Lamar making progress after opening loss

With three Class A state titles on his resumé, J.R. Boyd’s return to the sideline at Lamar undoubtedly changed expectations in the community and on the team.

A season-opening 42-0 loss to two-time defending Class 2A state champion Cheraw might have changed them back.

The loss was one of the worst in Lamar history and the first shutout against the Silver Foxes since 1999.

“We knew Cheraw was a good team and that it was going to be a tough game, but we expected to do a little better than that,” senior lineman JaQuavis McClain said. “That was definitely a wake-up call.”

The first of many, as it would turn out.

“We’ve had to move some people around to fill key spots and we’ve also had to sit some kids down or put them back on the JV team,” Boyd said. “I think that woke them up a little bit and showed them the level we expect them to play at.”

The Silver Foxes have responded by winning six straight games, including a miraculous finish against Class 3A Darlington and a solid performance against Scott’s Branch to give Lamar a leg-up in Region 7-A.
But while the victories have come, Boyd said the Silver Foxes are still a long way from where they need to be.

“Our (6-1) record is better than we are right now, I think,” Boyd said. “We still have a lot of things to work on if we want to make a run in the postseason.”

A steady progression

After posting zero points against Cheraw, the Silver Fox offense has rebounded during the last six games, putting up an average of 30 points.
Running backs Jonathan and Jerrod Dargan have combined for 1,212 yards and 12 touchdowns.

“We’ve got a solid group of offensive linemen,” McClain said. “Once our running backs got healthy, we really started to put up some numbers in the running game and that opened things up for us in the passing game.”

The development of junior quarterback Trevor Norris has also been key to the success, Boyd said. Norris has thrown for 423 yards and two touchdowns.

“As a group, we’ve just improved every week,” Norris said. “It’s about having confidence in yourself and the people around you, and we’ve taken things one week at a time.”

The offensive line has also performed well, no matter who’s been in there.

“We have a good group of seniors on the offensive line and they’ve done well and stayed on their blocks and opened up some holes for us,” Boyd said. “We’ve also had a couple injuries and guys have stepped in and played well, so they’re learning what they need to in practice and getting good reps in.”

On the defensive side, moving McClain from defensive line to linebacker has helped, Boyd said. The emergence of BJ Goodson and JaQuavis Peoples also has helped to solidify the team.

“For us as coaches, it’s been about finding the right chemistry with these guys and finding out what they can do best and what fits what we need as a team,” Boyd said.

Room to improve

If there was one thing Boyd’s state championship teams were known for it was tenacity on defense.

The Silver Foxes are still learning how to get to that level, Boyd said.“It took us two or three games to get that first big hit,” he said. “Before, we used have two or three a game.

“Right now, I don’t think we keep our game faces on for the entire 48 minutes. Against Scott’s Branch, we got up on them early and thank goodness we did because they came back in the second half. The kids have to learn about staying focused the entire game.”

Said Norris, “We just have to work on being more physical. Everyday in practice and every game, we have to learn to finish.”