Football Friday Rewind: Swansea keeps on winning. Irmo, Newberry stay perfect
Swansea High’s best football start in more than a decade continued Friday night.
Dante Caldwell and PJ Larry each had two touchdowns as the Tigers defeated Keenan, 31-22, in the Region 4-3A opener for both teams.
With the win, the 10th-ranked Tigers moved to 7-0 for the first time since 2012 under then-coach Chad Leaphart. Swansea hasn’t started 8-0 since going 15-0 in the 1993 state championship season under Robert Mattox.
Swansea has turned things around in coach Willie Fox’s second season. The Tigers won seven games last season for the first time since 2014.
“Every week, it feels like we are doing something for the first time or first time in a long time,” Fox said. “We are still playing ugly, and I think we have played ugly all year long. But playing ugly and winning is a lot better than playing pretty and losing. We will take it.”
Swansea is off next week before getting into the heart of the region schedule with games against Silver Bluff and Newberry over the final three weeks. Both teams beat the Tigers last season.
Fox said they will try and correct some of the team’s mistakes over the bye week but also let the players enjoy their recent success. Swansea won just three games over a four-year stretch from 2020-23.
“It is good to have this success, but we still have a lot to work on,” Caldwell said. “... It has been better interaction from the community and a lot better than it was before. I love to play football, but with a winning team it gives us a certain type of drive.”
It was Keenan’s fourth-straight loss. The Raiders (2-5) were hurt by several key penalties coming at the wrong time, including early in the red zone. Keenan also had a touchdown negated by a holding call.
The Raiders scored on their first possession on running back Hunter O’Neal’s 3-yard run and two-point conversion to make it 8-0.
Swansea tied it on Caldwell’s touchdown run and two-point conversion with 9:05 left in the second quarter. The Tigers took a 15-8 lead on another Caldwell short run with 39 seconds left before halftime. The drive was set up by Jerel Wine’s blocked punt.
Swansea made it 23-8 after it used a more than six-minute drive to start the third quarter, capped off by PJ Larry’s TD run.
Keenan answered right back as O’Neal scored on a 12-yard run to cut the lead to 23-16.
Swansea added to the lead on Kendall Wright’s 12-yard pass to Larry to make it 31-16 in the fourth quarter.
Keenan scored with less than a minute left on Jamauri Johnson’s pass to Jordan Wilson to cut the lead to 31-22. But the Raiders missed the two-point conversion and Tigers recovered the onside kick.
Irmo, Newberry stay perfect
Irmo and Newberry kept their undefeated seasons going in different ways Friday.
Irmo moved to 6-0 with a 35-0 region opening win over Lexington, while Newberry (7-0) rallied in the second half for a 23-19 win over Silver Bluff.
In Irmo’s win, Dre Dopson had four touchdown passes, two to Maleek Miller. Jay Eady and Corey Miller had TD catches. Amire White also had a TD run.
Dopson was 15-of-23 passing for 229 yards. Maleek Miller had eight catches for 117 yards and a score. White rushed for 103 yards.
Kenton Caldwell found Jason Dunbar with the go-ahead touchdown with four minutes left in the Bulldogs’ win. Newberry trailed 13-7 at halftime.
Caldwell also had a rushing touchdown. South Carolina commit Jamel Howse also ran for a TD.
Dutch Fork starts new streak
After having its 24-game winning streak stopped two weeks ago, Dutch Fork started a new streak as they opened up region play with a 50-0 win over Chapin.
Jaxon Knotts threw three touchdown passes and Quintin Wilson had three TD runs in the win. Knotts was 10-of-15 for 181 yards. Wilson rushed for 176. Sheldon Shine had two TD catches and Kyle Henry had one. The Dutch Fork defense allowed 78 yards of offense.
Around the Midlands
South Pointe 28, Camden 7: South Carolina commitment J’Zavien Currence threw three touchdown passes as the top-ranked team in 4A defeated the Bulldogs. RJ Brown also had a TD run for the Stallions.
Camden’s Jaden Manning returned an interception for a touchdown to tie the game at 7-7 in the first quarter.
AC Flora 56, Lancaster 10: QB Roper Wentzky threw three touchdown passes and went over 7,000 career passing yards in the Falcons’ victory.
Charlie Scott, Josh Davis and Blake Betette each had TD catches. Betette’s was an 81-yard score. He also returned a fumble for a touchdown on defense.
Jerquan Williams had two TD runs and Kevin Daniels blocked a punt and recovered it in the end zone for a score.
Gray Collegiate 56, Brookland-Cayce 0: Freshman quarterback Xavier Wright threw two touchdown passes and ran for two scores in the War Eagles’ win.
Wright was 6-of-9 passing for 135 yards and also rushed for 90 yards.
Corey Gleaton caught a TD pass and also returned a kickoff 81 yards for a touchdown. Trevon Williamson and Tyler Waller each had a TD runs and Jack Armstrong returned a fumble for a TD.
Ridge View 44, Spring Valley 0: The Blazers picked up their third-straight victory with a win over the Vikings.
Spencer Bobian had four touchdown runs and Aidan Keefe had one. Ashton Chapman threw a TD pass to Ja’Lyiq Black.
Dreher 36, Richland Northeast 30 (2 OT): Joseph Pohlman scored the game-winning touchdown and then recovered a fumble on RNE’s possession in the Blue Devils’ victory.
Dreher trailed 23-17 but tied it on Walker Rowe’s 12-yard pass to Dylan Richardson on fourth-and-goal with three minutes left.
It was RNE’s second straight OT loss. The Cavs lost to Lancaster, 21-14, last week. Isaiah Smalls had three touchdown runs for RNE, including one to put the Cavs up 30-23 in the first overtime. Dreher answered on a Pohlman TD run to tie it.
White Knoll 35, River Bluff 3: Jhais McKiever had three touchdown passes as the Timberwolves won their region opener.
JJ Keith, Caleb Geronomi and Brandon Griffin each had TD catches. Tiyon Fanning had a TD run and Markeese Wynn returned a fumble 96 yards for a TD.
Lugoff-Elgin 42, Blythewood 38: EJ Richardson had five touchdowns, including the go-ahead one with 6:14 left in the Demons’ win.
Richardson finished with 400 all-purpose yards, including 215 receiving and 164 rushing. QB Zach Williams was 18-of-33 for 310 yards and four TDs. Jarkese Grant rushed for 102 yards and a TD.
Strom Thurmond 28, Batesburg-Leesville 26 (OT): The Rebels stopped Amadre Wooden’s attempt at the game-tying, two-point conversion. Wooden finished with 261 yards and three touchdowns.
Strom Thurmond hit on big pass plays of 32 and 88 yards in the fourth quarter.
Heathwood Hall 33, Augusta Christian 0: Heyward Belser returned an interception for a score and had a TD run for the Highlanders.
Julian Hughes and Thomas Scurry added TD runs and Patrick Belk threw a TD pass to Charlie Hudson for Heathwood.
Northside Christian 49, SC Spartans 0: Quarterback BJ Suits accounted for four touchdowns and the Crusaders got defensive touchdowns from Mac Jackson and Mark Diaz in the homecoming win.
North Central 8, Chesterfield 7: Tek Boyd returned a kickoff for a touchdown and Quayson Peoples ran in the two-point conversion in the second quarter as the Knights held on to beat the Rams.
Hammond 37, Laurence Manning 8: Ben Kiser threw TD passes to Jackson Ross and Blaze Barnes and also ran in a TD. Bubba Alexander added two rushing touchdowns for the Skyhawks.
Pelion 35, Ninety-Six 28: Brady Cottingham scored the go-ahead touchdown with nine minutes left in the region win. Cottingham finished with two touchdowns. QB Alan Moore had three TD passes to Daniel Adkins, Tre Jackson and Jai Chuniesingh.
The Panthers had a school-record 602 yards off offense. Moore was 16-of-25 passing for 286 yards. Chuniesingh had nine catches for 160 yards and Adkins had five catches for 156. Jackson rushed for 171 and caught three passes for 43 yards.
South Aiken 17, Gilbert 14: The T-Breds built a 17-0 lead early in the fourth quarter before the Indians’ rally came up just short.
Kitt McLaughlin had two touchdown passes for Gilbert.
Jalen Blocker and Kyson McLeod had TD runs for South Aiken.
Saluda 48, American Leadership 0: Tristan Daniels rushed for 161 yards and four touchdowns in the Tigers’ win.
Fairfield Central 41, Mid-Carolina 7: The Griffins won their second straight game and captured their region opener.
Richard Winn 46, Newberry Academy 26: Bennett Nicholson had four touchdowns and Eli Smith had three for Richard Winn.
Chester 41, Eau Claire 6: The Cyclones scored 35 points in the first half on its way to a win.
Midland Valley 63, Airport 26: Preston Smith rushed for 334 yards and five touchdowns for the Mustangs.
Freshman QB Nolan O’Hora threw for 314 yards and four TDs in the loss for the Eagles.
Next Week’s Schedule
Thursday
Heathwood Hall at Ben Lippen
Westwood at Spring Valley
Wilson at Lower Richland
Friday
AC Flora at Richland Northeast
American Leadership at Strom Thurmond
Batesburg-Leesville at Ninety-Six
Brookland-Cayce at Aiken
CA Johnson at McBee
Chapin at Lexington
Clear Dot Charter at Military Magnet
Columbia at Mid-Carolina
Dutch Fork at White Knoll
Fairfield Central at Chester
Gilbert at Midland Valley
Gray Collegiate at Airport
Hammond at Augusta Christian
Irmo at River Bluff
Keenan at Silver Bluff
Lancaster at Dreher
Laurence Manning at Cardinal Newman
Newberry at Fox Creek
Newberry Academy at Wardlaw
Orangeburg Prep at Northside Christian
Pelion at Saluda
Richard Winn at WW King
Ridge View at Lugoff-Elgin
West Florence at Blythewood
This story was originally published October 3, 2025 at 11:52 PM.
