From MidlandsPreps.com:

Football preview: Wilson Hall
Talley returns as Barons head coach

By John Devlin 8/18/2008

The Wilson Hall football team is adjusting to life under a new football coach for the second straight year after former Spring Valley coach Jimmy Noonan left after a one-year stay in his hometown of Sumter.

But at least the new coach is not unfamiliar to the players or the school. Eddie Talley is back in the football game after guiding the Barons to a 47-5 record during a four-year tenure (2000-03) that saw Wilson Hall play for the Class 3A SCISA championship four times, claiming the school’s last top prize in 2003.

Five starters return on offense and three on defense off last season’s 11-1 club that suffered its first setback in the playoff semifinals.

Players to watch include Thomas White, Ricky Crum, Andrew Harvin, Cotton Carruth and Hugh McMillan.

White was third on the team in receiving with 14 catches for 250 yards and four touchdowns and had 49 tackles and four interceptions on defense at free safety. Crum was second on the team with 915 rushing yards and had 36 tackles and six sacks at linebacker. Carruth saw double duty on the line, ringing up 35 tackles and three sacks on defense. Harvin had 105 tackles, three tackles for loss and two sacks at linebacker. McMillan had 47 tackles and one interception in the secondary.

The Barons get off to an early start this season, traveling to Hilton Head Christian for a Week Zero opener.

quote:

Originally posted by OldSchool Pinewood:
From MidlandsPreps.com:

Football preview: Wilson Hall
Talley returns as Barons head coach

By John Devlin 8/18/2008

The Wilson Hall football team is adjusting to life under a new football coach for the second straight year after former Spring Valley coach Jimmy Noonan left after a one-year stay in his hometown of Sumter.

But at least the new coach is not unfamiliar to the players or the school. Eddie Talley is back in the football game after guiding the Barons to a 47-5 record during a four-year tenure (2000-03) that saw Wilson Hall play for the Class 3A SCISA championship four times, claiming the school’s last top prize in 2003.

Five starters return on offense and three on defense off last season’s 11-1 club that suffered its first setback in the playoff semifinals.

Players to watch include Thomas White, Ricky Crum, Andrew Harvin, Cotton Carruth and Hugh McMillan.

White was third on the team in receiving with 14 catches for 250 yards and four touchdowns and had 49 tackles and four interceptions on defense at free safety. Crum was second on the team with 915 rushing yards and had 36 tackles and six sacks at linebacker. Carruth saw double duty on the line, ringing up 35 tackles and three sacks on defense. Harvin had 105 tackles, three tackles for loss and two sacks at linebacker. McMillan had 47 tackles and one interception in the secondary.

The Barons get off to an early start this season, traveling to Hilton Head Christian for a Week Zero opener.

Looks like WH will be tough again. Hey Cotton! Good luck with your season!!!

I disagree Wilson Hall was not that impressive at the OP jamboree they have some talent coming back but not as much as they did last year also they have a inexperience qb in Thomas White.

LMA looked very good at the Williamsburg scrimmage tonight. I was quite surprised actually. Yes, they dress out about 55 players, but their not all football players. A lot of them look small enough to play JV. But anyways, they looked really good. Granite it was 2 quarters against REL, who look a little better than last year, but still pretty pretty bad. The thing that impressed me the most though was how they hit. Not the biggest guys in the world, but it's full out chaos of defense. Reminds me a lot of how CPA comes playoff time. Everyone was flying to the ball. Hard, fast, and aggressive. I talked to Coach Corey who said they mostly plated without their entire backfield, so they should be a really good team this year. Should be pretty fun to watch them go at it with OP, WH, LMA, & PP. I wish I wasn't going to college to I could stay and watch some. I predict this will be one of the best crop of overall AAA teams in a few years. Good thing, because A looks such much worse than it has in years past.

From Midlandspreps.com:

Week zero: Hilton Head Christian vs. Wilson Hall

Who: Hilton Head Christian Academy (8-5 overall, 3-2 in SCISAA Region 2, Class 2-A runner-up in 2007) vs. Wilson Hall (11-1 in 2007)

Where: Hilton Head Christian Academy

When: Today, 7 p.m.

What's important: The Barons have a new-but-familiar head coach. Eddie Talley, who led Wilson Hall to the 2003 SCISAA title and four championship games in four seasons before becoming a school administrator, takes over for Jimmy Noonan, who spent just one season at the school. Wilson Hall lost 19 seniors to graduation and will have to replace most of its offensive skill players. The Eagles' rebuilding task is only slightly less daunting -- they return only nine starters, and only one of their offensive skill position players returns to occupy the same spot this season. The Christian Academy also is at less than full strength -- outside linebacker Matt Moore, projected as a starter, is out for the season with a knee condition, and Jake Crandall will be able to punt but will not be available for other duty because of a sore hamstring.

Projected starters

Offense: Luke Sirgo, QB; Eric Farr, RB; Zac Lenns, H-back; Mark McDevitt, WR; Ethan Gort, WR; John Taylor Stones, LT; Lamar Johnson, LG; Wesley Cooler, C; Ryan Smith, RG; Kyle Weaver, RT; Joey Davis, TE. Defense: Duke Clark, DT; Cole Malphrus, NG; Lamar Johnson, DT; Gort OLB; Alex Hill, OLB; Michael Hull, ILB; Lenns, ILB; Farr, SS; Davis, FS; James Berl, CB; McDevitt, CB. Special teams: McDevitt, K; Jake Crandall, P; McDevitt, PR; Davis, PR; Lenns, KR; Farr, KR.

Prediction

It's easier for bigger schools to reload -- Wilson Hall by 10.

From MidlandsPreps.com

Hammond the favorite to repeat in SCISA

By JOHN DEVLIN - Special to The State

Winning has become the trademark of the Hammond football program under coach Erik Kimrey. The former Dutch Fork and USC quarterback has guided the Skyhawks to a 42-6 record and consecutive SCISA state titles in his four years.

But don’t even bring up the term “three-peat.”

“For us to even think about that is bizarre,” Kimrey said of a third championship. “This is a different team. Sure, there is some carryover with the guys who played last year and even some from the year before, but we’re only focused on the here and now — getting better with each drill, in each practice and in each game. If we do that, the big picture tends to take care of itself.”

Coming out of camp, the Skyhawks are in a similar position to the one they were in last year, but in a slightly different way. Coming off a championship season in 2006, Hammond had a veteran defense and an inexperienced offense. This year it is reversed: The offense is the seasoned unit, while the defense has holes to fill.

Quarterback Cliff Ayers, running back Brad Meredith and receivers Aaron Walters, Kyle George and Taylor Smith return.

Ayers passed for 2,220 yards and 20 touchdowns last season. Meredith ran for 1,194 yards and 12 scores after missing most of the first five games with a hamstring injury. He will miss the first few games this season with the same injury.

Walters is back after leading the team with 42 catches for 677 yards and seven touchdowns. George, who will fill in for Meredith in the backfield, had 497 yards rushing and 375 receiving a year ago. Chase Lovelace moves from defense to head a promising, young offensive line.

On defense, big-play defensive end Will Patterson (14 sacks, 11 tackles for loss) shifts to middle linebacker. Robert Simmons, a starter at cornerback in 2006, returns after missing last season with an injury and takes over at free safety. Hunter McMaster returns at linebacker, and Taylor will start again at cornerback.

SCISA: The top challengers

PINEWOOD PREP

Pinky Guerard, a long time assistant under John McKissick at Summerville, has used transfers to transform a dormant program. The latest addition is wide receiver Laquan Gilliard from Summerville. The Panthers made rapid improvement in Guerard’s first season, and have the talent to make a title run.

AUGUSTA CHRISTIAN

The Lions won the title in 2005, and has lost to Hammond in the championship game in each of the past two seasons. A return trip to Orangeburg is not out of the question. William Banks is an outstanding two-way player.

WILSON HALL

Eddie Talley is back in command after Jimmy Noonan left following one season in Sumter. The Barons return a solid core off an 11-1 club that lost in the playoff semifinals.

PORTER-GAUD

The Cyclones have enough veteran talent to be a player come playoff time. At the top of the list is quarterback John Dodds.

HEATHWOOD HALL

New coach. New quarterback. It’s a transition year, but the Highlanders remain a dangerous foe.