River Bluff begins new era riding wave of positive momentum
River Bluff made an impressive turnaround last season, doubling its win total from the year before and jumping from last to third place in its region standings.
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River Bluff begins new era riding wave of positive momentum
River Bluff made an impressive turnaround last season, doubling its win total from the year before and jumping from last to third place in its region standings.
The Gators’ 10-win 2024 was one of the best years in program history. As River Bluff looks to continue moving in the right direction, the team will need to get acclimated to a brand-new coaching staff.
Perry Parks assumed the head coaching role after Blair Hardin’s resignation. Parks has experience on both the high school and college sidelines and will try to add his own flavor to a program with positive momentum.
“The kids have confidence that they can win,” Parks said. “As far as what we’re doing, we want to take it to the next next step. We want to continue to develop these kids and to build a winning culture and winning tradition.”
The Gators return a fair number of players from last year’s group. The team’s three losses last season came against region foes Irmo and Dutch Fork. River Bluff and Dutch Fork played twice that year, once in the regular season and once in the playoffs.
Outside of those three games, River Bluff took care of business. Parks is hoping the team can tap into that this season.
“I have very high standards of what it’s supposed to look like and how it should look,” he said. “We either reach that or frankly, we don’t. This summer’s been really big about worrying about ourselves as a program.”
Parks sees the potential at River Bluff. In a tough region with so many talented teams, it can be a hard place to succeed. But those games are a good test for what’s to come down the road in the playoffs, and for Parks, the ultimate goal is success in the postseason.
“We know it’s not going to happen overnight,” he said. “When they start playing football at my standard, we’ll have a really good program here.”
Offense
Brayden Moore took over as the team’s starting quarterback late last season. He is back for his junior year in 2025 and will have the keys from the start. Parks was impressed with Moore’s success in the spring and summer workouts.
Last year’s leading rusher, Hayden Myers, is also back this season for the Gators. He had over 1,300 yards and 12 touchdowns last season.
Landon Hudgins and Alex Kirylo will be critical pieces on the offensive line.
River Bluff’s wide receiver unit is one of the team’s youngest position groups. Darius Carter, Nick Washington and Brady Barrineau are projected to be Moore’s go-to targets.
Defense
Caleb Pinkney and Caleb Renwick will play corner for the Gators.
Justin Montalbo and Mason Stewart will be leaders on the defensive front. Their job is to put pressure on the opposing team’s offensive line.
Reece Huffstetler and Josiah Robinson will fill the gaps and prevent opposing teams from getting downfield from the linebacker spot.
”We’ve got some really good athletic players,” Parks said. “We’ve got a good nucleus of kids coming back. A lot of youth in this program. We’ll be able to get better and grow as a team with these guys.”
Schedule
Week 0 - at Rock Hill - Aug. 22
Week 1 - at Brookland-Cayce - Aug. 29
Week 2 - vs. Nation Ford - Sept. 5
Week 3 - vs. Gilbert - Sept. 12
Week 4 - vs. Cheraw - Sept. 19
Week 5 - BYE
Week 6 - at White Knoll* - Oct. 3
Week 7 - vs. Irmo* - Oct. 10
Week 8 - at Chapin* - Oct. 17
Week 9 - at Dutch Fork*- Oct. 24
Week 10 - vs. Lexington* - Oct. 31
Note: (*) indicates a game against a region opponent
Keywords
river bluff football, schsl football, Lexington County football
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