2023 could have looked a lot different if a handful of plays would have gone the Emerald Vikings’ way. Instead, those plays went their opponents’ way and left the Vikings limping into the playoffs, having dispatched Union County for the sole win of the season to salvage fourth place in the region.
A new day has dawned over the shores of Valhalla and the Vikings are hoping to take the tough lessons of 2023 and apply them to a brighter 2024 season. Emerald will look to a blend of youth and senior leaders as they move up into Class 4A following the latest South Carolina High School League realignment.
“We will have a lot of young guys out there, but we also have a great class of seniors to balance out the youth,” said head coach Tad DuBose, who begins his fifth season at the helm of the Vikings warship.
The VIkings have 20 seniors on the roster to go along with 10 players who are either freshmen or sophomores. One of the key positions being held down by underclassmen is quarterback. They will be looking to sophomore Eli Swancey to take charge of the offense while presumptive starter Beau Hite continues to mend from a shoulder injury that sidelined him for all of baseball season. Hite has taken some snaps at quarterback, running back, and wide receiver during the preseason for the Vikings.
“We are very young at quarterback this year,” DuBose said. “We’re going to let Beau (Hite) get fully healthy before we put him out there at quarterback. Eli (Swancey) has come a long way between spring practice and preseason practice and we feel like he gives us a great chance to win ball games.”
Swancey will have some weapons at his disposal on offense. Senior Key Holloway moved from quarterback to receiver where he can have the ball in his hands in space a lot more. The backfield will have the three-headed attack of A.J. Anderson, K.D. Abney, and Chris Dean. In addition, there will be plenty of pass catchers for Swancey to choose from in Karson Wright, Camelle Hill, Max Divilbliss and transfer Armahd Key.
The VIkings also brought in a new offensive coordinator in Garrett Jones who spent the past two seasons in the same position at Saluda. The Vikings hope Jones can revitalize an offense that has struggled to move the football during significant stretches of the past two seasons.
Defensively, the Vikings will get an immediate impact from senior transfer Kam Langford. The 6-foot-3 senior linebacker will be relied upon to lead a defense that struggled at times in 2023. Langford will be joined at linebacker by Christian Foster and John Flemmings. The defensive backfield will be led by seniors Cody Scott and Holloway. The fresh-look defense struggled against Greenwood at the Abbeville Kick-Off Classic in Abbeville, but redeemed themselves nicely in a 7-0 loss to Abbeville where they looked fast and athletic.
“We have the pieces in place for us to have a successful year,” DuBose said. “These guys have been working their tails off in the offseason to get better and now it’s time for us to go out and show it.”
Schedule Prediction: The Vikings have a manageable nonregion slate that leads into what could be one of the tougher regions in Class 4A. They have a reasonable path to a 3-2 record before heading into region play. Westside and Wren will both be difficult games to win, but contests against Southside and Fountain Inn are very winnable. That leaves the game against Laurens to likely determine if the Vikings or Raiders finish third in the region. Final record 4-6 with a first-round playoff loss.
| 8/23 – Week 0 | @ Ninety Six |
| 8/30 – Week 1 | Travelers Rest |
| 9/6 – Week 2 | @ Woodruff |
| 9/13 – Week 3 | Broome |
| 9/20 – Week 4 | @ Strom Thurmond |
| 9/27 – Week 5 | BYE |
| 10/4 – Week 6 | Wren |
| 10/11 – Week 7 | Westside |
| 10/18 – Week 8 | @ Southside |
| 10/25 – Week 9 | @ Fountain Inn |
| 11/1 – Week 10 | Laurens |