Predicting Every Team’s 2026 MVP: Region V-5A

The 2026 football season will be here before we know it.   Over the course of the next three months, teams will participate in workouts galore leading up to the start of preseason camp. And while the summer is sure to include mass transfers - thanks to the SCHSL's policy that went into effect for this academic year - we have enough information to start making some educated assumptions about each team's likely most valuable player.   In Region V-5A, the seven Charleston-area school aren't strolling into 2026 empty handed.   ASHLEY RIDGE SWAMP FOXES   [player_tooltip player_id='1819720' first='Mario' last='Pringle'] LB, 2027   By this point, everyone and their mother knows coach Jeff Tate is going to run a tempo offensive scheme that will lead to a lot of points. And while some graduations and transfers will affect the Swamp Foxes' defense, we also know that Pringle has the type of motor to give his offensive teammates an extra possession just about every time he's in pursuit. In putting up 30 tackles and four tackles for loss during the regular season last fall, Pringle showed he can put some hits on dudes to dislodge a football. It comes against tailbacks, quarterbacks and the occasional receiver.     FORT DORCHESTER PATRIOTS   [player_tooltip player_id='1817032' first='Laurez' last='Matthews'] WR, 2028   While the Patriots are still going to be using the majority of their summer to sort out a convoluted quarterback situation, they're already certain of the threat they have on the outside. Matthews has been turning heads this offseason, picking up offers from the likes of Wake Forest and Liberty. All that came on the heels of a sophomore season in which he caught 21 passes for 436 yards and five touchdowns and added another 465 yards and two more scores on returns. He's got some electricity to him and is going to have plenty of opportunities to put it on display as a junior.     JAMES ISLAND TROJANS   [player_tooltip player_id='874321' first='Raphael' last='Puiu'] WR, 2028   It's not simply that Puiu was among the top pass catchers in the state last year, when he hauled in 55 receptions for 1,409 yards and 18 touchdowns. And it's not simply that he averaged nearly 26 yards per receptions, making him a home run threat every time he touches the ball. Puiu is our pick here because his abilities are going to not only give a first-year starting quarterback a whole lot of comfort, he's going to take pressure off the rest of the Trojans' offense this fall. The fact that James Island will be playing such a dynamic schedule will only increased Puiu's value.     STALL WARRIORS   [player_tooltip player_id='1819669' first='Luke' last='Downey'] RB, 2028   Downey isn't the fastest tailback in the state. But anyone who saw him play last fall wasn't surprised by some of his track success this spring, either. The 5-foot-5, 160-pound rising junior is compact enough to withstand a fair amount of contact and packages it with a quick burst and then a pretty decent top speed. His abilities in the open field included a trio of kickoff returns, all three of which appeared to come out of nowhere. Downey will almost assuredly see some time on defense throughout the 2026 season. However, how he can help the offense is priority No. 1 and something the staff will try to exploit even more.     STRATFORD KNIGHTS   [player_tooltip player_id='1615105' first='Kermit' last='Davis'] DL, 2028 (pictured)   While we could go on and on about Davis' potential, what Stratford had to do on offense this spring because of him is a pretty good microcosm. The Knights had to purposefully move him around a good bit because he was shutting down whatever the opposite side of the ball tried to do - and often for long stretches at a time. We've seen that out of opposing teams, as well. Davis plays the edge with a ton of physicality, sure, but it's also apparent how well he's studying that week's foe and then putting it to good use. It's why he was so dominant last season despite missing some time with a high-ankle sprain.    SUMMERVILLE GREEN WAVE   [player_tooltip player_id='1215391' first='Jayven' last='Williams'] RB, 2027    Williams has been a production monster for the Green Wave since he first stepped foot on campus as a freshman. He dominated the JV ranks that first season and then chased it with back-to-back 2,000-yard rushing seasons on the varsity. That's not his only impact, though. Williams has also hauled in 33 passes over the course of the last two seasons. He can also use his college-level speed in the kickoff return game. Most importantly, he's already recorded 52 varsity touchdowns. With Summerville's other biggest offensive threat transferring out of the program, Williams' role becomes that much more vital. We wouldn't be shocked to see him flirt with 300 touches this fall.     WEST ASHLEY WILDCATS   [player_tooltip player_id='2163612' first='Brandon' last='Cawley'] LB, 2027    Cawley was already a leader on this team last fall. He piled up 44.5 tackles, two sacks, 4.5 tackles for loss, one forced fumble and two fumble recoveries. And in spurts, we saw exactly how West Ashley was able to game plan around him. Against Wando, for instance, Cawley put up five of his eight quarterback pressures by coming out of some blitz packages. Now, he's going to be expected to make an even bigger impact. The linebacker has some big-hitter potential in him and we believe it will lead to even more of those game-changing type plays we've seen from him in limited doses to date.

The 2026 football season will be here before we know it.