2026 Preview: Fairfield Central Griffins

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Fairfield Central was seconds away from punching their ticket to Orangeburg for a state championship last year in the semifinal loss to Strom Thurmond.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Griffins haven't forgotten about it, and it serves as motivation heading into 2026.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“That loss hurt definitely. We lost (at the) last second and it just gives me a lot of motivation going into next season and (to have) big dreams and high hopes,” senior quarterback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1821811' first='Kamauri' last='Jones']</strong> (pictured above) said at the Prep Redzone Media Day at Westwood last week.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Griffins head coach Demetrius Davis is embracing the lessons learned from that experience with his team.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“Sometimes you learn more from a loss than you do from a win. And one thing we learned from that game is we've got to be able to finish a game. Kudos to our kids, though, to lose Kaden Diggs on that first series of the game and being able to actually have an opportunity to win at the end of the game, our kids really battled all the way to the end. So, we just came up a little short so that's kind of been our motto this year to just finish,” Davis said.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Five returners are back for the Griffins offense that averaged 34 points per game last year, which includes <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1825253' first='Germayel' last='Murphy'] </strong>at left tackle on the offensive line. <strong>Kevin Watson </strong>will get the start at tight end. A pair of juniors are expected to anchor the right side of the offensive line with <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1824368' first='Marcus' last='Wadlington'] </strong>at right tackle and <strong>Yusef Muhammad </strong>at right guard. <strong>Anton Woodard </strong>will get the start at center while <strong>Grant Bredon </strong>will be a junior at left guard. <strong>Josiah Siebles</strong> will be a wide receiver and will contribute at defensive back.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Griffins defense only gave up 14 points on average per game, with four shutouts last year. They are a senior laden group led by senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1816744' first='Kingston' last='Peay'] </strong>up front on the defensive line. <strong>Logan Watkins </strong>will be another one of the starting linemen as well. The linebacker room will consist of guys like <strong>Caden Donaldson </strong>and <strong>Wayne Johnson </strong>– they are both seniors. The defensive back end will consist of senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1820352' first='Lorenzo' last='Cole'] </strong>and <strong>Martez Harrison</strong>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As the 2026 opener approaches, Davis wants his guys to just take things one day at a time.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“Just get better every day. I mean, come to practice every day with the intention of getting better. Just take it one game at a time and stay healthy. That's our key this year is to play hard and stay healthy,” Davis said.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>STARS SET TO SHINE</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1816745' first='Ty'Quarius' last='Shannon'] </strong>WR, 2027 – Shannon had an outstanding junior season, and is one of the top returning receivers in the state. He finished 2025 with 38 receptions for 1006 yards and 16 touchdowns. He's been working to improve his route running and his speed along with his hands. His ability to catch the jump ball and to win the one-on-one battles is something that is fun to watch. He has seven offers including Erskine, The Citadel, Gardner Webb, East Tennessee State, Campbell and Anderson.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1821811' first='Kamauri' last='Jones']</strong> QB, 2027 – Jones split time last year with graduated senior Kaden Diggs, but now is his time to take the reins full time as a senior. When he did get in the game last year, he got some solid work in, throwing for 717 yards and one touchdown while rushing for 138 yards and one touchdown. He visited Gardner Webb and ECU this summer. Leadership has been a focal point this offseason. Jones said: “Winning the locker room as a player is a big thing, having everyone on your side.” </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1816746' first='Kenyan' last='Douglas']</strong> RB, 2027 – Douglas returns for his senior season as the leading returning rusher from 2025, running for 620 yards on 123 carries. He found the end zone eight times last year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1816207' first='Joey' last='Jamison'] </strong>LB, 2027 – In the nine games he played in last year, he had 47 total tackles. We expect him to get more involved and with that, his numbers should increase in his senior campaign.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>FILM REVIEW</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1816744' first='Kingston' last='Peay'] </strong>DL, 2027 – Peay was active on the defensive front in 2025, with 33 total tackles, with five tackles for a loss. He can plug up the holes right there from his defensive tackle spot. He has a good first step off the ball and he has great hands to be able to defeat blockers and is physical at the point of attack. He has a motor that doesn't stop going until he gets to the quarterback when it comes to rushing the passer.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src=u0022https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/25517555/693b159f540685f13c7732d6u0022 width=u0022640u0022 height=u0022360u0022 frameborder=u00220u0022 allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6a6538a3d0ff0"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>BIGGEST LOSSES</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Derek Cammon </strong>RB – Cammon was the Griffins' leading rusher with 110 carries for 685 yards and one touchdown in 2025. He had two games over 100 yards rushing.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Chantz Hemphill </strong>DB – Hemphill was a leader on the back end for the Griffins last year with 60 tackles with seven tackles for a loss.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>UP-AND-COMING POTENTIAL</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1592935' first='Scott' last='Young'] </strong>WR/DB, 2029 – Davis mentioned that Young won't come off the field as he'll be active on both sides of the ball. His numbers from his freshman year will increase as he gets more experience in the system.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Martez Harrison</strong> DB, 2029 – Harrison is athletic and rangy from his cornerback position. He can stay stride for stride with his receivers and can close on the ball quickly. He has an ability to leap in the air and make interceptions and has good speed on him as well. He had 16 tackles and two interceptions in 2025. We'll be very interested to watch him in the next few years.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1522453"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6a6538a3d1762"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Culp was the Griffins' third leading tackler in 2025, with 53 total tackles. He's been working on improving his craft, specifically his speed. He currently has offers from Coastal Carolina and Memphis. Davis said Culp will be utilized on offense in some capacity as well. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">When we asked him about something he can take to another level, he said: “My ability to read the quarterback and stay in the backfield and make plays on the ball.” </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block -->