By: Trinity Thomas
VALDOSTA, Ga. – The Valdosta State Blazers close out the home portion of their regular season Saturday, hosting No. 19/16 North Greenville on Senior Day and Military Appreciation Day at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium.
The No.13/17 Blazers (6-1) are coming off a 28-24 road win at West Alabama and are a perfect 4-0 at home this season.
Valdosta State is ranked 13th in the D2Football poll and 17th in AFCA DII Coaches Poll.
Quarterback Champ Harris has been the engine of the offense, leading the team in total offense with 1,561 yards. He has completed 57 percent of his passes for 1,224 yards, eight touchdowns and two interceptions, and he has added 337 yards and six touchdowns on the ground as the team's second-leading rusher.
Harris' 379 total yards (304 passing and 75 rushing) and three touchdowns (two passing, one rushing) earned him GSC Offensive Player of the Week honors.
Shawn Paschall leads the rushing attack with 593 yards and 10 touchdowns, averaging 7.8 yards per carry and 84.7 yards per game; leading the GSC in all categories. Matt Wilson is third with 291 yards and four touchdowns.
The trio has powered a Blazer offense that averages 43.0 points and 248.7 rushing yards per game, with 27 rushing touchdowns on the season. Leon Washington Jr. leads the receiving corps with 25 catches for 299 yards, and Jaheim Arnold has turned his 11 receptions into 250 yards and three touchdowns.
The Valdosta State defense has taken the ball away at a remarkable rate, intercepting 14 passes while the offense has thrown just two, good for a plus-11 turnover margin which is second in the nation.
Opponents are completing only 46 percent of their passes, converting 29 percent of their third downs and rushing for just 3.1 yards per carry. The Blazers have 52 tackles for loss and 18 sacks as a team, and they allow 18.3 points per game.
Jayden Bethea leads the team with 44 tackles, seven tackles for loss and three sacks. Julius Pascal is second with 37 tackles and has two interceptions, one of which he returned 84 yards for a touchdown.
Curtis Janvier has been a playmaker in the secondary, with a team-high three interceptions, three fumble recoveries, a fumble return for a touchdown and two forced fumbles.
Freshman Jabari McMillian has also made a name for himself in the secondary, as the Jacksonville, Fla. Native is tied for third on the team in tackles with 25 and he's tied for second on the team in interceptions. His seven tackles, including four solo stops against West Alabama earned him his third GSC Freshman of the Week honor this season.
Scouting the Trailblazers
The Trailblazers enter Saturday 8-1 overall and 5-1 in Conference Carolinas with their lone loss a 16-13 decision against Chowan on Oct. 10.
Last week they rolled past Erskine 45-10. North Greenville also owns a 24-14 win at West Alabama, a 42-41 win at UNC Pembroke, where the Blazers fell 44-41, and a 31-3 win over Shorter.
In the D2Football.com poll, the Trailblazers are ranked 19th and in the AFCA DII Coaches Poll they are ranked 16th.
Offensively, North Greenville averages 34.6 points, 197.9 rushing yards and 188.6 passing yards a game.
Quarterback Kam Montgomery has completed 55 percent of his passes for 1,654 yards and 12 touchdowns to six interceptions. He is also the team's leading rusher with 513 yards and nine touchdowns, and he leads the offense with 2,167 total yards.
Maurice Anderson has eight rushing touchdowns on 326 yards, and he averages 23.7 yards on kick returns. Jackson Parrish (337 yards, four touchdowns) and Deshawn Tompkins (291 yards, four touchdowns) round out the backfield.
Sam Washam leads the Trailblazers with 19 catches for 330 yards and three touchdowns, while Jonathan Manley has 18 receptions for a team-high 347 yards and three scores. Darius Bailem adds 14 catches for 245 yards.
On defense, North Greenville allows 18.9 points a game and has forced 12 interceptions. Jamie Downing Jr. leads the team with 70 tackles, and Brannon Teamer is next with 56 and 5.5 tackles for loss. Isaac Hawkins has a team-high 3.5 sacks.
Kaliber Hoey leads the secondary with three interceptions, and he and RJ Glasgow have each returned one for a touchdown. Jordan Conner also took a fumble 68 yards to the end zone, giving the Trailblazers three defensive touchdowns.
The Blazers lead the all-time series with North Greenville 7-0. Valdosta State won last season's meeting 35-24 on Homecoming and took the 2024 meeting at North Greenville 32-24.
Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. ET.
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