Camden Bulldogs in 2021 football state championship: How they got there
A look at how Camden got to this year’s Class 3A high school football state championship game. The Bulldogs play Daniel in the title game at 2 p.m. Friday at Benedict College’s Charlie W. Johnson Stadium.
TEAM HISTORY
Camden is one of the more storied programs in the Midlands. The Bulldogs are making their 16th state championship appearance. They’ve won seven state titles, the last coming in 2001.
The Bulldogs’ 1964 championship team (13-0) was one of the best in state history on defense, giving up just seven points all season long. This is the first time since 2001-02 that Camden has made consecutive championship appearances. The Bulldogs made four straight from 1931-34.
STAR FOOTBALL ALUMS
Some of the famous players in Camden football history include Billy Ammons (only person to have jersey retired); Shawn Elliott (Appalachian State, and head coach at Georgia State); former NFL players Bobby Engram and Vonnie Holliday; 2002 South Carolina Mr. Football Eric McCollum; Richie Williams (won national titles at Appalachian State); and 2020 Mr. Football finalist Willis Lane.
HEAD COACH
Brian Rimpf was hired in 2017 to replace longtime coach Jimmy Neal, who led Camden to a 2001 state title. The Bulldogs have made the playoffs in Rimpf’s five seasons and got to the state championship in 2020 and 2021. Rimpf is 42-17 at Camden. Rimpf was 42-23 as the coach at Jack Britt High School in North Carolina, leading them to one state championship game. Rimpf played college football at East Carolina and in the NFL with the Baltimore Ravens.
THIS YEAR’S TOP BULLDOGS
▪ QB Grayson White: Sophomore began the year as a defensive lineman before moving over to quarterback after starter Cauthen Best suffered a season-ending injury. White has thrown for 1,072 yards and rushed for 564 with 23 total touchdowns.
▪ RB Averee Hickmon: Sophomore started the opener at linebacker but was moved to offense after several injuries. Second on the team with 411 yards rushing and five touchdowns.
▪ WR Anthony Lyles: The team’s top receiver with 58 catches for 746 yards and four touchdowns.
▪ DL Xzavier McLeod: Junior is the top-ranked prospect in South Carolina for the Class of 2023. He leads the team with 21 tackles for loss, 21 quarterback hurries to go along with 56 tackles and five sacks.
▪ DL Jonathan Chavis: Leads team with 7½ sacks to go along with 63 tackles, 21 quarterback pressure and 17 tackles for loss.
▪ DB Dorian Ferguson: Tied for team lead with three interceptions to go along with 11 breakups and 77 tackles.
2021 CAMDEN SCHEDULE, SCORES
▪ Aug. 20: Gray Collegiate 26 Camden 6: KZ Adams ran for 170 yards and three touchdowns as Gray handed the Bulldogs a loss in the season opener. Camden managed just two field goals in the game.
▪ Aug. 27: Camden 50, Lugoff-Elgin 0: Cauthen Best was 15-of-20 passing for 327 yards and rushed for 47 yards with four total touchdowns in the win over their county rivals.
▪ Sept. 3: Camden 43, Hartsville 37: Devontae McCray’s 5-yard touchdown run with 1:26 left was the game-winner for the Bulldogs. McCray finished with two scores. Cauthen Best and Cortez Lane each had two TDs for Camden. Best tore an ACL during the game.
▪ Sept. 10: Camden 27, Lakewood 6: Davonte McCray, Katrez Bracey, Cortez Lane and Grayson White all had TDs in Camden’s region-opening victory. Coach Brian Rimpf served a brief suspension from the school district — for unspecified reasons — and couldn’t be on the sideline for the game.
▪ Sept. 17: AC Flora 3, Camden 0: Christian Hendricks’ field goal in the second quarter was the only points of the game as the Bulldogs lost to the defending Class 4A champions.
▪ Sept. 24: Camden 11, Lake City 6: Averee Hickmon had Camden’s lone TD and the Bulldogs’ defense used a pair of defensive stands in the second half to preserve the win.
▪ Oct. 1: Camden 35, Crestwood 26: Grayson White and Anthony Lyles each had two touchdowns in the Bulldogs’ win.
▪ Oct. 8: Camden 40, Marlboro County 20: Quarterback Grayson White ran for three touchdowns and threw for one as Camden clinched its third straight region title. The Bulldogs rallied from a 14-10 halftime deficit.
▪ Oct. 22: Camden 46, Manning 0: Grayson White threw three touchdowns as the Bulldogs won their regular-season finale and their 19th straight region game. Jah Mayrant had a TD catch and TD run.
▪ Nov. 5: Camden 56, Bishop England 0: Averee Hickmon ran for two touchdowns and Katrez Bracey returned a punt for a score in Camden’s playoff win. The Bulldogs held the Bishops to three first downs.
▪ Nov. 12: Camden 13, Aynor 0: Grayson White ran for two touchdowns for Camden, which had the ball for just 36 plays. The Bulldogs’ defense recorded their third straight shutout and came up with a big turnover in the second quarter as Aynor was inside the Camden 20-yard line.
▪ Nov. 19: Camden 27, Brookland-Cayce 24: Grayson White connected with Anthony Lyles on two big plays in the fourth quarter as the Bulldogs overcame a 17-13 fourth-quarter deficit to defeat the Bearcats for the second straight year in the playoffs. B-C got it to the Camden 30 with under a minute left, but the Bulldogs’ defense helped preserve the win.
▪ Nov. 26: Camden 13, Dillon 7: Grayson White and Averee Hickmon each had touchdown runs and the Bulldogs’ defense forced six turnovers including four interceptions in the state semifinal.
This story was originally published December 1, 2021 at 11:00 AM.
