Oceanside Collegiate Clinches Region Title With 42-7 Win Over Bishop England

By Billy G. Baker

Publisher 

Charleston—Oceanside Collegiate’s dominating 42-7 win over previously undefeated Bishop England (7-1) at The Citadel’s Johnson Hagood Stadium on October 16, (42-7), not only clenched the Land Sharks the Region 5-AAA title but proved to observers that they have a good chance of winning their fourth straight state title at South Carolina State University at end of the season. 

The Bishops came into the game with a solid rushing attack, a 7-0 record, and they had defeated teams 218-50 in their first seven games. Oceanside Collegiate’s (5-3) three losses came to James Island(8-0) and highly respected out-of-state powerhouse teams.

Cannon Academy of North Carolina (6-2) and Gainesville High in Ga. (6-2). The early season competitive schedule has helped the Land Sharks dominant region foes and will help prepare them for the upcoming AAA playoffs.

After the big win, OC head coach Brent LaPrad shared some comments with the HSSR. “They had hoped to pound the ball, and keep our offense off the field tonight, and our defense stepped up big shutting their run tonight,” said Coach LaPrad. “The only touchdown we gave up was on bad coaching on an onsides kick and we gave up two fourth downplays on that drive and that touchdown was on me. Our defense played great otherwise.

“The big return on the fumble recovery for a score in the first half gave us a huge boost and our defense playing well and giving up a lot of short fields to work with was major differences in us winning the game tonight,” said Coach LaPrad. 



Oceanside Collegiate QB Aiden Manavian recently surpassed 10,000 passing yards in his career and he was recently named to the North-South all-star game to be played in December in Myrtle Beach. Against the Bishops, the Davidson commitment tossed three TD passe sin the big win. 

“Aiden is like having a coach on the field,” said Coach LaPrad.” He carries himself so well both on and off the field. He is such a great example to the younger kids in our program. He carries a 4.9 GPA in the classroom, and he is going on to Davidson. He is a generational player, and I am fortunate to have him on this team, and you might get just one or two players like him over a coaching career.”

The Land Sharks have an excellent combo kicker in junior Jackson Summey who has offers from Colorado and West Virginia among others right now. Summey had a 57-yard punt against the Bishops. 

“It is great to know that we can get three points from about any where and he hit a 58-yarder in practice earlier this season,” said Coach LaPrad. He holds the school record with a 71-yard punt last season, and he flipped the field for us tonight on one of his punts.”   

Coach LaPrad talked about the team’s depth at WR and TE. “We are fortunate to have four receivers who all have next level ability,” he said. “Jaiden Kelly-Murray is headed to Colorado, and he is a big play receiver who can score form anywhere on the field. We hope to have Anthony Williams (recently decommitted from North Carolina and is now being pursued by schools like Liberty) back by the playoffs and he tore his hamstring back in the Spring, but he has bene working hard to get ready. 

“We also have next level receivers in Marquis Muhammad and Cooper Webb who should play at the next level and out tight end Wright Dinkins also has offers,” said Coach LaPrad. “We have five guys who can really go get the ball. We are excited about the playoffs, especially getting Anthoiny back,”

Bishop England head coach Logan Hall talked with the HSSR after the game also. “We are hopeful that our quarterback will be back next week, but it is what it is, and I felt like on the play he got hurt it was an incomplete pass but not a fumble,” said Coach Hall. “When they returned it for a scored it changed the   entire dynamics of the game for sure.

“We have to do a better job up-front and put ourselves in a better position so things like that can’t happen again,” said Coach Hall. “Hopefully, he just has a sprained ankle with nothing torn or broken. 

“I was proud of how the guys competed in the second half and they did not give up, and they played four quarters of football,” said Coach Hall. “We will watch the film in 24 hours and get ready to play Georgetown and we will be working hard to get back in the win column.”

Manavian’s first TD pass was on a 45-yard play to WR Cole Gaspar on the second play of the game, and he had a 38-yard scoring reception to Wright Dinkins, and he also had a four-yard scoring pass to Colorado commitment Jaiden Kelly-Murray with 8:55 left in the game that gave the team their final score of 42-7, after Jackson Summey’s PAT. 

Oceanside went up 14-0 with 3:35 left in the first period on a one-yard run by Michael Strickler, and Sumney’s PAT. 

In the second period, BE scored their only TD of the game when William Donato scored on a one year run and Christian Thomas added the PAT with 8:26 left in the first half.

The play that broke the game open came on a defensive play by the Land Sharks. BE had a first down at the OC 11-yard line on their next possession and the Bishops were moving the ball through the air. BE QB Banks Luton took a hard hit and fumbled the ball that was scooped up by OC LB Tyler Stafford who raced 88 yards for a TD and the missed PAT made it 20-7 game at that point.

Luton never returned to the game and his absence greatly hurt the effectiveness of BE’s offense for the rest of the game.

 OC made it a 28-7 game at the break when Manavian scored from the four with 23 seconds left and then he ran in a two -point conversion to make it 28-7.

 In the second half, OC added two insurance scores. WR Wright Dinkins scored on a 38-yard reception from Manavian with 11:02 left in the fourth period and the PAT made it 35-7. The final OC TD was scored on a four-yard reception by Kelly-Murray. 

Senior William Donato replaced Luton at QB after the second quarter injury. Bishop England was led on defense by North-South selection DE Matthew Ponkow (6-1, 225). 

OC will be at North Charleston this week while BE will host Georgetown.