COLUMBIA — From 2002-2004, J.R. Boyd and the Lamar Silver Foxes won three straight Class A state football championships.
Now they’re the only team that can keep Steve Taneyhill and the Chesterfield Rams from doing the same.
Plenty of championship experience was on hand Monday as the South Carolina High School League welcomed the participants in the Class A state title games.
The Division II championship between Williston-Elko and Scott’s Branch will kickoff at noon on Friday while Lamar and Chesterfield will face off at 3 p.m.
Both games will be played at Oliver C. Dawson Stadium on the campus of S.C. State.
“It hasn’t gotten old,” Taneyhill said of the whole experience. “Every year is special and it makes you realize how fortunate you are to be a part of it.”
The Rams, making their fourth straight trip to the big game, have won back-to-back titles and are poised for a three-peat. Chesterfield has 16 starters from last year’s squad, part of the reason the Rams are 13-0.
“We knew we had a good group coming back,” Taneyhill said. “We had a good summer and showed signs that this could be a special group.”
Special might be an understatement. The Rams have averaged 44 points a game on offense while allowing just four points a game on defense.
Chesterfield’s players hold the edge in experience over a Silver Fox team that finally managed to get over the lower state hump last week against Hemingway.
Last Friday’s contest marked the fourth straight year Lamar had played for the lower state title.
“I’m happy for the fans, the coaches, the players and especially the seniors,” Boyd said. “They’ve worked extremely hard to get to this point and they deserve the chance to play for the state title.”
Boyd, in just his second season back with the Silver Foxes, also said he was glad to earn another shot at the big trophy.
“It means I don’t have to go shopping on Friday,” he said jokingly. “But it’s great to still be watching film and preparing for a game and getting to compete on a stage like this again.”
Lamar lost its entire offensive line from last season, and changed its offensive philosophy to a spread-formation, pass-oriented style of play.
The team responded well to the changes. The Silver Foxes are 12-1, scoring an average of 30 points a game and have allowed eight points or less in seven of the last eight games.
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