3 QBs ready to tackle the season for Beaufort Eagles
As the Beaufort High School Eagles prepared for their first game, they were still putting the finishing touches on their offense.
There’s a three-man race going on between the quarterbacks, and head coach Mark Clifford is going to give them all a chance to separate themselves from the other two.
“Those guys are battling it out, and they probably will battle it out all season unless someone takes the lead role,” Clifford said. “Right now Jeffrey Smyth is the starter because of the summer he had, but it will continue to be a battle.”
Each quarterback brings a unique set of skills to the table, which could be a headache for their opponents should they choose to play all three each game.
“Clayton Ruff is probably the most experienced as far as game time goes, because he started last year,” Clifford said. “He’s the most conditioned guy as far as game night goes. Jeffrey Smyth is a great athlete. He has a good arm and really good feet. Once we get him into the game plan, we’ve got a few more running plays for him than we do the other kids. Harrison Lane is a good kid with good talent, and I think he’s going to put pressure on those other two guys.”
As for the rest of the team, Clifford feels pretty good about his group of guys who are returning.
“We’ve got six coming back on defense and six coming back on offense,” Clifford said. “We’ve got to grow up and get more serious-minded like that group did last year. I think we’ve had a good fall practice and a good summer. I think we are as ready as we can be.”
Clifford also was impressed with the offseason training his guys put in.
“This is a good group,” Clifford said. “We recommend that they come up here three times a week. Some of them came five times a week. It was a great summer, and we had great attendance.”
When asked what’s going to make them unstoppable this season, Clifford said he’s simply looking for his guys to take their game to the next level.
“When they work hard, focus and become men on a mission, they can accomplish a lot,” Clifford said.
“We don’t have any superstars. I think it’s going to take a little bit from everyone to get the job done. We don’t have a weak spot on the offense, and we have to use that to our advantage. Everybody needs to do their job on the practice field and rise to the occasion Friday nights.”
Beaufort Eagles
- Region: Region 8, Class 4A
- Coach: Mark Clifford (14th season, 102-52)
- 2016 record: 8-4; 3-2 region
- Playoffs: Lost to Chapin in the second round
- Best case scenario: It will be interesting to see how the quarterback situation plays out for the Beaufort Eagles. It’s nice to have three guys who can sling it, but will head coach Mark Clifford finally settle with one or use all three in every game? That could raise some concern as all three will have to utilize their time on the field wisely or it could be a three-headed monster that could pay off big for the Eagles.
Key returners
- Reed Reichel – WR
- Woods Langehans – T
- Isaiah Wilson – DT
- Will Kelley – MLB
- Reggie Jones – CB/WR
Schedule
- Aug. 18: Wando (The score was not available by press time.)
- Aug. 25: Battery Creek
- Sept. 1: Bluffton
- Sept. 8: at Whale Branch
- Sept. 15: at May River
- Sept. 29: at Stall
- Oct. 6: at Colleton County
- Oct. 13: Berkeley
- Oct. 20: Cane Bay
- Oct. 27: at Hilton Head
Coaches, report your scores
A reminder that our policy is to print all fall sports scores and game recaps submitted to us by coaches or their designee. Results must be typed and sent by email to sports@islandpacket.com. No phone results will be accepted. Results sent in publishable form — complete sentences, athletes’ first and last names, etc — will be published online the following day and in the soonest possible print edition.
This story was originally published August 18, 2017 at 4:59 PM with the headline "3 QBs ready to tackle the season for Beaufort Eagles."