Beaufort mates among 5 locals picked for game most prefer to skip

Beaufort running mates Omar Cummings and Wyatt Sherpensky are among five area players named to the South team for the Touchstone Energy Cooperatives Bowl, though this year’s unusual scheduling might lead anyone selected to want to miss the game.

Unbeaten Bluffton also had two players chosen in receiver Tyrese Sandgren and defensive lineman Tyler Lindo. Whale Branch defensive lineman Chris Wilson rounds out Beaufort County’s ensemble, as rosters were filled from more than 400 nominations statewide.

In addition, Beaufort coach Mark Clifford is a South assistant to Irmo’s Reggie Kennedy.

“It’s a great honor,” said Clifford, who joined Kennedy and four other South assistants in the selection process. “But I’m kind of hoping I don’t coach in it, and I kind of hope my guys don’t play in it.”

That would mean the Eagles are getting ready for Class 4A Lower State final.

The annual North/South showdown is set for Dec. 10 in Myrtle Beach. That’s the same weekend as the High School League semifinals — an anomaly created when the schedule was extended two weeks because of Hurricane Matthew.

Inevitably, the roster will need a certain amount of reshaping as players whose teams are making a deep playoff run need to be replaced.

“It’s a work in progress,” Clifford said. “You just don’t know what’s going to happen. The weekend before the all-star game, we’re going to have to look back and see what players ... potentially could be in those playoffs.”

Kennedy told The State newspaper that the alternate list is far deeper than previous years.

“Usually you have one or two guys that are alternate,” he said, “but the list is real big because of the situation with the semifinals. But pretty much the cream rises to the top. We wanted to take the best of the best, which I think we did.”

Cummings and Sherpensky have provided the foundation for Beaufort’s offense, even as the Eagles (5-2) have expanded their aerial attack. Sherpensky has 616 yards and 11 touchdowns rushing, while Cummings has 605 yards and eight TDs.

Sherpensky also has been the Eagles’ top receiver with 14 catches and three more TDs, and the all-star game could be a showcase for his versatility. “He got selected as an athlete,” Clifford said. “You’ll see him in the slot, which is where we’ve used him a lot this year.”

Sandgren, used sparingly in the season’s first month as he returned from injury, now ranks No. 2 among Bluffton receivers with 294 yards and two TDs. Lindo leads the Bobcats (7-0) with seven sacks and 15 tackles for a loss this season, also scoring a TD as part of Bluffton’s “Meat Wagon” backfield package.

“We’re real excited for those two,” coach Ken Cribb said. “I wish they would change the date. I hope the Bluffton Bobcats are still playing. It could be a conflict; hopefully will be.”

Wilson has been an effective run-stopper from any spot along Whale Branch’s defensive line. He also blocked a punt against Beaufort.

This story was originally published October 26, 2016 at 7:44 AM with the headline "Beaufort mates among 5 locals picked for game most prefer to skip."