By Thomas Grant Jr.
As the public-school counterparts look to regroup from inactivity created by Hurricane Helene, SCISA School Northside Christian Academy is having one of its best seasons.
The Crusaders improved to 5-1 overall following a 14-12 win over previously undefeated Providence Athletic Club. Both BJ Suits and Sam Burks rushed for touchdowns to give Northside Christian a 14-0 at halftime.
Suits rushed for 71 yards and was 7-14 passing for 112 yards. On defense, Trevor Hoffman had 21 tackles, followed by Hudson Shick with 14 and Zachary Gebhard with 11
The Crusaders withstood a second half comeback to improve to 5-1 on the season. They are two wins shy of matching the school record of sevens set in 2019 when they played for the SCISA 8-man title.
“The win over PAC was huge for our team,” Northside Christian Academy head coach Dean Howell said. “They have been beating the brakes off of everyone and they are a really big team that runs it right at you. We won’t see anyone else the rest of the way with that size, but I was proud of the kids for digging in when we needed to and get a big win over an outstanding team.
“Listen, we are 5-1 against teams that have had 26 wins on the year. We have found ways to win games against some really good teams and that shows the maturity of this team after six weeks of the season.
Northside Christian Academy’s lone loss came in region play in a 28-9 loss to Wilson Hall. It travels to Orangeburg Prep for its final non-region game.
“Three of our last four games are against region competition, so we look forward to that challenge,” Howell said. “We have some great teams on our schedule with great coaches, so we have our work cut out for us. Luckily, we have a little momentum so we just look forward to working week in and week out to focus on getting better and better each week.
“I don’t know how that will look as far as the playoffs go, and that will all work itself out down the line. Right now we are trying to get ready to play (Orangeburg Prep) on Friday night.”
Gators now 6-0
River Bluff opened Region 4-5A play against defending region champion White Knoll.
The Gators had a 21-7 lead in the fourth quarter, only for the Timberwolves to get two rushing touchdowns by quarterback Landon Sharpe to tie the game.
In overtime, White Knoll had the first possession. The drive ended with a turnover by Nathan Shulman.
River Bluff used its possession to claim the 24-21 victory on a 27-yard field goal by Tripp Bryant. The win marks the first time since 2019 that the Gators had won their first six games.
Darius Cane and Hayden Myers, who finished with 182 rushing yards, each scored touchdowns on the ground. Quarterback Brayden Moore threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to Aaron Griffin in the fourth quarter.
Up next is a matchup of undefeated teams between River Bluff and Irmo. Like the Gators, the Yellow Jackets are also 6-0 and are coming off winning their region opener last Friday.
Irmo defeated Lexington 34-8 in the Battle of the Dam. Quarterback A.J. Brand had 200 total yards and two touchdowns, one rushing and the other on a 2-yard pass to wide receiver Donovan Murph.
The Yellow Jackets also got an interception return for a touchdown by Matthew Blocker. Defensive back Jamar Grisett had two interceptions and the defense forced two errant snaps which resulted in safeties.
Irmo leads the series 4-3, winning last year by a 42-0 shutout.
Rescheduled Games
Region 4-4A was among those most affected by the damage inflicted by Hurricane Helene. With schools closed at South Aiken, Aiken and North Augusta, Airport, Brookland-Cayce and Gray Collegiate have found themselves idle the past two weeks.
A tentative arrangement has the Bearcats and Eagles returning to action Friday with a revamped schedule. All games will start at 7:30 p.m.
Friday’s Games
Airport at South Aiken
Gray Collegiate at North Augusta
Brookland-Cayce is idle
Oct. 18 Games
Midland Valley at Airport
Brookland-Cayce at Gray Collegiate
Oct. 25 Games
Gilbert at Airport
Aiken at Gray Collegiate
Brookland-Cayce at North Augusta
Nov. 1 Games
Gray Collegiate at Gilbert
Airport at Brookland-Cayce
With each team excluding two games, the region standings will be determined by winning percentage, head-to-head meetings and the RPI Maxpreps.com ratings.
Photos by Northside Christian Academy
