MIDLANDS FEATURE APRIL

By Roger Lee HSSR, Contributing Writer Orangeburg - Dutch Fork captured its fourth consecutive 5A football championship with a 40-20 win over fellow gridiron powerhouse Summerville . For some of the seniors on the Silver Foxes’ team, the win in the 5A, Division 1 Football Championship at Oliver C. Dawson Stadium Dec. 6 puts them in a prestigious group. “Four rings, there aren’t that many people in the country who have done that so it shows what a special group this is,” said Dutch Fork coach Tom Knotts . The coach now holds a prestigious spot in South Carolina high school football record books since this championship is his 10 th championship with Dutch Fork. That ties him with former Summerville coach John McKissick and former Woodruff coach W.L. Varner for the most state titles in a career according to Palmetto’s Finest . “Well I think it means I’m old, but that’s pretty cool,” Knotts said. “It’s special and a great tribute to those players and the great group of supporters we have. I have a lot of respect for Coach McKissick. I’ve visited him a couple of times and had a great time with him. I learned a little bit from him and I’m honored to be in his company.”  Dutch Fork jumped out to a strong start as safety KJ Dupree intercepted two Green Wave pass attempts, both after a deflection by a teammate, in the opening quarter to help the Silver Foxes jump out to a 14-0 lead. The picks set up a 33-yard touchdown run by Kye Fulton and a 25-yard pass from quarterback Jaxon Knotts to Wyatt Warner . Summerville regrouped and drove 80 yards on its ensuing possession to score on a 6-yard pass from Max Stafford to Jaiden Kelly-Murray with more than nine minutes remaining in the second quarter. Later in the quarter, Dutch Fork blocked a 40-yard field goal attempt and the Silver Foxes took a 14-7 lead into the half. Kellly-Murray got the Green Wave right back in the game in the first two minutes of the third, picking up a Dutch Fork fumble and returning it 43 yards for a touchdown. Unfortunately, Summerville didn’t have as much success running the ball from that point as it did in the first half. “We just played a little more sound defense,” Knotts said. “We had to shut down the run. They were handing the ball off left and right and getting big yardage. Once we kind of shored up the run it made them more one dimensional.” Dutch Fork went on top again when Braydon Johnson took a forward pitch on a misdirection play and dashed 27 yards for a TD. The extra-point kick was wide, leaving the Silver Foxes ahead 20-14. The game was tight up until then, but Dutch Fork scored three touchdowns in the final 12 minutes. The final quarter started with a play that got the Summerville fans riled up as Dutch Fork fumbled the ball on a punt. However, the Sliver Foxes managed to recover the ball and go on to score twice before Summerville could get much going for a 40-14 lead. Knotts rushed for a one-yard TD. Shortly after, Julian Walker recovered a Summerville fumble and returned it 19 yards into the Green Wave end zone. Kyle Henry added a one-yard TD run with 3:01 remaining to seal the victory. “We got some momentum there in the third quarter and we just couldn’t capitalize on it,” said Summerville coach Ian Rafferty . “We had a hard time blocking their guys up front. You know, when you have two Power 4 guys up front it can make it difficult. Still, I’m proud of our kids. We were right there in it and the wheels just kind of fell off.” Summerville had a late touchdown drive that featured a heavy dose of running back Jayvyn Williams . He had a 40-yard run to get the ball inside the 10-yard line and capped the drive with a one-yard TD run. “I told coach Knotts we are going to keep coming,” Rafferty said. “We are going to keep trying.”

By Neill Kirkpatrick Special to the HSSR Orangeburg – In the game of football it is the skill players (QB’s, RB’s, WR’s) that are highlighted and talked about but every coach will tell you that it is who wins in the trenches, has the best chance of winning the game. The Strom Thurmond Rebels owned the trenches Saturday afternoon at Oliver C. Dawson Stadium on the campus of SC State University as they captured the schools second class AA state championship defeating the Hampton County Hurricanes 26-7. The championship was their third overall and improved their record to 3-5 in state championship game appearances. The Rebels finished the year 13-2/5-0. “This is honestly amazing. I have been doing this for long enough, I have been following the good lord long enough that I know he had a hand in this for our team. When you play Strom Thurmond Rebel football there is a brotherhood that expands beyond these young men. All the guys that came before that made Strom Thurmond football special. It was our job to continue to hold the standard,” said Rebel head coach Andrew Webb . Coach continued, “The key to us winning were the boys up front. Coach Addison did a great job of getting them ready to play. They have gotten better and they played outstanding again tonight.” The Hurricanes were in their first state championship game in just their third year of existence finished the year 11-4/4-0. “Strom Thurmond is a great football team and they were able to control the line of scrimmage. We felt all week that the team that did that would win the game and hats off to them they took it to us,” said Hampton County head coach Rob Hanna . “We also had five turnovers which is not what we do and you can’t win a game doing that against a team like Strom Thurmond. They made us pay for our mistakes.” The game started well for the Hurricanes. After their defense forced a three and out. The offense started at their 24 and moved the ball out to midfield where Jaylen Singletary ripped off a 57-yard touchdown run but the run was wiped out by an egregious penalty on the play. The flag wasn’t dropped until Singletary had reached the 10-yard line. The Canes regrouped and moved the ball down to the Rebel 24. The official’s then sent Singletary to the bench for what coach Hanna said was a mouth piece issue. It also caused a delay of game moving the ball back to the 25. On the next play Cane’s quarterback Tarell Grant took off around the left but as he neared the first down a Strom Thurmond came in with a hard tackle knocking the ball free. It was picked the Rebels Kalib Simpkins and he returned it 63 yards to the Cane’s 30. It was his first big game changing play of the game. After a holding penalty against the Rebel’s gave them a first and 20 at the Canes 40. Deonte Phillips took the hand off up the middle cut to the right and raced to the right pylon for a 40-yard touchdown run. The Rebels missed the PAT but led 6-0. The Rebel’s defense started to gain control of the line scrimmage causing a couple of penalties forcing the Cane’s into a fourth and 20. On the punt the Rebel’s ran over Cane’s punter Rafe Sullivan which liked a certain roughing the punter penalty. Somehow the official felt the hit wasn’t hard enough for the right call. The Rebel’s would take strike again when Bri’shaun Lee threw a beautiful pass down the left side that just dropped into the waiting hands of Simpkins for a 55-yard touchdown. This play was an example of why football is such a great game. Everybody on the play did their job, QB delivered the pass under pressure, the coverage was excellent, the ball was placed perfectly and the receiver finished it off. The Rebels were stopped on the two-point try but led 12-0. After Singletary had a 23-yard kickoff return to the Rebel 47. The Cane’s would move the ball to the Rebel 28 where on fourth and two Singletary was stopped for a one-yard game turning the ball over on downs. The ate of five minutes with no score. The Rebel’s took over at the their 14 and would move 86 yards in 9 plays eating up all but 24 seconds on the clock to take an 18-0 after being stopped on the two-point try, the drive was highlighted by a Lee to Simpkins 50-yard completion to the Canes’s 27. The rest of the drive was Deonte as he scored his second touchdown from the four. “Players make plays and Kaleb and Deonte have come up big for us all year,” said coach Webb. The Cane’s finally got a big play on the kick off when Tyler Davis returned 65 yards to the Rebel 10-yard line. On second down Grant hit Desmond Mathis with a 10-yard touchdown pass as time expired. Sullivan’s PAT made the score 18-7 heading into half team. The Canes would take the second half kick off and drive into Rebel territory but again the Rebel’s would turn them over on downs. The Rebels offense would had the game over to their defense after their next drive. They would drive 51 yards in 12 plays eating up almost seven minutes off the clock. Lee hit Sha Williams with a 11-yard touchdown pass. The Rebels converted the two-pointer making the score 26-7. The Rebel defense would end the next three Cane’s possessions with interceptions. Jaylen Collins would get two of the picks and Williams would and the other. Lee finished the game 5-7 for a 126 yards and two touchdowns while Phillips rushed for a game high 149 yards and two touchdowns. But the stars of the game for the Rebels were Hezekiah East , Amari McCellney , John Laster , Micah Warren, and Carter Boatwright . This group were physical from the start and they won the day for their team. The defensive front of Grayson Smith , Braylon Searles , Gardy Stone , and Kobe Windless also won the battle as they held the Canes to less than 200 yards and Singletary to 141. After the 57-yard run was called back they only allowed three runs of 10 or more yards the rest of the game. They allowed the Rebels linebackers Bryston Coleman and Mason Johnson to roam free and make tackles.

Larry Gamble HSSR, Photo Editor Orangeburg - The titans of SCHSL Class AAAAA clashed at Oliver C. Dawson stadium and it was a match of skill and determination between Summerville and Dutch Fork . The game was close until the 4th quarter when Dutch Fork capitalized on critical turn-overs to add touchdowns to their score. The Dutch Fork win 40-20 over Summerville belies the three quarters of excellent game play with neither team out of contention to be the winner.

Larry Gamble HSSR, Photo Editor Orangeburg - The Class AA Championship placed Hampton County against Strom Thurmond in the cold rain at Oliver C. Dawson stadium. The Hurricanes could not outlast the Rebels as they took the state runner up trophy home after the 26-7 defeat.

By WORTHY EVANS Contributing Writer HSSR ORANGEBURG – J’zavien Currence and the South Pointe Stallions ran, ran, and ran again on a rainy Saturday afternoon at South Carolina State’s Oliver C. Dawson Stadium Saturday afternoon. All South Florence seemed to be able to do was watch as Currence, a Mister Football finalist who signed with South Carolina three days before, and R.J. Brown , run away with the Bruins’ hopes for a second straight SCHSL AAAA state championship. Currence accounted for 124 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries, and 5 tackles on defense. Brown bulldozed past South Florence defenders for a personal best 193 yards and two TDs on 21 carries to lead the Stallions to a 35-14 victory, their first state title since 2021 and eighth state title in South Pointe’s history. “It was a super special week for us,” Currence said about his signing while working to finish the season with a championship. “A week of focus and a week of having fun at the same time. It means everything to me. Going out fighting with the guys I came in with, that’s it.” Brown’s productivity came after a week of focusing on the team’s rushing attack. “We worked for this. I did a lot of film study, I did a lot of work on my body, I worked for this,” Brown said. “It means the world to me and I know it means the world to my teammates and my coaches.” Fourth-year Stallions head coach Bobby Collins praised his team’s year-round work ethic, which showed in the final week of preparation. “These are blue-collar kids. They come to work every day,” Collins said. “No ego guys. Nobody on the sidelines with bad body language, coaches pushing them to the next level, I’m excited for my kids. They deserve this moment.” South Pointe (14-1) limited South Florence (13-2) to 113 total yards. Messiah Jackson , who led the Bruins with 1,628 passing yards and 22 touchdowns in addition to 660 rushing yards and 22 scores going into Saturday, was 8-for-16 with for 36 yards, a touchdown and three interceptions. Currence, who is set to be in the Gamecocks’ secondary in 2026, had 2,764 yards and 24 touchdowns along with 1,497 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns before Saturday. The Stallions enjoyed a free rushing attack in the first half and finished the afternoon with 316 rushing yards on 47 snaps. “I told every coach on my staff that we’re not throwing this football right now,” Collins said. “It’s either going to be in 0’s (Currence’s number) or 4’s (Brown’s number) hands.” The Stallions opened the game with Currence leading a 9-play, 80-yard scoring drive, and he finished it with a 12-yard touchdown run. Later in the first quarter C.J. Wherry intercepted a Jackson pass in the end zone, and the Stallions kicked off another 80-yard scoring drive, with Brown’s 47-yard touchdown run putting South Pointe up 14-0 with 11:39 in the second quarter. Currence closed out a third scoring drive with 1:31 left in the first half with a 9-yard TD. While the Stallions offense ran wild in the first half, South Pointe held the Bruins to 61 rushing yards and minus-1 yard passing in the first two quarters. The defensive onslaught continued when Kadin Watkins snagged his second interception on the Bruins’ first possession of the second half and returned it 13 yards to the end zone to put the Stallions up 28-0 with 10:23 mark of the third quarter. South Pointe looked to continue the rout, but two Stallions fumbles, both recovered by Bruins Defender Willie Kennedy , put South Florence back into the game. Currence fumbled to set up South Florence at the Stallions’ 29-yard line. Jackson capped the short drive with an 11-yard TD run with 2:59 left in the third. The next turnover came on a bad snap that resulted in Jackson’s 22-yard touchdown pass to Gabe McLaughlin at the 1:10 mark. South Pointe stopped the Bruins rally with a grinding 14-play, 80-yard scoring drive that ate up most of the fourth quarter. “That last drive, it was all 0. His perseverance on that last run, they stropped him three yards in the backfield, but his legs kept moving.” On the run that Collins described, the Stallions faced a fourth-and-3 at midfield and Currence kept driving his legs over the first-down marker for a 5-yard gain. “He’s the most humble, hardworking kid I’ve ever been around,” Collins said of Currence. “Him making the plays in the end, that was no shock for me, he’d do that every day in practice.” Brown broke free on that drive with a 29-yard run to the 1-yard line, then closed it out on his push through the goal line with 4:54 left in the game. “It was super important to us,” Currence said. “Coach always tells me to be a thermostat, not a thermometer. When times get tough just keep the guys cool and level headed. We had been in moments like these before and we had to rally together to get it done.” After that score South Pointe forced the Bruins to turn the ball over on downs. From there the Stallions ran out the clock. “They’re such a great football team,” South Florence head coach Drew Marlowe said about South Pointe. “Our first-half offense really struggled to do anything. We couldn’t separate from them and couldn’t get away from them. Marlowe, who led the team to the last four 4A state championship games and winning two of them, credits the seniors with finishing their final game as Bruins with a trip to Orangeburg. “It says a lot about this senior class,” Marlowe said. “They maxed out their careers, they got to play in 60 football games and four state championships. They came up short today, but I’m so thankful that the Lord brought me to Florence and has allowed me and us to experience this incredible ride.” South Florence 0 0 14 0 – 14 South Pointe 7 14 7 7 – 35 First Quarter SP - J’zavien Currence 12 run (Lawson Miller kick) 8:04 Second Quarter SP - R.J. Brown 47 run (Miller kick) 11:39 SP - Currence 9 run (Miller kick) 1:31 Third Quarter SP - Kadin Watkins 13 interception return (Miller kick) 10:23 SF - Messiah Jackson 11 run (Coy Joyner kick) 2:59 SF - Gabe McLaughlin 22 pass from Jackson (Joyner kick) 1:10 Fourth Quarter SP - Brown 1 run (Miller kick) 4:54 SP SF First downs 19 12 Rushes-yds 47-316 34-77 Passing yds 18 36 Att-Com-Int 3-2-0 16-8-3 Fumbles-lost 3-2 2-0 Penalties-yds 14-115 4-40 Punts-avg 2-30.0 2-36.0 INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS RUSHING SP - R.J. Brown 21-193, J’zavien Currence 18-124, Rasean Brown 4-32, Zymier Gordon-Miles 1-2, Team 3-35. SF - Messiah Jackson 20-36, Cameron James 8-31, Gabe McLaughlin 6-10. PASSING SP - J’zavien Currence 2-3-0. SF - Messiah Jackson 8-16-3. RECEIVING SP - Dalian Duncan 2-18.  SF - Gabe McLaughlin 1-21, Ja’Aun Perkins 2-9, Malik Robinson 2-5, Cameron James 2-2, Semaj Parker 1-1.

Larry Gamble HSSR, Photo Editor Orangeburg - The SCHSL Class AAAA title game matched the South Florence Bruins against the South Pointe Stallions in probably, on paper, the closest match up of the weekend so far. Both teams exhibited good discipline fought hard for the yards they got, but the Stallions seemed to find more ways or the extra effort to convert critical plays and find the end zone or turning key turn overs into points, and sealed their win 35-14.

By Neill Kirkpatrick Special to the HSSR Orangeburg – After last season’s instant classic in the AAAAA DII state championship game between Northwestern and Irmo many were looking for the same in Friday night’s contest but as coaches will tell you each year is different and this game was as the Trojans scored 35 unanswered points in the second quarter to win their seventh state title 55-13. The Trojan’s evened their state championship record at 7-7 but this was the first time they had gone back-to-back. They also became just the 16 th team in state history with 7 or more state championships joining area rival South Pointe in that group. “To do something that had not been done at Northwestern, I’m still in a bit of shock over it” said head coach Paige Wofford . “This goes beyond description. I never thought that the game would have gone like that. I’m so proud of our players. We had a bunch of new guys when the season started. They worked hard and continued to improve each week and this is the end result.” The Yellow Jackets were looking to win their first state championship since 1980 but this game was all about “Murphy’s Law” for them as nothing they did could turn the tide and stop the Trojan’s in the second quarter. “Sometimes things don’t go your way but you still have to stand by the road,” said Irmo head coach Aaron Brand . “This game doesn’t take away the accomplishment of the season or the last three years. This group has won 37 games in that time which is the best three-year span in school history.” Brand continued, “The team didn’t quit and played hard all night. I’m proud of their effort and fight. This game was a teaching moment. Despite the outcome of the game the sun will come up tomorrow.” The Trojan’s scored on their first two drives of the game going 59 yards and 46 yards to go up 14-0. Xavier Means capped off both drives with runs of three and two yards, respectively. Means hit David Flood for a 29-yard gain on the first drive and then connected with Kameron Vance for 25 yards on the second drive. Irmo would take their second drive and go 84 yards in 13-plays to cut into the Trojan lead at 14-6. Maleek Miller would finish the drive with a three-yard touchdown run. The drive was aided by two pass interference penalties on the Trojan. The touchdown brought the Irmo crowd to it’s feet and the Yellow Jackets were back in the game. Then the second quarter began! The Trojan’s began the second quarter by finishing off a 74 yards drive when Mean’s scored his third touchdown of the night from the eight. The score mad it 21-6 Trojans and then the roof fell in on the Yellow Jackets. Irmo punted and the Trojan’s Jonathan Spurgeon returned it 34-yards to the Yellow Jackets 28. Two plays later Means hit Flood from 14 yards out. Then Tamarion Watkins (Texas A&M signee and 17 th ranked player by HSSR) stepped in front of a Dre Dopson pass and returned it 39 yards for a touchdown. Score 35-6. Next Vance blocked a Irmo punt and returned it 12 yards for a touchdown. The onslaught ended after an Irmo fumble at the 50-yard line which was recovered by Kobe Neely. Means connected again with Flood on a 35-yard pass that gave the Trojan’s a first and goal at the Irmo three. Means finished the drive and the onslaught with a one-yard run and the teams went to the half with Trojan’s lead at 49-6. The Trojan’s Mean’s and Vance hooked up from 10 yards and for Irmo Dopson hit Ethan Singletary from 12 yards out to finish out the scoring. The second half was played with a running clock. Means finished the game going 14-17 for 188 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 60 yards and four touchdown. Nigel Smith rushed for 104 yards and Flood had six receptions for 92 yards and a touchdown. For Irmo, Dopson was 12-26 for 124 yards while Amire White rushed for 102 yards. Miller had 6 receptions for 64 yards.

Red Raiders dominate second half to win first titlp since 1990

Larry Gamble HSSR, Photo Editor Orangeburg - Game three of the SCHSL Football Championship games was a perfect cold and damp evening but without most of the rain coming down at Oliver C. Dawson stadium on the SC State campus. Northwestern took and early lead and never looked back as they defeated Irmo 55-13.