Beaufort Academy (3-0, 0-0) at Greenwood Christian (1-2, 0-1)
The hawks delivered Coach Rooney his first victory as a head coach last Thursday in a rare non-region matchup with Spartanburg Christian. The rolled to an easy victory behind an electric combination of Week 2 Offensive Players of the Week Kade Heaton and Owen Whittington. But the Hawks have given up 250 yards per game on the ground, including 347 yards rushing in the win against Spartanburg Christian. The Eagles come to Victory Field having rushed for over 250 yards in all three games this season, including more than 400 yards on the ground last week against Hilton Head Prep.
Prediction: Beaufort appears to be on a mission to avenge a heartbreaking loss to Colleton Prep for a chance to play for the SCISA 2A title last year. They have three backs averaging over a hundred yards per game and rush defense just happens to be the Hawks Achilles heel. Hawks drop a tough one to the Eagles, 35-28.
Liberty (2-1) at Dixie (0-2)
After an off week last week, Dixie finishes off non-region play by hosting the Liberty Red Devils, a 2A team that has struggled in recent years. The Hornets are 6-9 all-time against Liberty, who is coming off their first loss of the season last week to Eastside. This will be a little easier test for Coach Sorrow’s squad as their first two opponents were 3A foes Pendleton and Crescent.
Prediction: While Liberty has struggled recently against local 2A opponents Abbeville and Ninety Six, they are still capable of beating most 1A teams. Dixie has not yet shown they can make the plays necessary to defend their homefield against the Red Devils. Liberty rolls easily, 27-12.
Thornwell (0-2) at McCormick (0-3)
We don’t know an awful lot about Thornwell yet – they have played two games, both against Calhoun Falls, in their return to varsity football. We do know the Chiefs are a different team without playmaker Markese Stevens under center. Stevens missed the game against Fox Creek due to a concussion but is expected to play against Thornwell.
Prediction: It is an uphill battle in your first few years as a varsity football program and Thornwell is in the first year of that. New McCormick head coach Leroy Collier is building something over there in Chieftain land. Chiefs roll, 47-12.
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 their last game against Ninety Six at halftime. The Hornets shut 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.
Westside (1-1) at Abbeville (3-0)
It’s another heavyweight bout for Abbeville this week, this time with 4A power Westside coming to town. This is the SK Media Game of the Week so make sure to check out the full preview!
Mid-Carolina (0-3) at Ninety Six (2-1)
It’s been an inauspicious start for Mid-Carolina. They opened up the season getting thumped in back-to-back weeks by Saluda and Chapin. They followed that up by losing to Whitmire 8-7. The Wildcats are certainly not the same team without quarterback Braden Mitchell, but sophomore Carver Davis is getting more comfortable in the offense each week. Davis also plays a lot of snaps at safety, which is not ideal and leaves the Wildcats just one play away from really having their season derailed.
Prediction: Davis has plenty of playmakers around him to help shoulder the load while Braden Mitchell is out. The amount of defensive snaps is a concern, but Mitchell himself played a bunch of snaps at linebacker last season. It’s not an ideal situation, but won’t be an issue this week as the Wildcats add their own thumping to the list for Mid-Carolina. Big game from Zay King to lead Ninety Six to a huge win, 56-14.
Emerald (0-2) at Saluda (3-0)
The big news this week for this game is that the Tigers will be without electric playmaker Kyree Etheredge after the junior left last week’s contest with a lower leg injury. What did the Tigers do on a night when quarterback Drew Arant wasn’t having his best game? They leaned on senior leader Kenmane Brusnon who scored three times, two of them on lung runs in the second half, to put the Wildcats away. Expect another heavy dose of number 4 as well as Brayden Williams in a prolific Saluda rushing attack.
On the other side, the Emerald Vikings have lost their first two games by a combined four points. They had victory in their grasp in both games. Against Ninety Six, it was a costly fumble at the goal line that preserved a one-point win for Ninety Six. The following week it was a botched snap on a field goal against Hampton County that would have tied the game in the final minute. They are right on the verge of breaking through and those breakthroughs are mental ones. It’s a tall task to try to click mentally against an opponent like Saluda.
Prediction: The loss of Etheredge for the Tigers cannot be minimized, but it’s also worth noting that they have lots of playmakers. Brunson carries the ball a bunch, but it is Drew Arant, Jaylen Nick and Vic Gaines who steal the show and the Tigers edge the Vikings in another heartbreaker for Emerald, 27-24.
Aiken (0-3) at Clinton (3-0)
This game recalls to life Dickens’ opening to his classic novel “A Tale of Two Cities.” “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness…” That perfectly sums up the direction of these two teams. In fairness, Aiken did play two Georgia schools the first two weeks, but the 4A team was manhandled last week by 2A Strom Thurmond. That game featured two top receivers in Tennessee-commit Braylon Staley and Demarius Tolen. The Red Devils, meanwhile, continue to roll through opponents, winning by an average margin of 33 points.
Prediction: The Red Devils have scored 42, 49, and 50 points in their first three games. Aiken has given up 46, 54, and 48 points in their first three games. Conversely, the Hornets have struggled scoring, putting up just 12, 13, and 24 points in their first three games. The Red Devils have given up just 7 points in two of their three games. It’s not a good recipe for success for the Hornets, 52-20.
Laurens (0-3) at Chapman (2-1)
The Raiders have had a rough start to the 2023 season. Chapman has had the opposite, losing only to 5A contender Boiling Springs and upsetting perennial 5A power Byrnes. The senior-laden Panthers have a three-headed rushing attack, but they will also throw the ball all over the field. They threw 33 passes in their upset win over Byrnes, but have scored nine of their 10 touchdowns on the ground.
Prediction: The Raiders have yet to prove they can stop anyone from scoring or scoring any points themselves. The Panthers will be playing well into November this year. Chapman takes down Laurens 55-24.
North Augusta (2-1) at Greenwood (2-1)
The Eagles are 22-5 against the Yellow Jackets all-time and the last time North Augusta actually beat Greenwood the country was obsessed with some dance called “Macarena.” The Eagles jumped up to seventh in the latest S.C. 4A Media Poll after their big upset of Dorman last week. Everyone kind of resigned themselves to the possibility the Eagles could be 0-5 entering region play yet still be a very good team. Even the most optimistic predictions outside the locker room had the Eagles at 2-3 through the first five non-region games. Now, they could very likely be 4-1.
Prediction: If you don’t know the name Tank Gary yet you will by Saturday morning. It would not be the least bit surprising for Gary to rack up two bills on the ground. The Eagles are playing with a ton of confidence and will handily beat North Augusta at J.W. Babb Stadium, 55-8.