St. George – Michael Nelson’s first year as the football head coach at Dorchester Academy saw the Raiders finish with a 9-3 overall record and make a trip to the SCISA Class A semifinals.
Nelson said from all he’s been told this was a great season for Dorchester.
“It was a big step in the right direction,” said Nelson, who came to Dorchester after leading Holly Hill Academy to three straight SCISA 8-man state championships with a 38-0 record. “Everybody keeps telling me we’d been around .500, hadn’t won a playoff game in a long time.
“It was basically getting the kids to believe they can compete for a state championship. That was huge. We had multiple chances to put that game away, and we just weren’t quite able to do it. It didn't end like we wanted it to, but it was a good year with a brand new staff.
The Raiders defeated Dillon Christian School 46-14 in the first round. That was followed by a 17-13 loss to eventual state champion Patrick Henry Academy in the semifinals.
The win over DCS was Dorchester’s first playoff win since 2013. The nine victories were the Raiders’ most in a season since they won 10 in 2011.
Dorchester had 11 players selected to the All-Region 1-Class A team. Those players were Wayland Gruber, Connor Hartzog, Abe Shuler, Benjamin West, John Whetsell, Nicholas Pinckney, Chantz Judy, Jaxson Kositz, Landon Crisp, John Quattlebaum and Lucas Chavis. Gruber, Hartzog, Chavis and Pinckney were also selected to play in the SCISA AA-Class North-South All-Star Game.
Gruber, a senior, played quarterback. He completed 64 of 117 passes for 839 yards and 10 touchdowns while leading the team in rushing with 1,080 yards to go with 13 TDs on 122 carries. Gruber started at strong safety on defense.
Hartzog, another senior, also rushed for 1,000 yards, finishing with 1,003 and eight TDs on 163 carries. He also had five receptions for 100 yards and two TDs. He started at middle linebacker on defense.
Whetsell, a sophomore, rushed for 856 yards and eight touchdowns on 136 carries to go with 12 catches for 143 yards and two TDs while playing wingback.
Quattlebaum, another sophomore, was the Raiders’ leading receiver with 25 catches for 338 yards and one touchdown.
Each member of the Raiders’ starting offensive line was All-Region They are junior left tackle Crisp, junior guard Judy, senior guard Pinckney, senior center Chavis and junior right tackle Kositz. The other member of the offensive line was Shuler, a sophomore tight end who had eight catches for 153 yards and three touchdowns.
Crisp, Pinckney and Kositz were also starters on the defensive line. West started at safety on defense.
Nelson is excited to see what he and his staff can do with a full offseason in the weight room.
“We didn’t get here until June,” said Nelson, who loses 10 seniors from the squad. “To get a full year in the weight room will be huge.”
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