Summerville quarterback Jaden Cummings led the Green Wave to a 35-6 victory over visiting Sumter Dec. 6 in the 5A, Division 1 Football Lower State Championship game.

By Roger Lee

Contributing Writer

Summerville - Summerville dominated Sumter Dec. 6 in the 5A, Division 1 Football Lower State Championship game.

The Green Wave claimed a 35-6 victory over the Gamecocks to return to the state football finals for the first time since 2007. Summerville (13-0) jumped out to a 28-0 lead in the first half on John McKissick Field and held previously undefeated Sumter (12-1) to a single score through four quarters.

“I knew if we could get the home-field advantage we had a chance to make it to Orangeburg and we did,” Summerville coach Ian Rafferty said. “What an unbelievable team win. Our coaching staff did a great job on offense, defense and special teams and our kids really executed. This is probably one of the better games we played all year.”

Summerville will face Dutch Fork (12-0) in the state-title game scheduled for 2 p.m. Dec. 13 at South Carolina State University in Orangeburg. The Silver Foxes advanced with a 24-0 win over Spartanburg in the Upper State Championship game.

Sumter only managed a couple of productive drives all night.

The offensive star for Summerville, for the second week in a row, was sophomore running back Jayvyn Williams. He chewed up yards and scored on runs of 48 and 3 yards.

Summerville quarterback Jaden Cummings threw for nearly 100 yards and two touchdowns and also rushed for a 3-yard TD. Receiver Jaiden Kelly-Murray finished with more than 50 all-purpose yards and scored on an 11-yard TD pass from Cummings.

The breakout player of the game for the Green Wave was junior receiver Kemori DeWeese, who had multiple kick returns for big gains and made three receptions including a 13-yard TD catch.

The Summerville defense managed to keep pressure on Sumter most of the night and recorded multiple sacks and tackles for a loss. Green Wave defensive back Jakayden Pendergrass had an interception and a fumble recovery.

After receiving the kickoff for the second half, Sumter drove 87 yards for its only score. The drive included a 30-yard pass to senior receiver Cory Bailey and a 54-yard run by senior running back Kameron Fortune. QB Franklin Richardson capped the drive with a 4-yard TD pass. The Green Wave blocked the PAT kick.

Richardson and senior running back John Peeples were the workhorses for the Sumter offense. Despite valiant efforts, they couldn’t penetrate the stiff Summerville defense when they needed to most. In addition to his receptions, Bailey also picked up some significant yards for the Gamecocks on a pair of reverse pitches.