Williamsburg plays for fourth straight state championship

Kingstree – As Williamsburg Academy played for football state titles in the three previous seasons,

there was a lot of anticipation surrounding each of those teams because of the talent and experience on the

roster.

The 2024 season wasn’t like that. Not only had the Stallions lost a core of players that had been

an integral part of each of the three previous teams, but there wasn’t a lot of experience with only six

seniors on the roster after three straight seasons with double-digit senior classes.

So what did Williamsburg do? Only play for the SCISA Class A state championship after playing

for the AA crown the three years before. Despite falling to Thomas Heyward Academy 23-8, Stallions

head coach Tyler Boyd had nothing but praise for his unit.

“I’m very pleased with the season that we had,” said Boyd, who just completed his second season

as head coach after having served as the offensive coordinator on the first two championship game teams.

“I know we shocked a lot of people in the community. People just knew how much we were losing and

how much we had lost over the two previous seasons.

“The kids really stepped up, a lot of them grew up,” he added. “We became a very good team.”

Williamsburg finished the year with a 10-2 record, with its only other loss coming to AA state

champion Pee Dee Academy. That came in the second game of the season by a 25-0 score.

After that, the Stallions reeled off nine straight wins, all of them a blowout with the exception of a

28-26 win over Thomas Heyward in Game 4. They beat defending Class A state champion Patrick

Henry Academy 55-6 in the first round of the playoffs before topping Beaufort Academy 21-0 in the

semifinals.

The major concern entering the season was in finding offensive production.

“All of our skill players were pretty much gone,” Boyd said. “We felt pretty good about the

offensive line. We thought we’d be a little bit better there.

“We knew we had to be able to run the ball this year, but we were pretty balanced offensively by

the end of the year. We actually might have run the ball more two years ago (when Williamsburg won the

state title) than this past year.”

That offensive development came about due to the steady improvement of junior quarterback

Micah Balder. He earned the starting job after the graduation of his brother, 3-year starter Conrad

Balder. Micah ended up being selected as the Region 1 Player of the Year, helping the Stallions win the

region crown.

Balder finished the year completing 64 of 119 passes for 1,072 yards and 14 touchdowns against

just four interceptions. He also led the team in rushing with 822 yards and 10 touchdowns on 137 carries.

“I I think Micah has really grown in his confidence,” Boyd said prior to the championship game.

“He wants the ball in his hands as much as possible. He’s become better as a runner and a passer. He’s

getting a few extra yards in the run game. He always knew where to throw the ball, he’s just doing it with

confidence now.

“He’s throwing with confidence, getting the passes out quicker. He’s got a lot more trust in the

guys around him. There were a lot of unknowns coming into the season, so he had to develop that trust in

confidence with them.”

Senior linebacker Layton Morris was selected as the Region Defensive Player of the Year. He

was second on the team in tackles with 62, had six tackles for loss and an interception.

Morris was also the leader of the offensive line where he started for three years after starting at

Laurence Manning Academy in his freshman season.

Morris was the left guard and was joined on the line by sophomore Sammy Tomlinson at center,

senior Wyatt Floyd at right tackle, senior Drake Evans at right guard and sophomore Marlin Morris at

left tackle.

“Layton is just very consistent,” Boyd said of the 6-foot-2-inch, 240-pouder. “He’s super smart

and understands the game. He’s athletic for a big guy. And I don’t remember him missing a practice. He

played hurt a lot of times, and I don’t think he missed a game.

"He’s a great leader, especially by example. He was calling the defense, having a great mind to get

us in the right call, keeping us calm and cool. He could have played any of the five positions on the line,

and I think at some point he did.”

Micah and Layton were joined on the All-Region team by sophomore Grant Small, Marlin

Morris, sophomore Charlie Caulder, Floyd, junior Connor Morris, sophomore Michael Ard, senior

Bryce Blackburn and senior William Caulder.

Small, an inside linebacker and running back, had 27 tackles and two TFLS while running for 709

yards and eight TDs on 104 carries. Marlin Morris had 28 tackles and a tackle for loss while on the

defensive line. Charlie Caulder had 41 tackles and 10 TFLs at inside linebacker and 13 catches for 252

yards and three touchdowns at tight end.

Floyd started at defensive end and led the Stallions with 11 TFLs to go with 61 tackles, Connor

Morris started at noseguard as well and had 36 tackles and six TFLs, while Ard had 54 tackles and six

TFLs at linebacker and had four catches for 83 yards and two TDs and two rushing TDs at H back.

Blackburn started at cornerback on defense and finished with 28 tackles and six TFLs while leading the

team in catches with 19 and receiving yards with 323. William Caulder had 57 tackles and five TFLs as

well as an interception at safety and four catches for 47 yards and a TD at WR.

Although all were key contributors, Williamsburg has a small senior class with just six so Boyd is

looking forward to see what the ’25 season holds.

“Our sophomore class was pretty strong,” he said. “There were seven of those kids that started, so

I’m excited to see how much they grow with another year. The juniors, there were not many but they

always showed toughness and I’m excited seeing them being the leaders next year not many always

shown toughness. Excited them being the leaders next year. We also have 16 rising freshmen from the B

team.”