ANDREWS -- A shoulder injury sidelined Andrews quarterback Brandon Cumbee last season. Even when he returned to the field, he played through the pain.
But after successful offseason surgery and rehabilitation, Cumbee returned with a renewed focus this season. And he's been key for the Yellow Jackets, who are off to a 3-0 start.
"When we started first back playing, not going to lie, I was a little nervous because I was still recovering with the shoulder a little bit," Cumbee said. "I was out for six months due to that injury, and coming back in at 7-on-7s and stuff, I was kind of nervous still trying to throw on it. ... But as of now, I feel good about the shoulder. I'm not scared of it anymore. I just like to go out and play."
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In the first two games of the season, Cumbee scored five touchdowns, four rushing and one passing, and also totaled 280 rushing yards in Andrews' run-heavy offense.
Prior to becoming the starting quarterback in 2023, he split time at the position with his brother, Cam Cumbee, who was a senior in 2022.
"He taught me a lot of things," Brandon Cumbee said. "We'd go back and forth between reps and stuff, and if I messed up on a play, he'd show me what I messed up on and taught me how to get better at it. He taught me all my reads and what I should be reading and where I should be. He told me that I need to know where all the receivers should be and I should know where everybody should be at on the field at all times."
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The brothers were always competitive growing up, whether it was sports or something else.
Brandon Cumbee also said his father, Verney Cumbee, has been a big influence in his life.
"My Dad motivates me every day," he said. "Every day. After every Friday game, he's calling me the next Saturday. He's making sure I'm uploading film on Twitter, on my Hudl, everything. He's always supporting me."
Brandon Cumbee played cornerback prior to becoming Andrews' starting signal caller in 2023. As a corner, he earned 2A all-state honors as a sophomore in 2022. Yellow Jackets coach Scott Durham said his QB could still play defense in special situations.
"He's definitely the leader," Durham said. "I've kind of described him in the past as sort of the alpha dog or whatever. But he's definitely the guy that everybody looks to and he's definitely the guy that kind of gets everybody going in the same direction ... He's not a talker. He's not a loud guy. He just goes about his business and he works hard. He's one of the hardest workers we've got."
Andrews will look to go for the Georgetown County sweep when it travels to Pawleys Island to take on Waccamaw (2-1) on Sept. 20 at 7:30 p.m.
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