By Thomas Grant Jr.
Ridge View is the last Northeast football team standing in the playoffs.
The Blazers are headed on the road to face unbeaten Summerville (11-0) in the third round of the Class 5A Division I Lower State playoffs. They advanced following the 22-15 home victory over Cane Bay.
Quarterback Tre Howard completed 21-30 for 242 yards and two touchdowns in staking out Ridge View to a 16-0 lead. Bradley Wilson added a touchdown run for the Blazers (8-4).
They face a Summerville team that is averaging 44.6 points per game. Senior quarterback Jaden Cummings has thrown for 2,062 yards, 26 touchdowns and just one interception, wide receiver wide receiver Jaiden Kelley-Murray has 61 receptions for 885 yards and nine touchdowns and running back Jayven Williams has rushed for 1,380 yards and 17 touchdowns this season.
This is the second all-time meeting with the Green Wave, both in the post-season. Summerville won 28-15 enroute to reaching the Class 5A Division I final where it lost to Gaffney.
Meanwhile, other Northeast teams saw their seasons come to an end in the second round.
Westwood was shut out 36-0 by Berkeley in the Class 5A Division II playoffs. In Class 4A, Richland Northeast lost 48-36 to Daniel despite five touchdowns from Shrine Bowl quarterback Will Wilson.
COACHING SEARCH STARTS AT SPRING VALLEY
After two winless seasons as head coach, Nygel Pearson resigned from the position this past Friday.
“After meeting with the administration earlier this week, it became clear that our visions for the future of the football program were not aligned.” Pearson was quoted in another publication. “Ultimately, I made the decision to move on in the best interest of my family and to explore other opportunities for growth and leadership in the future.”
A former South Carolina State lineman, Pearson replaced current American Leadership Academy head coach Robin Bacon in 2022. He went 0-21 in two seasons and the Vikings currently have a 24-0 losing streak.
Prior to Spring Valley, he was 20-12 in three seasons at North Rowan in North Carolina.
Photo by Thomas Grant Jr.
