Home Care In Irmo, SC

Jaiden Bryant made his college pick known Saturday.

The Irmo High junior defensive lineman picked LSU in an announcement during the fourth quarter of the Under Armour All-American game in Deland, Florida. The game is for the top juniors and seniors in the country. Bryant was one of two Irmo players in the game, with teammate Nate Carson also selected.

“Go Tigers, Lane Train,” Bryant said on the televised announcement after he pulled out a gray LSU hat from a bag.

Bryant picked LSU over Alabama, Georgia, Miami, South Carolina and Texas A&M. He took recruiting visits almost every weekend during the fall. South Carolina was in the mix but fell behind others after defensive ends coach Sterling Lucas left for LSU.

Bryant’s connection with Lucas, who recruited him when he was at South Carolina, played a big role in the decision.

“The connection I had with coach Sterling Lucas and him leaving South Carolina and going to LSU. It just made my recruitment process very easy,” Bryant said. “I had that good connection, and it was a good fit for me.”

The commitment of Bryant is the third for new coach Lane Kiffin, who left Ole Miss for the Tigers’ job last month.

“He is the type of coach that stands on business,” Bryant said of Kiffin. “He is the type of coach that is going to make me a better player on and off the field. That is the coach I want to be coached under.”

The 6-foot-4, 240-pound Bryant is regarded as a four-star prospect by recruiting services and ranked as the No. 11 player in the country for the Class of 2027 by On3/Rivals.

Bryant had a big junior season in helping the Yellow Jackets to their second straight state championship game. This year, he had 79 tackles (23 tackles for loss) and 11 sacks, blocked two punts, had an interception and scored three touchdowns.

4-star WR Tyren Hornes and 4-star DE Jaiden Bryant make their commitments at the Under Armour Next All-America Game pic.twitter.com/0vmmjuPZqB

— SportsCenter NEXT (@SCNext) January 3, 2026

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) - The South Carolina High School League (SCHSL) has finalized the classifications of all schools beginning with the 2026-27 school year. This classification placement will be in effect for two years.

According to the SCHSL, schools were assigned based on their enrollment count, including district additions and the 3.0 multiplier. Flexibility, as approved by the Reclassification/Realignment Guidelines Committee, was also used with consideration given to geographics and travel.

Several Midlands teams have moved up or down in the new realignment.

Gray Collegiate, which was a 4A school in the previous realignment, has moved up to 5A. The War Eagles are the only Midlands team to move up in classification.

Irmo, the 5A Division 2 runner-up the past two seasons, has moved down to 4A.

Several 2A schools, including Eau Claire, Fairfield Central, and Batesburg-Leesville, have moved down to 1A due to the realignment.

SCHSL said the Executive Committee will meet January 13-14, 2026, to hear appeals regarding the classification placements.

Here is a breakdown of Midlands teams in the new realignment:

5A

Spring Valley

Lexington

River Bluff

Blythewood

Sumter

Dutch Fork

Gray Collegiate (4A → 5A)

Ridge View

Chapin

White Knoll

4A

Lugoff-Elgin (5A → 4A)

Westwood (5A → 4A)

Irmo (5A → 4A)

Richland Northeast

Dreher

A.C. Flora

Brookland-Cayce

3A

Airport (4A → 3A)

Lower Richland (4A → 3A)

Gilbert (4A → 3A)

Hartsville (4A → 3A)

Crestwood (4A → 3A)

Camden (4A → 3A)

Swansea

2A

Orangeburg-Wilkinson (3A → 2A)

American Leadership

Keenan (3A → 2A)

Newberry (3A → 2A)

Pelion

Strom Thurmond

Andrew Jackson

Columbia

Manning

Lake Marion

Saluda

Mid-Carolina

1A

Fairfield Central (2A → 1A)

Barnwell (2A → 1A)

North Central (2A → 1A)

Batesburg-Leesville (2A → 1A)

Edisto (2A → 1A)

Eau Claire (2A → 1A)

Bamberg-Ehrhardt

Lee Central

C.A. Johnson

Calhoun County

Mcbee

Ridge Spring-Monetta

Wagener-Salley

Scott’s Branch

Williston-Elko

Bethune-Bowman

Denmark-Olar

Hunter-Kinard-Tyler

North

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There was no drama needed this time around for Northwestern football.

The Trojans put together a dominant first half and defeated Irmo, 55-13, in the Class 5A Division II championship game Friday night at Oliver C. Dawson Stadium.

The title was Northwestern’s seventh in program history and second straight. It’s the first time the Trojans have won back-to-back championships.

“I’m still in a bit of shock over it,” Northwestern coach Paige Wofford said. “To do something that hasn’t been done at Northwestern — there aren’t many things left. ”

Wofford did his best to escape a Gatorade bath from his players, but they tracked him down around the 40-yard line. The celebration will continue as another title heads back to Football City USA.

This was the second-straight year the two teams played for the championship. Last season, Northwestern defeated Irmo, 34-31, on a field goal as time expired .

On Friday, the game had a running clock in the second half after the Trojans put together what Wofford called a “surreal” first half.

Quarterback Xavier Means ran for four touchdowns and threw another to David Flood in the first half. Texas A&M signee and Mr. Football finalist Tamarion Watkins returned an interception for a score and the Trojans blocked a punt for a touchdown. They led 49-6 at halftime.

“Never in a million years I thought that would have happened,” Wofford said. “It goes beyond description.”

Wofford didn’t have a problem describing the play of Means. The junior came into the year with big shoes to fill from last year’s quarterback Finley Polk. But Means was more than capable in the role and finished with more than 4,000 yards of total offense this season.

In the title game, Means was 14 of 17 passing for 188 yards, carried it 10 times for 60 yards and accounted for six touchdowns.

“It means a lot to come in and filling a guy like Finley’s shoes, I am glad that I did it,” Means said. “I am just fortunate for the opportunity.”

Running back Nigel Smith rushed for 104 yards. Flood caught six passes for 92 yards and Kameron Vance caught five passes for 67 yards and a score. Vance also returned the blocked punt for a touchdown.

The loss dropped Irmo to 1-8 all time in state title games. The Yellow Jackets were trying to win their first championship since 1980. It was the first time Irmo played in a title game in back-to-back seasons.

And for the second-straight year, Irmo coach Aaron Brand stood on the opposing 50-yard line watching the other team celebrate. It’s something he did to show respect to Northwestern and to provide an example to his players.

“I have to teach by example,” Brand said. “We talked about it at halftime that if things don’t go our way, we’ve got to stand by the road. I’ve got to be an example and show kids that the sun will come up tomorrow. Sometimes you’ve got to cheer as the winners go by.”

The blowout doesn’t take away the accomplishments of the season or the past three years, Brand said. Irmo has won 37 games over the past three season , most in a three-year span in school history.

Irmo quarterback Dre’Von Dopson threw for 124 yards and a touchdown Friday, and running back Amire White rushed for 102 yards.

Scoring Summary

1st Quarter

N - Means 3 run (Bendt kick), 9:11

N - Means 2 run (Bendt kick), 6:14

I - M. Miller 3 run (kick failed), 1:16

2nd Quarter

N - Means 8 run (Bendt kick), 8:58

N - Flood 16 pass from Means (Bendt kick), 6:13

N - Watkins 39 INT return (Bendt kick), 5:35

N - Vance 12 fumble return (Bendt kick), 3:48

N - Means 1 run (Bendt kick), 0:37

3rd Quarter

N - Vance 10 pass from Means (kick failed), 1:20

4th Quarter

I - Singletary 12 pass from Dopson (Williams kick), 9:38

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

PASSING - I: Dopson 12-26-2 124, Davis 0-1-0 0. N: Means 14-17-0 188, Davis 1-1-0 9. Burgess 0-1-0 0

RUSHING - I: 14-102, Dopson 6-35, M. Miller 3-8. N: Smith 13-104, Means 10-60, Reid 1-5, Vance 2-3

RECEIVING - I: M. Miller 6-64, C. Miller 2-10, Arrington 1-31, Singletary 1-12, White 1-7, Eady 1-0. N: Flood 6-92, Vance 5-67, Spurgeon 1-16, Harrison 1-10, May 1-9, Vining 1-3.

Berkeley High School’s football team made its first appearance in the state semifinal round for the first time since 2017 but dreams of more were squashed on the road in a harsh manner at Irmo High School Friday, Nov. 28, in the Class 5A Div. II playoffs.

The home team rolled to a 44-6 victory that ended the careers for 23 Berkeley seniors.

The Stags made great progress, though, this fall and finished up 10-3 in their third season under coach Eric Lodge. Lodge's first two teams both went 6-6.

Berkeley's last state football title came in 2009.

Irmo’s decisive victory sets up a rematch with Northwestern High School (12-1) for the Class 5A Div. II state title Friday, Dec. 5, at 7:30 p.m., on the campus of South Carolina State. In 2024, the Trojans edged the Yellow Jackets, 34-31, in the finale.

The Stags got off to a solid start but couldn’t capitalize on a pair of trips inside Irmo’s red zone during the opening quarter. The Stags’ first drive reached Irmo’s 18-yard line but a pair of penalties backed it up to the 35 and Berkeley punted to Irmo’s 11.

The Yellow Jackets (12-1) moved the chains twice on their opening drive but coughed it up at their own 29. Berkeley moved inside Irmo’s 10 on its second possession. However, the Stags turned it over on downs by failing to convert on fourth and inches.

Following an exchange of punts, Irmo got its stellar performance on track with a 65-yard scoring drive in the second quarter. Junior running back Amire White reached paydirt on a 24-yard run with 7:46 left in the first half.

Irmo added to its lead three minutes later after another Berkeley punt, going up 13-0 on a 2-yard touchdown run by junior Maleek Miller. The extra point was off the mark.

The Yellow Jackets’ defense broke it open less than a minute later with a 26-yard fumble return for a tally. The extra point upped Irmo’s advantage to 20-0 with less than three minutes remaining in the first half.

Irmo was looking for more following Berkeley’s third straight punt, but the Stags snagged an interception and turned it into a 15-yard touchdown pass from junior quarterback Henry Rivers to junior receiver Malik Callen with 32.2 seconds left in the second quarter to inject some life into the visiting sideline. A 2-point conversion was no good and Irmo led 20-6 at the break.

The Yellow Jackets opened the third quarter with a long drive to Berkeley’s 9 and senior kicker Tucker Williams was true on a 26-yard field goal to cap the five-minute drive and make the score 23-6.

Berkeley cracked Irmo’s 30-yard line on its ensuing drive but was unable to convert a fourth-and-4 on an incomplete pass and Irmo put the Stags’ chances on life support with White’s 26-yard touchdown run on the first play of the fourth quarter to make it 30-6.

The following sequence iced it for the Yellow Jackets for sure. Berkeley coughed up the ensuing kickoff and Irmo turned it into White’s 29-yard touchdown run with under 10 minutes remaining in the game.

A 70-yard punt return by Irmo's Miller a few minutes later put the finishing touches on the rout.

After a disastrous third quarter Friday night, Irmo football regrouped and earned a spot back in the state semifinals.

Maleek Miller threw a touchdown pass and ran in a score in the second half as the Yellow Jackets defeated White Knoll, 28-14, in the Class 5A Division II Lower State playoffs at WC Hawkins Stadium.

With the win, Irmo will host Berkeley in the Lower State title game next week. It’s the third-straight semifinals appearance for the Yellow Jackets, who are trying to make it back-to-back state championships for the first time since 1978-79.

“We told them, weather the storm, stay in it and don’t get rattled,” Irmo coach Aaron Brand said. “That team has one of the top coaches in the state. Their staff is good and they had a good game plan. We were just 14 points better tonight. … I’m super proud of these guys.”

It was the second meeting between the two teams and fourth in the past two seasons. Brand joked he doesn’t want to see the Timberwolves again any time soon, although they will likely be paired in the same region again when the next realignment comes out.

Irmo has won all four meetings. Just like the previous three games, it was a physical battle with plenty of momentum swings.

Irmo led 14-0 at halftime Friday, but most of the third quarter belonged to the Timberwolves. White Knoll scored on its opening possession of the second half, aided by several Irmo penalties.

Jhais McKiever capped it off with a TD pass to Tyler Brown to cut the deficit to 14-7. Irmo fumbled the ensuing kickoff, then Richmond commitment Caleb Geronomi scored on a touchdown run to tie the game at 14.

Geronomi picked off Irmo’s Drevon Dopson and the Timberwolves had a chance to take the lead, but they missed a 44-yard field goal.

After the miss, Irmo running back Amire White took over on the next drive with a pair of big runs, including a 37-yarder, deep inside White Knoll territory.

Then, Miller took the ball on a reverse and found a wide-open Jay Eady to make it 21-14 Irmo with 57 seconds left in the third quarter.

Yellow Jackets defensive back Jamar Grissett picked off McKiever for the second time in the game and set up a Miller scoring run with 3:03 left. Grissett finished with a career-high three interceptions.

“It was a dog fight, and we expected a dog fight,” Miller said. “I made a couple plays tonight, but I wanted to give props to the offensive line, to Amire White and to the coaching staff. I am proud that everyone came out and played and gave it their all.”

White was the workhorse for the Irmo offense, rushing for 177 yards and hauling in six passes for 48 yards.

Irmo jumped on top early Friday. The Yellow Jackets scored on the second play of the game on Dopson’s 20-yard pass to Corey Miller.

After Grissett picked off White Knoll’s Jhais McKiever, White scored a rushing touchdown for the Yellow Jackets with 9:24 left in the first quarter.

White Knoll’s best drive ended in another turnover as Caden Hall made a leaping interception on the 1-yard line.

Class 5A Division I

Dutch Fork 21, Byrnes 0

Kyle Henry and Quintin Wilson each had touchdown runs as the Silver Foxes advanced to the Class 5A Division I Upper State championship game.

Dutch Fork will host Dorman next week. The Silver Foxes are looking for their 10th-straight state championship appearance. With the win, Dutch Fork reached 10 victories in a season for the 15th time in the last 16 years.

It was Dutch Fork’s fourth shutout of the season and first time Byrnes has been shut out in a playoff game since 1989.

Quarterback Jaxon Knotts also threw a TD pass to Sheldon Shine for the Silver Foxes.

Dutch Fork’s defense held Byrnes running back Tre Segarra to just 88 yards, and the Rebels had just 117 total yards.

Dorman 35, Ridge View 14

Nick Means rushed for 143 yards and two touchdowns as the Cavaliers advanced to the 5A Division I Upper State championship game. Carter Nash also had a TD run for Dorman.

Spencer Bobian led Ridge View with 114 yards rushing and put the Blazers up 6-0 with a touchdown run in the first quarter.

Class 4A

Gray Collegiate 31, Hilton Head Island 28

Weston Mims kicked a 20-yard field goal as time expired to send the War Eagles to the Class 4A Lower State championship game. Gray will travel to South Florence next week.

Hilton Head Island, which trailed 28-14 at halftime, tied it up late in the fourth quarter. But Gray responded and quarterback Xavier Wright hit Corey Gleaton on a 37-yard pass to reach the 3-yard line with three seconds left.

Trevon Williamson rushed for 231 yards and a pair of touchdown runs for Gray. He also caught three passes for 22 yards. His 19-yard TD run put Gray up 28-14 with 1:29 left in the second quarter.

Wright had a TD pass to Royce Williamson and also ran in a score. The freshman was 16-of-29 passing for 250 yards. He also rushed five times for 30 yards. Gleaton led the team with eight catches for 131 yards and also picked off a pass on defense.

Westside 24, Camden 21 (OT)

Westside hit a 27-yard field goal in overtime to end the Bulldogs’ season.

Camden had the ball first in overtime but had a field-goal attempt blocked. The Rams will face South Pointe in the 4A Upper State championship.

Camden trailed 21-7. QB Greyson Rimp’s 31-yard touchdown pass to Will Haunert cut the defecit to 21-13.

The Bulldogs tied it on Tylin Drakeford’s pass to Isaiah Smith and two-point conversion with 44 seconds left.

Class 3A Playoffs

Loris 51, Newberry 21

Loris quarterback Moon Gerald threw for 448 yards and five touchdowns as the Lions defeated the Bulldogs in a battle of 12-0 teams in the 3A Lower State playoffs. Loris travels to face Oceanside Collegiate in the Lower State championship next week.

Newberry QB Kenton Caldwell had three touchdown runs. His third TD run cut Loris’ lead to 37-21. But the Lions’ Roderick Purcha returned the ensuing kickoff back 85 yards to put the lead back up to 44-21 with 3:10 left in the third quarter.

Class 2A

Fairfield Central 42, Clinton 7

Kaden Diggs threw four touchdown passes and ran in a score as the Griffins knocked off the defending 2A state champions. Fairfield will travel to Strom Thurmond for the 2A Upper State championship game.

It is the Griffins’ second straight state semifinal appearance. Fairfield is looking for its first state championship appearance since 2013.

Ty’quarius Shannon had three touchdown catches for the Griffins.

Class A

Lewisville 42, CA Johnson 14

Jaylen Culp, Jordan Strong and AJ Price each had two TDs as the Lions defeated the Green Hornets.

CA Johnson finished at 7-6, their most wins in a season since 2022 and only third time since 2009 that the Green Hornets had won at least seven games in a season.

SCISA 8-Man

WW King 50, Laurens Academy 26

The Knights defeated Laurens Academy for the third time this season. This one gave the program their first state title since 2013.

WW King finished the season at 12-0.

Joseph Morse led WW King with 297 yards rushing and four touchdowns. QB Elijah Hutto ran for 108 yards, two scores and threw a TD to Elijah Harvey, who had a fumble recovery on defense.