Senior Josiah Taylor is a returning starter for Summerville.

By Roger Lee Contributing Writer Summerville – Dutch Fork has stood in the way of the Summerville Football program’s mission of winning a state championship the last few years, but nothing last forever. The Green Wave (11-3) fell to the Silver Foxes (12-1) 40-20 during the 2025 5A, Division 1 Football Championship at Oliver C. Dawson Stadium in Orangeburg Dec. 6. The loss marks the second consecutive year Summerville has fallen to Dutch Fork in the state finals. “You can’t turn the ball over in a state championship game,” said Summerville coach Ian Rafferty . “We turned the ball over three times and they only turned it over once, but I’m proud of our kids. I don’t think the final score indicates what type of game it was. It just kind of got away from us at the end.” The good news for Green Wave fans is Summerville should return some talented starters next season. Junior running back Javyen Williams rushed for more than 2.000 yards and 24 touchdowns this season and had 18 receptions for nearly 200 yards and another two TDs. Senior Cam Grayson rushed for more than 500 yards and 12 TDs. Junior receiver Jaiden Kelly-Murray led the Wave receivers with more than 1,000 receiving yards and 14 TD receptions. “Jaiden Kelly-Murray is one of the best athletes on our team,” Rafferty said. “He plays his guts out. A lot of people don’t realize late this season he played almost every single snap on offense and defense and played special teams. He is phenomenal.” Sophomore receiver Teru Davis had more than 500 receiving yards and three TDs. Senior quarterback Max Stafford threw for approximately 2,000 yards and 20 TDs. Senior QB Cooper Kafina threw for approximately 700 yards and five TDs. Junior linebacker Eli Pressley and senior JT Williams were the leading tacklers. Senior Josiah Taylor had a team-high four interceptions. The team’s feeder programs have a long history of preparing athletes for the varsity gridiron.  “Our JV team finished the season 10-0 and outscored their opponents by an average score of 40-6,” Rafferty said. “I feel good about the future of Green Wave Football. We’ll be back. We will get back to work and keep coming until we get a championship. Wave Wrestling Summerville is out to a strong start on the wrestling mat. This month, Green Wave coach Daryl Tucker surpassed the 350-wins bench mark for his wrestling coaching career. As of Dec. 13, he has led Summerville to 359 dual wins. Tucker already had the most coaching wins in program history. “That’s a big number, but I tell people all the time I don’t do this by myself,” Tucker said. “I’ve had a lot of great wrestlers along the way. I’ve had some really good assistant coaches and a really supportive administration.” Summerville placed second during last weekend’s 2025 Cane Bay Duals . The Green Wave defeated Hanahan (63-18), Chapin (47-25) and Wando (53-26) to advance to the semi-finals. There, it defeated rival Ashley Ridge (42-30) to advance to the championship match. In the title match, Summerville fell 44-28 to Lugoff-Elgin . Ashley Ridge is ranked third in the 5A, Division 1 preseason poll while Summerville is ranked sixth. Lugoff-Elgin is ranked fourth in 5A, Division 2. It was the first loss of the season for Summerville, which enters this week with a 10-1 record. “We aren’t going to hang our head about losing to Lugoff,” Tucker said. “They have a really good program and there is a lot to learn from losing to a really good opponent.” The win over the Swamp Foxes is Summerville’s most prestigious of the season. “It was a really good high school match,” Tucker said. “The first three or four matches were decisions so it was tight until we hit 165.” Summerville had one wrestler too sick to wrestle, a few injuries and the members of the team who also play football have only been able to participate in a few practices so overall the team’s performance in the event shows promise. “My 150-pounder, Kayleb Pinckney , is wrestling on another level,” Tucker said. “He has really put some things together and he does things I can’t coach because he is so athletic. Another senior, Brayden Herman , had five wins today. won all five of his matches Ridge Rollison and Mason Whisenhunt stepped up at 157. Right now, we are just trying to get some guys more consistent and get better one day at a time.” Seth Seprish and Dexter Chavous are grapplers expected to make a difference in heavier classes this season. Trinton Morris didn’t participate at Cane Bay, but is expected to help strengthen the middle part of the lineup when he returns from injury.

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.”

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.

Summerville defensive back Jordan Ravenell tackles James Island receiver Sam Crumpton Nov. 28 during the fourth round of the 5A Football playoffs. Photo by Roger Lee.

Senior quarterback Max Stafford threw for two touchdowns and rushed for another Nov. 14 during Summerville’s playoff win over Ashley Ridge. Photo by Roger Lee.

By David Shelton Senior Writer Moncks Corner – After the first-round of the AAAAA state playoffs went about as expected, round two may offer a few more eyebrow raising results. However, expect most of the favored teams to move on to round three. Upsets can and will happen but after 11 weeks of games, we all have a pretty good idea of who the best teams are this season. The only true upset of the first round was Blythewood’ s comeback win over Clover. In Division, defending state champion Dutch Fork had a bye in round one and should be poised for a repeat run. If we have learned anything over the last decade, it’s Tom Knotts doesn’t lose much after November 1. Dutch Fork will be favored in every playoff game but the most intriguing matchup would be if Dorman can reach the Upper State finals against the Silver Foxes. Remember though, Ridge View is a sleeper and already played Dutch Fork close earlier this season. On paper, the Lower State of Division I may be more wide open. The favorite has been Summerville b ut the Green Wave are far from a shoo-in. Summerville gets a shot at revenge when they visit Ashley Ridge in round two. Ashley Ridge dominated the Green Wave during the regular season meeting, 42-19. Plus, this is already a very big rivalry game. The 9-1 Sumter Gamecocks host the 10-1 James Island Trojans in round two. Sumter eliminated James Island from last year’s playoffs so the revenge factor is alive and well. Carolina F orest and Stratford are coming off byes and both are heavily favored in round two. A dark horse in the Lower State of Division I may be Stratford , with a 9-1 record. The Knights have a winning quarterback in Shrine Bowl selection Jachin Davis and also have a big-time running back in Maliq McGowan . Division II The Division II ranks are the deeper of the two divisions with more serious title contenders. Most of the top teams reside in the Upper state but the conversation starts with last year’s two finalists, Northwestern and Irmo . Both teams are as good as they were a year when Northwestern beat Irmo with a last second field goal. Both teams entered the season having to replace big-time quarterbacks and Northwestern’s Xavier Means and Irmo’s Devron Dobson have not missed a beat. Both offenses are explosive and high-scoring so some team will need a great night offensively to keep up. Greenwood and Gaffney , two storied programs, will clash in the second-round with a good team packing up after Friday night. Greenwood has been good all year but can Shrine Bowl quarterback Tristian Lewis , a South Carolina commit as a defensive back, do enough to advance. Speaking of Gaffney, the Indians went through some adversity early but seem to be hitting their stride after a quarterback change. The Indians clearly have the talent to win the Upper State. Two teams to keep an eye on are T.L. Hanna and Hillcrest but both would be dark horses. The Hillcrest at Indian Land game is one to watch in round two. The Lower State probably doesn’t have a team capable of beating Irmo. If there is team to watch it would be Berkeley. The Stags are very good defensively and run the football well . If the Stags can cut down on penalties, they could be around for a while. Lucy Beckham, Lugoff-Elgin and Myrtle Beach have solid teams but taking down Irmo is a tremendous challenge. Second-round Division I-AAAAA matchups Boiling Springs at Dutch Fork Rock Hill at Byrnes Spartanburg at Ridge View Blythewood at Dorman Fort Dorchester at Carolina Forest Summerville at Ashley Ridge James Island at Sumter River Bluff at Stratford Second-round AAAAA Division II Catawba Ridge at Northwestern Gaffney at Greenwood Hillcrest at Indian Land Greenville at T. L. Hanna Lugoff-Elgin at Irmo Lucy Beckham at White Knoll West Florence at Myrtle Beach Westwood at Berkeley

Running back Cam Grayson picks up yards for Summerville Oct. 30 during the Green Wave’s win over Fort Dorchester. Photo by Roger Lee.

Ashley Ridge senior running back Ryan Campbell (6-0,180) led the Foxes to a 42-19 win over rival Summerville.