Dillon Christian chases another state championship

Not a lot has changed at Dillon Christian during the last year or so.

At least, not on the football field.

Not more than two weeks after the Warriors won the 2008 SCISA Class A state championship, coach Kelly Williamson and his staff had their team back in the weight room preparing for this season.

“We didn’t change our routine, we didn’t change our mentality,” Williamson said. “This is what you have to do to compete, and this is the way we go about things at Dillon Christian.”

That philosophy, combined with a talent-laden roster of old and new faces, has the Warriors 48 minutes away from another year for the record books.

Dillon Christian faces Palmetto Christian today at 7:30 p.m. for the SCISA Class A state championship at Wilson Hall’s Spencer Field in Sumter.

“We’re very fortunate to be back,” Williamson said. “We have about 20 kids on the team who were in last year’s state championship, so we knew experience and confidence weren’t going to be problems.

“But you really never know about a season until you start playing.”

Williamson did know he had a strong corps of returning players. Quarterback Stephen Johnson followed up a stellar junior year with nearly 3,000 yards passing this season. Running back Ray Thomas crossed the 1,500-yard plateau again.

The Warriors’ blend of power running and spread formations has made them a difficult team to prepare for, Williamson said.

“We run the wishbone and the spread, and we run them both pretty well,” Williamson said. “It’s hard for teams to make the appropriate adjustments from one play to the next.”

The Warriors’ offense picked up right where it left off last year, as well. DCS has averaged 41.7 points and 533.7 yards per game, and like last year, the only loss came against public school Lake View.

“As defending champs, you get everybody’s best game every week,” Williamson said. “To go through a season with that bull’s-eye on you and only lose one game is an accomplishment in itself.”

Dillon Christian’s defense has been anything but a weak link, too. Opponents are scoring an average of 8.8 points a game, and only Lake View and The Byrnes Schools were able to post double figures against the Warriors’ D.

“I think our defensive line has been a little better this year,” Williamson said. “Those guys have all stepped up. JB Pittman, Kyle Johnson and Corey Graham have all been big playmakers for us.”

Graham leads the state with 13 interceptions and Pittman leads the team in tackles with 157. DCS has also registered 30 sacks.

The Warriors (12-1) face a somewhat surprising team in Palmetto Christian (8-3). The Eagles won just two games last year, but have been on a roll since dropping back-to-back games near midseason.

PC’s offense has scored 36 points or more in five straight games.

“They have a lot of very quick, talented players on offense at the skill positions,” Williamson said. “We worked really hard this week on making sure we are fundamentally sound, especially when it comes to tackling.

“Offensively, we just have to make sure we’re sound and get off the ball well and block well.”