2023 Preview: Summerville Green Wave

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Summerville has a long-standing tradition of winning and winning big. The Green Wave own 12 state championships to their credit. But it's been a while but many in Flower Town believe this is the best chance since winning it all in 1998.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Summerville returns the bulk of its offense and defense – 13 starters return overall - that finished 11-3 and one game shy of making a state championship game appearance in 2022.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“When I first got the job, I sort of went young and built it that way,” Summerville coach Ian Rafferty said. “We have a lot of guys that will be starting for their third year, so hopefully that strategy of throwing them in the fire as sophomores is going to pay off.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Green Wave might have the most talented backfield and wide receiver corps in the Lowcountry. They also are experienced on the defensive side of the ball with a strong linebacker group to go along with a large, athletic defensive front.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Wide receiver <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='771065' first='Yannick' last='Smith']</strong> is one of the best all-around playmakers in the state.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>STARS SET TO SHINE</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Ike Rutherford</strong> LB, 2024 - One piece of a three-player unit at linebacker that might be the best in the state. Rutherford is hard-nosed and it showed with his amassing over 90 tackles last season. He's strong against the run and will be a key behind a talented defensive front. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='998693' first='Quintrelle' last='Pettiford']</strong> WR, 2024 – Smith might get all the accolades but don't discount the play of Pettiford. He's smaller than Smith at 5-foot-10, 160 pounds but he can stretch defenses with his speed. He also can take a short catch and turn it into a big gain.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='267457' first='Michael' last='Woodfield']</strong> CB, 2024 – Woodfield (pictured) is a 3-year starter. He can play on an island and cover receivers one-on-one, but he also doesn't mind coming up to provide run support with his 6-foot, 170-pound body.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Jadyn Penix</strong> LB, 2024 – Penix added 90 tackles of his own in 2022. He can play inside or outside and rush the passer if needed. His biggest strength could be taking on blockers and still make the tackle near the line of scrimmage.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='140607' first='Kayden' last='Gaddist']</strong> LB, 2024 – Gaddist is a transfer from Hanahan, where he was the Hawks best defensive player. He had 86 tackles and can play sideline-to-sideline with the best of them. He is similar in size to Rutherford and Penix at 5-foot-10, 215 pounds.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Jacob Cotterill</strong> DL, 2024 – Cotterill is another three-year starter that has committed to Army. He is 6-foot-4, 255 pounds and has a chance to add 40 pounds or so at the next level. He fights off blocks and controls the line of scrimmage.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>FILM REVIEW</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='589013' first='Trae' last='Green']</strong> RB, 2024 – Green is compact at 5-foot-9, 180 pounds but he's difficult to bring down. He runs behind his pads which makes it hard to get a clean first shot. He finished the 2022 season with 855 yards and 10 rushing touchdowns as the No. 2 option in the backfield.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/13910972/639135b719af930ae870a5fb' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-64d5918b349cb"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>BIGGEST LOSSES</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Michael Jenkins </strong>DB– Jenkins was a Shrine Bowl pick after a season that included 103 tackles, 12 pass breakups and four blocked punts. He was a three-year starter.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Marquez Spells</strong> RB – Smalls accounted for 2,011 all-purpose yards. He scored 10 rushing touchdowns and added two kickoff returns for scores. He was a Shrine Bowl selection.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>UP AND COMING POTENTIAL</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='367350' first='Jaden' last='Cummings']</strong> QB, 2025 – Cummings was a two-year starter at Hanahan before transferring after the 2022 season. He threw for 1,200 yards in a run-based attack. His number could skyrocket with the number of weapons on the Summerville offense.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1249768' first='Keshon' last='Washington']</strong> TE, 2025 – The Green Wave will utilize the tight end as much as possible. They have three capable options, but Washington might have the biggest upside at 6-foot, 220 pounds.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Jaiden Kelly</strong> DB, 2027 – As talented as this team might be, don't be surprised to see Kelly on the field in some capacity. Rafferty made a point to mention the first-year varsity player at a recent media day event.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->