Like father, like son: Beaufort high defensive coordinator Andy Smyth and son Andrew form a dynamic pair of leaders

Andy Smyth can be found Fridays in the Beaufort High School football press box, where the sun sets in the eyes of the home crowd as it waits for the 7:30 p.m. kickoff.

The Eagles defensive coordinator wouldn't have been seen in the box in the past. And those upstairs wouldn't have necessarily wanted him there, he says.

He liked to be in the faces of his players, couldn't stand still for long, needed the hands-on approach.

But after four hip-replacement procedures on the same hip, Smyth now requires a golf cart and cane to patrol his defense.

On Fridays, he sits high above the field and relays his wishes through a headset. He leans on more experienced players to mold the younger ones in his ways.

And no one knows what Andy Smyth wants from his defense more than his son, senior linebacker Andrew.

Watch No. 51 as the Eagles play host to Hilton Head Island High School on Friday for a key Region 8-AAA game.

He directs the defense with his dad in mind. Because by the time the Eagles line up, he has sometimes already watched hours of film on the opponent with his dad, broken down tendencies at the kitchen table, discussed what has worked against similar schemes in the past.

"I get a head start on what's going on before anybody else does," said Andrew, who leads the team with 74 tackles.

His senior season has been one of mixed results through seven games. The Eagles haven't allowed more than 30 points since a season-opening loss to Colleton County. They have recorded three shutouts.

Everything is still on the table for a 4-3 team trying to build on its playoff berth from last season. Andrew, who rotates at guard on the offensive line, said there has been only one real hiccup.

"Berkeley is the only game we've been really disappointed in," he said. "We played really hard effort-wise, they just hit us with a couple things we weren't prepared for at first."

It is rare to catch Andrew off guard.

Against Bluffton High School, while on his way to the sideline for a breather, Andrew noticed the Bluffton tackles wide, hinting at the Bobcats' desire to run a read play. Andrew told defensive end Rayquan Singleton to split the gap and disrupt the play.

When he got to the sideline, he relayed to his dad that he had already moved Singleton inside.

"Good, make sure he shoots the gap," was the response. Already done.

When Manning went empty backfield and trips -- or three wide receivers to one side -- Andrew knew the read was to blitz. But he called it off, realizing nobody would be home in the middle of the field.

Before Manning, he remembered an adjustment the Eagles had made the previous year against Summerville he thought would work that week. Andy used it.

The coach-son relationship is a recent one.

Andy avoided coaching his sons' youth teams growing up. He wanted to avoid undue pressure on the boys and be a dad, knowing one day he would coach them on the varsity level.

A coach's son can be the focus of undue pressure, scrutinized for preferential treatment.

But this season has been the perfect storm for son and father, who played offensive line at Beaufort High in the early 1980s and was part of one of the program's most successful teams.

"Andrew has matured and grown into a very solid leader for this football team and has earned everything he's gotten," Andy said. "It's been a really rewarding year to coach him."

Andrew might follow his dad to Presbyterian College, where Andy played nose guard. The son is also considering Western Carolina and The Citadel.

The Blue Hose might hold the most interest. Former Eagles teammates Ben Vaigneur and Rob Dennis are already in the program. Presbyterian's coach, Harold Nichols, arrived on the Clinton campus the same time as Andy.

"There's nothing about that school that I don't think is great," Andy said. "When he talks to me, I tell him it is his decision."

And just like on the field, he expects his son to make the right call.

Follow assistant sports editor Stephen Fastenau at twitter.com/IPBG_Stephen.

This story was originally published October 17, 2014 at 12:21 AM with the headline "Like father, like son: Beaufort high defensive coordinator Andy Smyth and son Andrew form a dynamic pair of leaders."