Summerville Gets Another Ahot at Dutch Fork

By Roger Lee

Contributing Writer, HSSR

Summerville - The Summerville Green Wave has punched its ticket to the 5A, Division 1 Football State Championship Game.

The Green Wave defeated James Island 45-16 Nov. 28 in the fourth round of the playoffs to capture its second consecutive Lower State Championship and advance to the state finals. Summerville will face the same team that beat it in the 2024 state finals, Dutch Fork, at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 6 at Oliver C. Dawson Stadium on the campus of S.C. State University in Orangeburg.

“This never gets old,” Summerville coach Ian Rafferty said. “We are excited to have another shot at it. Our kids and coaches did a hell of a job this week. We had a great week of preparation and then played the way we are supposed to play.

The Green Wave dominated the playoff game. The Summerville defense shutout the Trojans for nearly three quarters. The Green Wave jumped out to a 31-0 lead in the first two quarters and held more than a two-score lead the rest of the way.

“We keep preaching physicality, effort and execution and we did all three tonight,” Rafferty said. “We executed top notch tonight so we just need to have another great week of practice and go up there and compete.”

Running back Jayvyn Williams scored four touchdown on runs of 69, 5, 34 and 2 yards. Quarterback Max Stafford threw across the middle of the defense to connect with receiver Jaiden Kelly-Murray on a 26-yard TD pass and had a one-yard TD dive. Kicker Nate Beaver hit a 42-yard field goal and six extra-point kicks.

Summerville defensive lineman Demarcus King seemed to always be around the ball and made multiple tackles in the offensive backfield. Linebacker Gryson Greenway and Kelly-Murray made interceptions for Summerville. DB Mikel Shidner had a pair of Pick 6s cancelled due to penalties.

Multiple penalties helped James Island to its first score, a five yard pass from Connor Dantzler to running back Malachi Washington. Dantzler’s first of two successful conversion runs made the score 31-8 with less than two minutes remaining in the third quarter.

Dantzler also hit a wide-open Jayseyvion Brown for a 59-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter.