Optimism is high for Porter-Gaud football
Charleston – A solid core of returning starters with some fresh talent mixed in has Porter-Gaud head football coach Brad Bowles feeling pretty optimistic about the 2023 season.
The Cyclones hope to contend for the SCISA Class AAAA state title this fall and got their season off on the right foot with a 35-31 win over Bishop England on Aug. 18. Bowles says his team put in a lot of good work in the offseason and have maintained a strong focus throughout the summer and preseason.
“I like this group. I love who they are as people and I like that they care about football,” said Bowles, who enters his fourth season at Porter-Gaud. “We have a chance to be very competitive. I feel like we are going to be in every game with a chance to win if we can stay healthy and just continue to work and improve as they have all summer. We had four turnovers in the first game so obviously that is something we need to correct, but knowing these guys, they will work hard to fix that,”
Porter-Gaud’s offensive potential this season has been bolstered by the return of one player from injury and the addition of a new performer to the varsity roster.
Junior Nolen Shuman is back at quarterback and is fully recovered from an injury that cost him most him several games last season.
“A healthy Nolen Shuman gives is a chance to be solid offensively. He’s a leader and he’s a big key to our offense,” Bowles said.
Adding to the run game this fall is junior running back JJ Fludd, a starter on the basketball team who decided to pursue football again after a few seasons off. In his first varsity game, Fludd rushed for 266 yards and three touchdowns while adding an 80-yard punt return for a touchdown.
“He’s a great addition to the team and a really good athlete,” Bowles said. “When he contacted me over the summer and said he wanted to play, I wasn’t sure what we were getting, other than a good athlete. He was huge in that first game and really adds depth at running back.”
Returning as a key member of the backfield is Tony Brown, a running back who was forced into action under center when Shuman got hurt last season. Brown is another quality athlete who also can have an impact defensively at strong safety.
Working at receiver are Grayer Hyatt, Ryder Bishop and West Freeman. Along the offensive line are seniors Porter Mathews, Henry Young and Jack Fortson, junior Frank Schmidt and sophomore Haze Marchant.
While the line is a strength offensively, the same can be said on defense, Starters on the front include ends Will Axon and Hugh Buxton, and tackles Gray Holland and Hugh Mathews.
At linebacker, James Ball returns after posting 150 tackles last season. He starts inside with Austin Smith, while Mills Knapp and Brown are on the outside. Hampton Geils and Baker Lumberson are the starting corners while Chase Anderson is the starting free safety.
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