Game Notes: Trinity Collegiate at Pinewood Prep
OPENING KICKOFF: Friday's non-region matchup marks the 6th meeting between Trinity Collegiate (1-1) and Pinewood Prep (1-1) in a series that dates back to 2019. The Titans lead the all-time series 3-2, with Trinity winning the first three matchups before the Panthers racked up victories in the last two meetings, both of which came during the 2024 season.
WHEN LAST WE MET: Pinewood Prep, eventual SCISA 3A State Champions, took a 28-7 lead at halftime en route to a 49-13 win over Trinity in the SCISA 3A State Quarterfinals.Davidson Lynch (Florence, S.C./All Saints Episcopal Day School) finished his junior season strong with 207 passing yards to go along with two touchdowns. James Herbert completed his career for the Titans with 8 tackles to finish with the program records for a career (292). He also recorded 1 TFL to set the school record with 62 in a career. Walker Willcox, Jr. (Florence, S.C./All Saints Episcopal Day School) led the team with 14 tackles, 5 for loss, and 1 sack to cap an all state junior season.
LAST TIME OUT: Quarterback Davidson Lynch led the way through the air as the Titans defeated Ben Lippen on the road, 26-13. Lynch threw for 237 yards and a touchdown, while also adding a rushing score. His top target, Garrison Copeland (Hartsville, S.C./Hartsville Middle School), hauled in six receptions for 117 yards and a touchdown. Robert Mack (Hartsville, S.C./Hartsville Middle School) added a 31-yard touchdown run to the offensive output. Kicker Parker Phipps (Florence, S.C./All Saints Episcopal Day School) hit three extra points and a field goal to cap the offensive scoring. Mac Burch (Florence, S.C./All Saints Episcopal Day School) delivered a safety to extend the lead and the Trinity defense would dominate the rest of the game as the final three drives for the Falcons ended in interceptions by Burch, Mack, and Copeland, respectively.
WITH HONORS: Two Titan players earned state-wide recognition this week while four Titan players earned regional honors. Mac Burch and Walker Willcox, Jr. were both honored with Week 1 Game Balls by PrepRedzone South Carolina, the premier high school football media outlet in the state. Burch was honored for collecting 14 tackles (5 for loss) to go along with a safety and an interception. Willcox registered an outstanding 23 tackles (4 for loss), which was one shy of his own school record set in 2024 against Wilson Hall. Willcox and Burch were also honored at the regional level as Defensive Players of the Week by Pee Dee Sports. Pee Dee Sports also honored two of their teammates on the offensive side of the ball. Davidson Lynch was lauded for his performance at quarterback, going 14 of 23 for 237 yards and one touchdown, along with rushing for a second touchdown. Garrison Copeland was selected as well after recording 114 yards and a touchdown on only 6 receptions, an average of 19 yards per catch.
LEADING THE WAY: The Titans have a senior-heavy squad this year, with eleven total seniors on the roster. They are: Oliver Brodie (Charleston, S.C./Briggs Elementary School), Mac Burch, Johnathan Charles (Florence, S.C./Wilson High School), Drew Cockrell (Chesterfield, S.C./Chesterfield Ruby Middle School), Johnathon Cottingham (Darlington, S.C./Darlington Middle School, Matthew Dameron (Hartsville, S.C/Hartsville Middle School), Kyler Johnson (Darlington, S.C./Darlington Middle School), Davidson Lynch, Jy'ell Preston (Darlington, S.C./Darlington Middle School), Walker Willcox and Desmond Williams II (Florence, S.C./Wilson High School).
STRONG FOUNDATION: The Titans are playing their 17th season of football, entering play with a 110-79 overall record. After spending their first three seasons playing eight-man football, during which they recorded a 9-21 (.300) record, the Titans are 101-58 (.635) since moving to eleven-man football for the 2012 season. Trinity is the only SCISA school to have competed across all five classifications of football offered by the league (eight-man, 1A, 2A, 3A and 4A).
YOUTH MOVEMENT: 8th Grader Dre'den Bethea (Florence, S.C./JL Cain Elementary School) started at wide receiver for a second straight week and put up an even more impressive performance than Week 1, catching three passes for 67 yards. His 8th grade classmate George Taflinger (Florence, S.C./The King's Academy) contributed on defense, including hurrying the quarterback in the fourth quarter.
SPECIAL TEAMS STANDOUT: Davidson Lynch once again had a clutch punt on Friday night, with a 39-yard boot coming to rest inside the 1-yard line where it was downed by Walker Willcox, Jr. Two plays later, Mac Burch and Andre Jackson, Jr. (Hartsville, S.C./Hartsville Middle School) tackled the Ben Lippen running back in the endzone for a safety.
DYNAMIC DUO: Mac Burch and Walker Willcox, Jr. were active all night on defense against Ben Lippen, combining for 37 tackles, 9 tackles for loss, 1 safety and 1 interception.
TWO-WAY STAR: Robert Mack contributed explosive plays on both offense, where he dashed for a 31-yard touchdown run to put the Titans ahead for good, and defense, where he intercepted a Ben Lippen pass and returned it for 23-yards to end their penultimate drive of the night. This set up a Parker Phipps field goal that capped the Titan's scoring on the night.
DEFENSIVE STATEMENT: The 27 points allowed through the first two games of a season are the least allowed by a Trinity defense in their first two games since allowing 26 total to open the 2014 season with wins over Hilton Head Christian and The King's Academy. .
TITAN TIDBITS: This is the first game in the history of Trinity Collegiate football to be played on September, 5th… This is the first regular season football game between the Titans and Panthers in Summerville since 2021. In that meeting, the Titans set the school record for points scored in a game, winning 74-40. Trinity scored 56 points in the first half and racked up an incredible 556 yards of total offense, including 449 on the ground. Carter Hardee completed only three passes on four attempts, but all three went for touchdowns. Reggion Bennett averaged 15.8 yards per carry, racking up 222 yards and three touchdown runs to go along with 76 receiving yards and a touchdown through the air. Matthew Warren caught two passes, both for touchdowns. Defensively the Titans forced six turnovers, including five interceptions, and blocked two kicks.
COACHES' CORNER: Shawn Fagan enters his first season as Head Football Coach at Trinity Collegiate School, bringing 14 years of coaching experience at the high school and collegiate levels. He has a record of 1-1 at Trinity Collegiate School. A Florence, SC native, Fagan attended Charleston Southern University, where he earned his degree and began his coaching career. From 2008–2011, Fagan served at Charleston Southern as a student assistant on defense before coaching outside linebackers. During his tenure, the Buccaneers posted the highest win percentage in the Big South Conference and competed against top-ranked opponents, including the No. 1 Florida Gators in 2009. Fagan's coaching journey has taken him to a variety of programs, including Kentucky Christian University (Running Backs Coach, 2015), Northwood Academy (Co-Offensive Coordinator/Special Teams Coordinator, 2016–2018), Cathedral Academy (Head Coach, 2019–2021), Pinewood Preparatory School (Co-Offensive Coordinator, 2022), and St. John's Christian Academy (Running Backs/Special Teams, 2023; Offensive and Defensive Line Coach, 2024). His leadership has helped teams earn multiple postseason appearances, including a playoff berth with Northwood in 2016, a semifinal run with Pinewood Prep in 2022, and a playoff appearance with St. John's in 2023.
THE WORD ON PINEWOOD PREP: Pinewood opened up their defense of the 2024 SCISA 3A State Championship on August 15th with a 47-0 win over Saint John's Christian Academy. The Panthers are coming off a five-point loss to Hammond last Friday night. This is the closest any SCISA opponent has come to beating the Skyhawks since First Baptist defeated them in Charleston, 7-6, on October 9th, 2020. This was also the closest any SCISA opponent has come to beating Hammond at Edens Stadium since Wilson Hall also fell by 5 points on September 5th, 2014.