10 years later, a look at Blythewood’s magical state title season

It’s a memory Aaron Mayes won’t forget.

Mayes, a, sophomore at the time, hit a 26-yard field goal to give Blythewood a 23-21 win over Timberland in the 2006 Class 3A state football championship game.

The victory capped a magical season for Blythewood, which became the first – and only – football team in South Carolina history to win a title in its first year.

“It’s hard to believe it’s been 10 years,” Mayes said. “It’s just one of the memories, the more you the think about, the more special it becomes.”

Mayes said he’s watched the game-winning kick 10 or 15 times since. He and many of his former teammates and coaches, including head coach Jeff Scott, who’s now the co-offensive coordinator at Clemson, reminisced about those memories as the championship team was honored during halftime of Friday’s homecoming game against River Bluff.

A highlight video was shown, and the team and coaches had a pregame dinner.

“I knew at that moment that this was something that I was going to remember, and that group would have to remember for a long time,” Scott said this week. “Because it wasn’t just the fact that we won the state championship. But it was the fact that in our very first year of varsity football, something that really had never been done and was so unique. I think that experience was so special that there’s no doubt it’s still one of the top highlights of my coaching career, and it will be regardless of what happens in the future.”

Scott, son of former South Carolina football coach Brad Scott, wasn’t a popular hire when he got the job in 2005. Some thought he was too young (at 24) and that his father’s name might have been one of the reasons he was hired.

Scott credits principal Sharon Buddin for going to bat for him for the job. He rewarded her faith with a championship, and also gave her the game ball following the season.

“Without Dr. Buddin believing in me and giving me that opportunity and then the success we had at Blythewood, I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to move on to Clemson so quickly,” said Scott, who took a job at Presbyterian the following spring after the championship. “I’ll always owe Dr. Buddin a lot for giving me that opportunity and seeing something special in me.”

The players supported Scott for the job.

“He was mature beyond his years and leader of the program,” said Mayes, who went on to play at Presbyterian and now coaches girls soccer at Camden. “He proved himself worthy of the job.”

“We knew he had what it takes and principal Buddin did as well,” said Richard Mounce, the quarterback on the team. “Looking back, Jeff was such a talented and driven coach. And he knew how to motivate us.”

The foundation for the championship squad was started the year before when Blythewood went 10-0 in junior varsity games during the first year of the school. Mounce, who went on to play baseball at Clemson and then football at Charleston Southern, said that JV year played a big role in the success the following year.

“Been on several teams before and after, and then there are certain teams that mesh together,” said Mounce, who know lives in Raleigh. “This was that type of team and was a special group.”

The Bengals had only 14 seniors, but featured a talented roster that included future NFL player Justin Bethel and other future college players in Marquan Jones (Clemson), Charles White (Georgia), Justin Anderson (Maryland) and Corey Hawkins (Coastal Carolina).

Blythewood’s season started with a loss to Ridge View, and Scott said he had some people tell him they were just hoping for a .500 season following that. The Bengals then rattled off 14 consecutive wins, and 12 records from that season still stand.

In the postseason, Blythewood turned some heads by racking up 700 yards in a 84-41 win against Blue Ridge. Mounce, who went on to win South Carolina Mr. Football the following year, threw nine touchdown passes, eight to Jones. That win earned the Bengals national attention as Sports Illustrated and the Los Angeles Times each wrote about the record-setting performance.

The Bengals followed by beating Lugoff-Elgin and powerhouse Greer before hosting Clinton in the state semifinal game.

Mayes said there was a buzz and anticipation before the Clinton game, and Clinton fans were there well before kickoff. The game lived up to the hype and went down to the final play, when Bethel and a handful of Bengal players stopped Clinton’s Brian Kingsborough on a 2-point conversion for a 31-30 overtime victory.

A week later, there was more drama against Timberland in the title game. A large contingent of Blythewood fans was at Williams-Brice Stadium for the game.

The Bengals trailed 21-20 after a Timberland touchdown with 3:03 left. Mounce said there was no panic, but a belief Blythewood was going to get the job done. The offense moved down the field on an 11-play, 50-yard drive to set up Mayes’ game-winner.

After making the kick, Mayes ran down the opposite side of the field before he was dog-piled by teammates. Following the celebration, someone gave him the football from the field goal. Mayes still has it along with many other mementos from that season.

“Didn’t hit me until coach Scott said make sure the field goal team gets ready,” said Mayes, who was 8-for-8 on field goals that year. “Timberland called a couple timeouts to ice me, but my mind was kind of blank and I wasn’t nervous. Wasn’t old enough to know how big the situation was, but I do now.”

Scott said it was only fitting the season should end in dramatic fashion.

“I think the last two playoff games before the state championship with Greer and Clinton were both games where I felt like going into it they were probably the better team, but our guys just kind of had that momentum,” Scott said. “Winning becomes contagious and guys made the plays it took to win it. It was like a fairytale story all the way to the end, winning the championship on a last-second field goal.”

This story was originally published September 24, 2016 at 10:04 AM with the headline "10 years later, a look at Blythewood’s magical state title season."