Coming off a winning 5-4 season there are high expectations for this year’s football team. Despite the addition of several new players with high potential, many key departures on the team ranging from the starting quarterback, Tate Brown, to star linebacker Sammy Cooper leave the Raptor Football fans intrigued by the new look and additions to the Academic Magnet football program.

Freshman

       The freshmen bring large numbers this year, making up a quarter of the team. Starting with the newest addition to the team is Anson Harrison. Anson brings the first guy in, last guy to leave mentality, and solid depth to the defensive back room. Bryce Lee comes in and immediately will make an impact as the backup quarterback and one of the receivers. Next up is the first starter from the freshman, Cole Ivey. While not an offensive or defensive starter, he has made a noticeable impact on the special teams as both the kick and punt returner. Ivey is also a frequent sub at safety where his natural instincts and athleticism add significantly to the defense. Another addition to the defensive backer room in the freshman class, Owen George uses his small yet speedy frame as a gunner on the special teams. Caleb Parrish, better known as “Twinkie”, brings a Swiss army knife type of role to all aspects of the team. Caleb has played inside and outside linebacker, defensive tackle, and can be utilized as a running back on offense. Coming from West Ashley High’s football program, Caleb adds great aggressiveness and experience anywhere he plays. Noah Turner adds depth on the offensive line while hoping to take over as the future center. Simon Halberta and William Warnock use their speed and tall frames at defensive end. Grigs Scott can be seen at linebacker trading hits with anyone on the team. Scott is a locker room favorite, bringing positivity and a good attitude. The defensive backer room adds yet another freshman in Tripp Bates. Bates brings his lanky frame and range in coverage as well as his sense of humor. Finally, Brady McLaughlin adds depth to the pass-catching room. The freshmen have high hopes for the season considering the past winning record and the outcomes of the past two victories.

Grigs Scott, 9th, LB

Q: What is your favorite part of this year’s team?
A: My favorite part was riding back on the bus with the team after our first win.

Q: How do you feel about this coming season?
A: I feel like we can win against almost every team if we plan everything out and work together on each play.

Q: What made you want to join the football team?
A: I wanted to join the football team because I have never played football before and I wanted the experience of being on a varsity team.

Q: Record Prediction?
A: 5-3

Owen George, 9th, Gunner

Q: What is your favorite part of this year’s team?
A: The team has a great atmosphere with multiple team-oriented players.

Q: How do you feel about this coming season?
A: We are a very good team that is already off to a great start. I’m hoping for a winning record.

Q: What made you want to join the football team?
A: I heard good things about the program during my eighth-grade year and Summer Scholars helped increase my want to play football more.

Q: Record Prediction?
A: 5-3

Sophomores

       While bringing fewer numbers, the sophomores still bring presence to the field. Starting off with the new members from the sophomore class, Erick Yu adds depth to the offensive line at offensive guard. Ellison Ryan comes in as an experienced player where he frequently subs in at inside or outside linebacker. The “Slim Reaper” Aedyn Pawlyk gives his aid to the defensive backers. With the start of the returning players comes starting quarterback Campbell Stoklosa, who adds a sense of leadership and the DAWG mentality the offense needs. Aayush Bansod transitioned from a pass catcher to a defensive end this season and brought his agility and speed with him. He no longer sends streaks. Starting at wide receiver this year, Tyler Perez also helps the team as a punter during kickoff, leading the team after every touchdown. Cam Leach starts at outside linebacker after leaving the defensive line and plays running back when his size and aggressiveness are needed. The sophomores round out with Carson Clark, who is an absolute DAWG. Bringing a “gentle giant” personality to the team, Carson always looks out for his fellow players but leaves the kindness off the field when it comes to defensive tackle and offensive guard, where his aggressiveness is invaluable. Similar to the freshmen, the sophomores also have good hopes for the season.

Aayush Bansod, 10th, DE

Q: What is your favorite part of this year’s team?
A: My favorite part about this team is how everyone pushes each other to become the best versions of themselves.

Q: How do you feel about this coming season?
A: This season we have a lot of numbers and a significant class of freshmen to build around.

Q: How do you feel about this season compared to last year?
A: We miss all of the seniors but the juniors from last season are filling their spots amazingly and being great leaders for the team.

Q: Record Prediction?
A: 4-4

Campbell Stoklosa, 10th, QB

Q: What is your favorite part of this year’s team?
A: There have been multiple new players interested which has grown the team.

Q: How do you feel about this coming season?
A: We’re playing well and every week we’re getting stronger.

Q: How do you feel about this season compared to last year?
A: We have a much younger squad but we continue to develop well.

Q: Record Prediction?
A: 5-3

Juniors

       The juniors make up the biggest portion of the team, which adds a large amount of overall experience to the team. Starting off with the newest juniors, Bryan Peeler adds pure speed and agility to the wide receivers. Nicholas Brewer and Dylan Sweeney add height as the tight ends. Trenton Pinckney adds his 6’5” frame to the defensive ends as a frequent impact player on the field, ensuring blocked passes whenever possible. Donovan “Hamp” Hamilton is the starting running back, returning from a year away from the team while adding discipline with his active presence. Keveon Ford returns from a season-ending injury last year, ready to put points on the scoreboard alongside Donovan at running back as well as adding even more athleticism to the linebacker core. Milo Throop adds size to the line as the starting left tackle. Jack Vinzani returns after not playing his sophomore year with skill at defensive end. Ayden Cafferel starts at defensive end after an impressive first year with the team. Max Peters, similar to Carson Clark, is at left guard and defensive tackle while bringing that DAWG mentality, intense aggression, and physicality. After a devastating knee injury his freshman year, Joseph Gaddy is back as a running back and tight end. Henson Norvell is back for his third year and adds depth to the offensive line. Ian Smith, also known as “Shmitty Island”, is AMHS’s shutdown corner. Not many passes have been made against him, cementing him as Magnet’s cornerback. Dean McCullough is one of the starting wide receivers this year and adds very rare experience to a rather young receiver room. Last year’s starting running back Keaton Murray is back but on the defensive side of the ball this year. Murray plays a defensive end and outside linebacker role and uses his speed and agility to get to the opposing quarterback whenever possible. The juniors bring their experience with the team with the hopes of yet another winning season and only one season left after this year is done.

Max Peters, 11th, DT/LG:

Q: What is your favorite part of this year’s team?
A: I like the team bond.

Q: How do you feel about this coming season?
A: I feel confident about the season.

Q: How do you feel about this season compared to last year?
A: We’re probably not as strong as last year but we have better coaching.

Q: Record Prediction?
A: 4-4

Keaton Murray, 11th, DE/OLB:

Q: What is your favorite part of this year’s team?
A: My favorite part of this team is the new mentality from last year’s success in that we’re more than capable of winning football games and playing at a higher level than this team has historically had.

Q: How do you feel about this coming season?
A: I feel confident about this season, we have been working all season and have with others as well so I know our work will pay off and we’re more than ready.

Q: How do you feel about this season compared to last year?
A: The team and season feel very different compared to last year because I feel like our offense last year was reliant on our stud seniors. For me, it’s different as I was close with most of those seniors and I feel like on both sides of the ball we have more playmakers and rely less on only a few studs.

Q: Record Prediction?
A: 5-3

Seniors

While small in numbers compared to the freshman and juniors, the seniors bring experience and skill to the field with many players having at least two years of experience under their belts. Four-year veteran Jackson Ethredge brings his aggressiveness back to inside linebacker while not being afraid to get physical with anyone on the field. James King brings his experience to center while also putting in time as an inside linebacker with Jackson. His vacancy at center has been filled by two players; the first, four-year player Tucker Engelke, has put in effort at center along with fellow four-year veteran Connor Sawall, better known as “Sawall”, who brings his extensive football knowledge and great personality both on and off the field.

Sawall is set to start at right tackle this year after playing on the defensive side of the ball in the past. Harrison Crites brings a vibrant personality and his kicking foot back to the team for his third year, ensuring the team extra points every time with field goals. Beatty Cummings brings height and speed back to free safety, making sure no opponents catch long passes downfield. Thomas Martin brings his strength and agility back to inside linebacker, while his twin brother Ford resumes his role on the defensive line as a tackle. Rounding out the last of the seniors is first-year Isaac Chery, a late addition to the team but showing his worth at wide receiver. The seniors hope to mirror last year’s success and bring in one more winning season for their last year at Magnet.

Harrison Crites, 12th, K:

Q: What is your favorite part of this year’s team?
A: The team’s unity and determination are at a high right now.

Q: How do you feel about this coming season?
A: As for the coming season, we’ll need to wait and see, we have a win under our belt already.

Q: How do you feel about this season compared to last year?
A: While there was a lot of quality in the past senior classes, we’re hoping our class will step up this year.

Q: Record Prediction?
A: 3-5

Isaac Chery, 12th, WR:

Q: What is your favorite part of this year’s team?
A: We have an excellent coaching staff and a motivated team.

Q: How do you feel about this coming season?
A: I have high expectations including a win against Oceanside.

Q: What made you want to join the football team?
A: Connor Sawall’s frequent recruiting convinced me to give football a try for my senior year.

Q: Record Prediction?
A: 8-0

Meet the Coaches

With the new season comes a decent change to the coaching staff. The loss of Austin Miller, the former defense coordinator and lineman coach, left many former players wondering how the team would be affected by the loss of such an effective coach. Assistant Coach Price also left the team this year, leaving big shoes to fill. Head Coach White did not disappoint though. The vacant defensive coach spot was filled by two new coaches, Joe Bessinger and David Bryant. Bessinger brings experience and plenty of knowledge to the defensive line, which makes sense with his family history of football. Our very own Andrew Rusciolelli brings his past coaching skills and signature cowboy hat to the defensive backers, while Coach Bryant brings his experience to the linebackers. Together the three coaches have put together a solid defense. On offense, the addition of coach Jimmy Brown brings discipline and efficiency as Offensive Coordinator, while Alumni Stuart Walters resumes his former position as the running back coach. Rounding out is Coach Grevino, who picks up any slack on the offense while ensuring the players stay focused on the game.

At the time this article was written and published, your Academic Magnet Raptor Football Team was 2-0 where both games became defensive battles. Week one, the Raptors beat Military Magnet 14-12 behind Tyler Perez’s 31-yard touchdown and Donovan Hamilton’s 65-yard house call. The biggest difference in the game was on the kicking side as Harrison Crites had 2 important extra points whereas Military Magnet did not have a kicker and had two failed two-point conversion attempts. Game 2 saw another close battle as the Raptors beat Burke 18-12 behind Dean McCollough’s 62-yard touchdown on the head of two Burke defenders and Keveon Ford’s 5-yard rushing touchdown with the addition of Campbell Stoklosa’s two-point conversion to seal the game. Another major highlight was senior Harrison Crites who set the new school record with his forty-yard field goal completion, beating the old record of thirty-seven yards set by 2021 graduate Thomas Abraham. The Raptor’s next game is against PCA on September fifteenth at Ravenel Stadium. The theme is USA/American nationalism so wear your best red, white and blue. PACK THE BIRDCAGE, ROLL BIRDS!!!!!!