Football | 12/11/2024 2:46:00 PM

Mt. Pleasant, SC – The Oceanside Collegiate Academy football team has been on a roll for the past seven weeks, but the Landsharks had to endure some adversity early in the season to put themselves in position to play for a Class AAA state title.
 
The Landsharks (10-3) will face Belton-Honea Path High (13-1) on Saturday at noon at Dawson Stadium in Orangeburg. The game will be televised by WCIV MyTV in Charleston.
 
Neither team is a stranger to playing on the biggest of stages. Oceanside is playing for a state title for the third consecutive year, having won a championship in Class AA last year. BHP advanced to the Upper State title game last year with an unblemished record, but lost to Daniel High, missing out on a chance to play for a state title by five points.
 
Oceanside advanced to its third consecutive title game appearance by crushing Loris High 42-7 in the Lower State title game last week. Loris (11-2) entered the playoffs as the No. 1 seed in the Lower State bracket, but got ambushed by the Landsharks, literally from the first play of the game.
 
"They got off to a really bad start," Oceanside interim head coach John Patterson said. "We had some good fortune and put the hammer on them pretty quick. We never gave them much room to breathe. They are a good team with a lot of athletic kids, but we played pretty well."
 
The Lions' bad start began when Loris fumbled the opening kickoff, allowing Oceanside senior linebacker Kael Gilchrist to recover the loose ball in the endzone for a touchdown. Things only got worse for the host Lions from there.
 
Oceanside recovered another fumble on the third play of the ensuing Loris possession, setting the Landsharks up deep in Lions' territory. OCA sophomore quarterback Aiden Manavian gave the home crowd a taste of what was to come, connecting on a 27-yard pass to senior Peyton Shaw before the same duo connected on a 5-yard TD pass for a 14-0 Landsharks lead.
 
Manavian, who has enjoyed a record-setting season for Oceanside, completed 21-of-26 passes in the game for 322 yards and five touchdowns. It was his fourth game this year with at least 300 passing yards and his fifth game throwing for four or more scores.
 
"He is a pretty special player," Patterson said. "He has now thrown for 38 touchdowns and has more than 3,000 yards passing, both of which broke Sam Hartman school records. He is good under pressure and is unflappable. He doesn't always look the part, but he is a ball player and is tough as nails."
 
While Manavian was lighting up the scoreboard with his pinpoint passing, it was the Oceanside defense that was putting the offense in great position. The Landsharks forced six Loris turnovers in the game, with three interceptions to go with the three fumble recoveries.
 
OCA led the game 28-0 at halftime and, after scoring again early in the third quarter, the game was finished with a running clock.
 
Shaw finished with six catches for 97 yards and two touchdowns while junior running back Terence Johnson had five receptions for 66 yards and a pair of scores. Will Virgilio also had five receptions in the game, gaining 90 yards and scoring a touchdown.
 
"We have weapons all over the field," Patterson said. "We have three guys with 10 touchdown catches this year, and that is a lot, even at the collegiate level. Our best receiver going into the season has been hurt all year and has not contributed as much as he had wanted to, but everyone else has picked him up."
 
BHP advanced to the championship game by knocking off previously unbeaten Mountain View Prep 30-22 in the Upper State championship game. The only loss for the Bears came in week four to unbeaten AAAA power Westside 55-14. The Rams are also playing for a state title, with their game against South Florence scheduled for Friday night.
 
The challenge ahead for the Landsharks will be on the defensive side. Slowing BHP senior running back Marquise Henderson is the key point of emphasis going into the game. Henderson has averaged 148.8 yards per game this season with 25 rushing touchdowns to his credit and has rushed for almost 6,400 yards in his career, topping 100 yards in a game 35 times.
 
"Our defense is really good, but they are going to have their hands full," Patterson said. "They have a running back who is really good, a finalist for Mr. Football in the state, and a Clemson commit. He is not very big (5-10, 170), but he is very fast. They are focused on running the ball and you are going to have to stop him to beat them."
 
And it is not just from the backfield as a runner where Henderson has excelled. He has a total of 31 touchdowns on the year including two as a receiver and one each on a fumble return, interception return, punt return and kickoff return. He has piled up more than 2,500 all-purpose yards.
 
The Bears' offense is triggered by junior quarterback Noah Thomas. He has completed 63 percent of his throws this year for 1,791 yards and 26 touchdowns with just seven interceptions. Thomas is also a running threat, averaging six yards per carry. His primary target is sophomore Tajeh Watson Martin, who has a team-high 46 receptions for 883 yards and 13 touchdowns.
 
"If we can make them throw the ball it will be in our favor," Patterson said. "That doesn't mean their quarterback isn't a good player, but that running back is a Division I player. They have a great tradition there, and they are pretty good. These are two teams with a championship mentality and an expectation to win."
 
On the defensive side of the ball, BHP has recorded 34 sacks and 50 QB hurries this year while also posting 83 tackles for loss. Senior defensive lineman Justin Lathon is the biggest threat the OCA offensive line will face. He has 10 sacks on the year despite tipping the scales at just 185 pounds.
 
"Our defense has been good all year except for those two games against 5A schools (Irmo and Dutch Fork)," Patterson said. "Both of those teams are undefeated and playing for state titles as well."
 
The challenge of facing those two powerhouse teams, as well a pair of traditional powers from Savannah who combined to go 20-3 on the year, prepared Oceanside for the kind of challenge the Landsharks will face on Saturday.
 
"I knew going into the season if we survived the first five games without getting demoralized and beat up physically and emotionally, we would be pretty good," Patterson said. "I told them that if we could win two of those first five games, we would have a chance to be pretty good. We never thought the run through the playoffs would be as easy as it has been thus far. We are peaking at the right time. We are healthy, even though we are a little tired."
 
The Oceanside players recognize that the early season challenges helped to bring the team closer together.
 
"That schedule really helped us grow closer as a team," senior defensive back Grayson Freeling said. "We started off against Irmo and we knew that would set the stage for what would be a gauntlet of a schedule. Playing those kinds of teams set us up so that we knew what areas we needed to improve and get better at as well as understanding what jobs needed to be done and what structures needed to be changed so we could get to the point where we are today."
 
Senior receiver and defensive back Will Virgilio echoed those sentiments.
 
"It all really comes down to us being a close group of guys," Virgilio said. "We all really enjoy being around each other and have a lot of fun playing together. The team really came together to allow us to get through whatever was thrown at us."
 
The respect between the programs goes both ways. BHP head coach Russell Blackston knows his team will be challenged by Oceanside.
 
"We have an outstanding opponent in Oceanside, and we are looking forward to facing them on Saturday," Blackston said. "We are truly blessed to be in this position. From the first day of January until now we have had a countdown to this opportunity. Our kids played well throughout the season, but especially down the stretch. We have stayed healthy and have been blessed by that. One of our mottos is "The best is yet to come" and we are anxious to see what comes next this Saturday."
 
Despite the early start time on Saturday, Patterson said he hopes the Oceanside community will make the 80 mile drive to Orangeburg to support the team.
 
"I think our people will be there," Patterson said. "Our parents turn out big. I have never seen parents like we have here. They show up for everything we need, and some things we don't need. Our fan base is strong, and I expect they will be there on Saturday to support us."
 
For Patterson, who never expected to be in a position to lead the Landsharks this season, no matter how things go on Saturday, his two seasons at Oceanside have brought back his passion for coaching.
 
"These kids are really a joy to coach," Patterson said. "For a guy like me, who has been around as long as I have, you can get a little disenchanted with how much the game has changed and the kids have changed. When I came here two years ago it was really refreshing to see kids who just want to be good at their sport and have fun.
 
"They keep things in perspective because they mostly know they aren't going to be going to Clemson or South Carolina to play football, but they get good grades, and they act like they should, and they use their sports as a way to have a great high school experience."
 
He said seeing the players overcome all the things that were thrown their way this year has been very rewarding.
 
"Our team has had to overcome a lot of adversity all year," Patterson said. "I took over after the first game as the interim head coach and they did a great job of accepting me and circling the wagons, rallying together as a team."
 
About Oceanside Collegiate Academy: Oceanside Collegiate Academy (OCA), located in Mt. Pleasant, S.C., serves high school students in a safe, small and family-centered setting. Our students seek the opportunity and challenge of rigorous curriculum, high academic standards and elite athletics while earning up to two years of college credit. OCA serves students in grades 9-12 using an honors curriculum in 9th and 10 grades with a dual enrollment curriculum in 11th and 12th grades Learn more about OCA by visiting our website at OceansideCollegiate.Academy and by following us on social media on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. For video content, visit our YouTube channel.