The River Bluff football team was off to an impressive 5-1 start to the season before hitting region play when all its momentum came to a halt.

River Bluff went 0-5 against conference rivals and lost most games by two possessions, except for a three-point loss to Chapin. The team lost its first-round game of the 5A playoffs to Summerville 28-3, ending the Gators’ season.

The team was very young last season and is returning a majority of those players for the 2024 season. With a little extra experience under their belt, the Gators will look to compete in a region that has only gotten tougher with the addition of Irmo.

Offense

The Gators return many important players from last year’s team, including their lead signal caller, quarterback Parker Murray. He had a solid 2023 outing, completing 64% of his passes while throwing for over 1,500 yards and 12 touchdowns.

River Bluff is also bringing back two of its three most productive running backs from last season. Trace Nettles and Hayden Myers are back after combining for over 750 yards in an offense where the run game was done by committee.

The team will have a very experienced wide receiver group for Murray to throw to. Stephen Collier, Aaron Griffin, Lathon Smalls, Landon Shipley and Brock Godfrey were the team’s five most productive pass-catchers last season. All five return in 2024 with one more year under their belts. They are also all seniors except for Smalls, who is entering his junior season.

Last year’s offensive line was one of the most youthful in the state. The group was mostly juniors getting their first career starts and learning on the fly. This year, that is no issue.

River Bluff has a group of experienced linemen this season, including Pac Pitts, Joe Allendre, L.J. Berndt, Cooper Simril and Alex Kirylo.

Defense

While the offense features a ton of returning faces, the defense will have to look for players to step up and fill the holes left by the team’s seniors from last season.

Griffin Lindler and Elijah Hayes are the two most productive returners from last season. Lindler is a linebacker who recorded over 75 tackles for the team last season, including 10 for a loss. Hayes is a safety who had over 60 tackles and a few pass breakups.

Two other notable returning players include Blaine Fender at linebacker and Eric Johnson on the defensive line.

Schedule 

Week 0 - vs. Rock Hill - Aug. 23

Week 1 - vs. Brookland-Cayce - Aug. 30

Week 2 - at Nation Ford - Sept. 6

Week 3 - at Gilbert - Sept. 13

Week 4 - vs. Cheraw- Sept. 20

Week 6 - vs. White Knoll - Oct. 4

Week 7 - at Irmo - Oct. 11

Week 8 - vs. Chapin - Oct. 18

Week 9 - vs. Dutch Fork - Oct. 25

Week 10 - at Lexington - Nov. 1