2025 Preview: Airport Eagles

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Airport will have a fresh start in 2025 after a 2-9 campaign with a first round playoff loss to North Augusta to end the 2024 season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Chris Napier takes over as the new head coach of the Eagles after spending time as an assistant principal and offensive analyst at Newberry. He is no stranger to the Midlands as he also spent time at Columbia High. The infrastructure that is in place to help players in the community was appealing to Napier when the job came open.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“I think the West Columbia community and the kids in that area really love Airport. And I just wanted to be somewhere that was so dedicated and invested in the kids. We have state of art facilities. They're putting in new turf right now. We haven't been on it yet, but we have that indoor facility and a great weight room, and we just get support all the way from the top at the district office at Lexington Two,” Napier told us at the Prep Redzone Media Day at Westwood on July 11.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Returning sophomore linebacker <strong>Justin Conyers</strong> (pictured above) likes the energy his new head coach has brought to the program.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“I feel like Coach Napier brings a lot of energy to the team and he's making us better as young men and more disciplined,” Conyers said.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Eagles only have five seniors on the roster in 2025. This team will be heavy sophomores and juniors. Napier brings an Air Raid offensive system to the Eagles, starting on the offensive line with center <strong>Ben Humphries </strong>and <strong>Isaiah Clemons </strong>at the receiver position. <strong>Seanjohn Mccrae</strong> will lead the way defensively in the secondary.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As the 2025 season opener approaches against May River at home on August 22, Napier wants his guys to understand the day-to-day process of being successful.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“I just want to make sure that they understand the way we practice and how we're running our program. We're focused on some 7-on-7 things kind of (getting) our summer passing game down, which is big for our offense. And then kind of incorporating that run game and the screen game. And then the same thing with our defense, just making sure they're doing their run fits and they want to play physical, Napier said.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>STARS SET TO SHINE</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Justin Conyers</strong> LB, 2027 – Conyers is a physical and disciplined linebacker who can attack the line of scrimmage and come up and make plays when they present themselves. He is the captain of the defense.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Napier on Conyers: “Justin is a great football player, and he's a better kid, he's a great leader. You know, he works hard in the weight room, he works hard on the field. He's a junior captain because when he talks, they listen. He's a physical kid, but he plays disciplined. I'm just so excited to see where he's going to go, and I want to do everything I can to help him on and off the field be a better man and a better player.”</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Something he feels he can take to another level: “I'd say my pass rush and coverage skills.”</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>General expectations heading into 2025: “My expectation is for us to do stuff right and take it step by step and go from there.”</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1819878' first='Talon' last='Harlin']</strong> QB, 2027 – Harlin saw time on the JV squad as a sophomore in 2024. He threw for 936 yards and nine touchdowns, while rushing for 124 yards and three touchdowns. Now he'll be the starting quarterback in the Eagles' new Air Raid offensive system.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Richard Harley </strong>WR, 2027 – Harley is another sophomore who started on varsity in 2024. He primarily lined up on the outside and could pluck the ball out of the air and he's shifty with the ball in his hands. We think he could thrive in the new Eagles' offense in 2025.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1781924' first='Jessiah' last='Thompson'] </strong>DL, 2027 – Thompson has the nose tackle position nailed down for the Eagles' defense in 2025. He can bull rush the offensive lineman and be physical at the point of attack. He can clog up running lanes well and has a good motor for his size.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>FILM REVIEW</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Kendrick Pearson </strong>RB, 2026 – Pearson is one of the few seniors on the roster for the Eagles and he'll be one of the focal points in 2025. He is a downhill, physical running back that has good vision and he's tough to bring down once he gets into the open field. He has good size for the position as well.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/17932338/6556593090eebf04f84309c9' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003ern","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6880377be091f"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>KEY LOSSES</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Amari Lewis</strong> ATH – Lewis was a dynamic playmaker on both sides of the ball, whether it was making plays in the kickoff return game or patrolling the field at the safety position.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1467834' first='Jay' last='Eady']</strong> QB – Eady transferred to nearby Irmo after a prolific year as a freshman starter for the Eagles. He made plays with his arm and could keep plays alive with his feet as well.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>UP AND COMING POTENTIAL</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Ashton Boyd </strong>RB, 2029<strong> </strong>and <strong>Ethan Pringle </strong>RB, 2028 – Boyd is another sophomore that saw time on JV who will see time in the backfield along with Pearson in 2025. It will be interesting to see how he develops with another year of experience. Pringle will work his way into the rotation on varsity as well.</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":1726814,"_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Braylon Johnson","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2028","_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":"2495","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Airport","_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-6880377be3ac8"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Johnson is another young guy that Napier was complimentary of, and he will be a sophomore. He saw time on JV and varsity and made an impact on defense with his ability to come downhill and make tackles in the run game to limit the gain or play center field at safety and be able to read the quarterback and make interceptions.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/21953442/67a0e1239055437c7ab43b32' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003ern","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6880377be3b1c"} /--> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->