‘Means Everything’: Santa Fe, Newberry Revive Season-Opener Tradition
Santa Fe quarterback Gavin Peterson had the date Aug. 21 circled all summer. Not because that’s when his high school football season kicked off, but rather who he’d be throwing against — Newberry.
Last October, the Panthers trotted onto Santa Fe’s field, trouncing the Raiders 27-7. This year, the Raiders (1-0) took the 14-mile bus ride and returned the favor, powering past the Panthers (0-1) 30-16 on Friday.
“They got to celebrate the rivalry this whole offseason [and] summer, so it means everything coming over here to their field, beating them [and] getting our get back,” Peterson said.
The result represented the Raiders’ first win over the Panthers since 2019, but the win’s significance lies in history, not records. Friday’s season opener marked the return of a tradition dating back to the 1970s, with the teams opening against each other for the first time in two years.
In 2024, Newberry joined Class 2A District 5, turning Santa Fe into a district opponent, which pushed their game to the middle of the season. The Panthers moved into the Class 2A District 4 division ahead of the 2026 season, allowing the schools to return to the typical season opener.
Newberry athletic director Bryan Roundtree played for the Panthers from 1993 to 1997 and expected the tradition’s return to produce a large turnout. The community met his expectations with over 800 fans piling into Newberry’s stadium, dividing into a sea of blue and red.
“Week one’s where we need to be playing,” Roundtree said. “It was great to be able to bring the excitement back. You talk about it all summer. These communities, we work with each other, we know each other, we grew up around each other, we played against each other [since] a lot of us are alumni, so it’s a fun way to start the season.”
Peterson added another branch to his family’s deep roots at Santa Fe, becoming the third generation of Petersons to play for the Raiders and in the season opener against Newberry.
Peterson’s dad, former Gators linebacker Mike Peterson, and uncle, Adrian Peterson, each helped lead the Raiders to one of their two state championships — Mike in 1991 and Adrian in 1994. Both went on to play in the NFL but still remember the weight of the rivalry game, making sure to pass their knowledge along to Peterson.
“All week, [my dad], my grandpa, my uncle said something about how big this game [is and] how special it is to have it as the first game of the season,” Peterson said. “So all week [I] just [had a] little bird in my ear telling me that this game means something else.”
Peterson wasn’t the only one on the field with deeper connections to the rivalry. Eighteen years after graduating from Newberry in 2001, coach Ed Johnson took charge of the team he once played for.
He grew up watching his brothers play alongside Newberry stars Maurice Bell and former Gator Keith Kelsey in the rivalry games against Mike and Adrian.
“We just had a bunch of legends running around trying to beat each other and compete,” Johnson said.
Newberry alum Antawn Ivey, who played for the Panthers and graduated in 2007, still refuses to miss Friday night lights, supporting his alma mater for the last 15 years. Ivey watched players on both sides grow up playing each other, turning Friday’s game into a full-circle moment as he watched his nephews carry on the same tradition he once took part in.
“These players grew up watching each other from their uncles, their older brothers and siblings,” Ivey said. “It’s great to see my nephews and my kids being able to play and do the same thing we were doing back in school.”
The rivalry puts Newberry registrar Heather Dampier in a tricky position as she graduated from Santa Fe, where she met her husband and sent her two children. Dampier’s son already graduated from Santa Fe, but her daughter spent her Friday night on the sidelines as a Raiders cheerleader.
Dampier’s solution to the conundrum proved simple, sporting a T-shirt that represented both schools equally. Regardless of which side succeeded, Dampier appreciated how the game boosted the team’s fundraising efforts while deterring students from trouble.
“All these kids could be out doing something else that they’re not supposed to be doing, and to see them here at a football game on a Friday night, it warms my heart,” Dampier said.
Ahead of Johnson’s senior season, his coach, Scott Pritchett, left the Panthers in 2000 to coach the Raiders squad, further intensifying the rivalry. Former Newberry coach Tommy Keeler added another wrinkle in the relationship between the schools when he ended his six-year coaching stint in 2011 to take over the reins at Santa Fe.
Now that Johnson switched out his helmet for a headset, his perspective on the rivalry evolved.
“When I was playing, [I] didn’t see the big picture,” Johnson said. “You just wanted to play the game and beat them. As a coach, you get to see the rivalry, the history; you also got to try to keep everything in perspective. It’s still just a game, and the sun will rise Saturday morning no matter what.”
Category: Feature Sports News, High School Sports, Newberry High School, Santa Fe High School
