Ridge View and Oceanside Collegiate Academy are back where they started in South Carolina’s High School On SI Top 25 - and both teams have put themselves in position to finish what looked impossible after those early-season stumbles.
The two preseason Top 25 picks each opened with two straight losses against heavy hitters. Ridge View dropped games to James Island, Cannon Academy and Dutch Fork to begin the year 0-2, while Oceanside Collegiate Academy also slipped out of the rankings before region play got rolling.
Now, with the regular season winding down, both are closing fast. Ridge View brings a five-game winning streak into Thursday’s home matchup with Gray Collegiate Academy, and Oceanside Collegiate Academy carries a three-game win streak to North Charleston.
That theme - bounce-back teams, title races and late-season momentum - runs through the latest rankings update. Ridge View’s trip back into the poll comes with a reminder of how steady the program has been in region play: the Silver Foxes are 52-2 in region games since 2015. Oceanside’s return is backed by the same kind of late surge, with the Landsharks now eyeing another region championship after a rough start.
A few programs in the middle and upper tier are backed by numbers that jump off the page. The Trojans have five wins over Top 25 opponents this season, and they have blitzed region opponents 244-28 across five games. The Indians are putting up 253 rushing yards per game, with Irmo transfer Amire White leading the way at 613 yards and seven touchdowns.
There were also several individual performances and milestones that stood out in the latest batch of notes. Daniel quarterback Jack Grass became the fifth Lions quarterback to reach 4,000 career passing yards and the fourth to get to 50 passing touchdowns. Wide receiver Trey Wimberly is now the second Daniel receiver to go over 2,000 career receiving yards and is tied for second all-time with 28 touchdown catches.
Elsewhere, quarterback Bear Woods has thrown for 1,763 yards and 27 touchdowns in eight games. Tripp Gallus has gone for 2,055 yards and 25 touchdowns in eight games, while Nevaehus Gourdine has added 540 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns.
Henry Rivers is nearing 2,000 total yards and already has more than 20 combined touchdowns this season. Jacob Owings has totaled 1,342 passing yards and 15 touchdowns and is set to play for the Region 2-3A title this week.
A number of teams are also staring at title-clinching chances in the final stretch. The Stallions have already locked up the Region 3-4A championship with a 5-0 mark.
The Seahawks can secure the Region 6-4A title with wins in their final two games. The Yellow Jackets sit in the driver’s seat for the Region 5-5A crown with two games left, with Shrine Bowl defensive lineman Simeon Jones asserting himself up front over the last three games.
The Demons made the loudest second-half statement of the week, outscoring the Blue Devils 30-0 after halftime to move into a first-place tie with Lancaster in Region 4-4A. The Bulldogs can clinch a share of the Region 4-3A title with a win.
The winner in another matchup will secure at least second place in Region 3-4A. One game sets up a season-ending showdown with Westside for the Region 1-4A title.
There are still more race-watch spots worth tracking. First place in Region 4-2A is on the line as the Rebels try to extend the Palmetto State’s longest winning streak.
The Bruins, after an 0-2 start, can clinch the Region 7-4A title with a win, powered by De’eric Davis’ 15 touchdowns and Cameron Jones’ 1,182 rushing yards and 12 scores. The Hurricanes’ region title chase continues as they head into a matchup with Panthers and Warriors teams that have each had their own streaks snapped in region play.
The Bulldogs are battling Rock Hill for fourth place in Region 2-5A.
And then there are the two teams back in the rankings, right where they wanted to be. Oceanside Collegiate Academy, the defending Class 3A champion, is chasing a 29th straight region win and another region title after that 0-2 opening. Ridge View, after an 0-3 start, is suddenly in position to claim its first region title since 2007.
In Other News...
South Carolina Fans Need To Plan Ahead For Tennessee At Williams-Brice
With Tennessee set to visit Williams-Brice Stadium at 3:35 p.m. on ESPN, South Carolina fans are being asked to plan a little differently for one of the bigger home dates on the schedule. The matchup arrives with the South Carolina State Fair creating altered traffic and parking arrangements around campus, so anyone heading in for the game will want to give themselves extra time before kickoff.
There will still be plenty to do once fans get there, with game day experiences and events, auctions, entertainment and merchandise sales all part of the lead-up around the stadium. Even with the logistics a little different than usual, it should still have the feel of a full Saturday in Columbia once the crowd settles in for Tennessee and the Gamecocks. [Read more 🡒]
South Carolina Returns To A Pivotal Home Test With Momentum
South Carolina is back in Williams-Brice Stadium on Oct. 24 with a chance to build on the kind of momentum that had been missing during a three-game skid. The Gamecocks snapped that slide with a win over Florida, and now they get an SEC home test against Tennessee in front of a crowd that will expect the same edge and urgency.
Tennessee arrives with its own confidence after beating Alabama, which gives this matchup a little more weight than a typical midseason league game. South Carolina will lean on quarterback LaNorris Sellers to help steady the offense, while the Volunteers can turn to running back Desean Bishop as part of the challenge the Gamecocks must handle if they want to keep their turnaround going. [Read more 🡒]
South Carolinas Rebuilt Lineup Just Gave Fans Real Reason For Optimism
South Carolinas revamped mens basketball roster offered an encouraging first look in a 78-69 exhibition win over Wake Forest, and the most noticeable part was how quickly the new pieces seemed to fit together. Four transfers were in the starting lineup, and Jakub Neas set the tone with 22 points while freshman Marcus Johnson added 13 in his debut, giving the Gamecocks a mix of proven production and early promise.
For a team trying to rebuild around a fresh core, that kind of opener matters more than the final score alone. The Gamecocks still have another exhibition on the schedule before the regular season begins, which should provide another chance to sort out rotations and see how much of this early chemistry can carry forward once the games start counting. [Read more 🡒]