With each summer camp, the hype continues to build around the D.W. Daniel Lions.

First it was the Clemson passing league that Daniel won last month, beating out a strong field. Then this week the Lions’ linemen showed off their weight lifting talents at Walhalla with a second place finish out of 11 teams.

A year after going 11-2 and advancing to the third round of the playoffs, the Lions appear to be a popular choice as the favorite to defend their Western 3A title, and possibly play for the state title Dec. 6 at Clemson.

“We’re excited we’re at the top of everybody’s board,” offensive line coach Jamie Wilson said. “But right now we’re focused on Easley (in the first game).”

Wilson said there are signs around the school that say 12-6-08, making sure everyone knows the team is putting more than the usual expectations on a state championship.

“I’ve got 12 guys ready to play football,” Wilson said after the Hawg Tuff Lineman Challenge. “They’re sick of this stuff.”

One reason Daniel is optimistic with high expectations is the weight room turnout of 60 players throughout the summer. Wilson said the team would dress 60 players for the first time in school history. …

Perhaps the most interesting coaching move of the summer came in the wake of the staff change at T.L. Hanna. Long time Yellow Jacket defensive coordinator Lee Garner has accepted a position on Ted Luckadoo’s Westside staff. The Rams experienced some reshuffling following former defensive coordinator Mike Allen’s move to Seneca. (Allen, who lives near Seneca, preferred a much closer drive to work than Westside.)

Allen’s exit allowed the opportunity to hire Garner, although he won’t have the same title he had at Hanna. Luckadoo promoted long-time assistants George Patterson and Herb Phillips to be co-defensive coordinators.

Luckadoo said Thursday that he has not decided on the position Garner would coach.

“He’s well thought of in the coaching community,” Luckadoo said. “We were fortunate to have (an open) position on our staff.”

Just when we thought Kenya Fouch’s move from Calhoun Falls to Hanna was surprising, Garner, one of the more talented and stable coaches on Scott Parker’s staff at Hanna, switches sides and adds a little offseason spice to the rivalry. …

For those who have followed Jasmin Stowers’ track career, this is no surprise, but she’s had another stellar summer. Stowers, a rising junior at Pendleton, won a national championship at the Nike Outdoor Championship in June in Greensboro, N.C. She also won gold at the Caribbean Scholastic Invitation in Puerto Rico. And she finished first at the U.S. Track and Field Youth Outdoor Championships in Charlotte, N.C.

And if she qualifies for the National Junior Olympic Championships on July 22 in Omaha, Neb., she could grab a third national championship this summer. Her times in the 100 hurdles have gone from 14.09 seconds to 14.05 to 13.72.

Looks like that London 2012 Olympics bid is more and more realistic by the week.