The Chesnee Eagles’ first season under Brett Chappell’s leadership saw them become one of the more surprising stories. Despite the transition and a roster full of youth – 5 sophomores and 16 juniors, CHS went 6-6 and came in 2nd in region 1-2A, winning 3 of their last 4 – including a 44-34 triumph over rival Landrum – to close out the regular season. The Eagles followed that with a first round 26-21 playoff victory over Ninety Six before bowing out in round 2 at Fairfield Central.
That team had 13 seniors – most notably among them Kjay Proctor, Running Back Jayden Williams – who was the 10th leading rusher in our coverage area (72 carries, 677 yards, 7 touchdowns, and an average of 67.7 rushing yards per game), Center/Defensive Tackle Brycen Sprinkle, Fullback/Defensive End Bradley Meyers, and Safety/Cornerback Hayden Webb.
The Eagles return a solid group of players that made significant contributions as juniors in 2024 such as Wide Receiver/Free Safety Braylon Blanton (the 5th leading pass catcher in our area last season with 33 snags for 599 yards and 6 TDs and an average of 66.6 yards per game). Strong Safety Carson Gossett, who also got some snaps at QB and (according to Coach Chappell, will also be a running back) and Defensive Lineman/Tight End Kai Copeland also return for their senior seasons.
Quarterback Evan-Reece Lawter should be named the starter after playing in 10 games last year and amassing 649 passing yards, 2 TDs, and an average just shy of 65 passing yards per game – enough to be the 10th leading passer among the teams in our area.
“Evan is poised to have a great season for us”, said Coach Chappell. “He took a lot of snaps last year and he is looking to improve and build on that. Carson (Gossett) is a young man that always seems to be able to get near the football and make good things happen for us, and Kai is a young man that we believe can be a force up front for us on defense”, he later added of his noteworthy returnees.
Chesnee started the 2024 season with a 2-3 record with losses to Pendleton, Broome, and Walhalla. Later, they dropped their first region contest at Clinton before they finally found their stride to finish strong. With a schedule that mirrors last year’s through non-region, they can ill-afford to experience deja vu – a sentiment echoed by Coach Chappell, who is hopeful after what he has seen this offseason so far..
“We need to be more confident in what we are doing earlier in the season. It took us till mid-season to find that rhythm we were looking for. But, the one thing we have seen from our team this summer has been the buy in factor. We had a better team commitment from our guys this summer and it has shown in our summer practices and workouts, and based on that and what we have coming back, we feel good about our chances to compete in our region. Region 1-2A had 4 teams make the playoffs last year. Of them, Clinton went on to win the State Championship. Hopefully we can finish stronger and possibly advance further in November. One thing is certain. I think fans can expect to see a team that is physical and likes to fly around and hit people.”
The Eagles will get the chance to crack some pads with a huge early test as they open their 2025 campaign on August 22nd at 7:30PM, hosting the Pendleton Bulldogs
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