The Grind, presented by Bank of Clarendon: Eagles' Bowman blossomed through pain to become leader for Scott's Branch

Life hasn't always been easy for Scott's Branch senior Nyren Bowman. As an eighth-grader, Nyren lost his father and great-grandfather in the span of a few months. He then made the jump to varsity football as a freshman, only to see the Eagles struggle through a winless season on the gridiron. He thought about quitting before Scott's Branch hired a new football coach, Pat Fleming. Then, everything changed.

Now a senior, Nyren has grown into one of the area's top linebackers and a standout wide receiver, leading Scott's Branch to their most successful era on the gridiron since Leonard Johnson led the Eagles to two state titles in the 2010s.

"It's been a ride," said Catherine Renae Caldwell, Nyren's grandmother. He's had some life experiences that we thought would've dampened his progress, so to speak. He lost his dad when he was in eighth grade; his dad died about three miles from his house in a car accident. Eight months later, he lost his only other father figure, my dad.

"I think sports and academics became an outlet for Nyren. The child puts in his all; he never misses practice, he's a captain of the football team, he's been in leadership roles with basketball as well. He's just a phenomenal child, and I'm not just speaking because it's my grandson, but because I had the privilege of being in the house with this kid. His mother had him as a single mom, so grandma has been a part of his life just like his mom, and he has never disappointed me. Nyren has always lived up to the challenge."

EARLY ADVERSITY

Nyren had a familiar childhood for a young kid in Summerton. Basketball and football took over his life as soon as he could pick up a ball. In his early days, Nyren was a bigger kid and played on the offensive line when he first started playing organized football. His playing days almost ended before they started because he hadn't quite found his place on the gridiron quite yet.

"I didn't want to run; I'd get tired and stuff like that," Nyren admitted. "I quit, and then the next year, I came back and I stayed with it throughout after then.

"I didn't like it at first when I was playing lineman, I'm gonna keep it real. But the skill positions, scoring touchdowns, running the ball, tackling people, I always liked that. That's what made me fall in love. I love contact, too, so that's what made me love football."

In middle school, Nyren moved to quarterback and running back, immediately finding a love for the game when he had the ball in his hands. But middle school came with heartbreak. When Nyren lost his father, he turned to his support system. He got closer to his mother and grandmother, while the Eagles swooped in to pick up their teammate and friend.

"My homeboys were there as soon as it happened," Nyren said. "The next day, they were at my house keeping me company so I wouldn't be down on myself, and being around them kept me out of my feelings. When you're going through something, you don't want to be alone because that's depression. They kept me going."

Nyren's father, Terrance Whitfield, lived a complicated life. Nyren honors his father's legacy by choosing not to follow in his footsteps. Instead, he pours his heart into athletics and academics.

"Life had not been so good for his dad, and he didn't want to follow the same route as his father," Catherine said. "His father had been incarcerated as a young person, he did a few stints in the prison system, and Nyren didn't want to follow that route at all. Life has not been easy for this child, but he chose the higher road. He chose the road less traveled."

"My dad told me to never go down his path; he always wanted me to be better than him," Nyren said. "He would always text me before the games, tell me he's watching. I know he's still watching now."

After a challenging eighth-grade season, Nyren got the call up to varsity and immediately felt like he was hit by a bus. The team went 0-10 in a season when only one game was competitive, a 38-32 loss to St. John's. Nyren hit a crossroads at the end of that season, unsure if football needed to be a part of his future. Luckily, a positive change was around the corner.

"We had some discussions like, 'Grandma, I don't think I'm going to continue because it's embarrassing to go 0-10. Something is going to have to change to stay this course; it's hard.' Academically, when it comes to sports, they were always seen as the 'at the bottom' school, and they were trying to battle out from that, they wanted to rise from that," Catherine said. "When they brought in the new coach, Patrick Fleming made an indelible mark on those children. I saw them putting in more energy; they were more focused because of his direction and his guidance. He was starting to lean the other way, but when they brought in that new coach and the relationships he built with those athletes, I saw even my own grandson take a lean in the other side of the pendulum."

NEW COACH, NEW OUTLOOK

When Pat came in the door at Scott's Branch, everything changed. The Eagles went from winless to the postseason, finishing Nyren's sophomore season with a 4-7 record. Individually, Nyren earned All-State honors after catching 35 passes for 414 yards and five touchdowns, while running for two more. He added 97 tackles on defense, including 24 for a loss. He also had four sacks, an interception, two forced fumbles, two recoveries and a defensive touchdown. They were moving in the right direction.

Pat came over from Manning, so he was pretty familiar with Nyren and some of the returning Eagles. As a former linebacker himself, Pat immediately saw Nyren as someone he could mold into a star.

"We played them that year, and I saw that he was a good athlete. I just pulled him to the side and said, 'If you follow the plan and stay committed, anything you want out of this game will come to you, but it's going to be hard,'" said the Eagles' head coach. "He said, 'Coach, I'm ready for the challenge,' and he's done everything I've asked of him and more."

Pat hadn't just been in Nyren's shoes as a fellow linebacker; he knew what it felt like to battle through a winless campaign and the response required to turn a challenging year into a fruitful career.

"I had a similar experience in my first year at Carolina under Lou Holtz; we didn't win a game. I told him it can be real frustrating, but seeing those guys fight all 10 games and not give up, I could see they had the will to win. Now it's starting to learn how to win and do the little things," Pat said. "Now, the older guys understand the process, our standard, and they do a good job of coaching the younger guys along and making sure everyone is sticking to the standard and knows our expectations."

It took Nyren a little while to fully see where Pat was coming from, but he quickly hopped on the bandwagon.

"Freshman year, I didn't think I was that good, to be honest," Nyren said. "Once Coach Fleming came in and moved me around a little bit - at first I was playing outside linebacker and outside receiver, then Coach [Mark] Green moved me to slot receiver and Coach Fleming moved me to middle linebacker, and I like that way better. I can move around the field faster and get more reps. I just love it."

One reason for that confidence was the fact that one of Pat's former players is pursuing his dream of playing in the NFL. Aaron Smith was a standout linebacker at Manning before a stellar career at South Carolina State. He went undrafted out of college last spring but joined the Jets' practice squad before spending the preseason with the Seattle Seahawks this fall. Pat sees Nyren as a similarly capable athlete.

"I saw some of the same skillsets, his toughness, his natural leadership skills, his speed and the willingness to be great," Pat said. "It takes all of that because the inside linebacker position is very taxing; it's kind of like the quarterback of the defense, especially with my defense. I want you to be able to make checks, you have to know four or five schemes, and when we game plan, there are certain cues we have to put us in a better position. He's been knocking it out, and we're looking forward to having him continue to grow."

ANOTHER BATCH OF ADVERSITY

After a solid sophomore season, Nyren and the Eagles cranked things up a notch last fall. They went 8-2 during the regular season as Nyren turned in an exceptional junior campaign, earning All-State honorable mention recognition. He caught 33 passes for 426 yards and 10 touchdowns. He added 90 tackles, 15 tackles for a loss, four sacks, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, an interception and a defensive touchdown.

But at the end of the year, Nyren and the Eagles were hit by a rash of injuries. Scott's Branch lost starting quarterback Jaiven Conyers to a knee injury in the regular season finale, while Nyren suffered a concussion. Despite the missing players, the Eagles defeated Hannah-Pamplico 32-14 for their first playoff win since 2011, but their season ended a week later with a 38-14 loss to Johnsonville.

"When we lost the second game I was kind of in my feelings because I felt like if we were there, I could've helped my team, and we could've won that game," Nyren said.

That loss fueled Nyren this offseason as he transformed his body, adding 15 pounds of muscle to adjust as he moved from outside linebacker to inside linebacker. When the Eagles faced Hannah-Pamplico this fall, Nyren made up for lost time, catching six passes for 97 yards and a touchdown on offense, while collecting 15 tackles and three tackles for a loss in a blowout win.

"I felt like a lot was taken from me; that's why I had that 15-plus tackles against Hannah-Pamplico," Nyren said. "That was the first game of the playoffs that I missed, so I had to turn up against them because they didn't get to see what I was about."

After losing their first two games of the regular season to their larger rivals in Clarendon County, East Clarendon and Manning, the Eagles have been on fire. They won their last three non-region games before turning their attention to Branchville this Friday for their Region VI-1A opener.

WELL-ROUNDED ATHLETE

Nyren has been able to succeed on the gridiron because of his excellent athleticism. When Fleming first got to Scott's Branch, he put Nyren at outside linebacker to take advantage of his speed. He had the range to disrupt the passing game, while adding the physicality to make plays at the line of scrimmage in the run game.

"He's a natural baller," Pat said. "Any time you're a natural baller, regardless of the situation, you'll find a way to make a play. We just sat down with them, I had a lot of conversations with him, Quintin [Jackson], a lot of those other guys, just trying to match them and their skillset to the scheme, so they could run around and show their athleticism and just be the best player they can be."

"When I first got here, we had a strong side and a weak side, so it was like an inverted safety with him. He did a great job in space. I also saw his toughness, where he could make a tackle in the box."

This season, Pat decided to move Nyren inside, where he can be a missile fired directly at the opposing run game. After adjusting to a more physical position, Nyren slotted perfectly into place, collecting 55 total tackles, five tackles for a loss, a forced fumble and two fumble recoveries through five games.

"It's different because it's more of a high-impact position. You're going to hit somebody every play on the inside," Pat said. "Outside, you're on air, you're matching the coverage, so it was just a matter of him learning how to get downhill and attack. He was a natural at it, so all we did was really hone in on his angles and power lines. It's been great for us."

Because of his experience at both inside and outside linebacker, Pat sees Nyren as the perfect modern linebacker.

"He's the new-age linebacker. He can run sideline to sideline, he can cover backs, he can do it all," Pat said. "We just had to put on some weight, and once he started lifting weights and the weight started to come on easy, it was a natural fit for him."

On the offensive side of the ball, Nyren is a dynamic playmaker, catching 17 passes for 333 yards and four touchdowns at the midpoint of the regular season, but what stands out to Pat is his senior's ability to make an impact without the ball in his hands.

"The biggest thing for us is what he does without the ball in his hands. He's a decoy, a blocker, he's done a great job with all of that," Pat said. "At first, he was immature and didn't understand that when the ball isn't coming to him, how to be an effective player. Now he understands how to make plays without making the catch. On defense, without making the tackle, he's making plays all over the field for us, which gives other guys confidence. Any time you chase a championship, you have to have your others step up and make plays, as well."

His leadership is also critical for the Eagles. While they have a ton of experience back from last season, they had some important newcomers on both sides of the ball. On offense, Scott's Branch had to get sophomore quarterback Kaleb Minger.

"It's imperative. The older guys have done a great job of calming him when he needs it, but pushing him when he needs it, as well, and not letting him get complacent. Just the little nuances, like putting the ball on what we call the fade line between the numbers and the hash, little things like that, they always reiterate that," Pat said. "From a coach's point of view, it makes it easier because now they understand how we think about the game of football, so now we're talking football language and everybody is learning and growing. It's fun now. At first, it was very hard and taxing coming into a losing environment and building the foundation and culture and understanding what it takes to be a family oriented program. Our senior leaders do a great job of doing all the things assistant coaches do without the title."

Nyren takes that same work ethic into the classroom. He's been on the A-B Principal's List all four years he's been in high school and was inducted into the National Honor Society. He currently has a 4.1 GPA.

"He's from a family of educators. His grandmother, yours truly, is an educator, my sister is an educator, our grandparents were educators, so he's been raised along those lines," Catherine said. "Academics first, and if you don't meet the standards and you're not raising the bar in academics, then he could not progress to the sports side of things."

FUTURE ON THE GRIDIRON

Nyren picked up his first college offer during the summer from Anderson University, where former Eagle Randy Gibson has continued to soar at the collegiate level. He's received interest from several schools, making a few visits to South Carolina while also making a trip to visit UNC Pembrooke during the weekend. Recruitment is a challenging and oftentimes tedious process, especially for an athlete coming out of a school the size of Scott's Branch, but Nyren is doing everything he can to get the attention of college programs.

"I started to be active on Twitter. I bought the verification check, and that puts you out there in front of everybody," Nyren said. "I started following a lot of coaches, and there's also people in the area that'll send us coaches' pages to follow to send them your film. That's when they started reaching back out, saying they liked the stats and the film and all that."

Pat thinks that the only thing that Nyren needs is a foot in the door with college programs because he already has the tools to wow coaches at the next level.

"We're teaching on a collegiate level, so once he gets on the board and shows coaches that he's learning the game of football and seeing the technique, it's gotten easier to get eyes on him," Pat said. "When we sent out the tape last year, a lot of feedback was that he was very raw. You expect that from a smaller school, but now, since we've honed in on those things, he's starting to garner some more attention. He's had a couple of visits to Carolina for a couple of games, so it's only a matter of time. It's like I told our guys, the more we play and the more we win, the more eyes will be on you, so we're just trying to take it one day at a time, one step at a time and just let everything take care of itself."

In Pat's eyes, whichever college brings in his star senior, they're getting the steal of the century.

"I think he's going to be a late bloomer. Whoever gets him is going to have a treat," Pat said. "I just keep telling him that with the transfer portal, he's just trying to get to school. He develops a little bit more, the sky's the limit with his natural skillset and want-to, his ability to put on 15 pounds of muscle in three months. His best football is ahead of him."

Wherever he ends up, Nyren's family is ready to watch him thrive.

"He's an Eagle; I know he's going to soar with greatness because that's what's instilled in him," Catherine said. "We're trusting God to get him where he needs to be. Nyren is writing his story."