SIGNING DAY ROUNDUP: Five Red Foxes going to next level

Five Hartsville Red Foxes will be playing college football next season.

Will Lucas, Tevin Blair, Dre Scott, Shawn Smith and Victor Vinson all signed letters intent on national signing day on Wednesday.
The signing class is Hartsville’s largest since coach Jeff Calabrese arrived and biggest he said since the early 1980s.

“I think it’s a testament to their hard work and their parents,” Calabrese said.

Lucas, a tight end, signed to play at VMI. The Shrine Bowl selection made eight receptions for 121 yards and two touchdowns.

Blair, a defensive lineman, signed to play at Division II Tusculum. He racked up 27 tackles and one sack this season.

Scott, Smith and Venson signed to play at Dean College, a two-year school in Franklin, Mass.

Scott is Hartsville’s all-time rushing leader. This season, he rushed for 1,581 yards and averaged 9.2 yards per play with 19 touchdowns.
Smith, the team’s quarterback, completed 59 of 99 passes this season for 1,137 yards and 11 touchdowns with four interceptions. He also rushed for 331 yards.

Venson, a receiver and defensive back, had 97 tackles, one interception, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery this season. He also blocked one punt.

Darlington’s Early headed to Furman
Ray Early provided the Darlington Falcons with a strong kicking game the last few seasons.
Now he hopes to make his mark in the college ranks after signing a national letter of intent to play for Furman.

“It means a lot to me. I’ve been dreaming about this since I was real little,” Early said. “I started really getting serious about kicking when I was in the sixth grade, and to have the opportunity to play college ball is just amazing.”

Early made 13-of-22 fields goals in his career and averaged 43 yards per punt. His longest field goal was 45 yards and his longest punt was 62 yards. He also recorded 48 touchbacks on 56 career kickoffs.

Early was named the Class 3A kicker of the year this past season and earned North-South honors.

“He was a tremendous advantage for us both offensively and defensively,” Darlington coach Justin Danner said. “He was near perfect on extra points, hit a lot of big field goals for us and pinned our opponents deep on kickoffs and punts.”

Wilson trio headed to play in North Carolina
Two current and one former Tiger standout are taking their games to the collegiate ranks.

Wilson offensive lineman Kaleb Carter signed with Winston-Salem State. At 6-4, 275 pounds, Carter anchored Wilson’s offensive line the last few seasons.

Part of his job was to protect quarterback Maliek McCall, who signed with Division II Johnson C. Smith.

McCall provided a dual threat at quarterback, running and passing for more than 1,000 yards in his career, and was also instrumental during the Tigers’ 2007 state championship run.

Linebacker Traneir Fraiser, who graduated last year, is heading to Gardner-Webb. Fraiser had a team-high 103 tackles in 2008 to go along with eight sacks and one fumble recovery.

Three Panthers sign letters of intent
Lake City’s Domanic Wilson, Sheldon Robinson and Tyler McClam signed letters of intent.

“These young men are excellent athletes who will become great assets for their respective college teams,” Lake City coach Justin Gentry said. “They have dedicated themselves to reach their potential. As a coach, they exemplify the type of players you want in your athletic program and your school.”

Wilson, a 6-foot-5, 265-pound lineman, signed to play with the two-time defending MEAC champion South Carolina State Bulldogs. Wilson was a two-time all-region selection.

Robinson, one of the most versatile athletes in the Pee Dee, signed with Butler Community College in Dorado, Kan. The defensive back and kick returner was named to the Shrine Bowl after a stellar senior season that included 55 total tackles, two interceptions, two fumble recoveries and four tackles for loss. He also rushed for 628 yards and 11 touchdowns and scored five touchdowns on special teams.

McClam, an offensive lineman, signed with Campbell. The 6-4, 260-pounder graded out at 92 percent for the year for the Panthers.

Marlboro County duo headed to Hutchinson
Marlboro County’s potent pass combination of Elliot Alford to Jaquan Brantley is taking its act on the road to Hutchinson Community College in Kansas.
Alford and Brantley signed with the Blue Dragons at the Bulldogs’ field house on Wednesday.

Alford turned heads after being forced into the Bulldogs’ starting lineup as a sophomore.

Since then, he’s won all-region honors three straight years, led the Bulldogs to two straight Class 3A lower state championship game berths, and earned North-South All-Star game honors.

Alford has thrown for 4,102 yards and 54 touchdowns in the last two years and has 22 rushing touchdowns during the last three years.

“He’s pretty much broken every school passing record we have,” Marlboro coach Dean Boyd said. “He’s improved every season and has a great arm.
“He’s really been what’s made our offense go the last few years.”

Brantley caught 52 passes for 836 yards his senior year, despite playing three or four weeks with a cast.

During the last two seasons, Brantley had 70 catches for 1,064 yards and had 25 career touchdowns.

Miller, Ballard stay in Palmetto State
Manning’s Brandon Miller and Shane Ballard will remain in South Carolina for their college careers.

Miller signed to play at S.C. State, while Ballard is headed to Coastal Carolina.

Miller, the team’s quarterback, rushed for 1,019 yards and 20 touchdowns and threw for 830 yards and 10 more scores for the Monarchs, but he will play wide receiver at S.C. State.

“That’s where I played in my sophomore year in high school, and I’m happy with that,” Miller said.

“They’re talking like they wanted me to come in and play my first year.”

Ballard is the latest in a long line of long snappers to play in college, the ninth in the past 18 years, according to coach Robbie Briggs.
Briggs said Ballard didn’t have a bad snap in four years as the Monarchs’ long snapper.

Braves’ Wilkes, White moving to next level
Cheraw’s Chad Wilkes and Jonathan White will be taking their skills to the next level.

Wilkes, a quarterback/defensive back, signed with New Hampshire, while White will be going to play at North Greenville.

On offense, Wilkes threw for 1,365 yards with 20 touchdowns and averaged 9.3 yards a carry, On defense, he had 60 tackles and forced three fumbles.
“Chad is a very versatile athlete that can help us in multiple positions,” New Hampshire coach Sean McDonnell said in a release. “He has very good speed and great instincts for the safety position. On offense, he is a very skilled runner and has great pass catching ability. He will add great depth to our skill positions here at UNH.”

White, a defensive end, had 65 tackles, including eight for loss for the Braves.

“He’s a tenacious defensive player and I think he has a chance to come in and play right away,” North Greenville coach Jamey Chadwell said.

Chesterfield’s Edwards going to Coastal Carolina
Chesterfield defensive end Moon Edwards will be playing for Cheraw native David Bennett next year at Coastal Carolina.
Edwards was a member of the Rams’ three state Class A Division I championships. The 6-foot, 240-pounder was the Class A Defensive Player of the Year after he recorded 91 tackles, including 7½ sacks last season.

Two sign from Dillon
Antuawn Blue, Dillon’s versatile athlete and state championship hero, signed with South Carolina State.
Also signing from Dillon was linebacker Hassan Williamson with Campbell.

Blue played a number of positions for the Wildcats on their back-to-back state championship teams.

On offense, he caught 51 passes for 847 yards and a team-leading seven touchdowns.
On defense, Blue recorded 46 tackles and one sack as a defensive back while also picking off two passes.

Blue also returned kicks and accounted for 1,258 all-purpose yards.

Williamson was second on the team in tackles with 124. He also had two sacks and caused two fumbles.