Northside Christian’s football team is entering its third year of varsity competition and is looking to continue progressing after making and winning in the playoffs last season.

The Crusaders are coming off consecutive 6-5 seasons. In both years, the team qualified for the postseason and was matched with Colleton Prep in round one of the playoffs.

The first year Northside lost to Colleton by 20 points. But last season, the Crusaders flipped the script and beat Colleton Prep 33-28 before falling in the next round.

“That was a huge step for our program,” head coach Dean Howell said. “To go on the road and win a playoff game, it was just another step in building, what I would consider, a prominent program.”

Even though the statewide rule change to alignment was exclusive to the South Carolina High School League, teams in the South Carolina Independent School Association also moved classifications, including Northside.

The Crusaders will jump from 2A to 3A and join a region of completely new opponents.

“There’s just a lot of unknowns,” Howell said. “All of them kind of have the advantage on us. They’ve been around for a while, and we’re still a new school, a new program. They’re the old hats around. So, we’re hoping that we can continue to just try to get better and be competitive with them.”

To compete, the team will need to take another step up and rely on multiple players’ advancement, Howell said. 

Offense

The offense revolves around the success of its line.

Returning up front are seniors Zachary Gebhard and Hudson Shick. They will lead a line group that features young and old faces in 2024.

“No matter what the level is, everything starts up front,” Howell said. “We’ve got some other seniors that have been around in the program and gotten a bunch of experience that will get their chance to be a starter this year. And we got a bunch of good young kids on the offensive line that hopefully provides some depth for us.”

Behind the line is senior running back Sam Burks. He will also take snaps at wide receiver and kick returner, working as an all-around weapon for the team.

“We have probably, in my opinion, the most dynamic player in SCISA,” Howell said. “He’s a really special player. He got a couple offers here from colleges in the last couple of weeks, and we’re looking to build on that.”

Quarterback Jeff McCallum is back for his senior season after passing for over 1,000 yards in 11 games last season. He will be passing the ball to lead receivers John Lizewski and Jake Jeffrey.

Rounding out the offense is fullback J.R. Kinard. His contributions were key to the team last season, rushing for over 500 yards and five touchdowns.

Defense

Many of the same top contributors on offense will have to make plays on defense to put the Crusaders in a position to win.

Shick and Gebhard will line up on the defensive line. Shick is a former All-Region player and will look to continue producing at a high level this season.

Sam Burks and Kinard will play in the secondary while also being wideouts on offense.

“We’re a very experienced team, and I got a lot of dudes coming back,” Howell said.

Schedule

Week 00 - vs. Greenwood Christian - Aug. 16

Week 0 - at Calhoun Academy - Aug. 23

Week 1 - at Wilson Hall - Aug. 30

Week 3 - vs. Andrew Jackson Academy - Sept. 13

Week 4 - at Spartanburg Christian Academy- Sept. 20

Week 5 - vs. Trinity Collegiate - Sept. 27 

Week 6 - vs. Providence Athletic Club - Oct. 4

Week 7 - at Orangeburg Prep - Oct. 11

Week 9 - at Florence Christian - Oct. 25

Week 10 - vs. Camden Military - Nov. 1