Top AAA Teams Getting Off To Solid Start In Region Play

By: Gerald Doolittle The South Carolina Independent Schools Association enters October with teams now playing for playoff seeding. Last seasons Champions in Class 3A (Pinewood), Class 2A (Bethesda) and Class 1A (Williamsburg) all moved up a classification in the new alignment. Can Northwood repeat in 4A and can W.W. King repeat in 8-Man? The top 2026 contenders in Class 4A are Hammond (6-0), Pinewood Prep (6-0), Ben Lippen (4-1) and Laurence Manning (3-1). Defending Champion Northwood Academy (4-2) and Porter-Gaud (4-2) could sneak into the finals. The top 2026 contenders in Class 3A are Northside Christian (6-0), First Baptist (5-1), Hilton Head Christian (5-1) and Bethesda (3-1). Florence Christian (4-2) and Wilson Hall (4-2) could determine who make the finals. Class 2A will be a four- way battle between Calhoun Academy (6-1), Colleton Prep (6-1), Greenwood Christian (4-1) and Patrick Henry (4-1). Williamsburg Academy (3-1) will have say on who makes the finals. Class 1A will be a battle between Dorchester Academy (5-1) and Dillon Christian (4-2) SCISA 8-Man will have Jefferson Davis Academy (6-0), Laurens Academy (5-0), W.W. King Academy (4-1) and Newberry Academy (4-1) working hard to win the Title. Wardlaw Academy (2-3) can be a sleeper to pull off a surprise finish. The top rushing leaders leading into October are Jordan Blackmon (Dillon Chr) 935 yds, Isaiah Scott-Palacos (Greenwood Chr) 871 yds, Joseph Morse (W W King) 857 yds, Reed Almers (Dorchester) 839 yds, B J Suits (Northside Chr) 712 yds, Parker Kizer (Holly Hill) 673 yds, Derrick Porter (First Baptist) 683 yds, Michael Polite (Northwood) 583 yds, Kai Sobey (Patrick Henry) 558 yds, Caleb Hardy (Laurens Ac) 533 yds, Grant Smalls (Williamsburg) 480 yds and Ethan Porter (Augusta Chr) 447 yds. The top passing leaders going into October are Silas Brawner (Pinewood) 1898 yds, Cam Werntz (Porter-Gaud) 1387 yds, Cale Owens (Colleton Prep) 1312 yds, Kres Langhals (Hilton Head Chr) 1297 yds, Gibbs Isom (First Baptist) 1256 yds, Ethan Collins (Laurens Ac) 1110 yds, Harris Janik (Augusta Chr) 1070 yds and Kevin Johnson (Northwood) 1053 yards. The top pass receivers going into October are Amir Chisolm (Porter-Gaud) 742 yds, Tre Green (Pinewood) 687 yds, Drew Wolfe (Northwood) 640 yds, Lavoris Lucas (Pinewood) 612 yds, Thomas Corbett (Colleton Prep) 540 yds, Joshua Bradley (First Baptist) 507 yds, Jackson Richardson (Hilton Head Chr) 489 yds, Jimmele Smith (Ben Lippen) 447 yds, Wilson Yarborough (Porter-Gaud) 415 yds and Gray Easterling (Dillon Chr) 404 yards. The top tackle leaders going into October are Jacob Bussey (W W King) 73, Mac Strickland (Orangeburg Prep) 72, Allen Chisolm (Porter-Gaud) 66, Luke Sobey (Patrick Henry) 65, Stone Porter (Ben Lippen) 59, Davis Padgett (Palmetto Chr) 58, Eli Seigler (Greenwood Chr) 57, Chandler Rogers (Dillon Chr) 57, Lincoln Dial (Dillon Chr) 57, Zach Weatherford (Holly Hill) 54, Jake Harrington (Jefferson Davis) 53, Scooter Brown (Porter-Gaud) 52 and Eli Garrett (Laurens Ac) 50.

By David Shelton Senior Writer Summerville – By the time the November issue of the High School Sports Report goes to press in early November, the pairings and seedings for the AAAAA state football playoffs will be known.  The regular season ends on Oct. 30 with round one of the postseason set for the first Friday night in November. Thus begins the five week trek to the state championship game. Class AAAAA has a clear favorite to win the state title. Defending champion Dutch Fork has shown to be a dominant team with a great defense and an offense that routinely puts up big numbers. Senior quarterback Jaxon Knotts has evolved and matured into one of the state’s top passers, and receiver Maleek Miller is just one of several perimeter weapons. While the Silver Foxes are certainly the team to beat, there are a handful of teams that have the personnel and coaching to put some pressure on Dutch Fork. Northwestern won the last two Division II state titles but that division is no more. Thus, coach Page Wofford and multi-talented quarterback Xavier Means are hoping to contend again. Northwestern has rolled through opponents, scoring at least 50 points in five straight games. The Trojans face a region showdown with Dorman on Oct. 9. The Cavaliers are 6-0 and have shown a steady hand to win close games. Region 2-AAAAA is clearly the top league this fall. Joining Dorman and Northwestern are 5-1 Rock Hill , 5-1 Boiling Springs , and 5-1 Fort Mill . If any of those teams are the “sleeper” in the Upper State it would be Rock Hill. River Bluff and Byrnes should be listed as teams with a chance to advance at least into round three but neither is a true title contender. Undefeated James Island is the top team in the Lower State and, with a weak region, should enter the playoffs with a perfect record. The Trojans have great balance offensively with several playmakers, while the defense is strong at all three levels. Other teams in the Lower State with potential to advance include Ridge View, Sumter, Summervill e and of course Berkeley. Berkeley’s lone loss was to Northwestern. Carolina Forest could also be a team to watch and plays Berkeley in a key region 6-AAAAA clash on Oct. 9.

By Dennis Brunson hssr.com Associate Editor Sumter – Taking a look at the High School Sports Report AAAA football poll, most of the high schools in it either have a long, rich tradition of winning or have recently enjoyed a lot of crazy success. Then you look there sitting at No. 7 – Lugoff-Elgin . The Demons are 5-1 on the season after opening their Region 4 schedule with a 30-20 win over Westwood on October 1. One more victory will assure L-E of its first winning season since 2017. Of course, head coach Jarvis Littlejohn and his players are looking for something far greater than a winning season. Littlejohn is in his first season as THE head coach. He was in charge of the team last year, but on an interim basis. He guided Lugoff-Elgin to a 6-6 record and the second round of the AAAAA Division II state playoffs. Littlejohn isn’t surprised the Demons are where they are right now. “It’s just been their preparation over the summer and into the season,” said Littlejohn, who was the defensive coordinator in 2024. “They are committed to the process. We were really close to winning eight games last year. You can see the way they’ve worked to better themselves.” The Demons opened the season with a 41-25 victory over AAAAA Chapin . Up next was Kershaw County rival Camden . The Bulldogs have been one of the most consistent programs in the state at making deep playoff runs during head coach Brian Rimpf’s tenure. With Lugoff and Camden literally separated by the Wateree River with the city limits starting once you get off on either side of the U.S. Highway 1 bridge, L-E made the short trip to Zemp Stadium on August 28. The Demons returned home with a 28-25 triumph, their first win over Camden in at least a decade. “That was a huge win, not just for the program, but for the community,” Littlejohn said of L-E's first win over Camden since 2017. “We were wanting to win against them, and it gave us more confidence than we’d had. We knew we had beat one of the best teams in South Carolina .” Oh yeah, there’s another reason for the success. “We’ve got a bunch of kids who are really, really good,” Littlejohn said. Leading the way for the L-E offense is senior running back Tiyon Fanning , who has been selected to play in the Shrine Bowl along with wide receiver teammate EJ Richardson. A transfer from White Knoll , Fanning, who is 6 feet tall and weighs 220 pounds, was averaging 172.0 rushing yards a game through the first five games. He had 860 yards and 11 touchdowns on 93 carries. Littlejohn said it is Fanning’s demeanor that allows him to have such success. “He’s a very mature young man,” Littlejohn said. “When it comes to football, he loves it, he eats it, he breathes it. He takes care of his body, he works hard. “And he has great speed. He doesn’t get caught from behind much. He has that extra gear.” Junior Zach Williams is the quarterback. He had 59 completions in 98 attempts for 694 yards and four touchdowns. He spreads the wealth with five different players in double figures in receptions. Junior Taymarion Silva leads in catches with 13, going for 91 yards. Richardson, junior Keenen Cunningham and sophomore Tyree Lindsey have 11 grabs apiece. Richardson is the big play receiver with 211 yards and three scores. Cunningham has 87 yards and one TD, and Lindsey has 102 yards. Fanning has 10 receptions for 149 yards. While Lugoff-Elgin has only allowed under 20 points in one of its six games, Littlejohn believes the unit is the heart of the team. “The scores don’t indicate how hard we’re really playing,” he said. “When you look at some of the touchdowns we’ve allowed, the defense is only giving up 12-13 points a game.” The defense is led by junior outside linebacker Jace Coleman , who has Power 4 conference offers from Georgia , Tennessee , West Virginia and Florida State . He has 34 tackles, eight tackles for a loss, two quarterback sacks and four quarterback hurries. Senior cornerback Corey Murphy has four interceptions, giving him 14 for his career. Senior outside linebacker Logan Hinton has 24 tackles, seven of them for a loss, junior defensive end Tavian Nelson leads in sacks with four, junior linebacker Cash Majar has a team high 60 tackles, and senior middle linebacker Tristan Young has 40 stops. Littlejohn believes if the Demons can avoid a rash of injuries they can make a deep run in the playoffs. “Health is wealth,” Littlejohn said. “They have to pay attention to details, their preparation, be on point. They have worked to better themselves as football players, as people. They’re a great group of young men.” There is plenty of talent in AAAA. Along with Fanning and Richardson, 11 other players from AAAA schools were selected to the Shrine Bowl roster. They are wide receivers Kyson McLeod from South Aiken and Tajah Watson-Martin from Westside , offensive linemen Ty Johnson from Lucy Beckham , CJ Brooks from Gaffney and Hayden Crokett from Hilton Head Island , Irmo defensive linemen Jaiden Bryant and Tyrone Jennings , North Augusta defensive lineman Simeon Jones , linebackers Kendaris Bailey of Gaffney and Andrew Massey of Hilton Head Island and South Pointe defensive back Amari Dogan . The rest of the AAAA poll had Gaffney at No. 1, Irmo second, North Myrtle Beach third, Hilton Head Island fourth, North Augusta fifth, South Aiken sixth, defending AAAA state champion South Pointe eighth, T .L. Hanna ninth and South Florence 10 th . Gaffney, Irmo, North Myrtle Beach and T.L. Hanna all dropped down from AAAAA, where they were standouts, to AAAA due to reclassification. Gaffney was 4-1, Irmo 3-2, NMB 6-0 and Hanna 4-1 prior to the October 2 games. The Indians have been perennial powers in AAAAA since its inception and AAAA before that. They are one of the favorites to make a run to a state championship. They have a rock-solid defense that allowed just 84 points against a brutal non-region schedule. They are led by senior Carsen Good with 36 tackles. Bailey leads in TFLs with 5 ½ and sacks with three. Senior defensive back Ayden Montgomery leads in interceptions with two. Irmo finished second in AAAAA Division II the past two seasons. They are led by Alabama running back commitment Tai Phillps , South Carolina offensive lineman commitment Nate Carson and Miami Bryant. The Chiefs have shown an ability to win low-scoring games as well as shootouts. In a 58-42 win over Loris in a battle of unbeatens, wide receiver Jaden Chestnut caught six passes for 117 yards and three scores. Running back Jayden Wilson ran for 159 yards and two more TDs. Hanna is averaging 258 rushing yards a game but spreads the wealth. The top two rushers are senior Brock Cole with 441 yards and four TDs and junior Esaias Carroll with 373 yards and seven touchdowns.

By Neill Kirkpatrick Special to the HSSR Goose Creek – The class AA top ten is full of perennial state powers as well a couple of surprises in second ranked Mid Carolina and 10 th ranked Battery Creek, however, looming on the horizon is defending state champion Strom Thurmond. The Rebels are currently 6-0 after defeating AAAA Aiken 28-14.They have dominated their first six opponents by outscoring them 215 to 47. The defense has been especially stingy as they have held four of their opponents to 7 points or less while offensively the Rebels are hitting their stride. They have gotten off to the great start despite only returning 10 starters from last year’s team.  “The standard is the standard. We have good players, some are playing for the first time - it's our job to get those guys ready to play. Our seniors set a goal in the spring to win it again and we are working as hard as we can to help them accomplish their goals,” said head coach Andrew Webb. Coach Webb continued “We have guys who have been in big games and tough situations and their leadership helps us tremendously. They help us to just keep focusing on the next play. Our defense has been very consistent for us and our offense continues to improve.” Wy'Trayvious Dugar, Kaden Wigfall, Gregory Moore, and Bralen Searles are the corner stones of the “Blue Steel Defense.” They are all returning All-Region performers with Dugar and Wigfall being three-year starters. Moore and Dugar are one/two in tackles on the team with 34 and 46, respectively. Wigfall has moved to safety from linebacker, he is also the Rebels second leading rusher with 479 yards, and he is tied for the team lead with 9 touchdowns. Newcomer Mekhi Quiller has been strong at corner with a team high six passes defended. Offensively, junior Zy Rouse has been a jack of all trades as he has played RB, WR, QB and Safety in the first six games. He leads the team in rushing with 559 yards and ha has scored 9 touchdowns. He was a key player in last years run to the championship said coach Webb. Transfer quarterback AJ Hillary continues to improve for us at QB. He has had some games where he has been really sharp. He has thrown for 535 yards and three scores. Returning along the offensive line are seniors John Laster and Hezekiah East . They are the leaders of an offensive line that has paved the way to over 1400 yards rushing as a team. Senior Jakari Gordon is the team’s top receiver with 13 catches for a 227 yards and a score. Junior Preston Holmes has touched the ball 24 times for 367 yards and three touchdowns. “We have to continue to get better in every phase of the game. We have seen growth in a bunch of areas and there are things that we are still working relentlessly at to improve,” said coach Webb. “The Good Lord has blessed us to allow us to play football where football is important. We take a lot of pride in representing the people from the Peach Fields.” The Mid-Carolina Rebels check in at number two as they have gotten off to 5-0 start as they head into region play. Offensively, they are averaging over 40 points a game led by seniors quarterback Davis Ruff , running back Ryker Woolstenhulme and wide outs Cash Knight and Kayden Trappier. Defensively, the Rebels have posted two shut-outs and are allowing only 11 points per game. Woolstenhulme is the teams top tackler while senior defensive lineman Connor May has controlled the line of scrimmage and leads the team in sacks and tackles for loss. They open region play on the road at Chester (2-3). Third ranked Marlboro County moved to 5-0 as they held off Conway 33-30. They are averaging over 38 points a game behind junior quarterback Tre Blakeney as he has accounted for over 1400 yards of offense and 15 scores. Senior linebackers Jamorie Williams and Myjae McCoy have been the leaders on the defense that is allowing 16 points a game. They will host Waccamaw (2-3) in their region opener. They will tangle with 4 th ranked Dillon in four weeks in a game that could determine the region title, provided neither team slips up. The Wildcats of Dillon are 3-1 on the season after an opening game loss to Camden they have won three straight as they get set to host Lake City in their region opener. The Cats are averaging 35 points per game. Seniors Noah Singletary has been the leader on offense while senior linebacker and strong safety Kelvion Manning has been the leader on defense. That unit is giving up 16 points a contest. 10 times state champion Woodruff is ranked number 5. They are 3-2 after dropping their last game to undefeated Chapman. The Wolverines are led by senior Connor Davis, who leads an offense averaging 37 points per game. The Defense is still rounding into shape and is giving up 26 points per. The unit is replacing 10 starters. They will host Landrum (3-2) in their region opener. The sixth ranked Tigers of Saluda are coming a 55-54 loss to Emerald (5-1) that dropped their record to 3-2. They are five points from being undefeated. They are putting up 44 points a game while allowing 26 points but they have played much better. Senior running back Tristan Daniels leads the offense while the defense is led by twin brothers Jayden and Jahmeer Myers. The Tigers will open region play by hosting American Leadership Academy (2-3). The 7 th ranked Woodland Wolverines (4-1) are hosting pre-season top ten Philip Simmons (2-3) in a big region opener for both teams. The Wolverines have played outstanding defense holding four of their five opponents to less than 10 points. Linebacker George Perry (HSSR #94) leads the defense while HSSR’s #79 player quarterback Jervaze Salley leads an offense averaging 31 points a game. The Clinton Red Devils (3-2) check in at number 8. They will host Southside Christian (3-2) in their region opener. The Red Devils are averaging 34 points per game while they are giving up 27 points per game. Senior quarterback Owen Glen leads the offense and senior linebacker Ajavian James is the leader of the defense. Checking in at number 9 are the Eagles of Chesnee, they picked up their fourth win on the year beating Blue Ridge (1-5) 35-19. They will be on the road in their region opener against Mountain View Prep (2-3). Senior quarterback Evan Lawte r leads an offense that is averaging 40 points per game. Defensively, they are giving up 15 points a game. Rounding out the top ten is the surprise team of the year the Battery Creek Dolphins. They are sitting at 5-0 after beating area rival Beaufort 42-18. They will travel to Academic Magnet (4-1) in their region opener. The Dolphins are averaging 37 points per game and allowing 16. They are led by seniors Michael Cohen and Eddie Heyward?

Bamberg-Ehrhardt senior Brian McMillian in the 2025 state title game.

Morris passes for 245 yards and 2 TDs in 42-8 victory over Orangeburg Prep

Demons' Tiyon Fanning, EJ Richardson two of 13 AAAA players selected to Shrine Bowl team

Bruins' Cameron James goes over 1,000 yards; West hands North Myrtle Beach 1st loss

Eagles' Quintin Jackson having big season running and catching football