Defending AA State Champions Eyeing A Repeat

By: Gerald Doolittle The South Carolina Independent Schools Association enters October with teams now playing for playoff seeding. Last seasons Champions in Class 3A (Pinewood), Class 2A (Bethesda) and Class 1A (Williamsburg) all moved up a classification in the new alignment. Can Northwood repeat in 4A and can W.W. King repeat in 8-Man? The top 2026 contenders in Class 4A are Hammond (6-0), Pinewood Prep (6-0), Ben Lippen (4-1) and Laurence Manning (3-1). Defending Champion Northwood Academy (4-2) and Porter-Gaud (4-2) could sneak into the finals. The top 2026 contenders in Class 3A are Northside Christian (6-0), First Baptist (5-1), Hilton Head Christian (5-1) and Bethesda (3-1). Florence Christian (4-2) and Wilson Hall (4-2) could determine who make the finals. Class 2A will be a four- way battle between Calhoun Academy (6-1), Colleton Prep (6-1), Greenwood Christian (4-1) and Patrick Henry (4-1). Williamsburg Academy (3-1) will have say on who makes the finals. Class 1A will be a battle between Dorchester Academy (5-1) and Dillon Christian (4-2) SCISA 8-Man will have Jefferson Davis Academy (6-0), Laurens Academy (5-0), W.W. King Academy (4-1) and Newberry Academy (4-1) working hard to win the Title. Wardlaw Academy (2-3) can be a sleeper to pull off a surprise finish. The top rushing leaders leading into October are Jordan Blackmon (Dillon Chr) 935 yds, Isaiah Scott-Palacos (Greenwood Chr) 871 yds, Joseph Morse (W W King) 857 yds, Reed Almers (Dorchester) 839 yds, B J Suits (Northside Chr) 712 yds, Parker Kizer (Holly Hill) 673 yds, Derrick Porter (First Baptist) 683 yds, Michael Polite (Northwood) 583 yds, Kai Sobey (Patrick Henry) 558 yds, Caleb Hardy (Laurens Ac) 533 yds, Grant Smalls (Williamsburg) 480 yds and Ethan Porter (Augusta Chr) 447 yds. The top passing leaders going into October are Silas Brawner (Pinewood) 1898 yds, Cam Werntz (Porter-Gaud) 1387 yds, Cale Owens (Colleton Prep) 1312 yds, Kres Langhals (Hilton Head Chr) 1297 yds, Gibbs Isom (First Baptist) 1256 yds, Ethan Collins (Laurens Ac) 1110 yds, Harris Janik (Augusta Chr) 1070 yds and Kevin Johnson (Northwood) 1053 yards. The top pass receivers going into October are Amir Chisolm (Porter-Gaud) 742 yds, Tre Green (Pinewood) 687 yds, Drew Wolfe (Northwood) 640 yds, Lavoris Lucas (Pinewood) 612 yds, Thomas Corbett (Colleton Prep) 540 yds, Joshua Bradley (First Baptist) 507 yds, Jackson Richardson (Hilton Head Chr) 489 yds, Jimmele Smith (Ben Lippen) 447 yds, Wilson Yarborough (Porter-Gaud) 415 yds and Gray Easterling (Dillon Chr) 404 yards. The top tackle leaders going into October are Jacob Bussey (W W King) 73, Mac Strickland (Orangeburg Prep) 72, Allen Chisolm (Porter-Gaud) 66, Luke Sobey (Patrick Henry) 65, Stone Porter (Ben Lippen) 59, Davis Padgett (Palmetto Chr) 58, Eli Seigler (Greenwood Chr) 57, Chandler Rogers (Dillon Chr) 57, Lincoln Dial (Dillon Chr) 57, Zach Weatherford (Holly Hill) 54, Jake Harrington (Jefferson Davis) 53, Scooter Brown (Porter-Gaud) 52 and Eli Garrett (Laurens Ac) 50.

By David Shelton Senior Writer Summerville – By the time the November issue of the High School Sports Report goes to press in early November, the pairings and seedings for the AAAAA state football playoffs will be known.  The regular season ends on Oct. 30 with round one of the postseason set for the first Friday night in November. Thus begins the five week trek to the state championship game. Class AAAAA has a clear favorite to win the state title. Defending champion Dutch Fork has shown to be a dominant team with a great defense and an offense that routinely puts up big numbers. Senior quarterback Jaxon Knotts has evolved and matured into one of the state’s top passers, and receiver Maleek Miller is just one of several perimeter weapons. While the Silver Foxes are certainly the team to beat, there are a handful of teams that have the personnel and coaching to put some pressure on Dutch Fork. Northwestern won the last two Division II state titles but that division is no more. Thus, coach Page Wofford and multi-talented quarterback Xavier Means are hoping to contend again. Northwestern has rolled through opponents, scoring at least 50 points in five straight games. The Trojans face a region showdown with Dorman on Oct. 9. The Cavaliers are 6-0 and have shown a steady hand to win close games. Region 2-AAAAA is clearly the top league this fall. Joining Dorman and Northwestern are 5-1 Rock Hill , 5-1 Boiling Springs , and 5-1 Fort Mill . If any of those teams are the “sleeper” in the Upper State it would be Rock Hill. River Bluff and Byrnes should be listed as teams with a chance to advance at least into round three but neither is a true title contender. Undefeated James Island is the top team in the Lower State and, with a weak region, should enter the playoffs with a perfect record. The Trojans have great balance offensively with several playmakers, while the defense is strong at all three levels. Other teams in the Lower State with potential to advance include Ridge View, Sumter, Summervill e and of course Berkeley. Berkeley’s lone loss was to Northwestern. Carolina Forest could also be a team to watch and plays Berkeley in a key region 6-AAAAA clash on Oct. 9.

By Dennis Brunson hssr.com Associate Editor Sumter – Taking a look at the High School Sports Report AAAA football poll, most of the high schools in it either have a long, rich tradition of winning or have recently enjoyed a lot of crazy success. Then you look there sitting at No. 7 – Lugoff-Elgin . The Demons are 5-1 on the season after opening their Region 4 schedule with a 30-20 win over Westwood on October 1. One more victory will assure L-E of its first winning season since 2017. Of course, head coach Jarvis Littlejohn and his players are looking for something far greater than a winning season. Littlejohn is in his first season as THE head coach. He was in charge of the team last year, but on an interim basis. He guided Lugoff-Elgin to a 6-6 record and the second round of the AAAAA Division II state playoffs. Littlejohn isn’t surprised the Demons are where they are right now. “It’s just been their preparation over the summer and into the season,” said Littlejohn, who was the defensive coordinator in 2024. “They are committed to the process. We were really close to winning eight games last year. You can see the way they’ve worked to better themselves.” The Demons opened the season with a 41-25 victory over AAAAA Chapin . Up next was Kershaw County rival Camden . The Bulldogs have been one of the most consistent programs in the state at making deep playoff runs during head coach Brian Rimpf’s tenure. With Lugoff and Camden literally separated by the Wateree River with the city limits starting once you get off on either side of the U.S. Highway 1 bridge, L-E made the short trip to Zemp Stadium on August 28. The Demons returned home with a 28-25 triumph, their first win over Camden in at least a decade. “That was a huge win, not just for the program, but for the community,” Littlejohn said of L-E's first win over Camden since 2017. “We were wanting to win against them, and it gave us more confidence than we’d had. We knew we had beat one of the best teams in South Carolina .” Oh yeah, there’s another reason for the success. “We’ve got a bunch of kids who are really, really good,” Littlejohn said. Leading the way for the L-E offense is senior running back Tiyon Fanning , who has been selected to play in the Shrine Bowl along with wide receiver teammate EJ Richardson. A transfer from White Knoll , Fanning, who is 6 feet tall and weighs 220 pounds, was averaging 172.0 rushing yards a game through the first five games. He had 860 yards and 11 touchdowns on 93 carries. Littlejohn said it is Fanning’s demeanor that allows him to have such success. “He’s a very mature young man,” Littlejohn said. “When it comes to football, he loves it, he eats it, he breathes it. He takes care of his body, he works hard. “And he has great speed. He doesn’t get caught from behind much. He has that extra gear.” Junior Zach Williams is the quarterback. He had 59 completions in 98 attempts for 694 yards and four touchdowns. He spreads the wealth with five different players in double figures in receptions. Junior Taymarion Silva leads in catches with 13, going for 91 yards. Richardson, junior Keenen Cunningham and sophomore Tyree Lindsey have 11 grabs apiece. Richardson is the big play receiver with 211 yards and three scores. Cunningham has 87 yards and one TD, and Lindsey has 102 yards. Fanning has 10 receptions for 149 yards. While Lugoff-Elgin has only allowed under 20 points in one of its six games, Littlejohn believes the unit is the heart of the team. “The scores don’t indicate how hard we’re really playing,” he said. “When you look at some of the touchdowns we’ve allowed, the defense is only giving up 12-13 points a game.” The defense is led by junior outside linebacker Jace Coleman , who has Power 4 conference offers from Georgia , Tennessee , West Virginia and Florida State . He has 34 tackles, eight tackles for a loss, two quarterback sacks and four quarterback hurries. Senior cornerback Corey Murphy has four interceptions, giving him 14 for his career. Senior outside linebacker Logan Hinton has 24 tackles, seven of them for a loss, junior defensive end Tavian Nelson leads in sacks with four, junior linebacker Cash Majar has a team high 60 tackles, and senior middle linebacker Tristan Young has 40 stops. Littlejohn believes if the Demons can avoid a rash of injuries they can make a deep run in the playoffs. “Health is wealth,” Littlejohn said. “They have to pay attention to details, their preparation, be on point. They have worked to better themselves as football players, as people. They’re a great group of young men.” There is plenty of talent in AAAA. Along with Fanning and Richardson, 11 other players from AAAA schools were selected to the Shrine Bowl roster. They are wide receivers Kyson McLeod from South Aiken and Tajah Watson-Martin from Westside , offensive linemen Ty Johnson from Lucy Beckham , CJ Brooks from Gaffney and Hayden Crokett from Hilton Head Island , Irmo defensive linemen Jaiden Bryant and Tyrone Jennings , North Augusta defensive lineman Simeon Jones , linebackers Kendaris Bailey of Gaffney and Andrew Massey of Hilton Head Island and South Pointe defensive back Amari Dogan . The rest of the AAAA poll had Gaffney at No. 1, Irmo second, North Myrtle Beach third, Hilton Head Island fourth, North Augusta fifth, South Aiken sixth, defending AAAA state champion South Pointe eighth, T .L. Hanna ninth and South Florence 10 th . Gaffney, Irmo, North Myrtle Beach and T.L. Hanna all dropped down from AAAAA, where they were standouts, to AAAA due to reclassification. Gaffney was 4-1, Irmo 3-2, NMB 6-0 and Hanna 4-1 prior to the October 2 games. The Indians have been perennial powers in AAAAA since its inception and AAAA before that. They are one of the favorites to make a run to a state championship. They have a rock-solid defense that allowed just 84 points against a brutal non-region schedule. They are led by senior Carsen Good with 36 tackles. Bailey leads in TFLs with 5 ½ and sacks with three. Senior defensive back Ayden Montgomery leads in interceptions with two. Irmo finished second in AAAAA Division II the past two seasons. They are led by Alabama running back commitment Tai Phillps , South Carolina offensive lineman commitment Nate Carson and Miami Bryant. The Chiefs have shown an ability to win low-scoring games as well as shootouts. In a 58-42 win over Loris in a battle of unbeatens, wide receiver Jaden Chestnut caught six passes for 117 yards and three scores. Running back Jayden Wilson ran for 159 yards and two more TDs. Hanna is averaging 258 rushing yards a game but spreads the wealth. The top two rushers are senior Brock Cole with 441 yards and four TDs and junior Esaias Carroll with 373 yards and seven touchdowns.

Daniel senior Jace Grass delivers a pass behind the protection of junior Koda Crocker.

Bamberg-Ehrhardt senior Brian McMillian in the 2025 state title game.

Morris passes for 245 yards and 2 TDs in 42-8 victory over Orangeburg Prep

Demons' Tiyon Fanning, EJ Richardson two of 13 AAAA players selected to Shrine Bowl team

Bruins' Cameron James goes over 1,000 yards; West hands North Myrtle Beach 1st loss

Eagles' Quintin Jackson having big season running and catching football