SC football state championship guide: Schedule, how to watch, ticket info, predictions
This week’s South Carolina High School League football state championship games are Thursday, Friday and Saturday at S.C. State’s Oliver Dawson Stadium in Orangeburg.
The schedule
Listed times are for game kickoffs; TV broadcasts begin on the hour or half-hour
- 2:06 p.m. Thursday, Class 2A: Barnwell vs. Clinton
- 7:36 p.m. Thursday, Class A: Cross vs. Abbeville
- 2:06 p.m. Friday, Class 5A Division I: Dutch Fork vs. Summerville
- 7:36 p.m. Friday, Class 4A: South Florence vs. Westside
- 12:06 p.m. Saturday, Class 3A: Oceanside Collegiate vs. Belton-Honea Path
- 6:06 p.m. Saturday, Class 5A Division II: Irmo vs. Northwestern
The games, predictions
▪ Class 2A: Barnwell (13-1) vs. Clinton (11-2), 2:06 p.m. Thursday
About Barnwell: The Warhorses are making their first championship appearance since making back-to-back trips in 2018-19. Barnwell’s last state championship came in 1988. Barnwell QB Cameron Austin, the Class 2A Lower State Offensive Player of the Year, has thrown for 2,058 yards and 35 total touchdowns. Running back Nehemiah Brown rushed for 172 yards and a touchdown in last week’s Lower State championship game against Manning. Logan Sturkie leads the team in sacks with six and Damajahi Devoe has a team-high four interceptions. Barnwell’s lone loss this year came against Class 4A South Aiken.
About Clinton: The Red Devils are in their first championship game since winning it all in 2009. Clinton has won eight state championships, tied for seventh-most all-time in state history. Head coach Cory Fountain won two state championships as a head coach at Lamar and has four straight 10-win seasons with the Red Devils. Offensive lineman Tre Aiken has several Power 4 offers, including South Carolina. Running back Javen Cook has rushed for a team-high 1,740 yards and 21 touchdowns. Brett Young leads the team with 104 tackles. Clinton’s base offense is the shotgun flexbone and averages 340.1 yards per game rushing.
Prediction: Clinton
▪ Class A: Cross (12-2) vs. Abbeville (12-1), 7:36 p.m. Thursday
About Cross: The Trojans have won a school-record 12 games and are appearing in their second state championship in school history, winning it all in 2012. Cross has outscored its opponents, 564-95, and allowed just 33 points during its 10-game winning streak. Linebacker Karmello Jones was named the Class A Lower State Defensive Player of the Year and has 69 tackles (17 for loss) and two interceptions. He also leads the team in rushing with 1,881 yards and 31 touchdowns. Sophomore QB Tyler Harris has thrown for 1,427 yards and 17 touchdowns. Linebacker William Grant leads the team with 87 tackles and seven sacks.
About Abbeville: The Panthers are making their 17th state championship appearance and going for their 13th title, which would move them into second place all-time in state history, and be their seventh in the last 10 years. Head coach Jamie Nickles is tied with Dutch Fork’s Tom Knotts with eight state titles in South Carolina. The Panthers’ lone loss came against Batesburg-Leesville on Sept. 6. Abbeville’s Demarcus Leach, a South Carolina signee, is the Class A Upper State Defensive Player of the Year and also is the team’s quarterback. Leach has 26 tackles on defense and has thrown for 996 yards and 16 touchdowns, and rushed for 917 yards and 17 scores. Abbeville is averaging 50.1 points a game.
Prediction: Abbeville
▪ Class 5A Division I: Summerville (13-0) vs. Dutch Fork (12-0), 2:06 p.m. Friday
About Summerville: It’s the Green Wave’s first championship appearance since 2007. They’re looking for their first title since 1998, which was their last unbeaten season. Summerville has won 12 state championships, tied with Abbeville for second-most in state history. Summerville quarterback Jaden Cummings, a Dartmouth signee, has thrown for 2,329 yards and has 44 total touchdowns. Sophomore running back Jayven Williams has rushed for 1,877 yards and 24 touchdowns. They are 0-7 all-time against Dutch Fork, with six of the losses coming in the playoffs.
About Dutch Fork: The Silver Foxes are making their 12th state championship appearance, all under Tom Knotts and all coming since 2012. Dutch Fork is going for its third-straight state title and ninth in school history. The Silver Foxes’ eight titles are tied for seventh-most in state history. Knotts is making his 23rd state championship appearance as head coach, with the other 11 coming in North Carolina. Dutch Fork’s defense has a school-record six shutouts and has a chance to give up the fewest points in a season in school history. The Silver Foxes have allowed 73 points all year. The school record is 94 from the 10-game, COVID-shortened season in 2020. Dutch Fork is allowing 197.8 yards a game and has a pair of Division I signees in linebacker Josh Smith (South Carolina) and defensive back Elgin Sessions (Georgia Tech). Smith leads the team with 91 tackles and tied for team lead in sacks with nine. Daniel Williams leads the team with 26 tackles for loss and is tied with nine sacks. As a team, Dutch Fork has 36 sacks. Running back Maurice Anderson has rushed for 1,032 yards and 19 touchdowns. QB Ethan Offing has thrown for 2,722 yards, rushed for 429 with 30 total touchdowns. Boykin Bickley leads the team with 53 catches for 1,011 yards and seven touchdowns.
Prediction: Dutch Fork
▪ Class 4A: South Florence (11-3) vs. Westside (13-0), 7:36 p.m. Friday
About South Florence: The Bruins are making their third-straight championship appearance, winning it all in 2022 and losing to Westside last season. South Florence has won 10 or more games in three straight seasons, the longest stretch in school history. The Bruins rallied from a 20-0 deficit to defeat North Augusta, 27-20, last week in the state semifinals. QB Messiah Jackson has thrown for 1,933 yards and 36 total touchdowns. Running back Tre Leonard has rushed for 1,287 yards and 15 scores. Receiver Jayden Sellers, a South Carolina signee, has 1,737 all-purpose yards and 24 touchdowns. Defensive end Amare Adams, a Clemson signee, leads South Florence with five sacks. Junior Willie Kennedy leads the team with 108 tackles.
About Westside: The Rams are the defending state champions and won their first title since 1969 last year with a win over South Florence. Westside has a 27-game winning streak dating back to last year. The Rams have scored 40 points or more in 11 of their 13 games this season. Quarterback Cutter Woods, a South Carolina signee, has thrown for 3,048 yards and 37 touchdowns. Woods is a finalist for the state’s Mr. Football award. Chamarryus Bomar leads the team with 45 catches for 1,080 yards and 15 touchdowns. Running back Sharode Richardson has rushed for 1,111 yards and 18 scores. Bomar and Richardson are tied for the team lead in interceptions with three.
Prediction: Westside
▪ Class 3A: Oceanside Collegiate (10-3) vs. Belton-Honea Path (10-3), 12:06 p.m Saturday
About Oceanside Collegiate: The Landsharks are making their third-straight championship appearance, with the last two coming in Class 2A. John Patterson is the interim coach and took over after Chad Wilkes resigned in August. Two of Oceanside’s three losses came against Irmo and Dutch Fork, which are playing for state titles this weekend. Sophomore quarterback Aiden Manavian has thrown for over 3,181 yards and 38 touchdowns, including five last week in the state semifinal against Loris. Will Virgilio and Peyton Shaw both have 10 TD catches. Virgilio leads the team with 65 catches for 1,030 yards and 10 scores.
About Belton-Honea Path: The Bears are making their second championship appearance, winning it all in 2004. BHP’s only loss came against defending 4A champion Westside. Belton-Honea Path rallied from a 16-7 halftime deficit to defeat Mountain View Prep, 30-22, in last week’s state semifinals. Running back Marquise Henderson, a Clemson signee, has rushed for 1,934 yards and has 2,502 all-purpose yards to go along with 31 touchdowns. Henderson is a Mr. Football finalist and has 6,392 rushing yards and 98 career TDs. Justin Lathon leads BHP with 10 sacks and Kelsey Miles has four interceptions. QB Noah Thomas has thrown for 1,791 yards and 26 touchdowns. Tajeh Watson-Martin leads the team with 41 catches for 883 yards and 13 scores.
Prediction: Oceanside Collegiate
▪ Class 5A Division II: Irmo (12-1) vs. Northwestern (13-0), 6:06 p.m. Saturday
About Irmo: The Yellow Jackets are making their seventh championship appearance and first since 2006. Irmo won the 1980 title, its lone one in school history. The title game appearance is the second for Irmo coach Aaron Brand, who led Vance (NC) to championship in 2018. Irmo’s lone loss came against Dutch Fork in the regular-season finale. Quarterback AJ Brand, a Virginia Tech signee, was named S.C. Gatorade Player of the Year last week. Brand has thrown for 2,449 yards, rushed for 1,861 yards with 53 total touchdowns. Junior Donovan Murph leads the team with 88 catches for 1,205 yards and nine touchdowns. Murph is reclassifying into the Class of 2025 and will announce a college commitment in January. Sophomore Maleek Miler has 1,649 all-purpose yards and 13 scores. Sophomore Jaiden Bryant leads the team with 92 tackles and 18.5 sacks. Senior Matthew Blocker leads the team with four interceptions.
About Northwestern: The Trojans are making their 11th championship appearance and second in the last three years. Northwestern has won five championships, with the last coming in 2015 under Keith Richardson, who is now an assistant coach at Clemson. Northwestern is averaging 50.4 points per game. Quarterback Finley Polk, a Gardner-Webb signee and Shrine Bowl selection, has thrown for 3,284 yards and has 56 total touchdowns. Polk was the 5A Division II Upper State Offensive Player of the Year. Jayden Nichols has 68 catches for 957 yards and 10 TDs. Kameron Vance has 61 receptions for 962 yards and 14 touchdowns. Zymier Gordon-Miles has rushed for 1,198 yards and 16 touchdowns. Mason Grier has a team-high 20 tackles for loss. Jonathan Spurgeon leads the Trojans with four interceptions.
Prediction: Irmo
▪ Last Week’s Predictions: 9-3
▪ This Season: 283-53
How to buy tickets
Tickets are $15 and can be purchased at gofan.co. No tickets will not be sold on site at the championship games. The stadium will be cleared after each game. Fans must have a ticket for each game, and no re-entry is allowed.
Gates will open for fans no earlier than one hour prior to the posted game time. Home fans will enter through Gate 1. Visiting fans will enter through Gates 1 and 2 and walk across behind the end zone. Lower State champions are the home teams.
Parking information
Parking lots open 1.5 hours prior to the first game time of the day. It is $10 per car and parking passes are available through Gofan.co. Vehicles with trailers, pull behind grills and RVs will cost $50. Tailgating is allowed when lots are open.
How to Watch: TV, radio and streaming
All six games will be carried on Sinclair Broadcasting stations across South Carolina. Affiliates are WMYA (My40 Asheville-Greenville), WACH Fox digital channel (57.2/1250/Columbia), WCIV (MyTV Charleston) and WWMB (CW21, Florence/Myrtle Beach).
The Dutch Fork-Summerville game will be carried on WACH Fox’s main channel in Columbia area.
All six games also will be streamed on www.nfhsnetwork.com. A subscription ($11.99) is required but is good for all of the games and monthly subscription.
The Abbeville-Cross game will be on and streamed on radio station 92.1 WZLA FM
The Irmo-Northwestern game will be on and streamed on radio station WRHI 100.1 FM and the WRHI mobile app
This story was originally published December 11, 2024 at 9:56 AM.
