Dean Boyd’s first high school football coaching gig came when he was a freshman at Winthrop University.
York High School head football coach Bill Pate knew Boyd wanted to be a coach and gave him the opportunity to coach the junior varsity at his alma mater.
That set Boyd up to receive a high school varsity coaching job in 1986, after graduating from college. He got a job at Hartsville, winning state championships in each of his first three season there.
Boyd returned to York as head football coach in 2019 and wanted to host a preseason football jamboree.
When Pate died in December 2021, Boyd decided to host the first Bill Pate White Rose Football Classic the following summer, honoring the man who put Boyd’s career “on the fast track.”
“I wanted our jamboree, our classic to be the best in the state, so I thought why not here,” Boyd said at a media day event Wednesday. “There’s some of the best football in the area here. Then I thought this was an excellent way to honor Coach Pate, who meant a lot to me and a lot to this community.”
The third annual event is on Aug. 16 and will feature a mix of familiar and new programs in its four scrimmages.
Charlotte’s Providence High School has participated in the event every year and will play a new opponent, facing off against first-timers Central Pageland at 6 p.m.
At 7 p.m., Catawba Ridge will play in the jamboree for the first time, taking on a Westwood program returning for the second year in a row.
Clover has played in the preseason showcase each of the previous two years. However, instead of playing Charlotte Providence Day like they have each of their first two appearances, the Blue Eagles will scrimmage James F. Byrnes at 8 p.m.
The final scrimmage of the evening will feature hosting York against Fort Mill at 9 p.m.
The scrimmages will serve as a final tune-up before the regular season starts the following week.
Fort Mill comes into the 2024 season off a 2-9 year that both fell short of expectations and showed progress.
It was the first time Fort Mill won multiple games in a season and qualified for the postseason since 2017, snapping an 18-game losing streak in the process.
The Yellow Jackets have an experienced senior group it can lean on, including leading receiver Tanner Mays (29 rec, 434 yards, two touchdowns last year).
Head coach Rob McNeely plans for his team to play disciplined and fast this season, and the jamboree will be a good test.
“The biggest thing is to stop beating ourselves,” McNeely said. “We have to win the turnover battle. We got to stop some foolish pre-snap penalties and things like that. It’s hard enough to beat the teams on our schedule; we can’t beat Fort Mill and try to beat another team.”
Tickets for the 2024 Bill Pate White Rose Football Classic Media Day are available for purchase here .
Most Popular
Comments / 0