Beaufort Eagles in 2021 football state championship: How they got there
Beaufort High School, playing in the Class 4A state championship Thursday night, is making its second championship appearance since desegregation in 1964. The Eagles lost to Clover in the 2007 championship game. Previously, the team won titles in 1933 and 1945.
Here’s a look at how Beaufort got to the championship game this year. The Eagles play South Pointe in the title game at 7 p.m. Thursday at Benedict College’s Charlie W. Johnson Stadium.
HEAD COACH
Greenwood native Bryce Lybrand is in his third season as head coach at Beaufort. He was hired as an assistant coach in 2018. When DeVonte Holloman left Beaufort after one season to go to his alma mater, South Pointe, Lybrand earned the head coaching position.
He has made the playoffs in all three seasons, winning region titles in 2019-2020. Before coming to Beaufort, Lybrand was an assistant at Wando and Fort Dorchester in South Carolina, and Providence High School in Charlotte, N.C. The Greenwood native began his career as a student assistant under Dabo Swinney at Clemson and also coached at Carson Newman, a Division II school in Tennessee.
THIS YEAR’S TOP EAGLES
QB Tyler Haley: Was 168-of-273 passing for 16 touchdowns. He also carried the ball 62 times for 558 yards and nine touchdowns.
RB Amariee Morris: Leads team with 996 yards rushing and 18 touchdowns.
WR Zyrin Odom: Caught 40 passes for team-high 785 yards and nine touchdowns.
WR Kacy Fields: Leads team with 50 receptions for 720 yards and three scores.
DL Eamon Smalls: Sophomore Division I prospect has 66 tackles, 16 for loss, 3½ sacks and 10 quarterback pressures.
DL Alvin Wilson: Shrine Bowl and Touchstone Energy Bowl selection has 75 tackles, 27 for loss, 8½ sacks and 19 quarterback pressures.
LB James Dennison: Leads the team with 97 tackles, nine tackles for loss, three quarterback pressures and three interceptions.
DB Colton Phares: Tops in the secondary with 71 tackles, six for loss and five pass break-ups.
THE 2021 SEASON
▪ Aug. 20: Beaufort 28, Richmond Hill (Ga.) 8: Amariee Morris rushed for 91 yards and two touchdowns in Beaufort’s season-opening win. Zack Talbert returned a fumble for a TD and Zyrin Odom had 60 yards receiving for the Eagles.
▪ Aug. 27: Beaufort 24, Effingham (Ga.) 3: Quarterback Tyler Haley threw a 60-yard touchdown pass to Zyrin Odom and added a 40-yarder to Kacy Fields. Caleb Ulmer added a two-yard run and Joe Caprarola had a 47 yard field goal.
▪ Sept. 3: Beaufort 33, Benedictine (Ga.) 23: Tyler Haley threw for 283 yards, rushed for 53 with three total touchdowns to lead the Eagles over a strong Benedictine squad. Amariee Morris led Beaufort’s running game with 121 yards rushing and a TD. Zyrin Odom was tops in receiving with 136 yards and a TD.
▪ Sept. 10: Beaufort 38, West Ashley 7: Tyler Haley threw for 217 yards and three touchdowns in the non-region win. McLeod Reichel caught seven passes for 117 yards and a TD, and Zyrin Odom had three catches for 85 yards and TD. James Dennison returned an interception for a score.
▪ Sept. 17: Oceanside Collegiate 31, Beaufort 17: Rico Harrell returned an interception for a touchdown to break a 17-17 tie with less than four minutes to help Oceanside hand Beaufort its first loss of the season. Tyler Haley had a TD pass to Zytin Odom and Amariee Morris had a TD for Beaufort
▪ Oct. 1: Beaufort 38, Hilton Head Island 14: Amariee Morris ran for 87 yards and three touchdowns as the Eagles won their region opener. Quarterback Tyler Haley threw a touchdown pass and Zyrin Odom also had a kickoff return for a score. Haley finished with 201 yards passing, and Kacy Fields had 136 yards receiving.
▪ Oct. 8: Beaufort 16, James Island 0: Joe Caprarola kicked three field goals and the Eagles defense picked off two passes in the win over the Islanders. Beaufort running back Caleb Ulmer rushed for 101 yards and quarterback Tyler Haley was 13-of-20 passing for 176 yards.
▪ Oct. 15 May River 24, Beaufort 21: Garvin Douglas ran for 200 yards and two touchdowns as the Sharks defeated the Eagles. Amariee Morris ran for 139 yards in the loss.
▪ Oct. 22: Beaufort 45, Bluffton 12: Tyler Haley threw for 327 yards and three touchdowns to Zyrin Odom, who caught four passes for 114 yards. The win clinched the second spot in Region 7-4A for Beaufort.
▪ Oct. 29: Beaufort 44, Colleton County 6: Kacy Fields caught two TD passes and Caleb Ulmer ran for two in the Eagles’ regular-season finale.
▪ Nov. 5: Beaufort 30, South Florence 14: Tyler Haley threw two touchdown passes to Zyrin Odom, and Joe Caprarola kicked three field goals as the Eagles won their first-round playoff game.
▪ Nov. 12: Beaufort 42, North Augusta 10: Amariee Morris ran for three touchdowns, Tyler Haley had two TD runs, and Jalin Porter returned an interception for touchdown in the second round win.
▪ Nov. 19: Beaufort 20, Myrtle Beach 19: The Beaufort defense knocked down a go-ahead two-point conversion pass with 1:06 left to knock off top-ranked Myrtle Beach. Tyler Haley’s 6-yard pass to McLeod Reichel gave Beaufort a 20-13 lead with 4:19 left. Haley had 161 yards of offense.
▪ Nov. 26: Beaufort 42, West Florence 10: Amariee Morris ran for 70 yards and four touchdowns for the Eagles, who earned a spot in the Class 4A championship game. Quarterback Tyler Haley had 185 yards of offense and a TD.
This story was originally published November 30, 2021 at 2:25 PM.
