Summerville uses mid-season loss as turning point in 2025 season

Summerville – In sports, no loss feels good but losing to a rival is possibly the worst kind of loss.

The Summerville Green Wave football team lost twice during their first 14 games of the 2025 season. The first loss came to South Florence (22-21) in the second game of the season. The Green Wave lost in overtime to a team that has advanced to the AAAA state finals.

The second loss stung a lot more. Summerville lost to district rival Ashley Ridge, 42-19, in their eighth game. That loss would eventually cost the Green Wave the outright region 8-AAAAA championship and losing to a rival cut a little deeper.

But Summerville used that second loss in a positive way. The team refocused and stepped up their level of work and preparation and a new attitude served them well. Summerville has not lost since and has advanced to the AAAAA Division I state championship game against Dutch Fork on Dec. 6 in a rematch of last year’s championship game.

“That loss to Ashley Ridge was definitely a wake up call for the players and the coaches,” head coach Ian Rafferty said. “The whole program came together and we talked about doing whatever it took to prevent that from happening again. We made a few changes, moved some kids around. We have played at a high level since and the hard work has given us another opportunity to win a state championship. The loss turned out to be a good thing.”

Summerville enters the state finals on an impressive roll. In the six games since the loss, the Green Wave has scored 273 points, an average of 45.5 points per game. Among those six wins was a second-round playoff win over Ashley Ridge.

The Green Wave will need to raise their level of play even higher to knock off a Dutch Fork program that is playing in their 10^th consecutive state championship game and is seeking a fourth consecutive state title.

“They are the standard in our state right now,” Rafferty said. “They are well-coached and they play the game the right way. They have really good players and they play hard. It’s a big challenge but I believe we are prepared for it.

“We can’t change who we are or what we do. We need to be creative with what we do but at this point, there can’t be big changes. We have to trust in what got us here and try to execute what we do.”

Offensively, Summerville’s personnel rates as one of the best groups in the state. Two of the top juniors in the state are running back Jayven Williams and receiver Jaiden Kelly-Murray. Williams has rushed for more than 1,900 yards and 23 touchdowns while Murray has more than 1,000 receiving yards with 14 touchdowns. Another receiver, Teru Davis, rates as one of the top sophomores in the state. Sophomore Jaelyn Pounds also has been productive at receiver and Cam Grayson has 11 rushing touchdowns.

Senior quarterback Max Stafford has topped 2,000 passing yards with 22 touchdown passes. Stafford transferred to Summerville from IMG Academy and began his high school career at Philip Simmons.

“Max has been his best down the stretch,” Rafferty said. “Being new here, he basically had to learn on the go and he has adapted well. He’s had a good year.”

The offensive line has been solid in both pass protection and run blocking. Guard Jahmarion Lott is the veteran of the group, along with fellow senior Christian Hewett. Quinn Cook, Nolan Giet  and Daniel Krantz round out the starting unit. Working at tight end are Cooper Gaskins and Jack Burnett.

“Our offensive line against Dutch Fork’s defensive front is a key matchup,” Rafferty said. “They’re really talented along the front so our guys will need to play well.”

Anchoring the defense are linebackers JT Williams (141 tackles) and Eli Pressley (126 tackles). Williams is a senior while Pressley is a junior. Sophomore end/linebacker Demarcus King also has had a strong season and senior Jordan Ravenell anchors the secondary.

“The defense is playing at a high level right now,” Rafferty said. “They are playing with great effort and they are tackling better. They’ve had a chip on their shoulder since that Ashley Ridge loss.”

Starters along the defensive front include Malachi Washington, Dexter Chavous and DJ Hall. Kelly-Murray has been starting at safety since the Ashley Ridge game and is pulling double duty. Josiah Taylor and Jakayden Pendergrass round out the starting secondary.

Offensive Starters

OL – 71 – Quinn Cook

OL – 63 – Jahmarion Lott

OL – 64 – Daniel Krantz

OL – 70 – Christian Hewett

OL – 57 – Nolan Giet

QB – 12 – Max Stafford

RB – 9  - Jayven Williams

TE – 45 – Cooper Gaskins

WR -  4 – Jaiden Kelly-Murray

WR - 3 - Teru Davis

WR – 80 – Jaelyn Pounds

PK – 87 – Nate Beaver

Defensive Starters

DL – 23 – Malachi Washington

DL – 78 – Dexter Chavous

DL – 99 – DJ Hill

DE – 90 – Demarcus King

LB – 10 – Eli Pressley

LB – 18 – JT Williams

LB – 49 – Gryson Greenway

DB -  7- Jordan Ravenell

DB – 11 – Josiah Taylor

DB - 2 – Jakayden Pendergrass

DB - 4 - Jaiden Kelly-Murray

P -  82 - Hayden O’Rear

State Championships

At Oliver C. Dawson Stadium

In Orangeburg

Friday, December 5

3A

Belton-Honea Path (14-0) vs. Oceanside Collegiate (12-2), 12:06 p.m.

1A

Lamar (12-2) vs. Bamberg-Ehrhardt (14-0), 4:06 p.m.

5A Division II

Northwestern (12-1) vs. Irmo (12-1), 7:36 p.m.

Saturday, December 6

4A

South Pointe (13-1) vs. South Florence (13-1), 12:06 p.m.

2A

Strom Thurmond (12-2) vs. Hampton County (11-3), 4:06 p.m.

5A Division I

Dutch Fork (11-1) vs. Summerville (12-2), 7:36 p.m.