Kingstree – Although they didn’t end their careers in the way for which they had hoped, there’s no doubt that the 16-man senior class for the Williamsburg Academy football team left an indelible mark on the program.
After going 4-4 as freshmen in the coronavirus season of 2020, the class of 2024 did a whole lot of winning after that. The Stallions went 34-2 in their final three years, 10-1 in 2021, 12-0 in 2022 and 12-1 this season. They won the SCISA AA state title in ‘22 after losing to Hilton Head Christian Academy in the championship game in 2021. Williamsburg came oh so close to pulling off another undefeated state championship season this year, losing to Bethesda Academy 18-17 in the championship game.
“When they were in the eighth grade you could see how good they were going to be if they stuck around, if they stayed together,” said Stallions head coach Tyler Boyd, who was in his first year in charge after having served as the offensive coordinator under former head coach Don Shelley. “They killed everybody that year. We were excited about the future. I was blown away with how hungry, how competitive they were.
“They won a lot of games all these years, but they were never satisfied. They wanted to be great. It was just cool to be part of that group. Coaching them wasn't hard. They were mature, smart, competitive and were always trying to get better.”
Of the 16 seniors, 13 of them were starters. Ten of those seniors were selected to the All-Region 2-AA team and seven of them were selected to play in the AA-Class A North-South All-Star Game.
Leading the way was running back/linebacker Teague Ward, who was chosen as the Region Player of the Year. Ward rushed for 982 yards and 15 touchdowns on 104 carries, good for a 9.4 per-carry average. He also had 20 catches out of the backfield for 381 yards and four more scores.
Defensively, Ward led the Stallions in tackles with 93 to go with 12 tackles for loss, one quarterback pressure and one pass breakup.
Quarterback Conrad Balder was named the Region Offensive Player of the Year. Balder, who ,missed three games due to injury, completed 71 of 118 passes for 1,298 yards and 18 touchdowns against just three interceptions. Because of the injuries, Balder only carried the ball 19 times for 59 yards but did score three times.
“First of all, he’s a great leader, super smart,” Boyd said of Balder. “I never really called a bad play. If I did, he’d get us out of it. He didn't play much defense this year because of the injuries, but he played all but one or two snaps (at safety) in the championship game. He’s just a leader on that side.”
JD Sholar was selected as the Region Defensive Player of the Year. From his cornerback post, Sholar had 78 tackles, eight tackles for loss, two interceptions, two pass breakups and one forced fumble . As a tight end, Sholar had 14 catches for 306 yards and six scores.
Camden Moore was the other cog in the offensive backfield along with Balder and Ward that started together for three years. Moore was the Stallions’ leading rusher, picking up 1,096 and scoring 13 times on 150 carries. He also caught 16 passes for 319 yards and six touchdowns.
Blake Hedrick started at center. Hedrick also saw some time on the defensive line, finishing with 26 tackles, six tackles for loss and one sack.
Wes Smith was Williamsburg’s leading receiver with 22 catches for 331 yards and three TDs. Defensively in the secondary, Smith had 46 tackles, one tackle for loss and four pass breakups. Smith was the placekicker and connected on 51 of 59 extra point attempts while hitting on four field goals.
Landon Strong started at linebacker. He had 68 tackles, five tackles for loss, one sack and one pass breakup. He also played some running back as well, carrying the ball 21 times for 74 yards and three touchdowns while making seven catches for 88 yards and another score.
Those seven were chosen to play in the all-star game.
The other seniors who were named All-Region were Kam Morris, Aidan Stuckey and Ty Childers.
Morris and Stuckey started on the offensive line at right guard and left guard, respectively. As a linebacker, Morris had 37 tackles, eight tackles for loss and a team high five sacks. Stuckey had 54 tackles, seven tackles for loss and three sacks at defensive tackle
Childers was the leading tackler on Williamsburg’s 3-man front. He had 67 tackles, seven tackles for loss and three sacks.
The other seniors on the roster were BJ Davis, Greyson Moore, Billy Godwin, Matthew Stone, Justin Tisdale and Corey Burts.
“I’m going to miss these seniors,” Boyd said. “That was the only game they had lost in a while (having a 24-game winning streak snapped). It just wasn’t mean to be in that last game, but that's how it goes.”
The other two All-Region picks were junior Layton Morris and sophomore Micah Balder. Morris was selected as an offensive lineman, starting at right tackle for Williamsburg. He also had 38 tackles, eight tackles for loss and one sack as a linebacker.
Balder, the younger brother of Conrad, was selected as a defensive back. He led the Stallions with five interceptions to go with 33 tackles and one tackle for loss. Micah was also the quarterback when Conrad was out early in the season, completing 22 of 42 passes for 403 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 331 yards and six touchdowns on 41 carries.
TWO STALLIONS SELECTED TO ALL-REGION VOLLEYBALL TEAM
Allie McFadden and Carmela Jacobs were named to the All-Region 2-AAA volleyball.
Williamsburg was in its first season under head coach Jessie Cribb.
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