Summerville uses mid-season loss as turning point in 2025 season
Green Wave gets another shot at defending state champ Dutch Fork in AAAAA DII tilt
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 10th 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.
