The Standard 10: Clay Pender

Kyle Dawson, Aiken Standard, S.C.
·1 min read

Aug. 14—What he's done

Pender has done a bit of everything during his years at Barnwell, from being named Region 5-AA's Specialist of the Year as a sophomore to earning All-State recognition at wide receiver/defensive back last season.

He was Barnwell's leading receiver last year despite having to miss a few games. He caught 27 passes for 429 yards and five touchdowns

Why he's here

For starters, he's a Pender playing for Barnwell — that's always worth a glance. He's one of the team's top seniors, and he's the Warhorses' leader at the skill positions.

He has the physical and technical gifts, which he displayed throughout the summer at camps on college campuses, and he has an understanding of what his role is at Barnwell. He knows all of the routes, and he has hundreds of reps at the wide receiver position.

What to expect

Expect him to simply make plays wherever his coaches put him — that's what he does. He'll be moved around offensively from out wide to the slot as the Warhorses come up with different ways to get him the football.

Expect him to do that defensively, too, when he finds ways to take the football as a defensive back — like his game-sealing pick-six against Philip Simmons in the third round of last year's playoffs.