2025 Preview: River Bluff Gators

River Bluff had a strong 2024, finishing with a 10-3 season last year and fell to eventual state champion Dutch Fork in the third round of the playoffs.   Perry Parks takes over as the new head coach of the Gators. He is no stranger to the Midlands as his last stop on the preps gridiron was at Ridge View. He has spent the last two seasons as the wide receivers coach at his alma mater, Coastal Carolina and is excited about the opportunity to be back coaching on Friday nights this fall.   “I saw it as a great opportunity to come in and really establish a championship culture and a championship program. And you look at those facilities in that school, you look at the type of athletes. They're coming off of a 10-3 season, like, all of the stars aligned, and I'm grateful for the opportunity I have,” Parks told us at the Prep Redzone Media Day at Westwood earlier this month.   The Gators head into the 2025 season with a lot of momentum and a ton of skill returning at key positions beginning with senior [player_tooltip player_id='1656667' first='Landon' last='Hudgins'] at left guard along with Parker Hudson at center on the offensive line. The skill positions will be strong with Nick Washington and Sam Minor back at wide receiver, along with a transfer, who we'll get to in a moment. Levi Gibbons will be one of the guys to watch at tight end.    The defensive line will be strong with Clayton Shupe, Mason Stewart and Preston Minor anchoring things. John Mozlenski and Zac Stiles will hold things down on the back end.   As the 2025 season approaches with the season opener on the road against Rock Hill on August 22, the Gators are focused on coming together and trying to get better daily.   “We had arguably the best season in River Bluff history last year, (going to the) third round of the playoffs and a solid season. I'm looking to do just that, if not more this year,” senior offensive line [player_tooltip player_id='1656667' first='Landon' last='Hudgins'] said.   STARS SET TO SHINE   Alex Kirlyo OL, 2026 – Kirlyo's size and ability to move an opposing defensive lineman is fun to watch. He has good hand movement to be able keep them from penetrating into the backfield and he can get downhill and open up run lanes with pull blocks. He has been focusing on being a leader and working on his technique heading into 2025.   Transition with the new coach: “I thought it's been very good. It's obviously a change for everybody but you can tell that he's invested in us, that he cares. He's expecting us to be good. He's not lowering the standard.”   Improvements heading into 2025: “We're just becoming students of the game. We are working on our technique and things of that nature.”   General expectations of the team heading into 2025: “We lost a lot of seniors last year so, we're not going to lower that bar. The standard is going to be the standard and we're going to be expected to play up to that.”   [player_tooltip player_id='1592250' first='Hayden' last='Myers'] RB, 2026 – Myers (pictured above) had an outstanding junior season, rushing for 1360 yards and 12 touchdowns. He averaged 113.3 yards per game and had eight games where he went into the triple digits. We expect he'll fit well into the scheme that Parks will want to run with the Gators in 2025.   Transition with new head coach: “It's been a very good transition. He's really high energy. He loves us and I feel good being around him.”   Expectations heading into 2025: “The standard is the standard. We're not going to lower the standard just because of a new coach. We're just going to play what we've been doing.”   [player_tooltip player_id='1078102' first='Darius' last='Carter'] WR, 2027 – Carter is one of the top receivers in the 2027 PRZ Rankings and will be an added boost to the Gators' receiving room in 2025, as he transferred in from Ridge View. He had 36 receptions for 556 receiving yards and 3 touchdowns. He currently has offers from Coastal Carolina, App State, East Carolina, Charlotte and Liberty, to name a few.   Caleb Pinkney CB, 2027 – Pinkney is one of the corners in the secondary that Parks raved about. His ability to turn and flip his hips and react to the ball when it's in the air is fun to watch. He keeps his eyes in the right place and can come up in run support as well.   FILM REVIEW   [player_tooltip player_id='1344583' first='Brayden' last='Moore'] QB, 2027 – Moore has a great arm and has pinpoint accuracy on his throws, particularly on slants and the ones vertically. He gives his guys a chance to go make plays and does a good job of diagnosing coverages. He threw for 609 yards and four touchdowns in 2024, and his productivity will increase in 2025.    KEY LOSSES   Stephen Collier WR – The East Carolina signee finished his senior year with 51 receptions for 643 yards and five touchdowns.   Joe Allende OL – The South Carolina State University signee was recognized as Linemen of the Year in region IV-5A.   UP AND COMING POTENTIAL   Josiah Robinson ATH, 2028 – Robinson can play on both sides of the ball, and will contribute on the varsity squad in 2025. When he's at running back on offense, he runs with a burst of power and speed that is fun to watch. On defense at the linebacker position, he is instinctive and can make tackles in the open field and cover well.   Hamp Pitts TE, 2028 – Parks is excited about the possibility of Pitts working his way into the rotation on offense. He hasn't seen much playing time on varsity, but if he continues to develop, that could change.    Montalbo is aggressive at the defensive tackle spot. He can move opposing offensive linemen around well and has quick moves off the ball to get into the backfield quickly. Once he gets his hands on the ball carrier, he can limit the play to a short gain. He had 29 tackles and four TFLs in 2024.

River Bluff had a strong 2024, finishing with a 10-3 season last year and fell to eventual state champion Dutch Fork in the third round of the playoffs.