BLACKVILLE — The true measure of greatness in sports is whenever a team can dominate -- even when the opponent knows the game plan.

For two decades, Blackville-Hilda under David Berry has gone into every game in every season with the same vanilla approach -- run the football on offense and play solid, sound, fundamental defense.

And while the strategy has not provided plenty of heavy highlight-reel material on Friday nights, it has earned the Hawks recognition where it counts the most. No T&D Region team has won as many games (93) this decade as Blackville-Hilda, and last season the program claimed its sixth state title in school history and third under Berry.

Yet entering his 20th season at the school, Berry is being forced to embrace some semblance of change. The Hawks graduated 21 players from last year’s state championship team, including a good chunk of linemen, linebackers and safeties.

“They’re new faces,” he said. “They haven’t been battle-tested. Some of them saw some playing time last year, but not a lot of time. So it’s going to be a slow process of trying to get people in the right positions, trying to get them to do the right thing and really trying to be simple and try not to make a lot of mistakes.”

After six years as one of the dominating teams in Region 5-A, B-H has returned to its old stomping grounds of Region 4-A. This means facing old rivals like North, Hunter-Kinard-Tyler and Barnwell County neighbor Williston-Elko, and then going through the Upper State in order to make a return appearance to Oliver C. Dawson Stadium for the Class A Division II championship game.

“It’s a little different knowing who and what they do,” Berry said. “It’s going to be a little bit of learning of what they do and trying to familiarize yourself with them.”

Looking to get B-H back to Orangeburg in late November is versatile senior Joe Thomas (5-11, 190). A threat on both sides of the football, Thomas was the team’s leading rusher with close to 1,400 yards and seven touchdowns and is one of two returning starters on the defensive line.

The other is senior Dustin Beasley (5-10, 195) who will share the football out of the backfield with Thomas and with sophomore quarterback Chris Kearse. He started the final nine games for the Hawks, although don’t expect him to put the football in the air much in Berry’s run-oriented offense. (B-H had just 264 passing yards the entire season).

Senior tackle Brian Chisolm (6-2, 295) will be counted upon to provide leadership to what will be a very young offensive line.

“We’re going to work on basic stuff, fundamentals from Day One,” Berry said. “Hopefully, the more they do it the better they get. They’ll be a work in progress.”

The same is true on the defensive end, where the only other returning starter is junior cornerback Quentin Johnson (5-9, 180). He leads a group that held opponents at just over 10 points per game and allowed just seven points in the third quarter all season.

Even with all the changes, Berry plans to continue his single-minded approach to each new season in hopes of still getting the same results.

“You can’t live in the past,” Berry said.

“You’ve got to start from day one and start getting ready for this year because of new faces, new team and they have to create their own identity.”

You must be logged in to comment.