Javien Butler is a 5-foot-10, 160-pound Class of 2023 student-athlete hailing from the Ridge View Blazers, a rising AAAA (4A) South Carolina High School League (SCHSL) power operating out of North Columbia.
Javien has played a significant role in the Blazers’ scorching-hot 5-1 start this fall, recording 12 solo tackles, 27 overall tackles, and 4.5 tackles per game, according to Max Preps.
The speedy student-athlete drawing interest from Averett College, Benedict College, Charlotte, Wofford, and Valdosta State also boasts a speedy 40-yard dash time of4.67 seconds, a time that should hopefully be able to net him an offer from (at least) an FCS or Division 2 program.
When our recruiting editor, Lee Wardlaw spoke with the Blazers’ star defensive back, he said that he has been in touch with coaches from Columbia-based Benedict College, a tradition-laden HBCU program just a 13.8-mile drive from his current high school campus bordering the rural Midlands at 4801 Hard Scrabble Road.
Butler could definitely picture himself rocking the Tigers’ icy purple and gold after walking the stage with a high school diploma in hand if he receives an offer from the school.
“They’re definitely up and coming. They are on the rise, for sure,” he said.
That’s surely an accurate assessment from Butler, with Benedict possessing an undefeated 5-0 record heading into the second half of their season.
And the Tigers, who are laden with Columbia area and Palmetto State talent on their roster, aren’t just winning. They’re dominating.
Benedict is 5-0, possessing a 3-0 record in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, running over rivals Savannah State, Kentucky State, and Fort Valley State in the process, the hometown team running all over the fellow feline Savannah State Tigers 24-6 in front of an ESPNU national primetime audience at Charlie W. Johnson Stadium on September 15th.
The Tigers, who star under the “Columbia Saturday Night Lights” at the $12 million, 11,000-seat stadium, host high school state championship games during the first weekend of December.
And with Butler and Ridge View performing at a high level heading into the second half of the season, Blazers’ and Tigers’ fans could now be pondering the possibility of Butler both hoisting the state championship trophy and Division 2 national championship with Benedict. Nothing is certain, but all is possible in Columbia.
But in the meantime, Butler is focused on what’s most important: keeping the right mindset through it all.
“My mindset right now is just trying to prove myself and seeing what I can do to everyone,” Javien said, who is seeking to laser in his focus alongside a hungry team and supportive community in Columbia.
“This includes my fellow players, teammates, coaches, and family, but most importantly, myself,” he said.
He paused and then finished.
“I feel like I have a big role to play and I’m going to do everything in my power to fulfill that role,” Butler said.
Javien’s dedicated head coach, Derek Howard, was the first-ever Blazers quarterback in the 1990s.
Howard, also a former assistant coach at the school and graduate of Atlanta-based HBCU Morehouse College, plays a huge role for Javien in a season representing a crossroads in life for the student-athlete, who is looking to separate himself in an ever-crowded field of competitors in hopes of becoming of the 7.5% of male student-athletes that advance from high school to college athletics in the wide world of United States athletics.
“(Howard) plays a major role in this. He controls the program and creates the team culture. When you have a great coach like him, the team will mirror that 9 times out of 10. And I certainly feel like that’s happening with us (at Ridge View),” he said.
The Blazers, also have their roster filled with other talented student-athletes, including wide receiver Adonis McDaniel and tight end Tracy Stephens, with McDaniel drawing interest from Clemson and South Carolina and Stephens also being a potential scholarship option for the Gamecocks.
