2025 Football Preview: Boiling Springs Bulldogs

The Boiling Springs Bulldogs are coming off their best season in a decade, having gone 7-4 in a year where they beat Greer, got their third straight victory over Chapman, defeated a playoff team in Riverside, and got their first win over Dorman since 2013, eventually bowing out in the opening round of the playoffs to eventual 5A state champion Dutch Fork.

The result, improvement as it was, could be looked at as somewhat disappointing when you consider that last year BSHS had the best and most experienced roster since they made it to the state championship in 2016. In essence, the story of the season ended up being that the Bulldogs were unable to finish off several close games – including a 28-22 overtime loss to Gaffney and a 27-22 loss to Byrnes.

That roster was loaded with 27 seniors that were varsity starters for most of their high school careers. Most notably among them was Quarterback Lincoln Huskey, but they also lost running back duo Javen Chhim and Ry’Shaun Morgan, Wide Receivers Kyle Patterson, Eli Mobley and Tristian Horsey-Johnson, D Lineman/Outside Linebacker Jymire Wright, Linebacker Parker Tapp, Linebacker Gavin Calhoun, and Defensive End John Michael Simmons.

Needless to say, Boiling Springs looks to be in a state of rebuilding once again. Only this time, there is some hope that it won’t take long to get back to moving forward.

“There are a lot of guys we are depending on to step up and play a lot of football for us that were JV starters last year”, said BSHS Head Coach Matt Reel, who is entering his 4th season at the helm of the program.

“The guys filling these spots all have little to no Friday night experience, but my staff and I are excited about the potential of these new faces and have a lot of confidence in their ability to impact the game. Those new guys are also excited knowing that we are depending on them to make big plays”, Reel later added of the youth on his roster that were all notably part of an undefeated Junior Varsity season in 2024.

Among the newcomers is a group of transfers that include one of the best receivers in region 3-3A a year ago in senior Tre’Sean Suber from Broome as well as a pair of juniors from Spartanburg in QB/WR Imri Logan and wideout/Defensive back BJ Dawkins. One of the most notable from the guys coming up from JV is junior WR Djay (pronounced “D.J.”) Leak.

“Tre’Sean is a guy that can take the top off a defense and also make all the ‘every down’ plays. He is a really smart football player that has shown he can make plays down the field and win one-on-one battles. Imri has natural instincts with the ball in his hands. He can make big plays in the backfield and at receiver. BJ has also already shown the ability to play both sides of the ball as well as make an impact on special teams in the return game. He is a great athlete with great ball skills and a knack to find himself around the football. Djay was a really dynamic player for our undefeated JV team last year. He can play both sides of the ball and multiple positions, but he really came on as a playmaker at receiver as last season progressed”, said Reel.

That is not to say the Bulldogs don’t have enough returning upperclassmen of their own to bring a little balance to the team’s level of experience. On the offensive side of the ball, Senior Wideout Grayson Crowe will be a key downfield target that may very well be the go-to guy. He will have senior Tamajae Williford anchoring the backfield at tailback as well as sharing some reps at slot receiver. One other notable returnee that did not enter 2024 as a starter but worked his way in towards the end of the season has also earned some respect in rising Senior Tight End Jaiden Grate.

“Grayson had a really solid year for us last season, and with him being one of 2 starters coming back, we know we’re going to depend on him to make big plays for us in the passing game. He is an intricate part of our offense and makes it all go being the guy in motion. He understands how to manipulate a defense, is a consummate worker and unbelievable teammate, and we feel he is going to have a great year. Tamajae is also a really good and versatile football player. He is tough as nails and creates mismatches for linebackers in 1-on-1 situations. Jaiden really stepped up towards the end of last year and had some really good games. He allows us to play multiple personnel groups without subbing and he is good as both a pass catcher and a blocker. He has the potential to stress out defenses and make an impact on our offense”, said Reel of his offensive returnees.

The defense, by far, will be a strength for the 2025 edition of the Bulldogs. Noteworthy Senior Corner and Michigan State commit Jeremiah Favorite will be back as well as fellow Senior Outside Linebacker TJ Collins, who received his first college offer last week from North Greenville University on top of a recent baseball offer from Erskine College. There are also 2 talented juniors returning in defensive lineman Dennis Glenn Jr, who has multiple Power 4 offers from such schools as Wake Forest, NC State, and Virginia Tech, as well as Safety Tyvion Hall.

“TJ is a physical presence that can cover the whole field and he had a really solid 2024 season for us. We are looking for him to have a big senior year for us. Tyvion was great as a sophomore and really stabilizes the secondary. He is very smart in the run game and I think he can really set himself apart as one of the better safeties in the region this year”, said Coach Reel of a few of his upperclassmen defenders.

Boiling Springs’ 2025 team will have a lot of growth and proving themselves to do as a whole, but the biggest need for improvement from a year ago is along the offensive line, who really struggled to protect Lincoln Huskey and open up holes for the running game that was basically non-existent.

“We really need to control the Line of scrimmage this year to run the football and protect our QB”, said Reel. “I tell our Offensive Line every day they are going to be the key to how successful we are this season. We do not have a lot of returners there from last season but we have guys equipped to get the job done and allow us to make things really tough on defenses if they are consistent and impose their will. It’s been a huge point of emphasis this off season and they are going to be a huge proponent of how far we can take things this season.”

The Bulldogs’ schedule remains the same from 2024 as far as non-region goes, opening with back to back road games vs Greer and Mauldin before coming home for the annual neighborly rivalry with Chapman. Region play begins September 19th with a home game against Gaffney. Every other week from there is a rivalry battle with Dorman on the road October 3rd, Spartanburg at home on October 17th, and the regular season finale with Byrnes at Bulldog Stadium on Halloween.

“We go into every season with the same goals. Win the non-region; win the rivalry game; win the region; win upperstate; and win state. Our region is loaded with elite talent, coaches with winning pedigrees, and programs that are expected to make deep runs into November and December. The challenge is consistently beating those teams and continuing to establish our programs. We expect to be playing for the region championship in late October. If we’re not of that mindset, then I’m not doing my job”, said Coach Reel of the upcoming season.

Reel and his team will look to start checking off those goals on August 22nd as they take on Greer at Dooley Field with kickoff set for 7:30 PM.