Brookland-Cayce football coach faces significant suspension. Here are the details
Brookland-Cayce football will be allowed to participate in the postseason this year but is still facing a range of sanctions from the South Carolina High School League.
First-year head coach Louis Clyburn will be suspended half of the regular season and won’t be allowed to coach the team in the playoffs. The school also is facing a $1,500 fine and loss of three August practice dates.
The SCHSL’s executive committee ruled to uphold penalties against Brookland-Cayce levied after the league determined rule violations occurred during spring practices in May. The Bearcats football team, according to sources with knowledge of the situation, practiced with a player who was not yet enrolled at the school.
A lot of the details of the violation were not discussed publicly because the committee opted to go into executive session in so they could say the name of the player in question.
Brookland-Cayce has 24 hours to make a final appeal to the league’s appellate panel.
The S.C. High School League sanctions included two options for Brookland-Cayce to accept: The first was a full team ban from the playoffs, loss of three days of practice, limiting the team to one preseason scrimmage and not allowing them to host a jamboree; and suspending Clyburn and any assistant coaches involved in the violation for the first two games of the season.
The second option for punishment — which B-C chose to accept — included keeping the team eligible for the playoffs but mandating that Clyburn and assistants involved be suspended for half the regular season and all of the postseason.
B-C proposed its own sanction relief, but motions to approve them were twice denied (by votes of 7-4 and 6-5). The school’s self-proposal included Clyburn being suspended for the first two games and the loss of summer competition dates and three August practices.
Clyburn, who is also the school’s athletic director, was hired in February to replace longtime coach Rusty Charpia. Clyburn testified on Thursday that he takes full responsibility for the mistake and even said he would personally pay the fine. Brookland-Cayce also touted that they were cooperative with the SCHSL during the process and had information the league requested within two days.
At least one committee member, Steven Sawyer, said he didn’t think there was any intent of wrongdoing by B-C and characterized the penalties as being too harsh.
Brookland-Cayce competes in Region 5-4A with Gilbert, Gray Collegiate, Midland Valley, North Augusta and Aiken. The Bearcats went 4-7 last season and lost in the first round of the playoffs.
This story was originally published June 5, 2025 at 2:18 PM.
