A.C. Flora upbeat amid changes in team

Brendan Greene doesn’t like the use the word rebuilding when talking about this year’s A.C. Flora football team.

With 10 starters back, the quarterback knows there are plenty of holes to fill but isn’t counting out another deep postseason for the Falcons. A.C. Flora went 12-2 last year before losing to eventual championship South Pointe in the Class 3A Upper State title game.

“Everybody is saying we have to rebuild, but I feel it is a reload year,” Greene said. “Losing all those seniors is tough, but this year’s seniors have to step up and lead the team.”

“We don’t believe in that rebuilding philosophy,” A.C. Flora coach Reggie Shaw said. “If you are a good program, you just continue. Different kids have prepared, and it’s their time to shine.”

Greene is one of those seniors expected to carry the load this season. He is in his third year as a starter and coming off a junior season in which he threw for more than 1,600 yards.

The senior signal caller had a busy offseason juggling football and baseball. Greene is an infielder for the Falcons’ baseball team and played travel ball this summer for the Evoshield Canes.

Greene’s schedule didn’t leave many free weekends but he is ready to concentrate solely on football now.

Shaw has been impressed with what he has seen from Greene in the offseason and thinks his accuracy has gotten stronger from a year ago. He said the team’s receiving corps is deeper, giving Greene plenty of targets to choose from this season.

Senior Tromayne Mikell is the lone returner on the Falcons’ defensive line and Shaw says it has been dominant at times during the preseason. Blake Dew is the team’s top linebacker, and Corey Riley leads the secondary. Riley will be a factor on both sides of the ball, something Clemson signee Denzel Johnson did last season.

“We got a lot of young guys coming in and really stepping up,” Mikell said. “We are ready to get after it.”

The Falcons have a couple of chances to fine tune things before their season opener against Clinton on Aug. 21. A.C. Flora is playing Lugoff-Elgin in the Camden Jamboree Friday and then will face Keenan in the 55^th annual Sportsarama at Memorial Stadium on Saturday.

The Sportsarama returns to Memorial Stadium after being held at Benedict College last year. The annual event is one of the main fundraisers for the Richland Sertoma Club.

The year’s matchups are C.A. Johnson-Columbia, Eau Claire-Lower Richland- Hammond-Dreher and A.C. Flora-Keenan.

The Sportsarama begins at 6 p.m., and tickets are $6. There will be an awards presentation, which will include Mr. and Mrs. Sportsarama being handed out and the Charlie Stuart School Spirit Award.

This story was originally published August 13, 2015 at 9:10 PM.