, Swansea, Dreher, and Gilbert.
“I think if we can stay healthy during the early part of the schedule, we can be a good team once we hit the region,” Charpia said. “We always try to schedule a tough non-region schedule to get us ready for the region and the playoffs. It’s worked out well the last few years.”