After last week’s 43-14 loss at Gilbert, the Tigers are 2-2 in the region and 4-5 overall. This Friday night, the Tigers will host Brookland-Cayce High School at Doug Bennett Stadium for their Senior Night. This will be the 32nd matchup between these two teams, separated by 29 miles on Highway 321. The Bearcats lead the series, 11-20. Both schools are among the oldest in Lexington County, with Swansea opening in 1924 and B.C. in 1931. With both schools operating together for almost two centuries, they share many connections. This year’s matchup is not only the last game of the regular season for both schools, but it has major playoff implications, especially with the new RPI system being used in all classifications of South Carolina High School football this year. Based on an article by Lou Bezjak in ‘The State’ Paper today, whoever wins this one could determine who gets in and who doesn’t. Before we go over the playoff implications, let me summarize the 44th matchup between Gilbert and Swansea from this past Friday night.

In a rivalry game with several storylines, the Indians got the win, 43-14, to move to 7-2 for only the 5th time in Gilbert Football History. With Gilbert’s win over Swansea Friday night, they have essentially locked up the 2nd spot in the region race, which comes with an automatic playoff spot. While Swansea did lose by 29 points, the game felt much closer for those who attended in person or watched our live Broadcast on YouTube. At the end of the first quarter, it was 0-0, and Swansea was moving the ball well. What stopped them on the first drive was an Interception thrown by Tarez James, only his third of the season, deep into Gilbert territory. In what was the ‘Battle of the Cousin Quarterbacks’, Tarez threw for a season-high 15 completions on 22 attempts, for 176 yards (also a season high) and 2 TDs. #12 carried the ball 9 times for 55 yards. Kendall Wright #11, junior Quaterback for Gilbert, threw for 231 yards. Junior Tiger Running Back Deandre Caldwell carried the ball 13 times for 76 yards, bringing him to 907 rushing yards on the season. Deandre Caldwell also caught 3 of Tarez James’s passes for 56 yards and a TD. Swansea Wide Receivers had a big night as the Tigers threw the ball on 22 of their 56 total plays. Zy’Shawn Jamison had 2 catches for 34 yards while Gavyn Mack had 5 catches for 55 yards and a TD.

Defensively, the Tigers gave up 387 yards (156 rushing, 231 passing) and got to Kendall one time for a sack by Junior Safety Deandre Caldwell (his first sack of the season). Trace Selfridge led the Tiger Tacklers with 8 sacks and 5 QB pressures. Deandre Caldwell had 6 tackles, 1 tFL, 1 sack, and 3 QB pressures. Junior Edge Rusher Nick Riley had 5 tackles and 3 pressures. Kevin Sightler and Jaden Stroman each had 4 tackles, and Sightler forced a fumble.

Swansea’s average starting field position was their own 38-yard line, while Gilbert’s was their own 35-yard line. The game featured 113 plays total, with Swansea having 56 and Gilbert 57. Swansea’s time of possession was 26 minutes and 15 seconds, while Gilbert’s was 21 Minutes and 45 seconds. The Tigers were 4/10 on 3rd down, and Gilbert was 1/4. Swansea went for it on 4th down twice and got it once, while Gilbert succeeded the only time that they went for it on 4th down. Swansea falls to 534-460-32 all time. You can listen to the scoring summary from the other night here, presented by P.J. Whitten Insurance with Farm Bureau: https://youtu.be/0qmuUBfrPTA?si=u5ATt2-HiGQGPKaX

While the loss against Gilbert for only the 19th time in history and the 9th time in a row since 2015 does hurt, postseason aspirations for the Tigers are far from over. As I mentioned at the beginning of this article, this year all high school football playoff spots in every classification will be determined by the RPI formula. But what even is the formula? This isn't just for football; it applies to all sports. According to the SCHSL, the RPI formula is 40% of your winning record, then 30% of your opponent’s record, and then 30% of your opponent’s opponents’ record. The formula then creates a single RPI number, which is used to determine seeding and who makes the playoffs. The higher your RPI number, the better. Keep in mind that the SCHSL’s RPI does not include points per game or the margin of victory. So, where does Swansea stand at 4-5 with a tough non-conference slate early in the season?

In 3A football, there are 34 teams, but only 24 playoff spots. 12 in the Upper State and 12 in the Lower State. The Lower State has 18 teams, and the Upper State has 16 teams. After week 9, here are the RPI rankings in the lower state according to Lou Bezjak at the State Paper that he shared this afternoon, ‘Bishop England 0.68820; Camden 0.66371; Hanahan 0.62334; Loris 0.62224; Oceanside Collegiate 0.62074; Gilbert 0.61665; Hartsville 0.57862; Crestwood 0.55118; Aynor 0.54933; Darlington 0.50013; Atlantic Collegiate 0.48653; Swansea 0.46900; Brookland-Cayce 0.45883; North Charleston 0.37730; Georgetown 0.37730; Lower Richland 0.37271; Airport 0.36498; Lakewood 0.32625.’

Based on the RPI rankings, here were Bezjak’s playoff matchup predictions for the Lower State bracket: ‘Lower State: (9) Aynor at (8) Crestwood; (12) Swansea at (5) Loris; (10) Darlington at Hanahan; (11) Atlantic Collegiate at (6) Gilbert. Byes: (1) Camden; (2) Oceanside Collegiate; (3) Hartsville; (4) Bishop England. You can read more in the State’s article here: 2026 SC football RPI rankings, playoff projections for Oct. 26 | The State

Now, notice this. That according to the RPI rankings for the Lower State, Swansea is #12 and Brookland-Cayce is #13. Now, several things are possible. Swansea could lose this week to B.C. and still earn the 12th and final spot in the lower-state bracket based on the RPI formula. But B.C. could win, jump over Swansea in the RPI rankings, and take the final spot. So what does this mean? Swansea needs to win this Friday night to secure their playoff chances. So, win, and you’re in. Lose, and leave it up to the formula. So, the stakes of this week’s game, the 32nd all-time against these two teams, are huge.

On paper, Brookland Cayce’s has had a hard season. The program has gone 463-565-33 in its 95 seasons with 1 State Championship and 10 region titles. So far this season, they are 3-6, but are 2-2 in the region with a 28-21 win over Lower Richland and a 40-28 win over Airport. So, you may be wondering, how are they still in the playoff discussion? Well, their non-conference schedule. While they went 1-5 in non-conference play, most of their opponents have gone on to have good seasons. For example, Mid Carolina and South Aiken.

The Bearcats' head coach is Louis Clyburn, and he is in his 2nd season at the helm with a 6-14 overall record at B.C. Coach Clyburn is no stranger to the coaching world, having served as assistant head coach and offensive coordinator at Camden under Head Coach Brian Rimpf before coming to ‘The Creek’. Before joining Rimpf’s staff, Clyburn was Head Coach and Athletic Director at North Central High School; before that, he was Head Coach for 1 season at Andrew Jackson High School. Before coaching in South Carolina, he held assistant Coaching roles at Lenoir-Rhyne College, Elon University, Appalachian State, and Duke! But he isn’t the Bearcats’ only coach with college-level experience; G.A. Mangus is in his second season as the offensive coordinator for Brookland Cayce. Mangus was the OC at Heathwood Hall and Hammond before coming to B.C. last year. Before calling plays at the High school and college levels, he was a backup Quarterback for the University of Florida and was coached by legendary coach Steve Spurrier. He was head coach at Delaware Valley from 2002-2005, then offensive coordinator at Middle Tennessee from 2006-2008 under Rick Stockstill. Then, Head Ball Coach G.A. Mangus joined the staff at the University of South Carolina from 2009 to 2015. During his time at South Carolina, he served as quarterbacks coach, TE Coach, and offensive Coordinator at different times. But he coached Quarterbacks Stephen Garcia, Connor Shaw, and Dylan Thompson.

Over the last two seasons, G.A. Mangus has coached and led junior Bearcat QB Andre Frick. The 6’4, 190-pound righty Gun Slinger has thrown for 3,885 yards in his 20 starts with 33 Touchdowns and 20 Interceptions. He was a 4A All-State selection last season. But he ranks 3rd in the region in passing yards this season behind Carson Rimpf (Camden) and Kendall Wright (Gilbert). So far this season, Frick has completed 131 of his 219 passes for 1,598 yards and 15 Touchdowns with 6 INTs. He’s improved much from this season to last. They’ve also got a running back in the backfield who is already over the 1,000-yard mark this season. Junior Avery King, who has started 21 Varsity Games, is the 5’9”, 180 lb running back who has carried the ball 168 times for 1,232 yards and 8 touchdowns, with 6 100+ yard rushing games. Brookland Cayce has played their best football of the season in region play, heating up significantly in the last few weeks. They beat their rival Airport last week and scored 27 points against a tough Camden Defense led by Linebacker Lavay Penny, who was on a recruiting visit in Chapel Hill this past weekend with Bill Belichek. If Brookland Cayce can ruin Senior Night at Doug Bennet by pulling out a win, they could be heading to the playoffs and secure 3rd place in the region.

Before I close this week’s article and begin the tedious process of working on my broadcast notes, I want to note three connections that the current Swansea Coaching Staff has with ‘The Creek’. Brookland Cayce alumnus and Swansea’s Defensive Coordinator, Brad Coleman, served as athletic director and Head Coach at Brookland Cayce from 2000 to 2007, posting a 40-42 overall record. He was just 28 years old when he was named the 22nd Head Coach in Bearcat History. In 2003, the Brad Coleman-coached Bearcats won the Region 5-3A State Championship, the first in over 30 years. The Bearcats also went to the playoffs for 5 straight seasons under Coleman.

Coleman isn’t the only Bearcat Alum on the staff; current Varsity Quarterbacks Coach and Middle School Offensive Coordinator Tristen Watts is a 2017 alum of Brookland Cayce. He just turned 28 last week. He was a Pitcher at Brookland Cayce, even winning the ‘Best Pitcher award’ in 2016, before playing at Mount Vernon Nazarene University. He also pitched professionally for the Florence Red Wolves in the Summer League. He also played football at Brookland Cayce before coming home to Coach at B.C. after College. He coached at Brookland Cayce for 6 seasons as the middle school offensive coordinator, one year as the Middle School Head Coach, and then served as the Varsity Quarterbacks Coach for six seasons. He is not only the QB Coach for Swansea football, but the Pitching Coach for the Swansea Tiger Baseball Program.

Last but certainly not least, current Athletic Director, Head Baseball Coach, and offensive line coach Preston Deaver got his coaching start in College at the University of South Carolina, coaching the B-team in 2007. Then began coaching the Varsity Offensive Line under Abby Bray in 2008. He also served as assistant strength and conditioning coach and as an assistant Coach on the Bearcat Baseball staff.

Lots of connections, lots of ties, but a playoff spot is on the line! Join the Swansea Tiger Sports Network at 6:50 PM this coming Friday night for the Daniels Furniture pregame show!

Sincerely,

Tigers win,

Hug Ya Momma!

Brady Henderson

The Voice of the Tigers