Cavalier boys 3-4 under first-year head coach Kemp DeWitt

By Dennis Brunson hssr.com Associate Editor Bishopville – Will Furse has seen his Lee Academy football tam show marked improvement in his first season as head coach. However, he knows the Cavaliers don’t have an easy finish to the season. “My expectations continue to improve,” said Furse, whose team was 3-2-1 on the season before beginning its SCISA Region 1-Class A schedule against Dorchester Academy on October 4. “We’re a lot better today than we were at the start of the season. Our region is very competitive so we have our work cut out for us.” Dorchester and Lee, which played for the Class A state title last season, are joined in the region by Williamsburg Academy and Carolina Academy . Williamsburg played for the AA state title last year before reclassification while Carolina is led by David Rankin , whom Furse replaced at Lee. Dorchester is 4-0, Williamsburg is 4-1 and Carolina is 3-1. “We need to finish games, finish drives,” Furse said. “If we do that, we’ll be alright. We’re healthy so that’s a good thing. These games will determine playoff seedings, all that kind of stuff.” The Cavaliers have freshman Braydon Davis leading them at quarterback, and he is having a strong season. Davis had completed 48 of 76 passes for 781 yards and seven touchdowns against one interception. He had 134 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 25 carries. Junior Andrew Bowers is having a strong season at running back. He had 830 yards and 10 touchdowns on 102 carries. Sophomore Landon Olson had rushed for 217 yards and two touchdowns on 37 carries. Cain June is the leading receiver. He had 21 catches for 299 yards and two touchdowns. Noah Brazell had eight catches for 164 yards and a touchdown. Bowers had 10 catches for 79 yards and a touchdown. Junior linebacker Tucker Boyce leads the Cavaliers in tackles with 51 to go with four tackles for loss. Senior Trace June had 42 tackles while Dawson Daniel had 23 tackles and a team high seven tackles for loss. Bowers has three interceptions in the secondary while Cain June had two interceptions. Lee’s three wins were 41-21 over Spartanburg Christian Academy, 42-6 over Christian Academy of Myrtle Beach and 35-16 over Thomas Sumter Academy. The Cavaliers lost to Beaufort Academy 35-20 and to Pee Dee Academy 38-16. ` The tie was 7-7 against Dillon Christian School in a game that was stopped because of inclement weather.

Lee Academy OL/LB/DL anchor, senior Trace June (6-1, 230)

By: Gerald Doolittle Goose Creek, S.C . - The South Carolina Independent Schools Association is preparing to open its 55 th football season with a new two-year alignment. Can Hammond (4A), Hilton Head Christian (3A), Bethesda Academy (2A), Patrick Henry Academy (1A) and Jefferson Davis Academy (8 Man) defend their 2023 titles? Hammond will be playing for their 8 th straight title in Class 4A. The top five pre-season ranking for Class 4A : 1. Hammond 2. Laurence Manning 3. Porter-Gaud 4. Northwood Academy 5. Cardinal Newman. Laurence Manning was runners-up to Hammond in 2023. Augusta Christian, Ben Lippen and Heathwood Hall will earn a playoff spot by finishing in the top eight. The top five pre-season ranking for Class 3A : 1. Hilton Head Christian, 2. Wilson Hall, 3. Pinewood Prep, 4. Florence Christian and 5. Trinity Collegiate. Hilton Head Christian defeated Wilson Hall for the 2023 title. John Paul ll, Palmetto Christian and Camden Military will earn a playoff spot if they finish the regular season in the top eight. The top five pre-season ranking for Class 2A : 1. Bethesda Academy, 2. Clarendon Hall Academy, 3. St. Johns Christian, 4. Orangeburg Prep and 5. Pee Dee Academy. Bethesda Academy defeated Williamsburg Academy (now in 1A) for the 2023 title. Greenwood Christian, Spartanburg Christian, Calhoun Academy, Dillon Christian, Thomas Sumter Academy, Hilton Head Prep and Christian Academy all will earn a playoff spot by finishing in the Class 2A top eight. The top five pre-season ranking for Class 1A : 1. Williamsburg Academy 2. Patrick Henry Academy 3. Lee Academy 4. Dorchester Academy 5. Thomas Heyward Academy Patrick Henry Academy defeated Lee Academy for the 2023 title. Colleton Prep, Beaufort Academy, Faith Christian, Andrew Jackson Academy, and Carolina Academy can get playoff spots by finishing in the top eight. The top five pre-season ranking for Eight Man are: 1. Jefferson Davis Academy 2. Holly Hill Academy 3. Richard Winn Academy 4. Wardlaw Academy 5. Laurens Academy W.W. King Academy, Newberry Academy and Oakbrook Prep can earn playoff spots by finishing in the top four of Region One. Cathedral Academy, Cross Schools and Conway Christian can earn playoff spots by finishing in the top four of Region Two. The Kings Academy is a new comer Region Two moving to 8-man play this season.

Furse led Laurence Manning to AAAA state title game in both years as head coach

Rankin won 2 state titles, played in four other championship games in second stay at Lee