Player Rankings Historical Best: No. 5 (tie) Oceanside Collegiate

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This is the second in a series of articles detailing the six schools at the top of the South Carolina rankings process. <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2024/06/the-process-six-schools-emerge-at-the-top-of-our-ranking-system/">You can read an overview of those schools here.</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>For a relatively new program, Oceanside Collegiate has made a huge impact on our statewide rankings.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Landsharks have turned out two dozen ranked players since the 2020 football season, and it's not a coincidence that they've had a huge run of success on the field during that time. Oceanside Collegiate reached the state quarterfinals in 2020 and 2021, the 2A state final in 2022, and won the 2023 state championship. Let's take a look at some of the players who have contributed to that success.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>The Top Guy - And A Bunch Of Friends</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 2022 version of the Landsharks didn't have the most senior players ranked, as that mark was claimed the year before. However, they had the highest-ranked player of the bunch, with massive, talented OL <strong>Monroe Freeling</strong>, who finished as the No. 1 player in the 2023 class and went on to the University of Georgia. But it wasn't just Freeling who made those Landsharks so imposing. Standout RB <strong>Vaughn Blue</strong> was ranked No. 15, DL <strong>Tim Castain</strong> came in at No. 37, and DB <strong>Zach Hagedon</strong>'s ranking at 52 gave Oceanside a bunch of versatile guys ranked in (or just barely outside) the Top 50. Add in WRs <strong>Jace Kraftchick</strong> at 149 and <strong>Cole Strickler</strong> at 194, there's no wonder the Landsharks were a nightmare matchup, particularly on the offensive side of the ball.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>The Deepest Class</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Fully a third of the ranked players from Oceanside - eight of the 24 - were seniors in 2022. While all those 2023 guys above were juniors, the Landsharks were led that year by a ton of guys ranked in the top 200. <strong>Jacob Ashley</strong> on the OL and <strong>James Deveaux</strong> on the DL came in at 59 and 68, and when paired with Freeling and Castain, helped make the Landsharks dominant on both sides of the ball. <strong>Carson Arnold</strong> and <strong>Roan Shawve</strong>r , at LB and DB, helped patrol the middle of the field for Oceanside, who also had their only ranked specialist (so far) with kicker <strong>Spencer McKinley</strong>. And deep into the class, QB <strong>Colby Shirey</strong>, OL <strong>Will Gause</strong>, and DB<strong> Rico Harrell</strong> were all more than solid for the Landsharks.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>T<strong>he Future (And The Recent Past)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 2023 team (and 2024 class) had just two ranked guys for the Landsharks, but DL <strong>Ben Britton</strong>, who's graduated to play at West Point, and LB <strong>Miles Robinson</strong> were both absolute menaces for Oceanside, helping pave the way for the 2A state title. Robinson was particularly outstanding, with more than 130 stops and 27 tackles for loss. They had a TON of help from some other guys who are shooting up the rankings. Defensively, [player_tooltip player_id='809745' first='Max' last='Moorman'] (pictured) leads the rankings at No 30 in 2025, coming off a season with 97 tackles, 12 sacks, and a crucial pick-6 in the state title game. DBs [player_tooltip player_id='809752' first='Grayson' last='Freeling'] and [player_tooltip player_id='285449' first='Kyle' last='Baldwin'] join Moorman on the 2025 list, as does ATH [player_tooltip player_id='809757' first='Will' last='Viriglio']. [player_tooltip player_id='816747' first='Michael' last='Jones'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1025774' first='Sawyer' last='Arnold'] join the party on the defensive side of the ball, with both ranked in the top 75 in 2026. And, the Landsharks' only player currently ranked in the 2027 class might be the most intriguiging. [player_tooltip player_id='1094944' first='Aiden' last='Manavian']. After an injury at QB in the season finale in 2023, Oceanside Collegiate turned to Manavian, a freshman. He responded by throwing for more than 1,100 yards and 10 TDs in a five-game playoff run. And when Gray Collegiate brought the house and sacked him 10 times in the state final, he simply found a way, throwing for 367 yards and a pair of scores in the Landsharks' title win. We're going to go out on a limb and say you might be hearing from him again.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->