By Thomas Grant Jr.
Blythewood football is off to a 2-0 start.
The Bengals defeated Midland Valley 34-7 Friday at home. Quarterback John Henry Collins threw for 302 yards and three touchdowns, two to Ben Hendrix, Kanye Reed had over 100 receiving yards and Carter Coleman caught a touchdown in the win.
Any joy from the victory turned into heavy hearts Saturday morning following the news of the loss of a teammate.
“We are deeply saddened by the loss of Troy (Allen) Moore, a cherished member of our (Bengal) family,” a statement on the Blythewood High School Facebook page read. “His talent, dedication, & bright spirit made a lasting impact on all. Thoughts & prayers with his family & friends during this time. Keep our community in prayer.”
The Richland County Coroner’s Office confirmed the 17-year-old Moore passed away Saturday. No further details were given pending an autopsy.
“Troy was a cherished member of our community, known for his athletic talents as a member of both our varsity football and basketball teams, his kindness, enthusiasm, and academic excellence,” Blythewood principal Matt Sherman released in an email to parents. “During his time here, Troy touched many lives. He brought a sense of humor, creativity, friendship and dedication to his studies and interactions with others. His presence will be deeply missed by all who knew him.”
The school’s Twitter account has received numerous condolences from schools, educators and friends of Moore.
Redhawks, Cavaliers win
Richland Northeast is 2-0 for the first time since 2012.
The Cavaliers rallied from a 10-point deficit with three minutes left to defeat Crestwood 36-32.
Down 32-22, senior quarterback Will Wilson first hit Dillion Hughy for a 21-yard touchdown pass with 1:43 left. After a recovered onside kick, drove the Cavaliers downfield and found Blake Betette in the endzone with 20 seconds left for the game-winner.
Wilson finished with 367 passing yards and three touchdowns and 153 rushing yards and two scores. In two games, he has 577 passing yards and six touchdowns and 253 rushing yards and four touchdowns.
Over in Blythewood, Westwood rebounded from a Week 0 loss to A.C, Flora with a 35-0 shutout of Lakewood.
Carrington Carter threw for 215 yards and a touchdown and Angel Rios rushed for 138 yards and two touchdowns in the victory.
Another Northeast contest saw Cardinal Newman lose 33-13 to Dreher to fall to 1-2 going into the bye week.
Blazers face defending champions
For the second straight week, the Ridge View football team will play host to a Top Five Class 5A opponent.
This time, it’s defending Class 5A champion Dutch Fork. The series is tied at 5-5 and is the first meeting between the two schools since Oct. 13, 2015.
Ridge View defeated the Silver Foxes 28-21 in a game played at Blythewood High School. It was the last in-state road loss for Dutch Fork prior to last year’s 17-14 defeat at White Knoll.
Dutch Fork is coming off a 24-7 win at Spartanburg, while the Blazers lost 42-27 to Northwestern. Quarterback Tre Howard threw for 338 yard and three touchdowns, all to Kristian Jackson. Darius Carter had eight receptions for 132 yards, followed by Jackson with six catches for 124 yards and All-State junior Jordon Gidron with six receptions for 32 yards.
FRIDAY’S GAMES
(All Games Start at 7:30 p.m.)
Dutch Fork at Ridge View
Westwood at Richland Northeast
Blythewood at Fort Mill
Photo by Richland Northeast – Richland Northeast quarterback Will Wilson
