By Thomas Grant Jr.
White Knoll football has taken its fans on a memorable “mini rollercoaster” ride the past two seasons.
A year after reaching its first state title game, the Timberwolves experienced the ups and downs of a program looking to repeat last year’s breakthrough.
After a 5-5 regular season with just one win in Region 4-5A, White Knoll appeared to right itself with three straight playoff victories. A win over Irmo in the Division II Lower State final would sent the Timberwolves back to Orangeburg.
Despite three touchdowns from senior quarterback Landon Sharpe, the Timberwolves fell short 29-25. While disappointed for his seniors, head coach Nick Pelham sees a past season as a program reinvigoration.
“For the last 12 months, it’s been a rollercoaster,” he said. ‘On a daily basis we didn’t know what to expect. Attendance was spotty in the spring. In the summer, we had more people missing practice time than our first three years combined and we didn’t start real well.
“We came from behind and beat Camden and then we had a big lead against Sumter and gave that away. We played fairly well in the region, but then we lost some games. We kind of found ourselves in the playoffs and I think our schedule toughened us up and I think our schedule made us a better team and I think we proved that in the playoffs. We just came up a few plays short against Irmo.”
Pelham was quick to credit quarterback A.J. Brand for the victory. He reiterated his praise of the S.C. Gatorade Player of the Year as the “best player he has ever coached against” as he was responsible for all four touchdowns for Irmo.
At the same time, he admitted it took time to put his younger defensive players in the right position. He cited junior linebacker Josue Esiki as someone whose strengths had to be discovered rather than ‘plug in’ players based on the system.
Pelham also praised the two-way play of junior Caleb Geronomi. His willingness to play wide receiver along with his brother and Shrine Bowl selection Devin proved beneficial for the team.
As the Timberwolves say goodbye to their seniors, Pelham is excited to start the offseason. A returning starter he believes can lead the program to “the next step” is running back Tiyon Fanning.
The key is keeping him healthy as he’s labored with injuries late in the past two seasons.
The Timberwolves will also look towards sophomore Jhais Mckiever and B-team Kentrell Bonnette to replace Sharpe.
Dutch Fork vs. Summerville
Pelham did have insight into Friday’s Class 5A Division I final between Dutch Fork and Summerville.
It’s not just that is Pelham a former Silver Foxes’ defensive coordinator. He’s also responsible for handing both teams their last losses which took place during the 2023 season.
White Knoll defeated Dutch Fork 17-14 during the regular season and beat Summerville 21-14 in the Lower State final. The latter win set up a rematch with the Silver Foxes in the state title which they lost 21-6.
“We got some breaks last year,” he said. “That’s what it tells me. The ball bounced our way to be able to beat those two amazing programs last year.”
Pelham said playing good defense early and having a high third and fourth down conversion rate was key to the victories. The Timberwolves also did not commit any turnovers which helped make for two low possession games.
In sizing both teams, Summerville believes it matches up from a physical standpoint. He also said Dutch Fork plays “at a different speed” and has “a different understanding” based on their experience.
“What (Tom Knotts) and his assistant coaches do and what their kids do is they’ve gone through every situation so many times, that their kids can play so fast because they know exactly what they’re looking at. Their eyes and their feet are trained so well, no matter offense or defense or special teams, the kids at Dutch Fork can play so fast because they know exactly what to do. They can react to a block or they can react to a route. They can react to a secondary coverage. They can react to anything because they’ve seen it so many times.
“I think Dutch Fork is incredibly difficult to beat. They’re strong, they’re fast, their tough, they’re talented. But they’ve been trained so well through all the practices since May 1. I just have a hard time believing they’re going to get beat.” ‘
White Knoll graduate plays in Celebration Bowl
It’s been a rewarding month for South Carolina State offensive lineman Nick Taiste.
After helping the Bulldogs win the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference title, the White Knoll graduate was named the conference Offensive Player of the Year. The first S.C. State player to receive the honor since 2013, Taiste anchored an offensive line that amassed a conference-best total offense average of 426.5 ypg.
The Bulldogs ranked 18th nationally, passing offense (272.8 ypg), 11th nationally, scoring offense (35.5 avg/g), 12th nationally, passing touchdowns (25), and total touchdowns (49). Additionally, the Bulldogs rank fourth nationally in passing efficiency (165.50).
Taiste has received three MEAC Weekly Offensive Lineman honors this year.
S.C. State faces Jackson State in the Cricket Celebration Bowl at noon Saturday in Atlanta, Ga. This is the second time the two teams met for the Black College National Championship, with the Bulldogs winning 31-10 in 2021.
The game will air on ABC.
Feature Photo by GoFlashWin.com
