2 weeks Ago
Summerville completed a clean sweep of Region 8-AAAAA Nov. 1, traveling to Fort Dorchester and handing the Patriots a 50-21 loss. Summerville had the region championship wrapped up entering the game, but put the exclamation point on that with a convincing win to close its schedule.
The Green Wave improved to 10-0 on the season and 5-0 in region play and will receive a bye for the 5A, Division 1 playoffs scheduled to begin Nov. 15. Fort Dorchester dropped to 5-5 and 2-3 to place fourth in the region, behind Summerville, James Island and Ashley Ridge.
Summerville suffered key injuries late this season, but battled through them. The Green Wave offense spreads the ball around so multiple players have contributed to its second consecutive undefeated season. “Our MO has kind of been when we have players go down we have some others step up and do a good job and that was the case tonight,” Summerville coach Ian Rafferty said.
“Hopefully with this win we will get the No. 1 seed and get a chance to play at home. Hopefully we can get healthy and make a run.
” Senior quarterback Jaden Cummings passed for more than 200 yards and a touchdown and rushed for four TDs. He threw to sophomore receiver Jaiden Kelly-Murray for a catch and run that covered 68 yards to the end zone. Sophomore running back Jayvyn Williams scored on runs of 44 and 2 yards.
He also threw a 40-yard tailback pass to receiver Carson Guinn to help sustain Summerville’s first scoring drive. Both Kelly-Murray and Williams finished with more than 100 all-purpose yards. The Green Wave defense managed to limit the production of the Patriots’ normally potent rushing attack and held Fort Dorchester to under 100 passing yards.
Summerville’s Jakayden Pendergrass had the game’s sole interception. “We knew we had to keep their running back on the inside,” Summerville senior defensive end Yasir Smith said. “(Ryan Campbell) isn’t as physical as some backs but he has that speed that you can’t let outside so containing him was a big part of our game tonight.
If you can be physical on the line of scrimmage then you can change the whole game and we have been strong in the trenches all season.” The opening quarter of the game at Steve LaPrad Field was wide open with both teams scoring a pair of TDs. Summerville fumbled the ball at its own 5-yard line on its first possession and Fort Dorchester’s Nasir Speights recovered.
That led to a 5-yard TD run by Ryan Campbell. The Green Wave answered with a 65-yard drive capped by a 23-yard scramble by Cummings for a TD. Fort Dorchester’s Duke Williams blocked the PAT kick to leave the home team with a 7-6 lead.
Summerville made another defensive stand and then drove 80 yards to score on a 7-yard run by Cummings. The QB then made a forward pitch to Williams on the two-point conversion to give the Green Wave a 14-7 lead. It was the first of two successful two-point attempts on the night for Summerville as later in the game Kelly-Murray took a direct snap on a conversion play and threw a jump pass to Smith in the end zone for two points.
The 14-7 lead didn’t hold past the ensuing kickoff, which Fort Dorchester’s Jalen White returned 96 yards into the end zone for a 14-14 tie with Zach Woods’ PAT kick. Then the Green Wave defense tightened up and limited the Patriots to only one more score the rest of the way. Fort Dorchester tied the game 21-21 in the opening minute of the second quarter with a 40-yard pass from Kevin Johnson to receiver Anthony Williams, but trailed 35-21 at the half and 50-21 at the end of the third quarter.
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