SUMMERVILLE -- Like a verse in the United State Army's official song, Summerville head football coach John McKissick's coaching career just 'keeps rolling along'.

Friday's Class 4-A non-region matchup at Bruin Stadium against fellow unbeaten Orangeburg-Wilkinson (3-0) will mark the 675th career game for the Palmetto State coaching icon. It's yet another milestone in a career which has spanned six decades and seen the 79-year-old McKissick win more football games (534) than any coach on any level and led the Green Wave to 10 state championships.

Yet, even as he approaches 80 later this month and coming off hernia surgery on Monday, McKissick still approaches his vocation with the same fervor as he did when he was named Summerville head coach 55 years ago.

"This is what actually keeps him going," said receivers' coach and former Citadel quarterback Joe Call, one of several grandchildren who played under McKissick. "If he didn't coach. He wouldn't have anything to do. He doesn't play golf. He doesn't go play tennis or anything or sit around. He's always active. Getting the blood pressure up at practice -- coming out here and getting on his feet and using all of his functions. If he were have to wake up and have nothing to do, it would be the end of him. But as long as he something to do and keep active, he's going to keep going. There's no slowing him."

The same is apparently true for a Green Wave team which has adopted a team motto of "Finish the Job" after losing the Class 4-A "Big 16" title to Gaffney in the final minutes. Currently off to a 3-0 start this season, Summerville is ranked as high as number two in the South Carolina Associated Press prep football poll and this week is The Green Wave also enters this week's USA Today national high school poll at number 20.

"I've got a lot of respect for Coach McKissick and his staff over there and I think a lot of the coaches look up to Coach McKissick," O-W head football coach Reggie Kennedy said. "Hopefully, one of these young coaches will one day break his record. Maybe me."

Kennedy would love nothing more than to hand McKissick career loss 128 to go with 13 ties. In his first season as Bruins' head coach, such a victory would be major for a program currently ranked 19th in this week's High School Sports Report and SCVarsity.com's Top 20 Class 4-A poll and looking to gain the same prominence Summerville enjoys.

"I think it would be real big for this community to beat a program like Summerville and that's one of the things we try to do as a staff -- get our program to that level to where Summerville is at and that would be a great start if we can come in and upset them Friday."

"We're ready," O-W defensive coordinator Ronnie Baker said Tuesday. "We've been preparing since spring practice to really put ourselves in position to win the big ballgame. We've been going spring practice, summer practice, passing league and this is really the test we've been waiting for."

A.J. GREEN

If McKissick is a coaching legend, his star wide receiver A.J. Green is becoming a legend in the making. Born Adriel Jasmear Green, the 6-4, 180 pound phenom has earned All-State honors twice and was named by EA Sports the nation's top sophomore player after catching 75 passes for 1,422 yards and 16 touchdowns last season.

In July, the 16-year-old Green was profiled by Sports Illustrated as part of its "Where Will They Be" stories on potential future professional greats. Several prep football websites have also ranked Green as the nation's top junior and his size, 4.5 speed and 34-inch vertical leap have drawn comparisons with NFL All-Pro Randy Moss.

SCVarsity.com founder Jim Baxter goes one step further in putting Green in elite company with other past prep football greats.

"The best three high school football players I've ever seen play in the years I've been doing this were (former Dallas Cowboys and NFL all-time rushing leader) Emmitt Smith when he was at Escambia (High School), Demetris Summers when he was at Lexington (High School) and this kid from Summerville," Baxter said. "Those are probably the three best prep players I've ever seen. And I'm not talking from a prospect status. I'm talking about their caliber as a high school athlete."

For all the attention, Call said Green remains a quiet, respectful, hard-working young man who's driven to become "the greatest that ever was".

"We don't have to keep him from getting a big head because he's got the work ethic that keeps himself from getting a big head," he said. "He's never satisfied. He might go out and catch three touchdowns in a game, but to him, he's always thinking about how he could have run a certain route better, maybe a route he should have caught but he didn't catch. He's real quiet. He doesn't walk in or show up to practice saying 'I'm the number one junior in the nation. I don't have to practice.' He shows up and looks to the coaches to push him."

Through three games, Green has 14 catches for 271 yards and two TDs as he's had to contend with double and even triple coverage. In last week's 12-7 win over Wando, Summerville had to contend with constant blitzes by the Warriors which resulted in three interceptions thrown by junior Reid McCollum and limited Green to just two catches for 10 yards.

Look for O-W to employ a similar strategy this Friday, led by linebacker Derrick Frasier (46 tackles, four sacks) and Jody Balaam (27 tackles, 4.5 sacks).

"Pressure is kind of the name of our game," Baker said. "We like to bring a lot of pressure. At the same time, our linebackers are good enough where they can sit and read and attack. So, we're going to really mix it up and just kind of play basic, fundamental football."

The coaching staff is also mindful of other weapons on the Green Wave receiving corps like 6-3, 187-pound senior Edward Gilliard (13 catches, 149 yards, one TD) and fellow upperclassman 5-11, 155-pound Chris Burnham (10 catches, 132 yards).

There's also fullback Michael Blevins who's rushed for a team-high four touchdowns this season and on defense, linebacker Justin Ball-Collins (21 tackles).

"A.J.'s a great football player, but they've got more besides A.J. I can promise you that," Kennedy said. "So I don't want to get caught up on A.J. and then the other guys beat us. To be honest with you, I think they've got some more weapons who are just as good as A.J. on the edges."

"I think if we play fundamentally sound and great technique at defensive back, I think we'll be okay," O-W defensive backs' coach Terrell Roach said. "We can't just focus on one person because it's just like in basketball. A lot of people Michael Jordan was the man when actually it was Scottie Pippen that was the guy for the Chicago Bulls.

"But back to football. A.J. Green, he's known nationwide and our kids aren't buying into the hype. We're just going to play Summerville like they were any other team."

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