Laurence Manning's Powell throws his way to the Hines Furniture Athlete of the Week

The Laurence Manning football team entered the season with a lot of new faces. They watched 20 seniors graduate a year ago, so veteran experience is limited for the Swampcats.

But LMA brought back a crucial piece, quarterback Grainger Powell. The sophomore split time at quarterback throughout the year last fall with Tyler June. Now he's looking to break out as a full-time star.

In the Swampcats' season opener against John Paul II, Powell showed he's more than capable. He threw the ball around the yard, passing for 377 yards and four touchdowns in a blowout victory, earning Hines Furniture Athlete of the Week honors in the process. He was quick to give credit to his top target after earning the recognition.

"It feels really good," Powell said of the support from the LMA community. "Especially having BJ (Balls) here, who hasn't really played a lot since like seventh grade. It's been great."

Head coach Robbie Briggs is glad to have an experienced signal-caller to help lead a relatively inexperienced bunch on offense.

"He's got a quiet presence, a quiet strength. All the kids respect him, and he goes about his business and demands a lot from the receivers," Briggs said. "He's just been a blessing in terms of his demeanor and his quiet strength. When he speaks, they all listen."

Both of Laurence Manning's top receiving threats a year ago, Josiah Burson and Jackson Brunson, graduated in the spring, so Powell had a new group of receivers to work with throughout the offseason. While he had a good rapport with the Dennis brothers, Zy and Scoop, BJ Balls was a newer addition to the room. Powell said the chemistry with his top trio has come pretty naturally through their hard work together.

"For me, Scoop and Zy, it was pretty easy because we've been together for a little bit. BJ joined a little later in the summer, but we built a lot of chemistry quick," Powell said. "It's been going great. I kinda realized when we were scrimmaging Lee Academy and Florence Christian (that this offense could be special). BJ made some good plays, and that's where I got a lot of trust in him."

That chemistry was also built through coaching, as Patrick and Ryan Anderson worked closely with Powell and the rest of the offense to take strides even before Briggs took over as head coach.

"They've done a tremendous job with him," Briggs said. "Unfortunately, we didn't have a spring ball, and I didn't really start until the first week of June, so we're thankful for the work they put in separately from the regular team functions."

It certainly went according to plan against John Paul II. The Swampcats grabbed a 27-0 lead in the blink of an eye with Powell leading the offense. The sophomore QB spread the ball around as all three receivers ended with big games. Balls caught six passes for 192 yards and a touchdown, Scoop finished with seven catches for 98 yards and three scores, and Zy was on the receiving end of seven passes for 79 yards and a score.

"Grainger did an amazing job distributing the football. I think all of them had anywhere from five to eight catches each. He's just a solid kid, and that goes back to his upbringing with his family," Briggs said of Powell. "You can tell he's got a lot of pride to him and he takes his craft seriously. Last year he was kind of a starter, then not a starter, then kind of a starter, so it's kind of a breath of fresh air that he knows this team is going to be hitched to his trailer. He came out and did an excellent job."

The victory against John Paul II was an important tone-setter for this young group of 'Cats. They were able to see first-hand just how far they can go with a quarterback like Powell at the helm.

"Any time you can have a quick-strike offense, you know you always have a chance," Briggs said. "We may throw the ball 30-35 times a game and, at the same time, our offensive line is tremendous. They did a great job protecting him for the most part. We can also run the ball 30-35 times a game depending on our strengths over who we're competing against.

"At the end of the day, you couldn't ask for a better start for our season. Everyone was healthy, we played everyone, and the kids were professional. They did a good job. We're excited about the young group that we have, and we're going to continue to get better throughout the year."

For Powell, this was only the first step in what he hopes will be a great fall.

"It was good to get the first one under the belt," Powell said of the win. "That'll help us keep our confidence and help us keep going against some tougher opponents.

"We've just got to come to practice, do everything as hard as we can and just keep a positive attitude every week."