The teams are set for the 75th annual Touchstone Energy Cooperatives Bowl to be played at Doug Shaw Memorial Stadium December 10th. Robin Bacon of Spring Valley and Justin Gentry of Chapin will serve as the head coaches for the North and South teams, respectively. The game will kickoff off at 12:30 PM and can be heard across the state on the SportsTalk Media Network.
North Roster
South Roster
Here’s the full release from Media Director Ian Guerin:
The Touchstone Energy Cooperatives Bowl continues its storied history with today’s announcement of the rosters for its 75th edition.
Led by North head coach Robin Bacon of Spring Valley and South head coach Justin Gentry of Chapin, the two staffs selected the top 88 available seniors for this year’s game, to be played December 10, at Doug Shaw Memorial Stadium in Myrtle Beach.
“This whole process has been awesome,” Gentry said. “As coaches, we began evaluating film last spring and I can honestly say that the talent in South Carolina is as good as there is in the country. I am really looking forward to meeting all the players and getting to work.”
Said Bacon: “My coaches’ tireless work of getting film and nominations has been a big plus. I feel really good about the team we put together because of all the hard work and meetings over the last six months. We spent hundreds of hours looking at film and researching players.”
This year’s Touchstone Energy Cooperatives Bowl is filled with players who have garnered college offers from around the country, including several to Power 5 programs.
The staff for each squad will arrive in Myrtle Beach on Monday, December 5, with players checking in the next day. Teams will then have four days of on-field preparation and film work prior to Saturday’s game.
That Thursday, December 8, players from both teams will be paired with local children for a holiday shopping spree at the Myrtle Beach Target. Then, on Friday, while the senior selections are at TopGolf for an evening of entertainment, the Joanne Langfitt Showcase will feature 120 of the state’s best juniors in a skills challenge at Doug Shaw.
Altogether, this prestigious event is only improving for coaches, players and their families.
“It’s bigger, better and more financially secure than ever,” Touchstone Energy Cooperatives Game Director Scott Earley said. “We’re excited about TopGolf. We’re really excited about the Joanne Langfitt Junior Showcase. We hope we can get some great weather and continue to show off the Touchstone Energy Bowl and the Joanne Langfitt Junior Showcase the best we can.”
Advance-purchase tickets are now available online at TouchstoneEnergyBowl.com/tickets for $25. On game day at the stadium, tickets will cost $30 each. School group rates will also be available through South Coaches Athletics Coaches Association. Fans in attendance at the game will also see the half-time presentation of the 2022 Mr. Football award, given to the state’s top senior football player.
GAME NOTES:
*The 2022 game will be the 75th year of the event, with only the 2020 game being cancelled (pandemic)
*North leads the all-time series 40-31-2
*South has won each of the last three games
*The longest streak in the series is seven games, which North did from 2005-2011. South’s best streak is four consecutive games (two occasions)
*The last tie happened in 1981
ABOUT THE COACHES:
*South Head Coach Justin Gentry has served the head football coach at Chapin since 2010. Prior to taking over the Eagles, he was the head football coach at Lake City High School. He has also served as the head football coach at Williston-Elko High School and as an assistant at Wagener-Salley High School and Marlboro County High School. Gentry, voted his respective Region Coach of the Year six times, was an assistant coach for this game in 2011.
*North Head Coach Robin Bacon has served as the head football coach at Spring Valley since 2015 and was the team’s offensive coordinator for five seasons immediately prior. He has also been the athletics director at Lower Richland High School and the head football coach at A.C. Flora High School. In his career, he has had 36 players named to either All-America or state All-State teams. Bacon was an assistant coach in this game in 2008.
ASSISTANT COACHES:
South: B.J. Payne (Hilton Head); Roosevelt Nelson (Crestwood); Justin Danner (Lee Central); Scott Cook (East Clarendon); Gene Williams (Bamberg-Ehrhardt, assistant); Marco Thompson (Manning, assistant)
North: Chris Liner (Greenwood); Robert Mustar (Powdersville); Demetrius Davis (Fairfield Central); Brian Smith (Ridge Spring-Monetta); Larry Poole (Pelion, assistant); Gil Cade (Abbeville, assistant).
