Offensive Stars To Shine At Lexington Sportsarama

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>When the Lexington One Sportsarama kicks off Friday night, there will be teams looking to build on the accomplishments of last season while others will be looking to change the misfortune of a season ago.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>But one thing is certain – the star-power will be far and wide. It will also feature a mix of young and old. Here is a preview of what to expect Friday night at White Knoll.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Game 1: Pelion-Airport</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We get things started with two programs that want to start the rebuilding process with a good showing in front of a large crowd.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Pelion coach&nbsp;<strong>Dann Holland</strong>&nbsp;will feature a young team that has limited experience at the varsity level. The Panthers only return 11 players that saw significant action a year ago and will need to stay healthy to be able to compete for a playoff spot. One of the key players will be defensive back/wide receiver&nbsp;<strong>[player_tooltip player_id='267470' first='Luke' last='New']</strong>. He has experience and will be counted on to carry a heavy load.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Airport is getting a new start under first-year head coach&nbsp;<strong>Andre Cook</strong>. But he has a good starting point by bringing his son over from River Bluff with him.&nbsp;<strong>[player_tooltip player_id='202727' first='Apollos' last='Cook']&nbsp;</strong>is one of the best playmakers in the area from his wide receiver spot. The Duke commitment will also be counted on in the secondary, not only for his ability but also to make sure everyone is in the correct position.&nbsp;<strong>Kyle Chavis</strong>&nbsp;will be fun to watch develop at quarterback.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Game 2: Lexington- Batesburg-Leesville</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Perry Woolbright</strong>&nbsp;has Lexington competing at a high level each year and he feels like he has another chance to have the Wildcats right there in the mix again this year. The success will start with quarterback&nbsp;<strong>[player_tooltip player_id='208887' first='Taiden' last='Mines']&nbsp;</strong>but doesn't stop there. Mines threw for over 1,400 yards a season ago and will be better this season.&nbsp;<strong>Kamadi Maxwell&nbsp;</strong>and&nbsp;<strong>Jarrod Mewborn</strong>&nbsp;are reliable targets on the outside and&nbsp;<strong>Jonah Norris</strong>&nbsp;returns at running back.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Batesburg-Leesville had some turmoil in the offseason and are on their second head coach since the end of last year.&nbsp;<strong>Greg Lawson</strong>&nbsp;comes over from Conway and he has his work cut out for him. The Panthers went 3-4 last year with two of the losses coming by a combined 11 points. Lawson will rely on his veterans to put B-L back among the state's elite. Offensive lineman&nbsp;<strong>Patrick Swygert</strong>&nbsp;will be a key cog in that.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Game 3: River Bluff-Ridge View</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This might be the marquee matchup of the night. River Bluff struggled last season with two wins, but the sophomore class is something to keep and eye on. Two players that stood out in a recent scrimmage were quarterback&nbsp;<strong>Parker</strong>&nbsp;<strong>Murray</strong>&nbsp;and wide receiver/defensive back&nbsp;<strong>Stephen Collier</strong>. Murray only played in one game last year, but he has the “it” factor. He is poised and polished and could end up being one of the top signal-callers in the 2025 Class. Collier saw plenty of action last year, but he could turn out to be the go-to guy with the transfer of [player_tooltip player_id='202727' first='Apollos' last='Cook'] to Airport.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ridge View comes over from Richland Two but has plenty of firepower at the wide receiver position. The Blazers had&nbsp;<strong>[player_tooltip player_id='202775' first='Zion' last='Agnew']</strong>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<strong>[player_tooltip player_id='262637' first='Chris' last='Lawson']</strong>&nbsp;returning then added transfer&nbsp;<strong>[player_tooltip player_id='202731' first='Adonis' last='McDaniel']</strong>&nbsp;from A.C. Flora. Not many teams in the state will feature a WR trio as talented. Ridge View did have 13 seniors off last year's team sign to play in college so there are some holes. One spot is quarterback. Heathwood Hall transfer&nbsp;<strong>Donald Tomlin</strong>&nbsp;and last year's backup,&nbsp;<strong>[player_tooltip player_id='997121' first='Breylon' last='Boyd']</strong>&nbsp;are still battling for the starting spot.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Game 4: White Knoll-Gilbert</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Another highly anticipated matchup will be the nightcap. White Knoll coach Nick Pelham had growing pains in his first year, but he has a revamped coaching staff that has a group of young kids that were asked to grow up quickly.&nbsp;<strong>[player_tooltip player_id='346199' first='Landon' last='Sharpe']</strong>&nbsp;took his lumps last year as a freshman quarterback but has improved greatly over the summer.&nbsp;<strong>[player_tooltip player_id='336147' first='Jesse' last='Ross']</strong>&nbsp;is back at running back and&nbsp;<strong>Hasan Lee</strong>&nbsp;is a big target wide receiver.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Gilbert coach Chad Leaphart has the Indians among the state's elite each season and this year should not be any different. The Indians have one of the best 1-2 punches in the backfield with <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='262635' first='Alias' last='Graham-Woodberry']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='267430' first='Jaden' last='Allen-Hendrix']</strong>. Both backs went over 1,000 yards last season and will again be a solid tandem. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='262616' first='Chance' last='Jennings']</strong> (pictured) was the quarterback last year but should return to his more natural position of wide receiver this year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lexington One Sportsarama</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>When: 6 p.m., Friday</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Where: White Knoll High School</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Tickets: $7</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Schedule</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Pelion vs. Airport, 6 p.m.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lexington vs. Batesburg-Leesville, 7 p.m.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>River Bluff vs. Ridge View, 8 p.m.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>White Knoll vs. Gilbert, 9 p.m.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->