One of the surprise teams in the first half of the football season has been the Airport Eagles. The 4-2 Eagles are off to their best start since 2019. The four wins are more than the previous two seasons combined.
“No one outside our locker room thought we would have four wins coming into region play,” Airport head coach Shane Fidler said. “I think we have a lot to be proud of, but I think there is a lot to be desired, too. I think we are nowhere close to playing our best football. Every week we’re figuring out ways to get better.
“The key right now is staying healthy. Losing Avery Jones in the fourth quarter against Lugoff-Elgin has definitely impacted us the last two weeks. It’s forced us to change things up and try some people at different spots and manufacture points. Overall, when you leave non-region play with a winning record, especially 4-2, you feel pretty good about that, but we also know that we are nowhere near where we want to be.”
Fidler doesn’t have to look too hard to find out the reason for his team’s early success.
“One of the things we talked to the kids about when we first arrived was the quicker they bought in, the quicker we’ll have success,” Fidler said. “The kids show up every day and work. They want to have success. That’s what you want out of your group. They give great effort in the film room and at practice. The parents and community have bought in too. That’s key. We’re banged up right now. We have to have laser sharp focus and a lot of mental and physical preparation going into a tough region slate.”
Airport is led by its defense, which is giving up 22.7 points and 261.8 yards per game. Of the 134 total points the Eagles have surrendered, 105 of those were against Irmo and Brookland-Cayce.
“We’ve done a lot of things well in those games,” Fidler said. “We need to capitalize on that. It was a good measuring stick to see how far we are from teams like that. Now we see where we are going into region play. If we want to get back to playing a team like Irmo we need to lock in and do well in region play to give ourselves a chance.”
In the remaining four games, the Airport defense shut out Swansea and Lamar and gave up seven points to the Demons.
“They’ve done great,” Fidler said. “Coach Brandon Stoudemire, an Airport alumnus, has gotten the kids to tackle and want to be good on defense. I can’t say enough about the job they’ve done. They’re always prepared. Usually teams will put their best athletes on offense. We’ve taken a different approach and put some really good athletes on defense because we wanted to stop people. Overall, the plan has been successful.”
Trey Neil, Montrelle Keys, Bryant Cherry, and Kelby Stroman are the names who show up a lot on the stat sheets. Cherry leads the team with 78 tackles and two tackles for loss. Neil has 62 tackles, eight for loss, with four sacks, one fumble recovery, a blocked kick, and five quarterback hurries. Keys has 51 tackles, four for loss, with four sacks, and one fumble recovery. Stroman has 33 tackles and three interceptions. The unsung hero of the unit, according to Fidler, is defensive back Brandon Powe. His stats don’t jump off the page, 38 tackles and one for loss, but his impact is felt on the field.
“He comes in every week and grades high,” Fidler said. “He’s always in the right spot. He doesn’t always get the stats because he either forces the run to go the other way or is covering a receiver and the quarterback doesn’t throw his way. He doesn’t get a lot of press because of his stats, but he gets credit in the film room because he’s doing the right things.”
The offense has been a work in progress especially with the loss of Jones. He broke his collarbone against Lugoff-Elgin, but coaches are hopeful he’ll be able to return by the end of region play. For the season, Airport is averaging 15.2 points and 227.8 yards per game. Quarterback Jesse Ray Hoover has done a good job managing the offense. He’s completed 60-of-110 passes for 712 yards, eight touchdowns, and two interceptions. He’s also rushed for 144 yards and a touchdown on 50 attempts. Running back Amari Lewis is the leading rusher with 324 yards and two touchdowns on 98 carries. The trouble is the Eagles are finding it difficult to run the ball.
“Teams have done a good job of stacking the box and forcing us to throw,” Fidler said. “They know we don’t have a lot of experience out at wide receiver.”
Shiloh Perry has stepped in and filled the role of leading receiver with 30 catches for 373 yards and three touchdowns.
There is still plenty for Fidler to figure out about his team as it enters Region 4-4A play Friday, September 29 with a trip to Aiken to face the Green Hornets.
As if the Eagles didn’t have a lot to overcome, each region team they play will be coming off a bye week.
“We can’t waste time moving on as coaches or player,” Fidler said. “We will already be a week behind in preparation. We have to do a great job of taking care of our bodies and mentally moving on and refocusing. It’s going to be 150 miles per hour for four weeks, but we’re looking forward to it because this is where the playoff seedings are determined.”
Aiken won’t be an easy opponent. Despite being 0-5 on the season, the Green Hornets are coached by Dwayne Garrick, who went 83-22 in eight years at Barnwell that included three region championships and two state championship appearances.
Following a trip to Aiken, the Eagles host Midland Valley, which is undefeated and features running back Traevon Dunbar who has 1,273 yards and 14 touchdowns in six games. That game is followed by a Thursday night tilt at South Aiken before the Eagles host North Augusta to wrap up the regular season.
“We’re going to have to hit the ground running,” Fidler said. “We need to be physical. We need to lineup, tackle, and block people.”
A win over the Green Hornets would get things off on the right foot.
“It would be huge,” Fidler said. “Aiken came to Airport last year and won 21-7. The kids are motivated about going out and doing the same thing at their place. They probably scheduled us for homecoming. I’m sure a lot of people did. One of the goals as a coach is you never want to be the one scheduled for homecoming. We need to go in there and see if we can ruin it. We need to handle our business. There is a lot of excitement for them. We have to match it. We need to play the type of football we’ve played four out of six weeks so far this season.”
September 28, 2023 | Columbia Star, The (SC)
Author/Byline: Josh Cruse; joshc@thecolumbiastar.com | Section: Article