What We Saw: Aun And McKay Kickoff Classic
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WINNSBORO | Fairfield Central quarterback Cameron McMillon Cameron McMillon 6'3" | 230 lbs | QB South Pointe | 2026 State SC put on a brief show for the home crowd at EK McLendon Stadium. Irmo puts its three-headed monster on…
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Continue ReadingWINNSBORO | Fairfield Central quarterback Cameron McMillon Cameron McMillon 6'3" | 230 lbs | QB South Pointe | 2026 State SC put on a brief show for the home crowd at EK McLendon Stadium.
Irmo puts its three-headed monster on offense on display.
Gray Collegiate wide receiver Zai Offord Zai Offord 5'11" | 160 lbs | ATH Gray Collegiate | 2024 State SC showed why South Carolina State took an active interest in getting his commitment.
Those were some of the highlights of the ninth annual Aun and McKay Kickoff Classic. This year’s event was moved from Chapin’s Cecil Woolbright Field (which is still under renovation) to the home of the Griffins.
Here’s an overview of the three games:
GAME ONE: Gray Collegiate 28, Chapin 6
Quarterback Brady Albro Brady Albro 5'10" | 190 lbs | QB Chapin | 2025 State SC came out firing for the Eagles. His first long completion set up a touchdown pass to Weldon Gunter to put Chapin on the board.
It was the only points scored by the Eagles. The rest of the scrimmage was dominated by the War Eagles’ offense starting with quarterback Tyler Waller Tyler Waller 6'0" | 185 lbs | QB Gray Collegiate | 2026 State SC finding an open Offord for a touchdown.
The next two touchdowns came courtesy of the ground game. Running back BJ Montgomery scored on an 18-yard scamper, then following a Chapin turnover, raced more 60 yards to make it 21-6 in the first quarter.
Offord’s second touchdown saw him isolated with a Chapin defender and break away at the 2-yard line before jogging into the end zone. With the two scores, Offord was named Best Offensive Player for the War Eagles.
“Zai’s is a guy we’re going to count on this year,” Gray Collegiate head coach Adam Holmes said. “BJ has really had a good offseason. You can see what he can with the ball in his hands.”
Gray Collegiate also welcomed back running back Caleb Ford Caleb Ford 5'10" | 215 lbs | RB Cardinal Newman | 2025 State SC , who along with athlete Blaine Redmond, provides a triple threat out of the backfield. Defensively, the War Eagles got a boost from its newcomers in linebacker Michael Boulware Michael Boulware 6'2" | 210 lbs | LB Gray Collegiate | 2026 State SC and defensive linemen Trequan Singleton and LaMorris Holley, who moved up from junior varsity.
Linebacker Kaine Williams Kaine Williams 5'11" | 215 lbs | LB Gray Collegiate | 2024 State SC , who recovered a fumble, was named Best Defensive Player for the War Eagles.
Despite taking a vanilla approach, not revealing much of the team’s game plan going into the Week Zero opener against Irmo, Chapin head coach Justin Gentry was disappointed in his team’s lack of intensity. He saw improved play during the second quarter and praised linebacker Gavin Stam as a workhorse. He and safety Griffin Burns were named the team’s Best Offensive and Defensive Players for the Eagles.
GAME TWO: Irmo 28, Mid-Carolina 0
It only took two plays for the Yellow Jackets to show why there’s such a buzz about the team.
Both came courtesy of a pair of transfers expected to make an impact for Irmo. First, it was wide receiver Donovan Murph Donovan Murph 6'3" | 180 lbs | WR Irmo | 2026 State SC who showed his speed and hands in running a post pattern and coming down with a long bomb from quarterback AJ Brand AJ Brand 6'2" | 185 lbs | QB Irmo | 2025 State SC for the game’s first touchdown.
Up next was running back Jaden Allen-Hendrix Jaden Allen-Hendrix 6'2" | 230 lbs | RB Irmo | 2024 State SC – the 6-foot-4, 255-pound transfer from Gilbert. Taking a delayed handoff, the senior took the football and rumbled more than 25 yards for the second score of the game.
The second quarter saw Brand and Murph get together again for a score. This time, Murph outdistanced two Rebel defenders as he retrieved Brand’s long pass for a 54-yard touchdown to make it 21-0.
Irmo’s defense, led upfront by Xavier Montgomery Xavier Montgomery 6'1" | 210 lbs | DL Irmo | 2024 State SC , limited Mid-Carolina to one first down on a run by Zylan Agnew. With the game in control, the Yellow Jackets added a final score on a scoring run by Anton Jones.
“We have some weapons,” Irmo head coach Aaron Brand said. “We’re able to run the ball, throw the ball efficiently and if we can get back production and be as even and rhythmic as possible, we’ll be in good shape.”
Brand also said the play of center Bryant Ham Bryant Ham 6'2" | 275 lbs | OL Irmo | 2024 State SC and tackle Elijah Williams Elijah Williams 6'5" | 270 lbs | OL Irmo | 2024 State SC on the offensive line and the unsung work of H-back Caleb Alexander Caleb Alexander 6'0" | 180 lbs | TE Irmo | 2024 State SC will be key to any offensive success.
Linebacker Ezerial Prater had one of Mid-Carolina’s better moments. He collected tackles for losses on consecutive plays, including a sack of Brand.
GAME THREE: Fairfield Central 27, Spring Valley 0
It was a short but productive evening of work for quarterback Cameron McMillon Cameron McMillon 6'3" | 230 lbs | QB South Pointe | 2026 State SC of Fairfield Central.
The sophomore quarterback threw three touchdowns on his first three possessions. A big reason for his success was speedy junior wide receiver TyDarion Grier TyDarion Grier 5'9" | 170 lbs | WR Fairfield Central | 2025 State SC who demonstrated both his playmaking and state track and field championship skills.
The first long reception to Grier set up McMillon’s first touchdown pass to Kristian Golden. Grier would not be denied on the next possession as he turned the short reception into a score to make it 14-0.
On McMillon’s final touchdown, he caught Grier on a slant and he proceeded to outrun four Spring Valley defenders into the end zone. For Grier’s efforts, he was named the Griffins’ Best Offensive Player.
Fairfield Central’s defense mostly contained the Vikings’ passing attack led by lineman and Best Defensive Player winner Douglas Mccloud. In the second quarter, linebacker Donovan Burns stripped the football away from the Spring Valley running back and raced untouched for the final touchdown of the scrimmage.
“Offensively, I think we should be okay,” Fairfield Central head coach Demetrius Davis said. “Cam should be good. Tydarion, if he can continue to keep playing like he’s playing, we should be decent. And you know, we’ve added another receiver over on the other side with [Kristian] Golden [a transfer from Lugoff-Elgin]. We should be able to run the football and if we can play pretty decent on defense, if we can play on defense like we did tonight, fly around and get 11 hats to the ball, who knows what can happen.”
New Spring Valley head coach Nygel Pearson, who like Davis was a former assistant coach at South Carolina State and also played for Buddy Pough, acknowledged his team is not where it needs to be going into the season opener. At the same time, he’s found leaders like defensive end David Alford, who was named Best Defensive Player for the Vikings, to help get the team going.
Spring Valley quarterback Aden Jones was named the team’s Best Offensive Player.