Chapin football enters region play at 4-1

By David Shelton

Senior Writer

Chapin – Confidence is high inside the Chapin High football program as the 2024 Eagles enter the rigors of region 5-AAAAA play with a 4-1 record.

A loss to fourth-ranked Summerville, on the road, is the lone blemish on the non-region record as the Eagles posted solid wins over Newberry, Spring Valley, Catawba Ridge and A.C. Flora.

Ryan Cole is in his first season as the head coach at Chapin and recently told the high school sports report that early success has helped his team gain confidence. The Eagles will need that confidence as they take on the region slate of teams that includes Dutch Fork, White Knoll, Lexington, Irmo and River Bluff.

Chapin has been one of the state’s top offensive teams in the first month of the season, averaging 50 points per game behind a strong passing game. Quarterback Brady Albro is among the state leaders in every passing statistic through five games. Albro is completing 62 percent of his passes (101-of-164) for 1,575 yards and 17 touchdowns while throwing just one interception.

Albro has plenty of weapons to throw to, starting with Khalen Bostick, who caught 29 passes for 570 yards and nine touchdowns in the non-region slate.

Stone Furrey caught 28 passes for 421 yards and four scores and Cole Martin had 24 grabs for 269 yards early on. Martin also leads the team in rushing with 361 yards, averaging nearly five yards per carry.

Defensively, Chapin has been solid enough but has yielded points on occasion. The Eagles will certainly need to tighten up defensively in the region schedule.

Linebacker Gavin Stam has been an active performer on the defense, averaging about 10 tackles per game with 10 tackles for loss through five games. Linebacker Tanner Short is averaging about eight tackles per game.

Chapin opened region play on Oct. 4 against Dutch Fork, the Class AAAAA defending state champion and the No. 1 ranked team in AAAAA this season.

Chapin’s girls volleyball team also competes in a tough region and is hoping to earn a spot in the state playoffs. Through their first 15 contests, Chapin posted nine victories, including a 1-2 start in region play.

The roster has four seniors this fall as leadership is provided by Christina Gregory, Zaniyah Harris, Hailey Cureton and Kori Peters. The roster also includes seven sophomores and a handful of juniors.

Chapin looks to be a playoff contender in other fall sports as well, including girls tennis and golf, swimming and cross country.