Photo by Newberry College
By Thomas Grant Jr.
Led by former Brookland-Cayce quarterback Reed Charpia, Newberry football has won the South Athletic Conference regular season title.
The Wolves defeated Cardinal Newman 28-21 last Saturday at Setzler Field to secure a bid to the 2025 NCAA Division 2 playoffs 28-21 before a sold-out crowd at Setzler Field.4
Charpia completed 21-29 passes for 267 yards and three touchdowns. His 70-yard touchdown pass to Keshon Washington with 1:48 left was the game-winner.
Santory Jones sealed the win with an interception in the endzone with four seconds left. It was Newberry’s seventh straight win and third SAC title in five years.
For the season, Charpia has 2,682 passing yards with 23 touchdowns and just one interception. His 227 completions are the second-best, his 2,682 yards passing are the third best and his 23 touchdowns are tied for the fourth best single season total in Newberry history.
Lexington graduate Jonah Norris rushed for 37 yards, including a 3-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.
Prior to the game, Norris received the 2025 SAC Football Wealth Enhancement Group Elite 23 award winner. This award honors the student-athlete with the top cumulative grade-point average (based on a minimum of 48 credit hours) in each of the league’s 23 team championship sports.
Other Lake Murray players on the Wolves’ roster include wide receivers Tyleke Mathis (Saluda), Will Young (Brookland-Cayce) and Gage Gunter (Gilbert); linebacker Noah Palmore (Mid-Carolina), Ja Stevens (Saluda), running back K.J. Robinson (Newberry), offensive lineman Coye Cutshall (Newberry), tight ends Gray Leaphart (Gilbert) and Noah Mills, defensive lineman Artem Kalinkin (Lexington), defensive end (Jaxson Moody) and holder Heyward Fellers (Mid-Carolina). Newberry (9-1) now awaits the release of the NCAA Division II playoff brackets on Nov. 23.
