Northwestern wins the title! Trojans edge Irmo in epic South Carolina state championship
Northwestern completed its undefeated football season with a state championship.
In a wild 34-31 title game against top contender Irmo at Oliver C. Dawson Stadium, the Trojans captured the SCHSL Class 5A Division II championship Saturday night.
Senior kicker Matthew Fish sent a 27-yard field goal well above the uprights as time expired, capping another stellar performance from quarterback Finley Polk and Northwestern’s high-powered offense.
“This is the best night of my life,” Fish said. “I love being with these guys, and I’m gonna remember this forever. Every year, they’ve gained more confidence in me. They finally gave me my shot, and I showed them all I can do.”
Envisioning the shootout during practice earlier in the week, head coach Page Wofford drew up a scenario where the Trojans got the ball on the 10-yard line late. Wofford indicated it would be a 37-yard field goal; he was corrected that a kick from that spot would actually end up being 27 yards out.
“What’s the difference? Fish is going to make it,” Wofford said. “He made it. Good for him and good for us. Another game that goes into the history books at Northwestern High School.”
Northwestern (14-0), the high school in Rock Hill, won its sixth state championship in school history and first since 2015. This marked the Trojans’ second state title game appearance in the past three years.
How Northwestern beat Irmo in the state championship
Northwestern senior Andre Pickett recovered a fumble on Irmo’s (12-2) first possession, sparking a quick scoring drive in the title game that returned to the campus of South Carolina State University.
Already in plus territory to begin its opening offensive series, Polk swung an 8-yard touchdown pass. Senior wide receiver Tadarrian Knox was the beneficiary, and the first of his two scores of the night gave the Trojans an initial 7-0 advantage.
The Yellow Jackets marched downfield on their next possession. Virginia Tech-bound quarterback A.J. Brand — the Palmetto State’s football Gatorade Player of the Year — fired a short touchdown pass to Donovan Murph, the local star being heavily recruited by both South Carolina and Clemson.
Toward the end of the first half, Polk led the Trojans’ offense across midfield with a series of impressive passes in tight coverage. Knox hauled in his ninth receiving touchdown — which ties him for third on the team — this season to put Northwestern ahead once again.
“It’s an unreal feeling,” said Polk, the Gardner-Webb signee who completed 33 of 39 passes for 427 yards and four touchdowns Saturday. “I can’t say it enough: I’m so blessed to have these guys around me. They showed up for me when I fell short, and I showed up for them when they fell short.
“It’s a wonderful connection, as we’ve been balling for a really long time.”
Irmo followed with another scoring drive of its own, culminating in a 26-yard field goal off the leg of junior kicker Tucker Williams. The Trojans matched that, taking a 17-10 lead early in the third quarter as Fish blasted a 20-yarder through the uprights.
The Yellow Jackets stormed right back.
Brand hustled into the back corner of the end zone for an 18-yard touchdown rush — which knotted the score 17-17 before the fourth quarter — and later scrambled for 29 yards into the end zone as he bolted away from the Trojans’ defense.
“When we were undefeated throughout the season, we couldn’t let it get to our heads,” said Northwestern junior receiver Kameron Vance, who finished with 11 catches for 164 yards and a pair of touchdowns. “We knew that the main goal was to come here and win it all. Honestly, this will feel good for like a month — but then it’s back to work to getting back here next year, undefeated again.”
A field-flipping catch and run from Vance brought Northwestern into the red zone early in the fourth. Polk ultimately connected with Vance again several more times that drive, making a remarkable snag in traffic on third-and-long to bring the Trojans near the goal line.
Vance made several more crucial catches down the stretch, including an 8-yard touchdown reception that gave Northwestern a 31-24 lead inside the five-minute mark in regulation.
And Irmo tied it all back up. Brand launched a 33-yard toss into the air, and Murph reached over his defender to pull in an incredible touchdown grab in well-contested coverage.
Notable
▪ Northwestern, the Rock Hill school that’s been a top team in the Charlotte area throughout the year, won its sixth state title and first since 2015, when current Clemson tight ends coach Kyle Richardson was at the helm of the Trojans.
▪ It marked the second state championship game appearance in three years for Northwestern, which came up short against South Florence — led by now-South Carolina quarterback LaNorris Sellers — in 2022.
▪ Appearing in a state championship game for the first time since 2006, Irmo’s only other loss this season was to Dutch Fork, which won the 5A Division I title Friday.
▪ Irmo, the high school in the Columbia area that opened in 1928, looked to win its second football state championship — and first since 1980.
They said it
“It’s not easy to play football for me,” Wofford said. “I’m demanding. I’m trying to get the best out of you. We’re gonna put you in situations that may be uncomfortable, and we’re gonna try to demand that you do your best. Our standard is the best. We talk about playing to our standard all of the time, and that’s basically hustling your tail off and doing what you’re coached to do. And that’s not easy in this day and age, but it really is a formula for success.
“Northwestern High School, as we showed tonight, is winning with our kids. Winning with Rock Hill kids. We get our transfers like everybody else, but we’re not out there searching for them and chasing them. To get in with our kids the way we did, and to have a season we did with Rock Hill kids and Northwestern kids, is very satisfying.”
This story was originally published December 14, 2024 at 9:12 PM.
