“Trust the process.” That’s the phrase that McCormick first-year head coach Leroy Collier wants his team to buy into. It’s a process that Collier has honed for 14 seasons coaching at Strom Thurmond High School and the past five seasons as the defensive signal caller for the Chiefs.
Being a Chief means a lot to Collier. So much so that he came up with his own acronym for it. Courage. Honor. Integrity. Excellence. Focus. Strength. These are the principles that Collier is trying to instill in his team.
“(The players) have to be committed,” said Collier of his squad. “It’s going to have to be a collective group effort.”
The Chiefs are rolling with only 28 players this year, significantly less than 50 or so on the average high school football team. However, Collier believes his guys are “built different” and determined to have a successful season.
Collier isn’t the only one who believes this, as McCormick County School District Superintendent Dr. Jaime Hembree said she believes the Chiefs are on the “cusp of greatness.”
While the Chiefs lost phenom running back and Benedict College signee A’Chean Durant, they still have a lot of firepower coming back in 2023. This includes linebacker Camden Durant and wide receiver/free safety Dre’Kevan Thomas. Durant, who is ranked eighth on the SK Media Player Watch List, has shown a lot of promise over the summer, mainly on the defense. However, Collier doesn’t want to overuse his star player.
“We can’t have (Durant) running all over both sides of the ball,” said Collier.
McCormick has arguably the hardest schedule in the Lakelands, facing three powerhouse private schools in Southside Christian, St. Joseph’s Catholic, and Christ Church, as well as the defending AA State Champion Abbeville.
“I just want all of our guys to fight for all four quarters,” said Collier of his tough schedule.
2023 Prediction: The Chiefs go an even .500 at 5-5, and 2-3 in region play to make playoffs. The Chiefs pull off an upset in round one, but ultimately fall in round two.