What We Saw: Oceanside Collegiate Wins Class 2A Title

ORANGEBURG | Just a month ago, [player_tooltip player_id='1094944' first='Aiden' last='Manavian'] (pictured on left) was a backup quarterbacks to established starter Edward Reidenbach at Oceanside Collegiate.   A season-ending injury to Reidenbach at the end of the regular season thrusted the freshman into the spotlight. After initially sharing the duties with two other players, Manavian was named the sole starter for the rest of the postseason.   Thursday night at Oliver C. Dawson Stadium, he led Oceanside Collegiate to a 35-28 victory over Gray Collegiate in the Class 2A final.   Manavian threw for 367 yards and two touchdowns in leading the Landsharks (12-2) to their ninth straight win. He finished his playoff run with 1,110 yards and 10 touchdowns in five games.   “I'm like a fan watching him,” Oceanside Collegiate head coach Chad Wilkes said. “He amazes me with what he can do. I wish I was in the stands and could just watch him play a little bit. He is such a special player. He's elite.   “I've been saying it all year. He had an injury and got to learn behind our senior quarterback Edward Reidenbach. But when (Ridenbach went down, he just continued to grow every single playoff game with a couple of other quarterbacks Tanner Swisher and Will Virgilio that we played, and he just continued to grow and grow and grow. For a freshman to do that on that stage is something special and he is special.”   Before the opening kickoff, both teams found themselves short of a key lineman.   Gray Collegiate (14-1) had hoped All-State senior and team sack leader [player_tooltip player_id='1359251' first='Zeb' last='Taylor'] was available. However, he remained unavailable as he wore a protective left boot on the sidelines.     Oceanside Collegiate was without its U.S West Point commit and Touchstone Energy Cooperatives selection [player_tooltip player_id='139300' first='Ben' last='Britton'] for a different reason. Media reports quoted South Carolina High School League Executive Commissioner Jerome Singleton stating that Britton was not allowed into the stadium following a social media post attributed to him.   The War Eagles got off to a quick start. Sophomore quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='232668' first='Tyler' last='Waller'] opened the game with a 28-yard reception to South Carolina State commit and Touchdowns Energy selection [player_tooltip player_id='139316' first='Zai' last='Offord'].   He then found [player_tooltip player_id='91353' first='Jamarious' last='Lockett'] for a 32-yard touchdown pass to put Gray Collegiate on the board.   Oceanside Collegiate had difficulty containing Gray Collegiate's constant pressure upfront. With linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='997269' first='Kaine' last='Williams'] and defensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id='473010' first='Michael' last='Boulware'] leading the way, the War Eagles collected six of their 10 sacks of Manavian in the first quarter.   One of the sacks resulted in a fumble which Gray Collegiate returned to the four-yard line of the Landsharks. B.J. Montgomery scored on the next play to make it 14-0 nearly six minutes into the game.   Despite the pressure and early difficulty with Gray Collegiate's pressure, a composed Manavian rallied his team. He started finding success with quicker throws to his wide receivers who were able to turn them into long catches after the run.   Oceanside Collegiate's first drive into Gray Collegiate territory ended with a missed field goal by Nick Sturm. The next series saw Manavian continue to find open receivers underneath the Gray Collegiate secondary.   After a 20-yard reception, Virgilio scored from one yard to put Oceanside Collegiate on the board.   “We knew they were playing one-on-one,” said Virgilio, who rushed for two touchdowns. “We knew it was going to be our series on their DBs and we were passing the ball and made it work.”   The Landsharks had another opportunity inside Gray Collegiate territory before halftime. Manavian threw towards the endzone, but Gray Collegiate's Aiden Legger made the interception for the touchback to end the first half.   Much like the Lower State final against Hampton, Oceanside Collegiate surged into the lead to begin the second half. On the opening series, Manavian found Gavin Gaspar for a 32-yard touchdown pass to tie the game.   After Gray Collegiate was forced to punt, Oceanside Collegiate appeared headed to another score. The drive ended with an incomplete pass by Manavian on fourth down.   Defensive back [player_tooltip player_id='809745' first='Max' last='Moorman'] immediately seized the momentum back for the Landsharks. As Waller dropped back, Moorman stepped in front of the pass for the interception and scampered 22 yards for a touchdown to make it 21-14.   “I saw the running back rolling out, I saw the quarterback wind up to throw the ball and I just went to get it,” Moorman said.   Blaine Redmond provided an instant spark with a 50-yard kickoff return to the Oceanside Collegiate 21. On first down, Waller found a leaping [player_tooltip player_id='1158010' first='Zion' last='Job'] in the endzone for the touchdown.   The Landsharks quickly answered behind Manavian. He continued to make short, effective passes to wide receivers, then threw over the top of the Gray Collegiate defense to find Gaspar for a 36-yard touchdown with 33 seconds left in the 3rd quarter to regain the lead.   Gaspar finished with eight receptions for 125 yards and two touchdowns.   An interception by Redmond to stop another Oceanside Collegiate fourth down gave Gray Collegiate an opportunity to tie the game a third time. Waller converted two critical first down passes to set up a 14-yard touchdown run by Montgomery with 5:47 left in the game.   Manavian still had a final drive at his disposal. He rebounded from a sack to complete a 19-yard pass to CJ Moskus on third down and found Virgilio for 10 yards to move Oceanside Collegiate into Gray Collegiate territory.   The Landsharks reached the 21-yard line of the War Eagles before it was penalized for a false start. Facing a fourth down at the Gray Collegiate 26 with 2:05 left, Oceanside Collegiate lined up for a 43-yard field goal.   After a timeout, Wilkes opted to go for the first down. This time, Manavian completed a 25-yard pass to Virgilio who then scored the game-winner from a yard out with 1:26 left.   Gray Collegiate mounted a final drive. It reached the Landsharks 23, but [player_tooltip player_id='816747' first='Michael' last='Jones'] forced an incompletion by Waller on fourth down with nine seconds left to seal the victory.     “I'm so proud of these kids,” Wilkes said. “They show up every single day. They outwork people and they won this game on heart.”

ORANGEBURG | Just a month ago, Aiden Manavian Aiden Manavian 5'11" | 210 lbs | QB Oceanside Collegiate Academy | 2027 State SC (pictured on left) was a backup quarterbacks to established starter Edward Reidenbach at Oceanside Collegiate.