Boyd has empathy for Tigers, Panthers

If anyone can empathize with what the Wilson and Lake City High School football teams are going through, it’s Marlboro County coach Dean Boyd.

After winning their second state championship in 2001, Boyd’s Bulldogs were locked in a heated contest with Northwestern in the second game of the 2002 season.

At the end of a 14-10 loss, a post-game melee ensued. Marlboro County wound up with 15 players suspended, including one for the year.
It also resulted in Marlboro being banned from post-season play.

“It’s a tough thing to go through,” Boyd said. “It’s tough on the kids and it’s tough on the coaches. I know those coaches are having a hard time right now, and my heart goes out to them because I’ve been there.
“The kids work so hard to get where they’re at, and it’s tough to basically lose your season because of one instance where they didn’t act like they were supposed to.”

Boyd went on to say that even though both Lake City and Wilson are going through tough times, there is light at the end of the tunnel.

“I know both coaches are going to have a tough few months, but they just have to keep their heads up and deal with it the best way they can,” Boyd said. “It’s hard right now, but it’s not the end of the world and things are going to get better.”

Despite how difficult is was to go through, Marlboro’s incident was used as a valuable learning experience, Boyd said.

“Every season, we sit down with our team and go through the story of what happened and what the consequences were,” Boyd said. “We also make sure before and after every game to talk about keeping your emotions in check and keeping your mouths shut.”

Boyd said the school appealed the ruling before the end of the season, but was satisfied that the appropriate punishment was handed down.

“I think the (South Carolina) High School League has done a good job of handling the issues whenever they’ve come up,” Boyd said. “I know ours wasn’t the first, and unfortunately it’s not going to be the last.”

SCHSL commissioner Jerome Singleton said the Wilson-Lake City altercation is the fourth such incident he can recall reaching “this level.”

“We always try to address unsportsmanlike conduct appropriately,” Singleton said. “Depending on what type of unsportsmanlike occurs, the penalties have always varied from ejections to suspensions to teams being placed on probation.
“We try to gather all the appropriate information and review it thoroughly before making a decision.”

While there was no video evidence of the fight, Singleton said teams are supposed to film an altercation if one occurs. Wilson and Lake City, though, have not been penalized for not filming.