Charleston -- Coming off an 11-win season in 2022, expectations are high this fall for the James
Island High School Trojans football team.
The Trojans begin 2023 ranked sixth in the High School Sports Report AAAA Preseason Top 20 poll,
and head coach Jamar McKoy has a veteran team returning this season.
The Trojans opened 2023 with a solid road win, beating AAAAA Stratford 25-7. The victory, while
satisfying, left McKoy a little disappointed with some of the execution overall.
“Penalties, way too many penalties,” the fourth-year head coach said. “We cannot have the lack of
mental focus moving forward that we had tonight. If we have these penalties against really good teams
that we may see this season, we won’t win a lot of games. I am happy to win the opener, but I know we
have a lot to clean up. We have to get better.”
The Trojans scored in all three phases of the game while senior quarterback Braxton Scott, who
missed eight games with an injury last season, was quite adept at running the James Island offense. Scott
completed 14 of 20 passes for 214 yards on the night. The Trojans also had four players with at least 30
yards rushing and tallied 149 yards on the ground.
Scott echoed his head coach’s comments about mental mistakes.
“It was great to be back out on the field with my brothers, but I have to play better. I have to be more
consistent. I made some mistakes that I will correct this week in practice. We, as a team, have to be better.
I think we will be.”
James Island dominated much of the first half, running 25 offensive plays to Stratford’s six after two
possessions. The Trojans missed a field goal to end their first possession but got on the board in their
second drive after a 3-yard run by Junior Maxwell.
The Knights tied the game quickly as sophomore quarterback Jachin Davis capped an 80-yard drive
with a 1-yard run with 4:57 remaining in the second quarter. Davis set up the score with a 64-yard run
to the James Island 4-yard line.
The Trojans again cashed in a long drive of 65 yards with Gray Dangerfield’s 30-yard field goal for a
10-7 lead with 2:34 left in the half.
The half turned bad for Stratford over the next 90 seconds. A high snap sailed into the end zone with
Davis able to recover for a James Island safety, On the ensuing kickoff, James Island speedster Jalen
Brown-Singleton, a transfer from Burke, scampered 64 yards for a touchdown, sending James Island to an
18-7 halftime lead.
“He’s a real weapon for us,” McKoy said of Brown-Singleton. “He can line up at corner(back), (wide) receiver,
running back and special teams. He’s a big addition for us.”
Scott finished the first half with 138 yards passing, completing 10 of 13 attempts as the Trojans
topped 200 total yards of offense in the first two quarters.
The Trojans wasted no time in the third quarter, opening with a 45-yard pass connection from Scott to
Brown-Singleton. Stratford forced a field goal attempt later in the drive but jumped offsides. Scott hit
senior Wushi Ravenel with an 8-yard touchdown pass for a 25-7 lead with 8:24 left in the third
quarter. Ravenel had six catches for 84 yards in the game.
James Island will host Stall in their home opener next Friday. Stratford has a bye before hosting
Lexington on Sept. 1.
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