There is another slate of great football again this week, and we even got a Thursday night game in this week!
Spartanburg Christian 28 Greenwood Christian 51
If we’d had a chance to pick the sone, we would have taken the Hawks big. They proved themselves more than worthy of that pick Thursday night. They had seven touchdowns through the air — six from starting quarterback Kade Heaton — and appeared in control almost the entire game. Owen Whittington caught five of Heaton’s six tugs and continues to separate himself as one of SCISA’s most dangerous deep threats.
Fox Creek (0-2) at McCormick (0-2)
The Predators won the first meeting between the two schools in 2012 then lost the next seven straight to the Chiefs. They have bounced back the past couple of years with consecutive wins to make the series 7-3. Both teams come in at 0-2, but not all wins and losses are created equal. The Chiefs’ two losses came at the hands of 2A powerhouse Abbeville and perennial Georgia powerhouse Lincoln County. The Predators were shutout by 1A title contender Southside Christian in Week 0 and lost to lower-tier 3A Lakewood last week.
Prediction: Fox Creek has yet to find the end zone in 2023 and that is a trend that could likely continue against a battle-tested Chiefs defense led by senior Cam Durant. Chiefs give Coach Collier his first win as Chief and the Predators make it three weeks without hitting pay dirt. Chiefs roll 35-6.
West Oak (1-1) at Ware Shoals (1-1)
The Hornets look rejuvenated under first-year head coach Chris Dodson in spite of some early administrative hiccups. They demolished Whitmire and were right in last week’s game against Ninety Six at halftime. The Hornets shout out West Oak last season 30-0 and they come into the game with explosive running back Justice Lomax off to a hot start. The Warriors lone win came against Fountain Inn, a team in just its second season of varsity football.
Prediction: Justice Lomax will sell some of his t-shirts with his performance in this one. Look for 200+ on the ground and Ware Shoals shuts out West Oak again in 2023. 42-0.
Aiken (0-2) at Strom Thurmond (1-1)
The Rebels got great glimpse of stud running back Traevon Dunbar, who boasts more than a dozen Power 5 offers, and it wasn’t pretty. Dunbar gashed the Rebel defense for 315 yards and did not touch the field in the third quarter. Dunbar fully exposed a run defense that showed cracks against the Laney rushing attack in Week 0. However, they only gave up 21 points and were in a position to win the game late.
Now, the elephant in the room. It has not gone unnoticed around the CSRA that two of the Rebels top offensive threats — Tennessee commit Braylon Staley and 6-foot-4 jump ball guru Demarius Tolen — transferred from Aiken to Storm Thurmond over the summer. There will be a ton of storyline throughout the game, but, ultimately, both teams have to line up and snap the football.
Prediction: Aiken has taken back-to-back beatings from teams across the river and return to their home state to face one of their traditional rivals. Add some spice from both the close proximity of the two schools and the off-season drama and we should be in for one heck of a game. Staley makes his mark on this game and the Rebels get back on track to drop Aiken 45-16.
Ninety Six (2-0) at Saluda (2-0)
The Wildcats travel to Saluda in a battle of 2-0 neighbors and it the SK Media Week 2 Game of the Week! Check out our full preview!
Emerald (0-1) at Hampton County (2-0)
The Vikings were idle last week and are still smarting from a one-point loss to Ninety Six in Week 0. They have the newly minted Hampton County on tap this week, a school formed over the summer as a merger of Wade Hampton and Estill. All Estill did was win their region and make it to the third round of the state 1A playoffs last year. The former Wade Hampton posted a 7-5 record and won a playoff game last season.
The Vikings replaced one Foster with another, sending elder sibling Jaylen off to Georgia State as younger sibling Christian takes over in the backfield. Key Holloway made some strides as a packet passer over the summer, but remains a run-first threat for the Viking offense. With just one game on tape, it’s hard to know exactly what Emerald may look like this season. They look improved from 2022, but they have their work cut out for them down in Varnville.
Prediction: Tough game against a tough team on the road is not a good recipe for success to erase the bitterness of that first loss. The Vikings keep it close in the first half, but the Hurricanes potent rushing attack takes over in half number two. Hurricanes over the Vikings, 38-21.
Newberry (1-0) at Clinton (2-0)
The Red Devils host the Bulldogs in a county border rivalry matchup. Clinton romped Batesburg-Leesville in Week 0 before steamrolling cross-country rival Laurens last week. They have been pounding opponents into submission with a prolific rushing attack and a stalwart defense. The Bulldogs are receiving votes in the 2A Media Poll, but the Red Devils are ranked third in 3A in the very same poll.
Prediction: Newberry is an up and coming program, but they are no match for Clinton in this one. Expect a short night for the starters. Clinton continues to crush its competition, 56-18.
Belton-Honea Path (2-0) at Laurens (0-2)
The Bears looked a lot like the Bears of a couple decades ago who ran wild over opponents at any level in a 43-28 thrashing of 4A power Westside. The Bears rushed for 432 yards against Westside, with 197 of those yards turned in by 3-star running back Marquise Henderson ,who has offers from half a dozen Power 5 schools. Oh yea, he had all those yards just in the first half. There’s really not a ton to say about this one. There will only be a handful of teams in any classification state wide that will be able to subdue the BHP ground game.
Prediction: Bears turn into Forrest Gump and just keep on running when they visit Laurens County tonight. BHP big, 55-12.
Dorman (1-1) at Greenwood (1-1)
It’s a rivalry born in a distant land called the 1980s under legendary Eagles head man J.W. “Pinky” Babb. The Cavaliers and Eagles met for the first time in 1980. The teams split those first two meetings, but the series has been dominated by Dorman. The Cavs hold then edge 18-8 and the Eagles have not beaten them since then-head coach Gene Cathcart led the Eagles to victory on their way to the first undefeated season in school history and ninth state title.
The Eagles come in ranked ninth in the latest SC Media Poll and Dorman comes in outside the top 10 following a shocking loss to Greenville in Week 0 followed by a rout of North Augusta in Week 1. In their big Week 0 win over A.C. Flora, the Eagles ran the ball 50 times for 236 yards and still went for 151 yards through the air.
Prediction: Friday night. The Babb. Electric crowd. Well-prepared team with a ton of confidence in spite of last week’s loss to Sandy Creek (Ga.). Tank Gary has himself a night and Triston Lewis takes a huge step forward as a quarterback. Eagles shock the Cavaliers 34-28.
Abbeville (2-0) at Southside Christian (0-1)
The Panthers are on the road for a second straight week. This time against a familiar foe, Southside Christian. Tonight will be the seventh time in eight years Panthers and Sabres have faced off, A-town is a perfect 6-0 in that span. The last time Abbeville played at Sabre Stadium, it was for a trip to the state championship game in 2018. The Panthers went on the win the championship the next week. Abbeville remains atop the 2A Media Poll standings, while Southside are listed just inside the top 10 for 1A.
Prediction: The Sabres are able to keep it close until Abbeville puts their foot on the gas in the 2nd half and runs away with it. Panthers win comfortably on the road, 34-21.