Holly Hill going after fourth consecutive SCISA 8-man state title
HHA facing Jefferson Davis for third time
Holly Hill – In the second game of the 2023 football season, Holly Hill Academy experienced something that had not happened in a very long time: a loss.
The Raiders had won three straight SCISA 8-man state championships with 13-0 records the first two years and a 12-0 mark last season. They won their first game of this season for a 39-game winning streak. That came to an end the next week with a 28-22 loss to Jefferson Davis Academy.
“I think we were humbled by it,” said HHA head coach Andy Palmer, who was just in his second game in charge of the program. “Also, I think we were ready to go and set our sights on moving forward.”
Holly Hill did quite a good job of resetting. The Raiders haven’t lost since, beating JDA 36-16 in the final game of the regular season to win the region title. They’ve won their two state playoff games by comfortable margins to advance to the title game for a fourth straight season.
The opponent? You guessed it – Jefferson Davis. They will play for the championship on Friday at 7 p.m. in St. Matthews at Calhoun Academy’s field.
Palmer, who took over at Holly Hill after Michael Nelson moved on to Dorchester Academy, is not surprised the team will be playing for a fourth straight title.
“This is very much what I expected,” said Palmer, who was the head coach at Orangeburg Prep last season. “I told the players there was nothing we really wanted to change. We wanted to carry on what they had been doing.
“(Defensive coordinator) Curt Ott came in with me, but everyone else was already here (assistant coaches Strad Hydrick, Ryan Andrson, Cam Wilder and Billy Pelloni).”
It’s no secret who HHA’s offense revolves around. That would be senior running back Tyree James.
James has rushed for 1,832 yards on 150 carries, an average of 12.2 yards per carry. He’s rushed for 33 touchdowns and has two TD catches among his nine rcepti8ons for 92 yards. James has also completed 5 of 9 passes for 82 yards.
He doesn’t get the football much on special teams, but when he does James is special. He’s returned three punts for 143 yards and three kickoffs for 117 yards.
James is a defensive standout as well at safety. He has 88 total tackles, seven tackles for loss and a team high five interceptions.
“That’s God-given stuff,” Palmer said in describing James. “A lot of kids play football. He's a football player. There's a difference.
“I’ve seen a lot of football players. They just have a knack for it. He can change direction without changing speed, hit a hole at full speed. He’s dynamic.”
The remainder of the rushers have combined for 135 carries, only 15 less than James. They’ve accounted for 869 yards, led by senior Mason Rudd with 279 yards and nine touchdowns on 53 carries and freshman Tarez James with 252 yards and five touchdowns on 22 carries.
Junior Ashton Soles is the quarterback. He’s competed 28 of 48 for 717 yards and 12 touchdowns while rushing for 199 yards and five touchdowns on 35 carries.
Junior wide receiver Jody Gillam has 11 catches for 216 yards and six TDs, while junior tight end Camdin Harmon has eight catches for 347 and four TDs.
Doing the heavy work up front as the down linemen are sophomore right guard Slade Snyder, senior center Dylan Rivera and freshman left guard Tyler Green. The other tight along with Harmon is senior Charlie Perkins
Harmon leads the defense in tackles with 132 from his inside linebacker slot. He has 11 TFLs, five quarterback sacks and one interception.
The outside linebackers are Soles and freshman Parker Kizer. Soles has 61 tackles, seven TFLs, twos sacks and two picks, while Kizer has 76 tackles, nine TFLs, four sacks and an INT.
Holly Hill is strong up front with Rivera at noseguard and Perkins and Rudd flanking him at the ends.
Rivera leads the team in TFLS with 15 and shares lead in sacks with eight among his 73 tackles. He’s also forced a team high four fumbles. Perkins has 99 tackles, 10 TFLs and four sacks, while Rudd has 98 tackles, 12 TFLs and eight sacks.
Gillam is the other safety along with Tyree James. Gillam has 24 tackles, four interceptions with 155 yards in returns and 11 pass breakups.
“Coach Ott has really put together a great group of players on defense,” Palmer said. “The staff (Wilder and Pelloni) has done a great job on that side of the ball.”
The Raiders seldom punt, but Soles is averaging 37.9 yards per punt on seven attempts. Gillam is the placekicker with Soles serving as the holder. Rudd is both the long snapper and short snapper.
Palmer was pleased with the way his team rebounded in the rematch against Jefferson Davis. HHA was leading 22-8 in the first game when Soles got hurt and it hurt it offensively as JDA rallied for the win.
“Weve got Round 3 coming up, and we expect it to be a war,” Palmer said.
“They’re big and physical up front. They’ve got a tough offensive line and they’ve got good athletes at the skill positions. The running backs bring a load with them. They're going to come right at you.”
Palmer is hoping to give Rudd, Perkins and Rivera, who have been on the varsity since their freshman seasons, a fourth title.
“They’ve maxed out in playing football games,” .he said. “To go 50-1 and win four state championships, that’s a pretty good deal.”
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