2025 Preview: Pickens Blue Flame

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Playing in a new region and for a new coach last season, Pickens experienced something else new to the program from recent years - winning. A loss at traditional state power Camden in the opening round of the Class 4A playoffs left the Blue Flame with a record of 5-6 along with a 3-3 mark in Region II-4A. While Pickens finished just shy of a winning record, it was a vast improvement over its 1-9 showing in 2023 and the five victories were the most in a season since going 6-5 in 2013.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>What Blue Flame coach James Reynolds is anxious to see in his third season this fall is how his team responds to that taste of winning last season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"Last year was a lot of uncharted territory for some of the guys on our team, experiencing some success and learning how to handle that. Just being able to handle the ups and downs of the season," Reynolds said. "If we show some more maturity in certain moments, I think we'll have a chance of being more successful and hopefully turn out a winning season and a playoff win. Those are the big goals this year."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A large senior class contributed to that turnaround season last fall, led by running back Carter McCollum, who rewrote the Pickens' record book during his career. Quite a few sophomores also contributed last fall, so those juniors will be counted on this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The stat sheets on Friday nights could look quite a bit different from previous seasons. While you probably shouldn't call it "Air Pickens" yet, there probably won't be any backs carrying the ball 30 times a game like McCollum routinely did. That's due to the rising stardom of junior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1581467' first='Brooks' last='Dow'] , who's throws have been turning heads at camps and combines this summer. The 6-foot-6, 205-pound Dow earned the starting job to begin last season, missed some time with an injury early on, but returned to quarterback the Blue Flame the rest of the way.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"He's put about 20 pounds one. He's gotten stronger and faster and he's still growing," Reynolds said. "He's running well, throwing well and learning how to lead. We didn't want to put too much (leadership responsibility) on him last year as a sophomore."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Dow has some exciting targets to throw to this season, including juniors <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1708840' first='David' last='Bolden']</strong> (pictured above), <strong>Cam Wilson</strong>, [player_tooltip player_id='1619372' first='Will' last='Stone'] and senior H-back <strong>Isaac Fuller</strong>. In the Blue Flame's offense, all of them could potentially run the ball as well.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>That's especially true for Bolden. Reynolds said Pickens is going to have to find ways to get him the ball, whether it's through the air or on the ground, and get him out in the open.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"They can put me anywhere," Bolden said. "I really like being everywhere on the field because I'm a playmaker. ... Lining up at different receiver spots has actually helped me a lot as a defensive back as well."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>While this year's senior class is fairly small, Reynolds believes the Blue Flame have a terrific senior leader in Fuller.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"He embodies the spirit of Pickens football," Reynolds said. "He backs down to nobody and works his tail off."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Another junior will lead the offense along the line in <strong>Garrett Adcox</strong>, who started every game at center last season. The 6-foot, 245-pound Adcox will also see plenty of action on the defensive line, alongside ferocious defensive end <strong>TJ McCullough</strong>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"I'm really excited to be a leader of the offensive line this year," Adcox said. "We're a little inexperienced, but we've got a lot of skill."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>STARS SET TO SHINE</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1581467' first='Brooks' last='Dow'] QB, 2027 - Dow completed 65 percent of his passes for 943 yards with 10 touchdowns and four interceptions in his 10-game varsity debut last season. Dow was the Blue Flame's second-leading rusher with 358 yards and five touchdowns, as he averaged 5.2 yards per carry. He's also enjoyed success off the field as he has a 4.7 GPA.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>TJ McCullough</strong> DE, 2027 - McCullough was a disruptive force in opponents' backfields last season as he racked up quite a few tackles-for-loss, many in ragdoll fashion. Reynolds said the 6-foot-1 McCullough has added a lot of size since last season and is up to about 240 pounds.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Garrett Adcox</strong> OL/DL, 2027 - A heavy rushing attack is often only as good as the blocking ahead of it. Last season, plenty of Pickens' highlights came on handoffs and quarterback draws right up the middle, where Adcox had created a gaping hole.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Isaac Fuller</strong> RB/FS, 2026 - Fuller is looking forward to the "unexpectedness" that an H-back can create. "I can be put in any position out on the field," Fuller said. "I can line up behind a tackle and pull for a ball, or out wide catching passes, so it's just something different that other teams have to account for."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>FILM REVIEW</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1708840' first='David' last='Bolden']</strong> ATH/DB, 2027 - Bolden led Pickens in receiving last season with 34 receptions for 295 yards and five touchdowns. He also rushed for 40 yards on four carries. He's made a big impression this offseason, highlighted by running the fastest 40-yard dash at the Carolinas Coaches Combine at Spartanburg in April. He posted a time of 4.47 seconds.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/16593728/674f16dad7231bf1f0ce17c1' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-68735c38d28da"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>BIGGEST LOSSES</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Carter McCollum</strong> RB - After missing all of his sophomore season due to a knee injury, McCollum rushed for 1,396 yards two years ago and 1,872 las season. McCollum, who carried 282 times and scored 18 touchdowns, is now at Presbyterian.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Kade Maxey</strong> DL - Maxey piled up 74 tackles, including four sacks, 15 quarterback hurries and forced three fumbles last season. He's now at The Citadel.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>UP-AND-COMING POTENTIAL</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p id="block-9f062121-4242-419c-a647-39f091e6047b">[player_tooltip player_id='1619372' first='Will' last='Stone'] WR, 2027 - Stone is reliable pass catcher who's ready to get back on the field after injuries cost him much of last season.</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":"Cam Wilson","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2027","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"5'9u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_weight":"145","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_weight":"field_65b288425ecf6","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"2411","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Pickens","_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-68735e5d5db18"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Reynolds describes Wilson as a do-it-all player already for Pickens. "He can make an impact in all three phases of the game," Reynolds said. "He's a great player and just a great teammate as well."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/16464117/6779f8586024f5f95bef56d0' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-68735e5d5de3e"} /--> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->