Palmetto Combine South: Ashley Ridge Makes Most Of Invites

Ian Guerin April 2, 2023 @ 09:04 PM

Potential New Subscribers: Take advantage of our 40% off special by using the coupon code Guerin40 at checkout. In addition to our 365-day-a-year football approach, Prep Red Zone South Carolina is the official media partner of the 2023 Palmetto Combine Series, meaning subscribers will get first-hand information on many of the 1,200 athletes in attendance at all four sites.   DORCHESTER | Ashley Ridge's first 15 seasons of varsity football produced a roller coaster-looking list of results. The Swamp Foxes have had back-to-back winning records only one time in school history (2014-2015).   But if Saturday was an indication, Shane Fidler's next team will certainly have the talent to follow up on last year's 7-4 finish.   Each of the nine Ashley Ridge players who showed up to Woodland for either the 2024 session in the morning or the underclassmen segment in the afternoon was able to add to the overall feeling of success for that Class 5A school from right down the road.   “Nik, Matthew and Bryce had fantastic days,” Fidler said. “Nik's speed has improved three tenths (of a second) since he came to us as a freshman and using the Catapults everyday surely has helped with that. Matthew and Bryce have done such a great job the last 365 days in the weight room to put themselves in position to perform the way they did. I'm ready to see how all these guys will do come the fall.”   Nik Jefferson (Fastest 40), Matthew Phillips (Top Offensive Skill) and [player_tooltip player_id='346190' first='Bryce' last='Lawhon'] (Top Offensive Line) led the charge of Swamp Fox players who exceeded expectations for Fidler, who was also assisting in running the event.   Jefferson also tacked on a second place Pro Shuttle showing (4.25) and added a Broad Jump more than 5 feet more than his 5-foot-9 frame.   Phillips was dynamic in the Pro Shuttle (4.26 - tied for third overall) and put up a 4.58 40 and a Broad Jump of 9 feet 5 inches.   And Lawhon was the second-biggest player in the afternoon session for underclassmen at 6-foot-5 and 332 pounds.    But they weren't the only Swamp Fox players who helped put on a team-wide clinic.     Kevin Cobbs, an undersized offensive lineman at 6 feet and 201 pounds, showed off the 79-inch wing span that allows him to play against Class 5A competition. He also ran a respectable 4.78 pro shuttle and a sub-5 40 (4.94).   Tight end Dwayne Simmons had a 4.74 40, 9 feet 3 inches in Broad Jump and a 4.34 Pro Shuttle, which was top 10 in the session.   [player_tooltip player_id='734025' first='Nivay' last='Picou'], who we recently featured in our Community Film Room, attacked the combine by running a 4.59 40 and a 4.4 Pro Shuttle. He added an 8 feet 9 inch broad jump.   Fellow underclassmen [player_tooltip player_id='402509' first='Trevor' last='Kalisz'] (quarterback), Andrew Lagina (defensive line) and [player_tooltip player_id='1110005' first='Cody' last='Peterson'] (offensive line) also took advantage of the opportunity. Peterson (6-foot-4.5 and 328.6 pounds) was among the bigger players during the afternoon session.   The odd part is that Ashley Ridge was missing two key pieces who were late scratches to the event.    Big receiver [player_tooltip player_id='589052' first='Derrick' last='Salley'] had to miss the combine after getting an invite to Coastal Carolina's Junior Day, and quarterback Cohen Phillips (Matthew's twin brother) had to sit out everything but the measurables portion of the day after suffering a torn ACL during track last week.   Ashley Ridge, one of the first schools in the state to employ the Catapult GPS tracking systems into its regular routine, is clearly getting something out of them.

Potential New Subscribers: Take advantage of our 40% off special by using the coupon code Guerin40 at checkout. In addition to our 365-day-a-year football approach, Prep Red Zone South Carolina is the official media partner of the 2023 Palmetto Combine Series, meaning subscribers will get first-hand information on many of the 1,200 athletes in attendance at all four sites.