Hines Furniture Football Media Day highlights hype for upcoming season

The Sumter Item hosted its annual Hines Furniture Football Media Day on Saturday as the tri-county gears up for another fall on the gridiron.

This is always a special day of the year, as it signifies the start of a new school year of athletics - and academics, as the classes begin this week across the tri-county. There's no better way to learn about each of the local football programs than sitting down with coaches and players from all 12 teams in the leadup to the season.

The Sumter Item will release the interviews with each team daily on our social media accounts, so keep your eyes on The Sumter Item and Item Sports Facebook pages. Those interviews will be posted in the same order they joined us on Saturday, starting with Lakewood on Monday. Those conversations will help fill Gridiron, our annual football preview guide, which will be a part of the Aug. 19 edition of The Item.

Hines Furniture Football Media Day was made possible because of the support of the title sponsor, Hines Furniture and Bedding, along with support from Simpson Hardware, Kona Ice, Mary Ann's Deli, CarQuest and Hill Plumbing.

Now, let's dive into the most important takeaways from the annual media day.

FRESH FACES

This football season comes with a bit of turnover in the coaching ranks. In total, four new coaches are in charge of local programs, though there are a few familiar faces in the crowd.

The prodigal son returns to Sumter High as Drew Marlowe gears up for his first season back at his alma mater. Marlowe brings a new intensity to the Gamecocks and has the hardware to back it up with a pair of state titles during an incredible run at South Florence. During media day, he spent a lot of time focused on the need to improve daily, which is a common refrain this time of year. But he also made sure to load up Sumter High's schedule with games that will help them improve, as the Gamecocks will make road trips to both Summerville and Dutch Fork during the regular season along with home games against White Knoll and Dorman.

Marlowe said he doesn't care if Sumter High has a sparkling record at the end of the regular season if those games help prepare them for the march to the SCHSL 5A state championship. They'll have to beat those powerhouses if they want to lift the trophy at the end of the year, so they might as well get a preview during the regular season to see where they stack up.

Staying in Sumter School District, Lakewood's new head coach Jerran Devlin brought a new energy to the Gators. His time with the program has already sparked enough interest to boost the roster size for a program that hasn't been able to host a proper junior varsity team for the last two years. Devlin's top priority coming in the door was trying to establish his culture with Lakewood. The players are bought in; now it's time to follow with victories.

There are two new coaches in charge of SCISA programs as well. David Rankin is no stranger to SCISA football amid a four-decade-long coaching career, but now he takes his talents to Laurence Manning. His former program, Lee Academy, also brought a new head honcho, as Johnie Moreno takes over for the Cavaliers. Both programs have cycled through head coaches in recent years and are looking for stability at the top. Rankin, who coached at Carolina Academy for the last two seasons, said his focus has been on bringing physical football to the Swampcats. Lee Academy, meanwhile, is on its third head coach since Rankin left in the spring of 2024. Moreno looks to snap that streak. Based on what quarterback Landen Olson and running back James Watson said on Saturday, Moreno is laying the right foundation, building the program around camaraderie, rather than playing the blame game.

CLARENDON COUNTY READY TO SHINE

Last year was incredible for Clarendon County football. Manning made a deep playoff run for the second year in a row, following up a trip to the lower state championship in 2024 with a push to the 2A quarterfinals in 2025. Scott's Branch continues an incredible turnaround under Pat Fleming, going from a winless program in 2023 to winning nine games, including a playoff victory, in 2025. The Eagles were smacked by injuries late, ending their playoff run prematurely, but they bring back a wealth of talent from last year's squad. East Clarendon, meanwhile, bounced back from losing senior captain Takoda Cornelius in the first game of the season to go 9-3 last year, earning a home playoff victory over Lake Marion.

All three programs carry exceptional momentum into 2026. The Monarchs bring back most of their roster from a year ago. While they'll miss star running back and linebacker Jontavious Canty, they had to learn to play without him for a month because of a hip injury last fall. East Clarendon has some big shoes to fill in their defensive front seven but return more than enough talent to continue moving in the right direction under head coach Larry Cornelius. Scott's Branch has to replace their starting quarterback from a year ago, but they're extremely excited about sophomore Kaleb Minger, who steps into the role this fall.

This has a chance to be another truly special fall in Clarendon County, and Saturday's conversations at media day confirmed as much.

HOPE SPRINGS ETERNAL

The start of the football season always comes with a blank slate and a chance for a fresh start. While Lakewood and Clarendon Hall were both winless a year ago, the excitement around both programs was evident on Saturday.

As mentioned above, the coaching change at Lakewood brought a new spark, but Clarendon Hall has a new sense of confidence in Year 2 under Shane Wallace. He admitted that last season was mentally taxing but noted that his team's hunger to snap a two-season-long losing streak lit a new fire in him. It can be tough to go years between victories, but the Saints aren't rolling over heading into the fall. With a move down to SCISA 1A and plenty of experience coming back, Clarendon Hall is ready to take the zero out of the win column.