Two longtime Lowcountry rivals brought a high level of excitement to the second night of the 48th annual Sertoma Classic on Friday night as Porter-Gaud edged Bishop England 13-7 in a two-quarter scrimmage.

The two schools, who have played each other in recent years but are not scheduled this fall, brought large followings in the stands, and the play on the field made for plenty of noise. Junior quarterback Gunnar Nistad, a transfer from James Island Charter, tossed a pair of touchdowns and led an impressive passing attack. The Cyclones forced three turnovers defensively as well.

“That was fun, and the last I looked both teams are still undefeated, so the real winner was Sertoma,” Porter-Gaud coach Rick Reetz said. “That’s what we’re here to support, and I’m glad it worked out. When we decided to play this game here, we thought it would be good for the fans. We’re not playing this year in the regular season, so this was a good thing.”
The first Porter-Gaud score came after a Bishop England fumble as Nistad connected with Caleb Pierce for a score.

Another Bishop England fumble, this on their own 2-yard line, resulted in Nistad’s short pass to Andrew Thomas.

Bishop England got on the board midway through the second period when quarterback Will Daniel connected with Sullivan Clair on a 35-yard pass, cutting the lead to 13-7.

“It’s a learning process for all of our guys,” Bishops coach John Cantey said. “We’re very young and we’re going to have to take our lumps. This is a good competition. We have a good rivalry with them.

“We had three turnovers. That has to stop. We can’t beat ourselves.”