By Thomas Grant Jr.
It was a tough Week 9 for Northeast football as all five teams in action fell to defeat.
Ridge View dropped a 36-29 heartbreaker at Sumter in a game which decided the Region 5-5A championship.
The Blazers trailed 21-0 before scoring 22 unanswered points to take the lead. Bijon Virgo, Ridge View’s third starting quarterback this season, threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to Khristian Jackson before halftime to make it 21-7.
Running back Spencer Bobian followed with two rushing touchdowns. With a 2-point conversion in between Bobian’s scores, the Blazers took a 1-point lead in the third quarter.
A touchdown run by Richardson with 10:28 left in the fourth quarter regained the lead for the Gamecocks. Ridge View answered with Bobian’s third touchdown run with 6:50 left to go up 29-28.
After putting together a 4-minute scoring drive, Richardson completed a 2-point conversion pass to Joseph Chapman. Ridge View managed to reach the Sumter 35, but Virgo’s final pass went out of bounds as time expired.
The Blazers (6-3, 4-1) can finish no lower than second place regardless of the outcome of their regular-season finale against Blythewood (3-6, 1-4). They do need a win to maintain a spot for a first-round bye in the Class 5A Division I playoffs.
The RPI ratings has Ridge View in third place by percentage points behind second place Dorman.
Blythewood is coming off a bye week and is looking to end a 3-game losing streak.
Meanwhile, Westwood (6-3, 3-2) could have moved into a second-place tie last week. Instead, it fell 17-7 to West Florence and needs a win at home over Sumter to secure fourth place.
The Knights pay a visit to Columbia to face Spring Valley. The Vikings are coming off a 21-14 loss to Lugoff-Elgin in which they gave up 14 unanswered second-half points.
Spring Valley did snap a streak of 18 straight scoreless quarters over five games. It now looks to end a 6-game losing streak.
Richland Northeast opens Week 10 for Northeast teams with a Thursday night matchup with top-ranked South Pointe. The Cavaliers (0-9, 0-5) look to snap a 10-game losing streak dating back to last season and avoid a third winless season since 2019.
The same night has Cardinal Newman (1-8, 0-5) ending its 2025 season at SCISA nemesis Hammond School. The Cardinals are coming a 57-8 loss to Porter-Gaud and have lost 26 straight to the Skyhawks.
RPI RATINGS
CLASS 5A DIVISION I
(Upper State)
Dutch Fork, 7-1, 0.71036 Dorman, 7-2, 0.64103, Ridge View, 6-3, 0.63230, Byrnes, 6-3, 0.60971, Rock Hill, 6-4, 0.60110, Clover, 5-4, 0.57479, Spartanburg, 5-4, 0.56096, Mauldin, 4-5, 0.50376, Boiling Springs, 4-5, 0.46403, Blythewood, 3-6, 0.42785, JL Mann, 1-8, 0.38858, Spring Valley, 2-7, 0.36756, Wade Hampton, 0-9, 0.27411
CLASS 5A DIVISION II
(Lower State)
Irmo, 9-0, 0.76985, Berkeley, 7-2, 0.63452, White Knoll, 6-3, 0.62046, Myrtle Beach, 6-3, 0.59975, Lucy Beckham, 5-3, 0.58727, Westwood, 6-3, 0.52585, Lugoff-Elgin, 5-5, 0.50601, West Florence, 4-5, 0.50459, St. James, 4-5, 0.50137, North Myrtle Beach, 3-6, 0.42879, Socastee, 2-7, 0.40988, Conway, 2-7, 0.38504, Chapin, 0-9, 0.34357, Goose Creek, 0-9, 0.30190
CLASS 4A
(Upper State)
South Pointe, 8-1, 0.73454, Daniel, 8-1, 0.64745, Seneca, 9-1, 0.64637, Camden, 7-2, 0.63043, AC Flora, 8-1, 0.62516, Wren, 7-2, 0.61281, Westside, 5-4, 0.55524, Fountain Inn, 5-4, 0.52773, Emerald, 4-5, 0.48541, Blue Ridge, 5-4, 0.48339 Greer, 4-5, 0.47727 York, 3-6, 0.44410 Lancaster, 2-7, 0.41332 Dreher, 3-7, 0.39283 Pickens, 2-7, 0.36688, Laurens, 1-8, 0.36443 (Up 1 spot) Travelers Rest, 2-7, 0.35217, Berea, 2-7, 0.32367 Richland Northeast, 0-9, 0.26848 Southside, 0-9, 0.25539
S.C. PREP FOOTBALL MEDIA POLL
Class 5A
1. Irmo (18) (9-0)
2. Northwestern (1) (8-1)
3. Dutch Fork (7-1)
4. Greenwood (8-1)
5. Summerville (7-2)
6. James Island (8-1)
7. Indian Land (9-0)
8. TL Hanna (8-1)
9. Sumter (8-1)
10. Dorman (7-2)
Others receiving votes: Ridge View, Stratford, Gaffney, Carolina Forest, White Knoll, Byrnes
