2022 Season Preview: Fort Mill Yellow Jackets

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There’s no question that Fort Mill struggled in 2021 as they finished 1-8 and fell in the season finale to eventual state champion in 5A, Gaffney. So what’s new for Yellow Jackets head coach Rob McNeely as they look ahead to a fresh start in 2022?</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“We’ve had a few coaching changes. (We’ve) changed the offense a little bit and kids are buying in so (we’re) pretty excited about it. We’ll see how it goes,” McNeely said.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Fort Mill’s offense in 2022 won’t be a true triple option, but as close as you can get to it.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Isaiah Haynes </strong>will be at the controls at quarterback, as he replaced graduating senior Kyle Neibech during the course of the 2021 season. He’s tall and excelled in throwing the long ball down the field. He can make plays on the run as well so it will be interesting to see how he functions in the new offense.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There’s a solid nucleus of wide receivers returning which include <strong>Jason Moran</strong>, <strong>Van Piercy</strong> and <strong>Max Piercy</strong>. McNeely noted that it will be running back by committee in 2022 with the new run heavy offense.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“Basically there’s four running backs that can get the ball at any time.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On defense, the Yellow Jackets return two linebackers, <strong>Cade Haley </strong>and <strong>Stephen O’campo. </strong>O’campo started every game in 2022 and will be looked at as one of the leaders. <strong>Josh Welch </strong>played both ways at quarterback and defensive back as a freshman last year. But McNeely called him a “natural born leader.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After a scrimmage against Laurens in the Bill Pate White Rose Classic in York on August 12, Fort Mill kicks off the 2022 season at home against Catawba Ridge on August 19, before facing Chester the following week, also at home. The region schedule will have the Yellow Jackets on the road three out of five weeks with home games against Spring Valley and Clover.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>COVID-19 and injuries, just like for everyone else the last two seasons, caused a lot of younger guys to step in and Fort Mill’s JV team was “decently successful.” McNeely believes the offseason changes have been positive and now, it’s a matter of seeing it translate to the field.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“We’re trying to find something that can give us an advantage in the run game which will hopefully in turn help us on the perimeter and like I said, with the JV team’s success and some of those rising sophomores this year just have a different mindset. They have a different mindset to the program as a whole and it’s kind of raised the level of everybody else and that’s what you want to see.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->