Touchstone Energy Bowl: Wednesday Afternoon Practice Notes

Early Wednesday, Howard Barnard was watching the South squad practice. Specifically, he was watching one of his pupils, Lucy Beckham senior Jack Weil.   During a conversation, Barnard - a former kicker at The Citadel who was part of the Bulldogs' epic 1990 upset of South Carolina - mentioned that Weil was still shy of any scholarship offers. By the time the kicker and punter returned for the afternoon session of the Touchstone Energy Cooperatives Bowl Wednesday practices, that had changed.   Weil, who previously was offered a roster spot from non-scholarship NCAA Division-I Presbyterian, added a partial financial aid package to Erskine.    “It shows me that my work is been for something, showing people that I can do what I do,” Weil said. “It's showing that I'm getting out there and people are seeing me.”   Not surprisingly, Weil's ability to handle punts, kickoffs and field goals/extra points is a big selling point for the 6-foot-1, 175-pounder. But with two punts Wednesday, he showed the high end of his skill set.   On back-to-back set plays during practice, Weil (pictured) absolutely launched two picture-perfect punts not only far (in the 43-45-yard range) but completely unreturnable. That's exactly what Barnard, the volunteer assistant at Beckham, has become accustomed to.   This season, Weil averaged 41.3 yards per punt. And the grand total of return yards on those 41 boots was 119 yards, or roughly 2.9 yards per return. The net yardage and hang time, then, are huge bonuses.   Especially considering that's only part of what he does.   While Weil struggled some on longer field goals late in the afternoon session, half of his 38 kickoffs this year went into the end zone, he made 15-of-17 PATs and 12-of-16 field goals, including a season-long of 42 yards. It's a big reason why Barnard says Weil is further along than a decade's worth of other proteges, including several who went on to play at SEC and ACC schools (including Weil's older brother, Andrew, also a North-South selection).   So, will Jack Weil be content after that first offer?   “That pressure's always on. There's good pressure and bad pressure,” Weil said. “That's just straight good pressure. It's pushing me to be better.”    SOUTH IMPACT PLAYERS   BJ Payne loves high-motor players, and he's had a bunch of them at Hilton Head. This week, with Payne serving as an assistant with the South squad, he's catching wind of two he normally doesn't get to see.   Defensive linemen [player_tooltip player_id='146357' first='Tim' last='Castain'] (Oceanside Collegiate) and Alijah Brown (Sumter) aren't overly huge. Brown is 5-foot-10 and 245 pounds, while Castain is listed 6-foot-1 and 6-foot and 275 (likely a hair lighter). Yet, the two of them have made it tough sledding for the South offensive linemen they're going up against in practice.   The two players each spent a good chunk of Thursday in the backfield, Brown during the morning session and then Castain both in the morning and again in the afternoon.   That duo is also finding solid support behind them from South Florence linebacker Jaylin Williams Davis. While he played more of an outside role for the Bruins this year, the staff is tinkering with him back in the middle. The cowboy collar he's wearing makes him look the part, if stuffing some tailbacks didn't already do that.   NORTH IMPACT PLAYERS   [player_tooltip player_id='91145' first='A'Chean' last='Durant'] (McCormick) and Bryson James (Clinton) gave onlookers the impression that they'll carry the bulk of the offensive load during Saturday's game after a pair of strong showings on Wednesday. Each of them are hitting the hole fast and getting upfield, and it's being noticed and likely schemed for.   But now let us tell you a little about [player_tooltip player_id='336117' first='Hunter' last='Puckett'].   Selected for this game as a defensive linemen, some of Puckett's first action in practices was - like Durant and James - at tailback. That's no surprise, as the 6-foot-4, 235-pounder rushed for 1,108 yards and 15 touchdowns for Westside this season.   However, he clearly has some skills on the line, too.   Wednesday afternoon, Puckett made his job look easy with two blocked field goal attempts in a span of just three plays. On the first, he split the guard and center and shot up the gut to stuff Addison Nickles' attempt (seen below).   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2022/12/IMG_9742.jpg?w=640" alt="" class="wp-image-539018" width="844" height="633" /></figure>   Then, two plays later and with Puckett lined up on the right, he bulled his way past the other guard and tackle to do it again. Puckett's got a solo offer right now from North Greenville, but if he continues to have these types of performances, it won't stick.

Early Wednesday, Howard Barnard was watching the South squad practice. Specifically, he was watching one of his pupils, Lucy Beckham senior Jack Weil.