2024 Preview: South Pointe Stallions

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The standard at South Pointe is to win state championships.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Stallions fell short of that goal in 2023, falling in the second round of the playoffs to Midland Valley and finishing the year with an 8-4 overall record. Now with the 2024 season on the horizon next Friday night at home against Spartanburg along with the challenges of entering region III-4A with York, Camden, Richland Northeast, AC Flora and Dreher, it's a one day mentality for head coach Bobby Collins's squad.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“We're just worrying about Spartanburg and trying to be 1-0. It's our time. It's our year. Nothing else, nobody else. (Just) controlling what we can control and that's just bringing great effort and attitude every day for practice and letting it carry over to Fridays,” Collins said.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There will be a lot of skill talent on the field for the Stallions offensively, but the biggest change will be at the quarterback position. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='473002' first='Cameron' last='McMillon'] </strong>transferred in from Fairfield Central and was the presumptive starter, but he will miss the first few weeks of the 2024 season as he recovers from offseason knee surgery, according to Collins.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The offensive line will be solid with three starters back including <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1054250' first='Victor' last='Goree']</strong>, <strong>Ethan McNutt </strong>and University of South Carolina commit <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1165103' first='Anthony' last='Baxter']</strong>.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On defense, <strong>RJ Buford </strong>and <strong>Zahiem Love </strong>will anchor the secondary. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1157988' first='Aakil' last='Brown'] </strong>will be a starter back as a part of the Stallions' front seven, which Collins is really excited about.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>STARS SET TO SHINE</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='212416' first='J'Zavien' last='Currence']</strong> 2026, ATH – Currence (pictured above) will take snaps as the starting quarterback for the Stallions, as McMillon continues his recovery. He will continue to see time on defense as well. His athleticism is fun to watch as he can snatch the ball out of the air from his safety spot. He has numerous offers including Clemson, South Carolina, Florida State, UNC and Georgia. He hopes to make a decision on his recruitment by the start of the 2025 season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Currence on playing quarterback: “You've got to stay calm. You've got to suppress your feelings and be the thermostat for the team. Be calm through the whole game and be calm through everything, calm through the storm.”</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1157761' first='Mason' last='Picket-Hicks'] </strong>RB, 2025 – Collins says Hicks can do it all, whether it be in the traditional run game or catching the ball out of the backfield. He currently has offers from Memphis, Austin Peay and the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Improvements heading into 2024: “I've been working on pass blocking and I've been working on my moves (in space), getting in the open field and making the last man miss.”</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='284136' first='Miles' last='Wilson'] </strong>DL, 2025 – Collins says that Wilson will be a name that fans will hear a lot during the 2024 season. He played on the offensive and defensive lines in 2023. We saw him clog up run lanes on film with his ability to get off blocks quickly.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Improvements heading into 2024: “I've been working on getting my stamina up so I can stay in the game first, second and third down (and) really getting a (knee) bend so I can do better on third down pass rush.”</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1249764' first='Jordan' last='Collins'] </strong>WR, 2025 – Collins (pictured above) the Navy commit will be counted on as one of the leaders in the receiver room. He has great size for his position and creates matchup problems for opposing defenses. He's spent his offseason putting emphasis on blocking at the point of attack. And he's physically strong – he registered 26 reps on the bench press at the Carolinas Coaches Combine at York this past spring.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Collins on choosing Navy: “The atmosphere, the guys, the school, just the campus and area and the support of the fans and the prestige of the university and the after (college) life and things like that.”</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>KEY LOSSES</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Chris Dixon</strong> DL – Dixon was tough to block from his defensive tackle spot and was one of the leaders on the defensive line. He is now at Catawba College.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Malachi Marshall </strong>QB – Marshall could make plays with his legs and arm. He is now with Stony Brook University.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>FILM REVIEW</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1594865' first='Brysen' last='Ginn'] </strong>LB, 2026 – Ginn is a natural for his position. He takes great pursuit angles to the ball and he's tough to block with his quickness. There was one play on his film where he made a hard hit to the ball carrier after recognizing the swing pass to the running back.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/19550463/655799d85cb38e03c8ed6b30' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-66bd5405335c8"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>UP AND COMING POTENTIAL</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='379013' first='Seth' last='Tillman'] </strong>DL, 2027 – Tillman played freshman football last year and made an impact. He can clog up run lanes and limit the gain on run plays. And if he can't get to you on the pass rush, he'll get his hands up and knock the ball down.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Jaquawn Neely","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2026","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"null","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_weight":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_weight":"field_65b288425ecf6","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"2406","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"South Pointe","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-66bd540536543"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Neely can come in and drill the ball carrier from his defensive tackle spot. He is gap sound in knowing where the run is going and then reacts well to get in and make a sure tackle.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/17762047/65f7577019a6f509289a1557' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003ern","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-66bd540536582"} /--> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block -->