By Thomas Grant Jr.

It’s 32 college offers and counting for Ridge View wide receiver Jordon Gidron.

Those who saw the All-State junior standout’s season-opening performance against Fairfield Central witnessed why there’s so much college interest. He accounted for 181 total yards and two touchdowns in the 42-18 win over the Griffins.

One of Gidrion’s scores was an 80-plus yard kickoff return to open the second half. He also had a 15-yard touchdown run out of the Wildcat.

Things will get no easier for the Blazers for their home opener. They face a third-round Northwestern team coming off a 45-44 comeback win over Hough (NC) in which it rallied from a 20-point deficit in the fourth quarter.

Senior All-State quarterback Finley Polk was 27-37 for 253 yards and four touchdowns. He threw the game-winning touchdown to Kameron Vance, who had 13 catches for 130 yards.

Other results

Fellow Northeast teams Richland Northeast and Blythewood also had big individual performances in their respective season openers.

For the second straight year, the Cavaliers rolled past district rival Spring Valley 45-13 at home. North Carolina State commit quarterback Will Wilson threw three touchdown passes of 43, 23 and 70 yards and rushed for two scores of 27 yards and one yard to finish with 310 total yards.

Dylan Redden accounted for both touchdowns for the Vikings, who dropped their 14th straight game dating back to October 2022.

Over at Blythewood, quarterback John Henry Collins threw for 339 yards and four touchdowns in a 44-6 rout of Nation Ford.

Ben Hendrix caught two touchdowns and Carter Coleman accounted for five receptions for 105 yards and a touchdown. He also had a 100-yard kickoff return for a score.

Defensive back Darryl Robinson had a 24-yard interception return for a touchdown for the Bengals.

Over at Westwood, the Redhawks were defeated by A.C. Flora 42-6. Quarterback Roper Wentzky was 14-18 for 157 yards and four touchdowns Azel Banag had a 99-yard interception return for a score.

It was the 10th straight loss dating back to Week 0 last season for Westwood.

Ford leads nation

Cardinal Newman suffered a 40-30 loss to St. Joseph’s Catholic School in a SCISA vs. South Carolina High School League matchup.

Despite the loss, Gray Collegiate transfer Caleb Ford had another stellar performance. A week after setting a single-game score record for rushing yards, Ford went for 302 yards and three touchdowns in Greenville.

He also led the team with two receptions for 67 yards.

Ford’s 2-game total of 706 yards leads the nation by over 334 yards, according to Maxpreps.com.

Cardinal Newman (1-1) will play its home opener Friday against another public school and first-time opponent Dreher.

S.C. PREP FOOTBALL MEDIA POLL   
Class 5A

1. Dutch Fork (16) (0-0)

2. Gaffney (1) (0-0)

3. Northwestern (2) (1-0)

4. Summerville (1-0)

5. Irmo (1-0)

6. JL Mann (1-0)

7. White Knoll (1-0)

8. TL Hanna (1-0)

9. Sumter (1-0)

10. Spartanburg (1-0)

Others receiving votes: Hillcrest, Boiling Springs, Lexington, Fort Dorchester, Ridge View, Clover, Byrnes

Class 4A

1. Westside (19) (1-0)

2. South Florence (1-0)

3. Daniel (1-0)

4. Gray Collegiate (1-0)

5. Hartsville (0-0)

6. South Pointe (0-1)

7. Camden (0-1)

8. AC Flora (1-0)

9. Brookland-Cayce (0-0)

10. North Augusta (1-0)

Others receiving votes: Crestwood, Lancaster, May River, Hilton Head Island, Richland Northeast, Wren, Beaufort, Greer, Midland Valley, Gilbert

FRIDAY’S SCHEDULE

(All games start at 7:30 p.m.)

Midland Valley at Blythewood

Dreher at Cardinal Newman

Crestwood at Richland Northeast

Northwestern at Ridge View

Lower Richland at Spring Valley

Lakewood at Westwood

Photo by Thomas Grant Jr. – Ridge View quarterback Tre Howard