When Cherard Freeman took over the Bryan County football program in 2020 he inherited what amounted to an all-out shipwreck.

The Redskins had not had a winning season since 2013 and had gone 1-26 the previous three seasons. It didn’t help that Bryan County went 0-7 in Freeman’s first season making it 1-33 over that four-year stretch.

But Freeman’s second-year saw an uptick with three wins, and then came the magical 2023 season which produced a 12-2 record that included the school’s first region championship and a spot in the Class A-DI Final Four where it lost to eventual state champion Prince Avenue Christian.

Bryan County football is no longer a laughing stock and everyone’s Homecoming opponent. The Redskins have been competitive the last four years in regions that have been among the strongest in the state.

Retaining that competitive edge will be a challenge this season as Bryan County must replace 78 percent of its run game and will have a plethora of underclassmen on the field at any given time.

Freeman and his staff will start looking for answers in earnest at 7 p.m. Friday at Redskins Stadium when Bryan County takes on Ridgeland, S.C., in a pre-season scrimmage game. The Redskins open regular season play on Aug. 21 when they host Treutlen County.

This will be Freeman’s seventh season at Bryan County and his 15th as a head coach. He had a one-year stint at Portal followed by seven years at Warren County. Both of those schools, incidentally, are on this year’s schedule.

While there have been ups and downs the last six seasons one constant, Freeman said, has been his coaching staff. Turnover has been virtually nil with the most notable loss being the retirement this spring of defensive coordinator Tim Adams.

“I think the biggest improvement (in the program) has been that our coaching staff has stayed intact,” Freeman said. “We lost Coach Adams, who was a great coach, but Coach (Ryan) Collier stepped right up into that spot.

“That’s one thing about our coaching staff,” Freeman said. “I just feel like we really gel.

“There’s a lot of trust. We’re all on the same page with me. I think everyone in our room could be a head coach right now if they wanted to be. They like it here and I like them being here.”

As with most small schools where most players go both ways, Redskins coaches also handle positions on both sides of the ball. They also coach more than one sport.

Collier, who came to Bryan County from Colorado in Freeman’s second season, will also coach the linebackers in addition to serving as the defensive coordinator. In the winter he is the head wrestling coach and is an assistant track coach in the spring

Chad Roberts, who has been with Freeman from the outset after serving as the middle school coach, is the offensive coordinator and also coaches the running backs and defensive backs.

Jason Napier is the head coach of the boys' basketball team and came to Bryan County three years ago with a wealth of experience coaching several sports at Effingham County schools, most notably 13 years at Effingham Middle School where he was the head coach in both football and basketball.

Napier coaches the offensive and defensive lines which Freeman said will be the strength of this year’s team. Brysen Collier will coach the outside linebackers and running backs while serving as head coach of the junior varsity. Collier is an assistant wrestling coach and is head coach of the girls track team which finished second in the state this spring.

A pair of former Redskins will be serving as community coaches as Tanner Ennis and Nathan Long will be jayvee assistants in addition to helping out as position coaches.

Ennis, one of the finest athletes the school has produced, was an all-state defensive back and captain of the Final Four team. He will be working with the defensive backs and wide receivers.

Long finished his playing career last year and was an all-region lineman. He will help out with the offensive and defensive linemen as he starts college with an eye on a coaching career.

The middle school is coached by Michael Moore who has head coaching experience at Savannah High and New Hampstead. His assistants are Winston Johnson, Lamont Ballard and Marc Winkworth.

“It’s a solid group,” Freeman said. “We trust one another. We’ve been together long enough that we know how one another is thinking.

“The best thing about it is we learn from one another. We’ve got a good mix of experienced coaches and young coaches. Having former players involved is a plus, too. I like giving young guys an opportunity to find out what it’s all about.”