Laurence Manning's June named SCISA AAAA Football Player of the Year
Swampcats' Hodge selected as AAAA Defensive Player of the Year
Manning – Laurence Manning Academy football players Tyler June and Bryson Hodge received major awards from the South Carolina Independent Schools Association.
June was selected as the AAAA Player of the Year, while Hodge was chosen as the AAAA Defensive Lineman of the Year.
The senior duo helped lead the Swampcats to the AAAA state championship game for the second straight year. Laurence Manning lost to Hammond 28-21.
June started the season sharing time with freshman Grainger Powell at quarterback, playing wide receiver to try and take advantage of his speed and elusiveness. By the middle of the year though, June was behind center fulltime.
The University of South Carolina baseball commitment finished the season completing 83 of 128 passes for a completion percentage of 64.8. June threw for 1,345 yards and 18 touchdowns and did not throw an interception.
June, a 4-year starter at quarterback, was the second leading rusher, picking up 555 yards on 66 carries while scoring 10 touchdowns. He also caught seven passes for 80 yards.
June also saw some playing time on defense as well, playing in the secondary. He had eight tackles, two tackles for loss and one forced fumble.
“This year was the culmination of a great career for Tyler,” said LMA head coach Will Furse. “Since he joined the team his freshman year we have appeared in three state championship games. He improved every year and was one of the best quarterbacks in the state this year.”
Hodge was a disrupting force along the defensive front. He had 73 total tackles, 52 of them solo stops. He led the Swampcats in tackles for loss with 22 and quarterback sacks with 10. He also recorded two safeties and returned a fumble for a touchdown to finish with 10 points scored on defense. Hodge also recovered another fumble and had two forced fumbles.
Hodge also scored a touchdown on offense from his tight end slot. He had seven catches for 125 yards.
June and Hodge were joined on the AAAA All-State team by teammates Ian Harris, Jack Wellborn, Josiah Burson, Jeremiah Burson and Jackson Brunson.
Harris, a senior, was Laurence Manning’s leading rusher with 916 yards on 144 carries while scoring eight touchdowns. He also caught eight passes for 155 yards, a per-catch average of 19.38.
Wellborn, a senior offensive tackle, graded out at 84 percent to go along with 15 knockdown blocks.
Josiah Burson, a senior, was the Swampcats’ leading pass catcher. He had 38 receptions, with almost a third of them – 12 – going for touchdowns. He had 765 yards for a 20.1 average.
Defensively, Burson led the team with three interceptions from his safety slot. He also had 50 tackles and one tackle for loss. On special teams, Burson returned a kickoff 78 yards for a touchdown.
Jeremiah Burson, a junior, led the team in tackles as a linebacker with 106 to go with nine sacks, 11 tackles for loss, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery. Jeremiah also got some carries on offense, rushing for 148 yards and three touchdowns on 12 carries.
Brunson, a senior, played wide receiver and safety like Josiah Burson. Offensively, he had 27 receptions for 273 yards and five touchdowns while carrying the ball nine times – mainly on jet sweeps – for 34 yards and another touchdown. On defense, Brunson had 82 tackles, nine tackles for loss, one sack, one interception, two fumble recoveries and one forced fumble.
Senior offensive guard Bryce Manlove, senior linebacker/running back Bryson Smith and senior cornerback/wide receiver/punter Noah Tanner were second-team selections.
Making the third team were senior cornerback/running back/kick returner Thomas Sumpter, senior defensive lineman/tight end Nate Hawthorne, senior linebacker/tight end Chapell Brogdon, junior tight end/outside linebacker Drew Ferriel and junior defensive lineman/offensive lineman Gavin Brown.
June, Hodge, Josiah Burson, Brunson, Harris, Smith, Brogdon, Sumpter, Tanner, Hawthorne, Wellborn and Manlove were all selected to play in the AAAA-AAA North-South All-Star Game.
Those 12 were part of a 22-man senior class. The other seniors were Wyatt Powell, Layne Bowen, Bryce Jumper, Noah Collins, Jaden McGuire, Reid Moore, Wyatt Timmons, Herman Holland, Keegan Page and Mills Lee.
Furse said this group of seniors has helped steer the program in the direction of an eventual state championship.
“They’ve had a tremendous impact on this program,” said Furse, who just completed his second season as head coach. “They played in it (a state championship game) when they were freshmen, they played in it when they were juniors, they played in it when they were seniors. They’ve won probably more football games than any other class in school history. There are a lot of shoes to fill.”
Furse said the returning Swampcats need to step to the forefront in preparation for the 2024 season.
“They don’t put rings on smooth hands,” Furse said. “We’ve got to be in the weight room. We’ve got to have a great offseason. It takes buy-in, it takes commitment, it takes dedication. If it was easy to do, everybody would do it, and there would be other teams standing up here besides us.
“I’m looking forward to seeing how they respond without some guys around who have made so many plays for us over the years.”
.
KOSINSKI, LYLES ALL-REGION VOLLEYBALL SELECTIONS
Laini Kosinki and Gracie Lyles were named to the All-Region 2-AAAA volleyball team.
Kosinski, a junior, was the Lady ‘Cats’ leading blocker with a per-match average of 2.5 blocks. She also averaged 3.2 aces and 6.2 kills.
“She would give us at least five digs each game,” said Laurence Manning head coach Amy Marshall. “She ended the season with countless tips.”
Lyles, a freshman, led the Lady ‘Cats in service aces, kills and digs. She averaged 5.7 aces, 9.8 kills and 11.1 digs per match.
About us
Recognizing the achievements of young athletes in South Carolina since 1986.