Pigskin in the Park series returns Friday
COLUMBIA, SC – For the second straight season, Midlands high school football will be played at Spirit Communications Park. The Palmetto Health-USC Orthopedic Center Pigskin at the Park series returns with three more exhilarating matchups this fall that feature some of the most talented teams and players in the state:
Friday, September 22, 7:00 p.m. – Gray Collegiate vs. Brookland-Cayce
Friday, October 13, 7:00 p.m. – Spring Valley vs. River Bluff
Friday, October 20, 7:00 p.m. – Ridge View vs. Westwood
“We are thrilled to bring high school football back to Spirit Communications Park this fall,” Fireflies team President John Katz said. “This facility is a multi-sport venue, and it’s gratifying to once again showcase first-class schools and talented student-athletes to their fans around the Midlands. We’ll be providing them with the very best gameday experience.”
Brookland-Cayce and Gray Collegiate kick things off on September 22. Brookland-Cayce is coming off one of the best seasons in school history culminated with a regional championship and a trip to the Class 3-A state semifinals. The Bearcats won a school-record 12 games and were slotted third in The State’s 2017 pre-season Midlands rankings.
Gray Collegiate hopes to contain B-C and repeat its success from last year’s Pigskin at the Park game. The War Eagles finished 2016 with a 4-7 mark, but defeated Eau Claire, 49-3, at Spirit Communications Park on October 21. Gray Collegiate is off to a 3-1 start this season and is led by wide receiver Chylon Thomas, who hauled in 60 passes last year for 947 yards.
Spring Valley and four-star linebacker Channing Tindall battle River Bluff on October 13. Tindall is the number-one ranked recruit in the state of South Carolina, according to 247 Sports, and has scholarship offers from nearly two dozen Division I institutions. The 6-2, 213-pound linebacker is considering South Carolina, Georgia, Auburn and Florida State, among others. Head Coach Robin Bacon’s Vikings are already off to a 5-0 start after finishing 9-4 a year ago and making the class 5-A state playoffs. Quarterback Quincy Hill leads Spring Valley’s option offense.
First year head coach Blair Hardin pilots River Bluff in 2017. Hardin spent the last three years at North Myrtle Beach and turned the Chiefs program around in a short amount of time. Hardin led North Myrtle Beach to a school-record 12 wins and an appearance in the Class 4-A lower state semifinals last season. This was just two years removed from a four-win season. Keep an eye out for linebacker Noah Johnson, the Gators’ top tackler in 2016.
Ridge View brings back plenty of experience – 13 starters to be exact – after winning 10 games in 2016. Defensive tackle Damion Daley (brother of University of South Carolina football player Dennis Daley) is one of the top-ranked players in the state with scholarship offers to schools like UCF and Georgia State, according to head coach Perry Parks. The third-year head coach will also lean on talented wide receiver Bernard Porter this season. The Blazers took down Fairfield Central when they played at Spirit Communications Park last September. Five players off Parks’ 2016 squad went on to sign scholarships with FBS schools.
Westwood looks to topple Ridge View on October 20. The Redhawks, led by head coach Dustin Curtis, are off to a quick 3-1 start this season, which already surpasses the team’s 2016 win total. Westwood has already beaten rival Blythewood to reclaim the Jeanne Schmidt Memorial Trophy.
Tickets for the high school football games will be $7 – with the majority of the proceeds going back to the host school – and will be available on game days at Spirit Communications Park.
