Fab 50 Breakdown: Athletes and Specialists

There may not be a better place to start with our Fab 50 breakdowns than with a look at our specialists and our athletes.    With our specialists, we saw three players who each had a major role in their respective teams' success - all three were part of 10-win teams. And with our selections at athlete, we coincidentally ended up with the player we believe to be the best of the absolute best in each of the SCHSL's five classifications.   No one can argue what these eight players meant to their teams. And we're going to show you why.    SPECIALISTS   [player_tooltip player_id='241184' first='Rion' last='Gordon'] LS, Clinton | There were clearly some snappers in the state who got more work than Gordon in the punting game. After all, the Red Devils needed to do that a paltry 19 times all season during the state championship run. Gordon was perfect on those snaps. The same can be said for his 63 snaps on PATs and field goals. Gordon was the standard also because of Clinton needing three different kickers and three different punters throughout the course of the year.     [player_tooltip player_id='1158026' first='Tripp' last='Bryant'] P, River Bluff | Bryant might be more recognized for his kicking capabilities than those as a punter. But we can't ignore that his pinned approximately one-quarter of his punts inside opponents' 20-yard line and still averaged 36 yards per boot. He was a picture of consistency - his longest punt was only 48 yards. Ultimately, what led to his selection was how important field position was for the Gators. River Bluff had five games decided by 14 points or less (three were decided by a single score). The Gators won all five.     [player_tooltip player_id='605521' first='Gray' last='Dangerfield'] K, James Island | Dangerfield's punting this year was icing on the cake that any specialist coach could love. But his swing on kickoffs, PATs and field goals was the reason that he's in line for early playing time at Tennessee next fall. The Trojans' senior put 87.5 percent of his kickoffs into the end zone. He was 28-of-29 on PATs, ending the season on a streak of 24 straight. And he hit 13 field goals, six of which came from 40+ yards.     ATHLETES    [player_tooltip player_id='1574049' first='Jeffery' last='Ceasar'] Manning | By mid-September, the PRZ staff got used to seeing what Ceasar would do each week to help the Monarchs. After Manning dropped its season opener to Class 4A Crestwood, Ceasar hit an extra gear that flowed right on to the 2A Lower State finals. On offense, he finished the year with 39 receptions for 530 yards and six touchdowns and two more scores on the ground. Defensively, he put up 41 tackles, seven interceptions, three tackles for loss, seven pass break-ups and a forced fumble. And he brought back 14 kickoffs for 477 yards and three scores and eight punts for 309 yards and four more touchdowns. That's 16 total touchdowns.     [player_tooltip player_id='212416' first='J'Zavien' last='Currence'] South Pointe | Currence has been among the top-ranked players in the Class of 2026 for some time. The Stallions junior spent 2026 inadvertently making us look smart. With teams scheming away from him on defense, he still had 48 tackles, three tackles for loss and two picks. On offense, his 17 receptions equated to 24 yards and five touchdowns. His 42 rushes went for another 318 yards and four scores. And when South Pointe needed him to step in at quarterback, he was 34-of-53 for 469 yards and eight more touchdowns.     [player_tooltip player_id='378969' first='Jaiden' last='Kelly-Murray'] Summerville | A year ago, Kelly-Murray was a defensive menace, as the freshman version of him started at safety and racked up 110 total tackles. This year, the plan was to see how dangerous he could be on offense, and consider the goal achieved. The Green Wave sophomore caught 82 passes for 1,202 yards and 12 touchdowns and used another 33 carries en route to 212 yards and another four touchdowns. He spotted up on defense (two picks) and added another 177 yards on special teams returns.     [player_tooltip player_id='1249802' first='Damarcus' last='Leach'] Abbeville | From the time Leach verbally committed to South Carolina in April, the bullseye was all over the Abbeville senior. And once everyone discovered he'd be leading the offense, he became even more of a focal point. It didn't matter against the Panthers' opponents, as evidenced by his performance in the state championship win over Cross. He threw for 81 yards and a touchdown with just three completions, rushed for 118 yards and two touchdowns (11 carries) and picked off a pass and returned it 81 yards. He didn't throw an interception all year while eclipsing 1,000 yards passing and rushing. (No film available)   [player_tooltip player_id='779428' first='Tajeh' last='Watson-Martin'] Belton-Honea Path | We weren't even sure what Watson-Martin could do on offense at the start of the year. After all, he basically never played on that side of the ball as a freshman, when he instead got on our radar by picking off off six passes. Enter 2024, and the Bears sophomore was ready to blow up. Check these numbers: 41 catches for 883 yards and 13 touchdowns; 30 tackles, seven pass break-ups, two tackles for loss, a sack and a fumble returned for touchdown; 12 kickoff/punt returns for 197 yards and a score; 15 total touchdowns. What's next? We'll be awaiting the answer next fall.

There may not be a better place to start with our Fab 50 breakdowns than with a look at our specialists and our athletes.