Why 'the future looks bright' for Savannah Christian football following state title loss
Savannah Christian football's impressive playoff run — which included three wins on the road — ended at Mercedes-Benz Stadium Wednesday in disappointment as Cedar Grove beat the Raiders 49-28 in the Class 3A state title game.
But Savannah Christian, under coach Baker Woodward, has a great future ahead of it, especially next season with the Raiders losing just seven starters and 14 seniors to graduation.
The losses of David Bucey, the two-way star committed to South Carolina, and Jamari McIvory, the decorated sprinter headed to play at Northern Illinois will hurt. On defense, the Raiders also lose Tyler Penrose, a standout linebacker and cornerback Noah Stone, an important part of the secondary.
SCPS will have to say goodbye to two leaders on the offensive line in tackle Tyson Gross and guard Noah Lewis. Kickers Ethan Byrd and Kaden Cheatham are also graduating.
But SCPS has a plethora of talent returning.
Leading the way are three Power 5 blue recruits in defensive lineman Elijah Griffin, the 5-star rising senior who has been ranked at the top of the Class of 2025 nationally, regardless of position.
Griffin's classmate, Logan Brooking, has committed to play tight end at Clemson, but the son of former Georgia Tech and Atlanta Falcons star linebacker Keith Brooking also plays a key role with the Raiders on the defensive line.
Rising sophomore sensation Damion Guyton, who entered the championship game with 82 tackles, including 19.5 for losses and 10 sacks, already had an offer from UGA before playing a down of high school football. He's added offers from South Carolina, USC, Florida and Florida State as the season has progressed, and that list will continue to grow exponentially.
"Losing this game is a moment that none of us are ever going to forget," Griffin said in a Mercedes-Benz locker room after the game. "It made us angry. There were a lot of those 'What if?' moments that we'll be thinking about in the offseason. But this is going to add more fuel to the fire for all the guys we have coming back."
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That defensive line will continue to be a strength for SCPS with the return of Isaiah Redmond, a rising junior who is becoming a star in his own right.
Rising senior linebacker Jaden Miles will coming back after leading the team in tackles. He entered the title game with 145 stops and is among the fastest players on the team. He'll be looking to get more touches as a running back, too.
"We had a great year because we put a lot of work in the weight room and we bonded as a team, pushing each other to work harder as the season went on," said Miles, who rushed for 40 yards, including a 24-yard touchdown in the loss. "Now we're going to come back next year with a chip on our shoulder."
Athen Hudspeth, a rising junior, will be back at strong safety after a solid junior year.
At cornerback and as a running back/receiver, rising senior Kenry Wall returns as one of the most dynamic athletes in Georgia. He rushed for 1,110 yards and 15 touchdowns and had 19 catches for 500 and five more scores, among his 24 total touchdowns. He added two interceptions and 26 tackles on defense.
The Raider run game should be tough to stop as rising senior Zo Smalls comes back. The 5-10, 200-pounder finished the season with 1,894 rushing touchdowns and 33 touchdowns.
"We played all right today, it wasn't our best game," Smalls said. "Cedar Grove was fast on defense and blitzed a lot. But we're going to get back to this game next year, for sure."
Luke Gunn is back for his senior year at center, along with two gifted players who have the talent to play at the next level in rising sophomore tackle Jordan Dillon (6-3, 295) and rising junior JT Howell (6-2, 290).
"It didn't end like we wanted it to, but it was a great experience to play in this game, especially as a freshman. Not many players get that chance," Dillon said. "Losing gives me even more fire for next year. We're a close team and we want to get back here."
And coming back after his first year as the starting quarterback is Blaise Thomas. The rising junior completed 67% of his passes for 1,897 yards and 14 touchdowns and 10 interceptions (statistics before the title game), while adding four rushing touchdowns and 139 yards on the ground.
"We lost two hogs up front in Gross and Lewis, and some great players in Bucey and McIvory," Woodward said. "But we're a really young team with a lot of juniors, sophomores and even freshmen, who gained a year of experience. The future looks bright."
Dennis Knight covers sports for the Savannah Morning News. Contact him at Dknight@savannahnow.com. Twitter: @DennisKnightSMN
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Savannah Christian football team set to rebound from championship loss
