Monthly Archives: August 2016
Final move was to Pickens
Reda McDaniel is not originally from Pickens, but she has lived there for 40 years. She was born in Pittsburgh, Pa., on Nov. 18, 1942. She lived there for 11 years before moving with her parents to Jacksonville, Fla. She attended Jacksonville High School.[cointent_lockedcontent]
On April 13, 1963, Reda married Lewis McDaniel of Pickens. He was serving in the Navy and stationed at Jacksonville Naval Air Station.
Reda and Lewis lived in Jacksonville for two and a half years before he was transferred to the Lemoore Naval Air Station in California. They were there for three years and then moved to Barbers Point Naval Air Station in Hawaii, where they lived for three years before being transferred back to California. From there, he was moved to Meridian Naval Air Station in Mississippi, where he served for three years.
The couple had four children, nine grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Their first child was born in Florida, the second child was born in California, and the third child was born in Hawaii. Their last child —and only son — was born in California.
Reda and the children relocated with Lewis every time he had to move. She said she is thankful to have had the opportunity to live in so many different states and meet so many nice people.
While she was living in Hawaii, she took ukulele lessons. She also took cake decorating classes.
Carol Baker/Courier
Reda McDaniel volunteers at the Pickens Senior Center five days a week.
Reda was a stay-at-home mom, taking good care of her children. She did, however, work for about two years at retail sales in the sporting goods department at the Navy Exchange in Meridian, Miss.
After 20 years of service as an aviation electrician, Lewis retired from the Navy with the rank of E7 Chief Petty Officer. He and Reda came to Pickens and bought a house.
Their oldest child was enrolled in Pickens Middle School, and the other three were enrolled at Holly Springs Elementary, where Reda served as a substituted teacher from 1982-84. She was always involved in the children’s school work and attended PTA meetings. All four of her children graduated from Pickens High School.
Lewis passed away in 2007.
Reda said she thoroughly enjoys living in Pickens now, but she had to get used to the mountain roads and curves, because she had always lived where the land was flat.
She worked for a year and a half in Pickens at United Five and Ten Cent Store.
One of Reda’s favorite things to do is cook. She volunteers in the kitchen at the Pickens Senior Center every weekday morning and every Tuesday night. She has been helping prepare food there for four years. She said she is grateful for the opportunity to be able to give her time.
Reda is a very friendly and caring person. She is always willing to lend an ear and give a helping hand to anyone who needs her.
Easley resident Carol Baker highlights interesting local residents and helps us get to know more about the fascinating people who call Pickens County home. If you have someone somewhere who you think people should know about, contact us at news@thepccourier.com.[/cointent_lockedcontent]
Daniel football team hosts youth squad
By Eric Sprott
Courtesy The Journal
eric@upstatetoday.com
CENTRAL — When Tim Nix told his team it would be practicing with the Daniel High School football team, it didn’t come as a surprise the members of the 10-and-under Central Tigers were excited to mix it up with some of their football heroes.
What the coach didn’t expect was sleep deprivation over last Tuesday evening’s dual practice at the school.
The 10-and-under Central Tigers got the chance to hit the practice field with the Daniel High School football team in the shadow of Singleton Field last Tuesday evening.
Rocky Nimmons/Courier
“One of my kids, before we got here, said he couldn’t sleep last night because he was so excited about it,” said Nix, who was a member of the Lions’ back-to-back state championship teams in 1991 and 1992. “The kids loved it.”
In the shadow of Singleton Field, the young Tigers stretched out with the Lions and took part in various drills, working on fundamentals all the way through positional drills. Daniel coach Jeff Fruster said the practice was the start of a new tradition with youth teams in the Daniel attendance area, with no shortage of lessons to be learned by both his players and the younger kids.
“Any chance you have to get the young kids around the kids they look up to is mutually beneficial,” he said. “We’re teaching our kids how to be responsible around the young ones and how to model behavior, and we’re teaching the young kids how to work, what it means to be a good teammate and be productive on the field.
“We want to be a high school that promotes the community, and I think it’s imperative that people understand success involves everybody.”
When he was a Central Tiger, senior wide receiver Will Swinney said he looked up to the likes of DeAndre Hopkins at Daniel, and even his eventual teammates when he was a freshman on the 2013 Daniel team that advanced to the state championship game in Columbia.
And with that, he was excited to take part in Tuesday’s outing with the Tigers.
“I thought it was really neat, because I started out as a Central Tiger,” he said. “I know I would have loved to do that when I was their age, and it was a really great opportunity for them and us. It was good to put ourselves out there more … and it was really cool to show them what hard work looks like.
“I know they look at us the same way, so we just try to be good examples and role models. They seemed like they had a lot of fun, so it was really cool.”
This Friday, the Lions will go under the lights at home for the first time this fall when they host Berkeley, and as the Tigers’ season gets set to begin as well, they just might have a little leg up on the competition after their time with the big kids at Daniel.
“This is just great community support, and it was a really fun day for us,” Nix said.
Homecoming planned at Mile Creek Baptist
SIX MILE — Mile Creek Baptist Church will celebrate 138 years on Aug. 28 at 11 a.m..
There will be singing by the church choir and a special singing by the Brent Carr family. The morning message will be by Evangelist Brent Carr.
Pastor Kevin Kuykendall and the church family invites everyone to join the homecoming.
Hudson family plans reunion
EASLEY — The annual Hudson reunion will be held on Aug. 28 at the Moose Lodge on S.C. Highway 8 east of Easley.
Lunch will be around 1 p.m.
Paper goods and ice will be furnished. All friends and relatives are urged to attend.
Soapstone set to host fundraiser
PICKENS — Soapstone Church invites everyone to a special fundraiser at the church, located at 296 Liberia Road in Pickens, this Saturday, Aug. 20.
The event will feature fine cooking and will be held from noon-8 p.m.
Visitors will enjoy true Southern cooking, including a fish fry, barbecue and fried chicken with all the fixings right from Mrs. Mabel’s kitchen.
For more information, call (864) 414-8470.
Gap Hill Church of God
SIX MILE — Gap Hill Church of God is celebrating its 70th Anniversary by working to pay off the church mortgage during 2016.
On Friday, Aug. 26, starting at 5 p.m., the church will host a Chinese auction to help the project.
The church invites the community to join at the Family Life Center for fun, food and fellowship.
This is a family event for all ages.
Gap Hill Church of God is located at 3540 Walhalla Highway in Six Mile.
Courier Letters to the Editor
Camp iRock provides help for families
Dear Editor,
I had a chance to visit Camp iRock toward the end of July. It is a combination school district-YMCA-United Way summer camp with the focus on reading improvement, serving 150 students countywide at Pickens, Chastain and West End elementary schools.
It is a mix of reading classes and summer camp activities to help rising second, third and fourth graders who are below grade level in reading. It was a Monday through Friday, eight-week program.
At Pickens Elementary, two were running the program day to day — Andrew Shipman (the instruction part, a teacher from Pickens Middle) and Josh Miller (the camp part, YMCA camp coordinator). The academic improvement was significant this summer, and the kids had a lot of fun.
I asked, how do you motivate these children who are thinking this is summer school? They said, we told them it is not summer school and showed them the camp side of it all to convince them. The first week there was no reading and no instruction, just camp. Thereafter, each morning was devoted to reading, improving research and writing skills and showing the kids how to fall in love with books. The afternoons are for camp activities like swimming at the YMCA, music, character building, soccer and field trips to places like the Greenville Zoo, Table Rock State Park and more.
I’ve long said, if a child doesn’t read well, it is more a social problem than an academic one. My children learned the building blocks of reading in school, but they became proficient reading with us at home. If that isn’t occurring, that’s a social problem and has to do with the relationship between the parent and child.
Camp iRock invests time with the parent-child relationship — how to work together to pick out books, read together at home, review and pick out a book’s themes, characters and information. Tips were sent home to parents to help reinforce what students are learning during the week. Plus there were family nights. It was all geared toward integrating parents as part of the child’s education team in order to build on gains after school restarts in August.
Bigger picture, the challenges we face with many students are beyond academic. These students face social and psychological obstacles that are inhibiting their learning. For instance, when Jayne comes into school crying her eyes out because her dad is MIA, her mom is on meth and she is being bumped from relative to relative, putting a newer Promethean Board in her class isn’t going to help.
We’ve improved the graduation rate from 71 percent to 82 percent. To capture an even higher percentage of students and get them to the graduation finish line, we must formulate broader and more comprehensive academic-clinical efforts with students and their families. Camp iRock provides one example of how this might work.
Alex Saitta
School board trustee
Pickens
In support of Saitta
Dear Editor,
It puzzles me why the nice young man is running against Alex Saitta for school board.
I believe him when he says what he wants is best for all the schools. So does Alex, and his record has shown that over the years.
Alex promised to speak up for the people, which he has. He promised to use the school district’s money more wisely, which he has. He promised to hold the school board accountable, which he and Henry Wilson have tried to do.
You would think a lot of people in Pickens County would have long noses from all the lies that have been told about Alex.
Some even say he should not be able to hold office because he is not from this area. Nikola Tesla was not even from America. When anyone flips on a light, they are glad a man from Eastern Europe came to the U.S.A.
Anyone who truly knows Alex, as I do, is glad he came to Pickens County.
Another thing — the woman running for District 5 in Easley said the woman going off the school board did a good job. Maybe for Easley, but not for the rest of the county — helping cause the loss of two great schools.
It would be great if the man wanting Alex’s seat on the board moved to Easley or Clemson and won one of those seats.
David F. Holcombe
Sunset
Declaration of SC BBQ Supremacy
Preamble — When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the culinary bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and preeminent station to which the Laws of BBQ and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to declare South Carolina’s BBQ Supremacy.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all BBQ is not created equal, that South Carolina BBQ is endowed by the Creator with certain unalienable Rights and Qualities, and that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of BBQ Perfection.
That to secure this exalted position, The S.C. Barbeque Association was instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the BBQ Eaters and Judges. That whenever any form of challenge to South Carolina’s BBQ Supremacy becomes destructive of the ends of honesty and good eating, it is the Right of the BBQ-eating People of South Carolina to alter or to abolish our relationship with other BBQ pretenders, and to institute a new Declaration of South Carolina BBQ Supremacy thus laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to affirm and maintain this South Carolina BBQ Supremacy.
To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.
Whereas, “A History of South Carolina Barbeque” by Lake E. High, Jr.(aka the BBQ Bible) is recognized by all rational, literate and discerning people as the one true, accurate, comprehensive and undisputed history of the origins of BBQ in South Carolina, America and the world, and
Whereas, said BBQ Bible has been established as a true, verifiable and documented historical fact that BBQ is a ‘gift of two civilizations’ with the native Indians providing the method of cooking meats slowly to endure tenderness combined with the pigs introduced in the New World by the Spanish, as the first, true and only method of cooking BBQ, and
Whereas, this method of cooking by native Indians was clearly, graphically and indubitably established by the drawings made by contemporary artist Jacques le Moyne in the 1500s, and
Whereas, the first Spanish colony to combine this indigenous Indian cooking method with imported pigs was at Santa Elena settlement in what is now Parris Island, South Carolina, in 1566 the then capital of Spanish Florida proclaimed by Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, the first governor of Spanish Florida, and
Whereas, all BBQ pretenders who would falsely claim that there is such a thing as BBQ beef, chicken, goat, rabbit, alligator, lamb, turkey, possum or any other four or two legged creature that trod the earth or swim in the seas are guilty of the crime of BBQ Blasphemy as their spreading of falsehoods as to the origins and definition of BBQ is by its very nature false as it has been established that all true and authentic BBQ is and always will be ipso facto pork, and
Whereas, over the centuries of BBQ preparation in South Carolina, the chefs of the state have established the culinary hierarchy and traditions of BBQ sauces, basting and preparation to include in order of historic emergence to be vinegar and pepper, mustard, light tomato and heavy tomato, and
Whereas, since the origination of BBQ, the People of South Carolina have continued the improvement, expansion and promotion of BBQ such that today there are over 250 fine establishments in the state serving authentic BBQ and these said fine establishments are recognized and sanctioned by the State of South Carolina by inclusion on the Official BBQ Trail and Map, and
Whereas, the state of South Carolina has a diverse and vibrant culture of Competitive BBQ Cooking with dozens of official events and over 150 cooking teams that are officially sanctioned and presided over by Official Certified SC BBQ Judges as deemed trained and qualified by the S.C. Barbeque Association, therefore,
We the People of South Carolina, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name of and by Authority of the good People of the near Sovereign State of South Carolina solemnly publish and declare, That the State of South Carolina is, and of Right ought to be hereby Declared The One and Only True BBQ Capital of the World and that all intending and competing claims by any locale or collections of such are hereby deemed to be false, deceitful, untrue, erroneous, fanciful, fraudulent, fictitious, unfounded, specious, spurious, invalid, inaccurate, misleading and untrue.
And in support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.
Proclaimed, this the eighth day of August in the year of our Lord of two thousand and sixteen on behalf of and in the name of any and all South Carolinians, living, dead and unborn who have or will ever cook, eat or in any way partaken of said BBQ, regardless of sauce, from the Time of Origins in 1566 on St. Elena Island until today, and for future generations of South Carolinian’s to come, ad infinitum.
Phil Noble is a businessman in Charleston and a proud member of the S.C. Barbeque Association. His columns are distributed weekly by the S.C. Press Association. He can be reached at phil@philnoble.com.
Pickens Blue Flame
Trending upward
Leadership, health keys for Blue Flame to continue improvement
By Eugene Jolley
Courier Sports
ejolley@thepccourier.com
PICKENS — Pickens coach John Boggs said this year’s team has two quarterbacks — one on offense and one on defense.
A key for the Blue Flame will be keeping those quarterbacks, as well as the other players, healthy and on the field.
Last season was one of improvement for the Blue Flame. For the team to repeat that, Pickens can little afford any key injuries.
The Blue Flame got better each week last season, won one more game than the previous season, and again made the state 3A playoffs, where they lost to Western 3A region champion Seneca.
“Really we’ve got two quarterbacks — one on offense and one on defense,” Boggs said. “Having Tanner Stegall on offense, he’s kind of the key of what we do offensively. He’s doing a really good job of seeing the field, throwing the ball and leading the offense.
“On the defensive side, Cole Seaborn, who has some back spasms right now, he’s our quarterback on defense. He was out here coaching his tail off tonight getting everybody in the right place (during a preseason scrimmage). That was good to see. You’ve got some good leadership in key positions on both sides of the ball.”
Stegall leads a group of five starters back on offense. Stegall passed for more than 1,100 yards last year with 11 touchdowns and eight interceptions. Stegall has a big arm, evidenced by a deep scoring strike to Sam Lawson during a preseason scrimmage against Berea. Look for Stegall to throw more this season with three- and four-receiver sets.
Lawson is the leading receiver returning and will also start at one corner spot on defense. Senior Robert Jones, who has played tailback as well, will start at one receiver position along with Cole Stewart. Nate James also will contribute there, as will Daniel Hooper, Lenny Russell and Jamal Blythe. Newcomer Stone Prince will play tight end and also start at defensive end.
Senior Brandon Batson returns at tailback after rushing for more than 400 yards last year. Senior Kyle Day is battling him. Robert Jones and Jamal Blythe may also get some carries out of the backfield.
Two offensive linemen return — senior Dorian Butler at tackle and sophomore guard Braden Gravely. Butler missed the playoff game last season, but will enter as a three-year starter. Gravely started 10 games as a freshman.
“Having a couple of returnees on the offensive line helps,” Boggs said. “We still have some guys who are being tested up front — some young guys. They’re progressing nicely. They just have to continue to learn and continue to step up to the challenge.”
Junior Hudson Burgess, who missed last season with an injury, will start at center, while the right side of the line will be manned by guards Jerad Croley or Jake Gantt and tackles Kent Townsend or freshman Will Burgess.
“Whoever is playing the best is going to be there,” Boggs said of the right side of the line. “We’re rotating about three or four guys there, and whoever steps up there and No. 1 knows their assignments then No. 2 plays hard and physical is going to be the guy that plays the most.”
For the first time in a few years, a Gravely won’t be kicking at Pickens, as 2015 Shrine Bowl selection Matt Gravely is now at North Greenville, following in the footsteps of his brother, Justin. Right now, newcomer Dillon Banyard will kick, and either Stegall or Prince will handle the punting duties. Seaborn will snap and Lawson will hold on the kicks.
“Dillon has stepped in,” Boggs said. “I think Cole Seaborn recruited him and talked him into coming out. We have Harold Alexander, who is the best kicking coach in the world. He works with our punters and our kickers. He’s taking Stone Prince and worked with him at punter and has taken Dillon and worked with him at kicker. Harold takes those guys with average ability and can make them great. They listen and pay attention, and he will get them to where they need to be.”
On defense, Seaborn will return as a senior inside linebacker after leading the team in tackles a season ago. He will pair with junior Bryson Capps on the inside. They’ll be backed by sophomore Collin Hinkle and senior David McGaha. On the outside, Prince opens at one position, with senior Jared Pace on the opposite side. Russell and Kyle Day will back up for now at outside backer.
Three starters return in the secondary, with Jones at strong safety, Blythe at free safety and Lawson at cornerback. Jones picked off three passes last season. Isaiah Mitchell, a senior, is starting at one corner. They’ll be backed by Will Alexander, Nate Harris, Stewart, Ethan Mathis and Hooper.
No starters return on the defensive front, and Boggs is playing a lot of players there trying to hit the right combination. Senior Tanner Stewart returns and starts at one end position, flanked by junior nose tackle Yozvany Diaz and Townsend at end. Gantt, Butler and D.J. Whitlock battle at end. Inside, Hunter Galloway, senior Richie James and Braden Gravely are competing for playing time.
“We lost a lot of those guys up front — some really good players up front,” Boggs said. “That’s the thing we’re still working toward trying to get some more guys in there. Some of the guys on the offensive side will have to step in there and help us there in some key situations. I almost have to substitute like a basketball coach trying to keep everybody fresh.”
It’s been a good summer and preseason for Pickens, participating in several 7-on-7 and linemen competitions. The preseason had the Blue Flame playing J.L. Mann and Berea in a scrimmage in addition to a four-team scrimmage.
“We made progress from where we were (during a previous scrimmage),” Boggs said following a four-team scrimmage with Walhalla, Abbeville and Chesnee. “I feel like we have a long way to go to be ready for Friday. We’ll keep working. I was proud of the kids’ effort and I was proud of how physical they played. There were some really good football teams out here tonight, and I feel like we had a good test tonight and I feel they stepped up tonight, did a good job and responded well.”
Last year, Pickens only played about 24-25 players a game. This year, look for those numbers to go up, especially early.
“Intentionally, right now trying to get some guys evaluated and get them on film,” Boggs said of playing a lot of players. “And make some decisions on some guys. Scrimmage time is the best time to do that. We’re working toward an end. So even early in the year, we’re going to play a lot of kids. We look at it as they’re going to develop. When that season starts Friday, that starting lineup may not be the lineup the rest of the year. They’ve earned it, but they’ve got to keep it. As more guys develop and get better, hopefully they’ll be able to step in and play more as the year goes on.”
The non-region schedule is five games, but very similar to last season, adding Seneca and West-Oak to Pendleton, Liberty and the season opener with Easley.
This year, Pickens is moving to Region I-4A with Greenville, Daniel, Belton-Honea Path and Wren.
“It’s as tough as it gets with the people we have to play. Daniel, BHP, Wren and Greenville — that’s four good football teams,” Boggs said. “You have to be up every week and hopefully stay healthy and improve over the course of the year to be ready when the time gets here.”
That time begins Friday night, when the Blue Flame will play host to rival Easley in the annual Meals on Wheels Food Fight Bowl.
Liberty Red Devils
Experience reigns
Senior class bond, deep lines give Red Devils reason for excitement
By Jimmy Kirby
Courier Sports
jkirby@thepccourier.com
LIBERTY — Liberty High School football coach Kyle Stewart is quick to respond when asked about the keys to success for his Red Devils in 2016.
Depth in the trenches and a core group of seniors who have played together for four years will be the primary components to the Devils reaching their goals, according to Stewart.
The Red Devils, Stewart said, are two-deep along the offensive line, with a few more who could gain playing time. This is a big key, as numbers have traditionally been low for Liberty teams and key players have had to pull double duty and play both offense and defense.
The Red Devils have 13 returning players who saw time on the offense last season. While the offense moved the ball well on the ground, Liberty had a tough time finding the end zone and only scored 13.4 points per game last season.
Nine returning players got reps last season and gained valuable experience on defense for Liberty. The Red Devil defense played well at times in 2015, giving up a manageable 21.3 points per game.
But Stewart believes that the strength of this team will be his core group of seniors, many of whom have played on the varsity squad for four years, who will lead the team in 2016.
Seth Dover, Nick Reeves, Austin Huey, Austin Miller, Aaron Bates, Shaun Karr, Breck Dismukes, Josh Shuman, Jacob Herman and Bo Felton will be the ones to set the standard with work ethic, encourage kids to pick it up at practice and show up for everything we do.
“They know what is expected, and I am excited to see the energy they bring,” Stewart said. “I have to say a lot less because they are speaking out and helping everyone to be better.”
Stewart said the group of seniors are close friends and spend a lot of time with each other on and off the field.
Running the ball will again be the forte for the Liberty offense. The Devils will see if they can improve on the 1,803 total yards rushing from 2015. They averaged 180 yards per game and four yards per carry — not a bad average when most teams stacked the box to stop the run.
Stewart said fans should expect the Red Devils to run out of the shotgun and also spread the field at times this season. He said they have done well at 7-on-7 events this summer. The Red Devils will take what the other team gives them and utilize both the pass and run at times, striving to be balanced.
Returning at quarterback will be Huey and Reeves. Both saw considerable action at times last season under center. Huey is more the runner, as he gained 221 yards on the ground in 2015. He will be the leading returning rusher for the Red Devils.
Reeves missed the first part of last season due to injury. He ended up completing 18 of 50 passes for 121 yards last season. With the continued experience, Stewart said that Reeves is smart and should be improved this season. Both he and Huey will see action at quarterback this season and should rotate after several series.
The running game will return four to five players from last season, along with several newcomers.
Cole Murphy, Cavaugio Butler, Kevon Tebron, Aaron Bates, 2015 transfer Jaylon Jenkins, Hunter Powell, Shaun Karr and Clay Lollis will all see action in the backfield for the Red Devils this season. It will be interesting to see who steps up. The team will also need someone to be the bull in the middle from the fullback position to gain those tough yards. Tyler Renaud was the workhorse last season, with 741 yards on 140 carries, leading the Red Devils in both categories.
Colton Leroy, Michael Spruill, Dover, Ethan Harris and Miller will see action at wide receiver for the Red Devils. The group has combined for only two varsity receptions, so the competition is wide open this season.
The offensive line will be key to opening holes and protecting Huey and Reeves if the Red Devils are to improve offensively in 2016. Felton, Lucas Bates, Dylon Phillips, Herman, Dusty Owens, JT Howard, Dawson Lovell, Josh Shuman, Dismukes and Zane Boozer will all see action on the offensive line.
On the defensive front, Stewart said Herman is hard to block and will create havoc on the field for opposing runners and quarterbacks. Dover will see some action on the line and has good technique and quickness.
“He fires his hands well,” Stewart said of the senior.
Aaron Bates returns at linebacker and is a returning all-region player. He ledd all linebackers in all-region voting.
“He is a sure tackler and has a nose for the football,” Stewart said.
Bates will be a key to the Red Devil defense. He led the team in tackles with 70 in 2015. He also had 11 tackles for loss and twi sacks.
Murphy will lead the secondary, as he accounted for 41 tackles, 12 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks last season.
Many of the linemen and running backs listed already will make up the remainder of the defense for the Red Devils.
Huey will again take care of the punt duties for the Red Devils. He had a very respectable 36-yard punt average last season.
Austin Kemp will handle the kickoff and PAT duties this season. Stewart said Kemp wanted to learn to kick and has been working with folks at Furman University this summer in preparation to the start of the season. Stewart said Kemp has the ability to kick it deep to about the 5-yard line with height on his kicks. He will play a key role in field position for the Red Devils and keep the pressure off the defense.
Stewart is excited to have on board a new defensive coordinator, as Troy Bowe has moved over from Daniel to coach the Red Devil defense. He brings a wealth of knowledge and was a part of two state championships with the Lions.
Former Walhalla head coach Jeremy Grogan will also join the staff, coaching outside linebackers.
These additions will give Stewart depth in the coaching ranks that he has not had in the past.
Josh Smith will take over calling the offensive plays, and Johnny Dameron has moved up from the middle school to work with the running backs. Former Red Devil player Brady Autrey is working with the quarterbacks.
The Red Devils will play a lot of familiar teams this season. The biggest change is that they will be non-region opponents. Liberty will open the season on the road at Pendleton and Walhalla before returning home for three consecutive games and play county rival Pickens. They will also pick up an old foe in Blue Ridge, and then take on Powdersville.
They complete the non-region schedule with an away game against West-Oak on Sept. 23, an open date the following week and a trip to Crescent on Oct. 6.
The Red Devils then begin region play with the new region alignment that features only four teams that play football. They will travel to Abbeville and take on the Panthers and finish the season with home games against Ninety Six and Southside Christian.
There are a lot of questions to be answered this season for the Red Devils. By the time the season is finished, Stewart ought to know a lot more about what his group of players have to offer.
