Photos by Thomas Grant Jr. – Ridge View wide receiver Khristian Jackson breaks free for a 73-yard touchdown reception.

By Thomas Grant Jr.

A sold-out crowd for a Top 25 high school football matchup in the Northeast.

Organizers for the inaugural Bojangles Ridge View Kickoff Classic could not have asked for a better surrounding. Both the home section for the Blazers and visiting bleachers for Dutch Fork were filled to capacity.

The only spoiler for the event was the weather. With 2:08 left in the second quarter, incoming lightning storms swooped into the area and ultimately resulted in stoppage of play.

After discussions, both school administrators agreed to end the game. This left the final result in favor of the Silver Foxes by a 35-13 score.

Dutch Fork took a 7-0 lead after a 6-play, 65-yard scoring drive capped by the first of two touchdown runs by quarterback Jaxon Knotts.

Senior wide receiver Kristian Jackson, who suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in last year’s matchup, provided an immediate spark. After catching a short pass from quarterback Derek Howard, Jackson managed to stay on his feet as he spun around and immediately burst downfield for a 73-yard touchdown.

The PAT was missed, but Ridge View took the lead on Dutch Fork’s next possession. A botched exchange by Knotts allowed Raymond Jones to snatch the ball away and race into the endzone from 75 yards.

The Blazers added the PAT to take a 13-7 lead with 2:52 left in the first quarter. From there, the 4-time defending Class 5A champions took control of the contest with 28 unanswered points.

With 41 seconds left in the first quarter, the Silver Foxes put together a 4-play scoring drive capped by a 4-yard touchdown run by Knotts.

The next three series ended with scores by Dutch Fork. Knotts threw touchdown passes for 17 and 29 yards to Anderson Bean and Irmo transfer Maleek Miller and Kyle Henry had a 1-yard run.

Ridge View heads back on the road to face defending Class 3A champion Oceanside Collegiate Academy.

Bengals win Northeast battle

A night earlier, Richland Northeast and Blythewood renew rivalries.

The Cavaliers looked to build off the momentum of last week’s 38-9 win over fellow Northeast Richland 2 school Spring Valley. Meanwhile, the Bengals looked to rebound from a 24-6 loss to Catawba Ridge.

Getting 183 total yards of offense from quarterback James Veasey and three interceptions from the defense, Blythewood came away with the 32-8 win.

Veasey and Caleb Martinez each threw a touchdown and the defense collected four sacks.

Blythewood next travels to Westwood for the annual “Battle of the Axe”. The Redhawks have won the last two meetings.

Cardinals go to 2-0

Quarterback Liam Shuping threw for 120 yards and a touchdown and Johnny Foster had nine tackles as Cardinal Newman defeated Westminster School of Augusta Football 20-6.

Jackson Chambers and Michael Carlson each had an interception for the Cardinals.

OTHER SCORES

Irmo 37, Spring Valley 0

Clover 27, Westwood 0

WEEK 3 SCHEDULE

Blythewood at Westwood

Cardinal Newman at Heathwood Hall

Richland Northeast at York

Ridge View at Oceanside Collegiate Academy

River Bluff at Spring Valley

S.C. PREP FOOTBALL MEDIA POLL (Week 1)

(Class 5A)

1. Dutch Fork (17), 2. Byrnes, 3. Dorman, 4. Northwestern, 5. Summerville (1-0), 6. James Island, 7. Rock Hill, 8. Ridge View, 9. Berkeley, 10. Sumter

Others receiving votes: Carolina Forest, River Bluff, Spartanburg, Hillcrest, Gray Collegiate, White Knoll, Lexington