Summerville holds Stratford challenge, 35-30

James Island Head Coach Jamar McCoy.

Berkeley quarterback Henry Rivers had a big night Aug. 25 to lead the Stags to a 35-21 win at Ashley Ridge. Photo by Roger Lee

 By Neill Kirkpatrick Special to the HSSR Walterboro – Hurricane Erin passed without much fanfare but Monday night in Walterboro a Hurricane from Varnville blew through Cougar Stadium leaving a path of destruction as Hampton County opened their season with a 59-13 victory over Colleton County. “We had a couple penalties early in the game but after we scored that first touchdown we got rolling,” said Hampton County head coach Rob Hanna. “There was a point in the second quarter that we didn’t touch the ball offensively for three straight drives. We had a defensive score, kick return for a score and a blocked punt for a score. All three phases played great, we still have some things we have to clean up but overall happy with the game.” The Hurricane’s also had a little extra motivation after seeing on MaxPreps that Colleton County had beat them 75-0 on Friday night. Coach said his players saw that and they weren’t happy about it. They wanted to prove a point. The game started like a lot of first games with both teams and the official making early mistakes in the game but after Colleton County’s second punt the Hurricanes made landfall and the rout was on. The Cane’s went 75 yards in seven plays to score their first points of the new season as Jaylen Singletary capped off the drive with an 11-yard touchdown run. He added the two-point conversion and the Cane’s led 8-0. On the drive Singletary had four carries for 40 yards and quarterback Tarell Grant also ran for 30 yards on the drive. After another Colleton County punt, the Hurricanes needed just one play as Karinton Sabb raced around the left end and went untouched for a 49-yard touchdown. Rafe Sullivan added the extra point for a 15-0 lead. Things continued to go bad for the homestanding Cougars. On their next possession the center snapped the ball over the punter Nicholas Jones head. Jones ran back and recovered the ball in the end zone for a safety for the Hurricanes and a 17-0 lead. On the free kick the Hurricanes Desmond Mathis returned it for a touchdown but a penalty wiped it out. However, on their first play after the penalty Grant hit Sabb for a 50-yard touchdown pass and the lead ballooned to 24-0. The Cougars put together their best drive of the first half on their next possession as they went 59 yards in six plays. Kenari Koger finished the drive with a four-yard run up the gut for the score. Jones added the extra point to make the score 24-7 Hurricanes. Quarterback Gail Fraizer was 2-3 for 46 yards on the drive with a 35-yard completion to Dustin Davis . The Hurricanes would essentially end the game without an offensive snap the rest of the quarter. Singletary got things started with a 75-yard kickoff return for six. Next, Grant would cause a fumble, pick it up and ramble 38 yards for another score. Special teams would be responsible for the last score. On fourth down the Cougars were punting from their end zone when Ty’Quavian Jones came up the middle to block the punt and Kaveon Tyler recovered the ball in the end zone for another Cane’s touchdown. Sullivan added all the PAT’s and the teams went to the half with the Cane’s up 45-7. The second half was a formality. Singletary scored for the third time when he went 57 yards for another touchdown. D’Andre Capers - Dobson would finish the Cane’s scoring as he scored on a 19-yard run up the middle. Sullivan was good on the PAT’s. The Cougars would score the final points when Trevy Manigo busted up the middle to score from the 12-yard line as time ran out. Both teams will operate on a short week as the Cougars (0-1) travel to Woodland while the Hurricanes (1-0) will head to Allendale to take on area rival Allendale- Fairfax.

AC Flora Captains for Game 1 Against Westwood.

Dillon's WR Zay Robertson in action in 2024.

Williamsburg Academy's Caden Morris at the FTC Jamboree.

Ashley Ridge defensive lineman JT King pressures the Woodland quarterback during the 2025 Dorchester County Showdown.

By David Shelton Senior Writer – Change can be a positive thing and the Trinity Collegiate football program has made a change at the top, one they hope can lead the program into championship contention. Shawn Fagan was hired in March as the new head coach of the Titans but wasn’t able to begin his 2025 season preparation until May. The new coach has been busy at meeting and learning his returning players but also working to encourage new faces to join the field. “The numbers were a concern but it’s getting better,” Fagan reports. “We will probably add some once school starts as well. We have 11 seniors and our first group can be very competitive. Depth is our biggest concern right now.” Fagan is the former head coach at Cathedral Academy and spent time recently as an assistant at Pinewood Prep and St. John’s Christian. He has a solid foundation of how he wants his team to play. “We will try to use our talent at quarterback and running back and be multiple offensively,” he said. “We want to be physical on defense. We won’t limit ourselves through. If we have to open up the entire playbook we will. The guys we have are buying in and the talent we have returning will help us complete. We are very talented at some spots and we need those guys to produce for us.” Fagan expects senior Davidson Lynch to be the starting quarterback. Lynch saw time last season and his strengths are throwing the football. He totaled 1,346 yards and 12 touchdowns through the air last season, Desmond Williams and Jyell Preston will be the go-to receivers while Robert Mack and Andre Jackson are productive veterans in the running game. Mack had nearly 600 yards rushing while Jackson averaged seven yards per carry. Anchoring the lines of scrimmage are veterans Jonathan Cottingham and KJ Allen. Linebackers Mac Burch and William Wilcox anchor the defense. Both had more than 100 tackles last season. The Titans will open the 2025 season against Pee Dee Academy, the defending class AA state champions.

Week Zero is August 15 with Week 1 set for August 21-22