Marion – The boys and girls basketball teams for Marion High School will be under new guidance in the upcoming season.
DJ Kelly is replacing Andy Bostick as the boys head coach, while Chris Sanders is replacing Camilla Jones as the girls coach.
Kelly is a former Marion basketball player, having graduated from the school in 2013. He was the starting point guard on the 2012 team that played for the AA lower state championship.
Bostick resigned the boys position while Marion athletic director Brian Hennecy said the school “went (in) another direction” with the girls program.
While Jones is no longer in charge of girls basketball, she is the new volleyball head coach. The other new head coach for Marion is boys golf coach Mike Donald.
Hennecy is back for his third season as the football coach and will also return as the boys tennis coach.
Kenosha Hyman will return as the softball head coach after leading the Lady Swamp Foxes within a game of playing for the AA state title. Hal Lambert is back as the baseball coach, while Michael Steinbar returns to coach the boys and girls cross country teams as well as the wrestling team.
Leroy Bell will again be in charge of the boys and girls track and field teams, Marty Shelley will be the girls soccer coach and Kristel Wallace will be in charge of girls tennis,.
The boys soccer head coach position is still open.
Hennecy has seven starters returning on the offensive side of the football and nine on defense, meaNING expectations are high for the football team. Those returnees come from a squad that went 8-3 last year and won MHS’ third straight region title.
The Swamp Foxes have quarterback Gabriel Cusack and wide receiver Quay’sheed Scott back to lead the offense. The senior duo has been on the varsity since their freshman years, and they helped Marion light it up last year in the passing game.
Cusack, the quarterback completed 91 of 174 passes for 1,917 yards and 39 touchdowns against just seven interceptions. He also ran the football 62 times for 327 yards and seven TDs.
“Gabriel has developed into a great quarterback,” Hennecy said. “He can throw, run, makes his reads. He also plays a little bit of defense for us. I think he's DI (NCAA Division I or Football Bowl Subdivision prospect). Hopefully someone will get him down the road in the recruiting process.”
Scott, who recently committed to Southeastern Conference school Kentucky, caught 30 passes for 852 yards and 14 scores while running the football 41 times for 513 yards and six touchdowns. He also returned both a kickoff and a punt for a touchdown.
As a defensive back, Scott had six interceptions, returning two for scores, to go WITH 18 unassisted tackles, 17 assists and three pass breakups.
Those numbers led to Scott being named the Region 8-AA Player of the Year to go along with being selected to the South Carolina Football Coaches Association All-State team.
“Quay'sheed has accelerated his level of play throughout the years,” Hennecy said. “He made scores last year in every way possible, both on offense and defense. He has really stepped up his game.”
Cusack and Scott will be joined in the defensive secondary by fellow senior Tyshawn Sanders, who recently committed to Appalachian State.
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