Northwestern heads into Friday night with a single blemish on its record, but the Trojans are walking into one of the biggest tests on South Carolina’s high school schedule anyway.
Two-time defending state champion Northwestern visits unbeaten Berkeley on Sept. 18 at 7:30 p.m. ET at Berkeley High School in Moncks Corner, a matchup that brings together two Class 5A powers with clear postseason expectations.
Berkeley is 4-0 and coming off its loudest win yet, a 29-3 dismissal of traditional power Summerville. Northwestern is 2-1 and already has one tough road game on the résumé, a 15-10 loss to North Carolina power Hough.
The stakes look even bigger now that South Carolina has returned Class 5A to a single championship division. Northwestern, which won the past two Class 5A Division II state titles, could be on a collision course with four-time defending champion Dutch Fork before it ever gets back to a state final.
Berkeley’s win over Summerville was the kind of performance that makes people take notice. Henry Rivers, a four-year starter at quarterback, completed 12 of 20 passes for 142 yards and ran 13 times for 70 yards and two touchdowns. The Stags leaned on the ground game and rolled up 254 rushing yards, finishing with 396 total yards.
The defense did its part too. Antonio Smalls blocked a field-goal attempt and recovered a fumble, while freshman linebacker Marshaun Porchia piled up 12 tackles.
That victory followed a steady start for Berkeley, which has also beaten Stratford 36-0, Fort Dorchester 44-15 and St. James 46-10.
Rivers has been the engine through four games, throwing for 888 yards and 10 touchdowns with three interceptions while adding 319 rushing yards and three scores on 31 carries. Bryson McGee has given the Stags another rushing threat with 233 yards on 29 attempts, and Chance Coleman leads the defense with five sacks.
Northwestern has answered its lone loss with back-to-back blowouts. After falling to Hough in a game where the Trojans led 10-9 in the third quarter, Northwestern beat Indian Land 54-7 and Stratford 68-12 before last week’s bye. The Stratford game was over fast; the Trojans led 61-10 at halftime.
East Carolina commit Xavier Means has been sharp for Northwestern. Against Stratford, he completed 10 of 16 passes for 165 yards and two touchdowns, and backup James Dixon added 116 yards and a touchdown on 6-of-7 passing.
Means also starred against Indian Land, going 17 of 24 for 245 yards and three touchdowns while rushing 11 times for 100 yards and another score. Daylan Shankle added 121 rushing yards and a touchdown on 14 carries in that game.
There’s even a family wrinkle in this one: Northwestern head coach Page Wofford’s brother, Lane Wofford, is on the Berkeley radio call as the play-by-play voice.
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