Trinity-Byrnes thrives on its culture as it looks to capture first state championship
The 2019 Trinity-Byrnes Collegiate School varsity football team. Contributed photo
By Drake Horton
Contributing Writer
Between Darlington and Lamar sits a small private school that is slowly but surely building itself into a power in the world of SCISA football.
Trinity-Byrnes might not be thought of by most as having a football team with three public high schools in Darlington County, but the Titans are going to make their name known.
Led by head coach Jared Amell, who is entering his eighth season at the helm of the Titans with a 54-27 record, he’s looking to finally grab that coveted state championship trophy.
While being competitive each year, the last two years, the Titans have been right on the cusp of achieving only to come up short. Two years ago they lost in the state championship game and last year they were knocked out in the state semifinals.
But what made this happen? What helped get this program to the point that it is at now, knocking on the door of the SCISA 2A state championship? Is it Amell? Is it the players? According to the man in charge, it is what the school has done.
“I think it is something the school has done; I don’t think it is anything that I have done personally,” Amell said. “We just work hard; the school has grown tremendously thanks to the board and our faculty and staff and our kids. In these seven years since I’ve been here the school has grown nearly 70 percent in enrollment. It is the best academic school around; athletically we have done very well and the school has grown and prospered from it.”
But despite the growth, despite the success, Amell and his team want more; they want a championship and that is the goal.
“With a team that has had so much success over the last couple of years our goals are high,” Amell said. “Our goals are to win the region and to win the state and anything less than that would be a bit of a disappointment.”
Heading into this season Trinity-Byrnes has the foundation to be that team.
Running out of the double-wing offense, a throwback from today’s spread offenses, the Titans have averaged over 300 yards rushing over the last few years and that does not look to change this year.
Apart from returning starting quarterback Jordan Jones, the Titans return their two leading rushers, Reggion Bennett, a sophomore, and Nick Jones, a senior. In addition to that, they add Donovon Lambert, a transfer from Hartsville, who will start at running back.
“He played a little bit last year, but he came in late so he wasn’t as big of a part of things as he will be this year,” Amell said.
And while all of that sounds great, it appears to get even better. This group of players has been extremely dedicated over the summer, putting in the necessary time in the weight room.
“Summer workouts have been great,” Amell said. “I asked every kid to get 30 lifts in and most of them hit that number and the start of camp has been great too. Our schedule is really hard at the first of the season; hopefully we will be ready for that as far as conditioning and being in shape.”
From returning players to great effort in the weight room over the summer no wonder Amell has set the bar high when it comes to his expectations for this team.
“My expectations are high; like I said, I told my kids last year we won 11 games and won our region and for most programs that would be a quality year, but for us it was disappointing because we didn’t win the state championship,” Amell said.
“Nothing changes coming into this year; our goal is the state championship. We have to figure out a way to get that accomplished. I think we will have a quality team if we can stay healthy, not turn the ball over and stop the run. I don’t see no reason why we can’t win the state championship.”
Right now the team is currently participating in camp, but Trinity-Byrnes’ football camp is not like most, where football is the main focus. Instead, Amell keeps his players’ eyes on the bigger prize and that is life and being a better person.
“We do a lot of things, we do study hall, we do SAT prep, we go to see movies, we go to help out in the community with a service project, we accomplish a lot of things other than just football, which is all great as far as team bonding,” Amell said.
This camp setup was not something that Amell always did, however. It was something that just developed over time as he became ingrained in the culture of Trinity-Byrnes.
“Being at Trinity-Byrnes for seven years will change your philosophy,” Amell said. “I highly believe it is the best school around. It is not just about athletics, Trinity-Byrnes is just as good as an academic school as there is around and one of those things they preach is service, service to the community and we believe in athletics as well.”
And while those ideas and principles are built in the beliefs of the school, Amell has a belief of his own, a belief in how this story can end if potential is met. That is getting back to the state championship and this time bringing it home.
“Absolutely, absolutely, it has the potential to and potential is the scary word,” Amell said. “It is a great thing if you make it and it is a bad thing if you don’t meet your potential. That’s where we are at. Last year we thought we could be there and we came up a little short. We can’t take anything for granted, we’ve got to work every day, but we certainly have the potential to be in that game, yes.”