What We Saw: Summerville 41, Berkeley 35

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>MONCKS CORNER |&nbsp;</strong>Early in the third quarter, it was gut-check time for Summerville, the No. 4 ranked team in Class 5A. They found themselves trailing Berkeley by 11 points just a minute into the second half but that's when the Green Wave playmakers went to work.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>When it was all said and done, Summerville escaped with a 41-35 victory over the Stags on Hall of Fame night at Bonner Stadium.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“I told them at halftime I was looking to see what kind of team they were made of,” Summerville coach Ian Rafferty said. “Whether they were contenders or pretenders. We should be ourselves in the first half, but Berkeley has a heck of a football team. They have weapons everywhere. But we have a veteran group on offense and our defense played pretty good even though they gave up 35 points.” &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1215391' first='Jayven' last='Williams']</strong>,&nbsp;<strong>[player_tooltip player_id='367350' first='Jaden' last='Cummings']</strong>,&nbsp;<strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1249768' first='Keshon' last='Washington']</strong>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<strong>[player_tooltip player_id='378969' first='Jaiden' last='Kelly-Murray']</strong>&nbsp;each scored touchdowns in the second half to keep Summerville perfect on the young season. In fact, it was a catch by Washington that gave the Green Wave a two-score lead with 8:15 remaining that might have been the biggest gut-punch to Berkeley.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Washington (pictured) is used in multiple ways. He lines up at tight end, H-Back, running back and in the slot to try to get the best match-up possible. Facing a second-and-11 from the Stags 29, Washington came out of the backfield and was paired with a Stags linebacker. Cummings lofted the ball towards the sideline at the goal line and Washington went up over the defender to make 35-21 and give Summerville 25 straight points.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“I knew I was one-on-one with a linebacker so I knew I could make the play,” Washington said. “I saw my QB throw it up there, so I knew I had to make a play for him.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Washington was relatively quiet in the first three quarters but came alive in the final 12 minutes. He rushed for 42 of his 62 yards and added two catches for 35 yards.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“It feels great to come back. We fought hard until the end. We didn't let our little mistakes mess with us in the second half and we came out and executed and won the game,” Washington said. “My first half was not very good, so I knew I had to buckle down for my team and make plays that we needed.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Summerville (3-0) took advantage of favorable field position, several long third down conversions and a huge advantage in special teams for the win. Berkeley allowed a safety when a back snap was kicked out of the end zone. The Stags also recorded a 12 and 7-yard punt. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Cummings finished 10-of-21 for 103 yards and a touchdown and 20 yards on the ground with another score. Kelly-Murray had two touchdowns and a total of 44 yards of total offense. Williams was the leading rusher with 117 yards and one score.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Berkeley's&nbsp;<strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1036733' first='Henry' last='Rivers']</strong>&nbsp;and the receiving tandem of&nbsp;<strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1158021' first='Kevin' last='Boone']</strong>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<strong>[player_tooltip player_id='683478' first='Kayden' last='Bash']</strong>&nbsp;almost willed the Stags back. Rivers, the sophomore sensation that is our No. 1 ranked QB in the 2027 Class, finished 19-of-38 for 334 yards and a touchdown to go along with 41 yards rushing and two scores.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Boone exploded for 188 yards on eight catches. He scored a touchdown on the final play of the game. Bash added 116 yards on seven receptions. Rivers was the bulk of the Berkeley rushing offensive until Friday when sophomore&nbsp;<strong>Jesse Brown</strong>&nbsp;ran for 114 yards and a touchdown.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Despite the game being played in steady rain, neither team suffered a turnover.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>OTHER SUMMERVILLE STANDOUTS</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Jacquez Walker</strong>&nbsp;is a 6-foot-2, 185-pound corner and the Stags threw away from him most of the night.&nbsp;<strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1359137' first='Yasir' last='Smith']</strong>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<strong>Nickolas Lincoln</strong>&nbsp;are a load on the defensive line. Smith is a converted tight end at 270 pounds and Lincoln tips the scales at 225 pounds and is hard to move.&nbsp;<strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1267285' first='JT' last='Williams']</strong>&nbsp;makes plays sideline to sideline from his linebacker position. The defense stopped Berkeley at the 1-yard line on the final play of the first half.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>OTHER BERKELEY STANDOUTS</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Defensive end&nbsp;<strong>Andrew Williams</strong>&nbsp;was disruptive from his defensive end spot. He paired with linebackers&nbsp;<strong>Gehad Snead</strong>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1165076' first='Marcus' last='Henderson']</strong>&nbsp;to make it difficult for the Green Wave at times. The biggest issue for the Stags was getting off the field on third down. Summerville converted five third or fourth and long plays in the second half. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->