2022 Preview: West Florence Knights

When one of Jody Jenerette’s teams could struggle, the West Florence coach will say so. He’s not saying anything like that heading into 2022. “I don’t think people understand how much talent we have coming back,” Jenerette said. “I’m not saying that to be arrogant. If we’re going to do it, this is the year. “I told my coaches last year, ‘This is a team you might get once in a lifetime.’ And we’re lucky enough to maybe have it again.” “It,” in this case, is a run at a Class 4A state championship. The Knights fell a game short of Columbia last season, falling to Beaufort in the Lower State finals.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span> But heading into this fall, no one will be taking West Florence lightly. Yes, the Knights lost tailback Terry McKithen and his 2,023 yards of offense and 30 touchdowns. But? “If you’re going to lose Terry McKithen, <strong>Darren Lloyd</strong> is a heck of a way to pad the blow,” Jenerette said. “People are going to be amazed at what Darren can do.” Lloyd is one of the rare spots that will be a fresh face at the starting spot. However, he’s not new by any stretch. He had 69 carries for 330 yards and three touchdowns last year. And he’ll be running behind plenty of experience. Even with tackle [player_tooltip player_id="263158" first="Logan" last="Locklear"]’s last-minute transfer to the Midlands last week, the Knights have returning starters in right tackle <strong>Harrison Brown</strong>, right guard <strong>Josh Daniels</strong> and some potential early standouts in center <strong>Ellis Neighbors</strong> and freshman <strong>Jamie Watson</strong>. Jenerette is also high on 6-foot-2, 230-pound tight end <strong>Mason Benton</strong>, whom the coach said is close to what previous tight ends <strong>Dylan Snyder</strong> and <strong>Avion McBride</strong> (both now playing Division-I programs) had at this stage of their careers. Fourth-year starting receiver <strong>Steven Smalls</strong> is back after leading the team with 295 yards, and <strong>Bryson Graves</strong> is a baseball and basketball player with exceptional athleticism that Jenerette believes will translate immediately.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span> On the other side of the ball, West’s linebacking corp - <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="208334" first="Kelvin" last="Hunter"]</strong>, <strong>Nashon Frison</strong>, <strong>Franklin Emerson</strong> and <strong>Da’Shun Scott</strong> - could end up being one of the best units in the state. Scott has had a huge offseason after missing each of the last two years with knee injuries but has been an expected starter for three years. Hunter put up 11 tackles for loss, three sacks and two fumble recoveries along with his 34.5 tackles in 2021, while Frison had 56 total tackles and appeared all over the rest of the stat sheet. And Emerson, well, he has so far proved to be the best of the bunch. As a sophomore, he had 80 solo tackles, another 54 assisted (107 total), three tackles for loss, three forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and two interceptions. What’s more, three of the team’s four defensive backs are returning starters, as well. <strong>Tyler Brantley</strong> (53 tackles, eight pass break-ups), <strong>DeShawn Gamble</strong> (33 tackles, three TFL, three forced fumbles, three defensive touchdowns) and <strong>John Sessions</strong> (23 tackles) all did their part last year for a defense that put up big numbers overall. It makes sense, then, why Jenerette is so high on this bunch, even with the prospects of Region VI-4A again being an expected monster. “You can be really good in this region and still be the four seed. I thought we were pretty good,” Jenerette said of 2021, when his team finished third in the region before its deep playoff run. "We could be really good and the exact same scenario again. That’s what makes this region so good. It’s also the curse of this region.”