We have arrived at the penultimate week of the regular season and the playoff picture is starting to clear up for the most part. This week’s slate of games should leave us a good idea of how the playoff seedings will shake out.
Thornwell (1-6) at Atlantic Collegiate Academy (0-2)
Thornwell travels to Conway to take on an interesting team in Atlantic Collegiate Academy that has only played two varsity football games and have not played under the lights since September 8. One thing is for sure–Kaevon Washington will get his numbers and this week it might get him a victory.
Prediction: It’s hard to play good football if you are not playing any football at all. Thornwell picks up their second victory of the season, 34-22.
Spartanburg Christian (3-5, 0-1) at Greenwood Christian (3-5, 0-1)
These two teams met back in August and the Hawks came out on top 51-28. The game was not as close as the score and the story that night was Owen Whittington going bonkers with 7 catches for 268 yards and FIVE touchdowns.Kade Heaton was the star of the subplot, going 13-for-18 for 340 yards and six touchdowns. The performance earned the duo co-Player of the Week honors.
Spartanburg Christian runs an odd offense that puts two players right behind the center at pistol depth and they will snap it to either one of the players. The Warriors have leaned heavily on freshman Noah Caffell as one of those two players and he is typically joined in the backfield by senior Asante Jenkins, who rolled up 168 yards on the ground in the first game between these two.
Prediction: Never show up to a shootout if High Noon Heaton is lined up across from you. Heaton has been spreading the ball around nicely over the past several weeks and, even if the Hawks are without sone of their key defensive pieces, the Warriors just won’t be able to keep up. Hawks take the Warriors out behind the corral for an old fashioned whoopin’, 55-20.
McCormick (2-6, 1-3) at Calhoun Falls (3-5, 1-3)
This is a matchup that has our resident 1A football nerd salivating. Two teams who are on the way up and jockeying for playoff position. Both of these teams are in, but this game will have a big impact on the final region standings. Either of these teams could finish from fourth to sixth in the region and both teams will be putting it all on the line to grab a win in this one.
This game is fraught with storylines (look for more on that Sunday morning), but the biggest one is undoubtedly the Chiefs’ loss of starting quarterback Dre Thomas for the season. North-South selection Camden Durant is more than serviceable under center, but that also means he can’t play elsewhere on offense where he can make plays in space. On the other sideline, the Flashes are feeling good after picking up their first region win since 2019. Marri Norman and crew will be eager to hold serve on their home turf in a game moved to Saturday night.
Prediction: Whoa, Nellie, this is going to be a wild one up in Calhoun Falls and it will be a dog fight for the entire 48 minutes. Chiefs find a way at the end, 24-22.
Anderson Cavaliers (4-4, 2-2) at Dixie (2-6, 2-3)
The Hornets get a break from region play when Pioneer league opponent Anderson Cavaliers come to town for a game moved up to Thursday. Hornets coach Mark Sorrow has the team playing well and they control their own fate in the final playoff seeding. This game will be a tune up for that final region matchup next week against Calhoun Falls.
Prediction: Brandon Nance put up big numbers en route to a big Hornets victory, 49-13.
Southside Christian (5-2, 4-0) at Ware Shoals (1-7, 0-5)
Even if the Hornets could muster a victory over SSC, they would still be on the outside looking in on the playoffs in Chris Dodson’s first year as head coach. It was a rocky start to the season and the ride has been just as bumpy so far. A visit from one of the private schools won’t help.
Prediction: Hornets are outmatched in this one. SSC wins 55-12.
Abbeville (7-1, 3-0) at Blacksburg (3-5, 0-3)
The Panthers keep the quest for a repeat rolling when they head up to Blacksburg Friday night. The Wildcats are winless in region play. Their best region outing was against Landrum two weeks ago when they lost by just four points. Last week, they were pounded by Chesnee, 54-13. Blacksburg relies heavily on a quick, short passing game and they are not at all afraid to throw some oddball formations out there in an attempt to confuse the defense.
No. 2 Abbeville has been an offensive juggernaut since moving Damarcus Leach to quarterback in coach Jamie Nickles A-Bone offense. Not only are there starters sitting in the second half due to the score, but there are also starters who never get going good because the game is out of hand before they can spread the ball around. There are playmakers everywhere for Abbeville, including North-South selectees Jae Harris and Mikhelyn Bowie, and any one of them could be the one leading the attack Friday night.
Prediction: Call the dogs, well, Panthers, off early in this one. Abbeville rolls, 55-6.
Chesnee (5-3, 2-1) at Ninety Six (7-1, 3-0)
The Eagles fly into Wilson-Campbell Stadium Friday night to face the ninth-ranked Wildcats in what could be a trap game for Ninety Six. All the chatter has been about a potential matchup with Abbeville to wrap up the regular season next week with a region title on the line. The Eagles have played very well and that play is all the more remarkable considering what their school and community are going through.
Braden Mitchell has been excellent since his return from injury. Zay King has been on an otherworldly tear over the past few weeks. In just his past two games, he has personally outscored the New England Patriots for the entire season. The Eagles got blown out by Abbeville, but they walloped Blacksburg last week. A win for either team would nearly guarantee a home playoff game.
Prediction: Get out your popcorn. This one will be a wild nail-biter. Just like those glorious Frazier-Ali fights of old, these two heavyweights will be trading blows. In a four-quarter slugfest, Wildcats find a way to win at home and Grady Wideman nails the game winner, 45-42.
Saluda (6-2, 2-1) at Fox Creek (2-6, 0-3)
The Tigers jumped back into the media poll this week in the No. 8 spot after upsetting then-No. 4 Silver Bluff last week. It took some late game heroics from North-South selection Kenmane Brunson to give the Tigers the victory on a rainy night at Bettis Herlong Stadium. This week, they get to make the short trip over top North Augusta to take on the Predators.
Fox Creek is winless in region play and their best win came over a banged-up McCormick squad early in the season.The Predators have only scored 17 points in three region games and 14 of those were scored last week in a 42-14 blowout loss to Batesburg-Leesville. Even with coach Stewart Young’s squad losing stars Kyree Etheredge and Jaylen Nick, the Tigers will have more talent at almost every position on the field.
Prediction: Tigers take this one easily, 31-3.
Silver Bluff (6-2, 2-1) at Strom Thurmond (6-2, 3-0)
This game goes a long way to determining who gets the Region 3-2A crown. It could also make that picture very blurry if the Bulldogs can pull off a victory in the Peach Fields. The simplest scenario has the Rebels taking this one and being the outright region champion. If Silver Bluff wins, it would create a three-way tie for first that would have to be settled with tie breakers.
Silver Bluff made a quarterback change in the third quarter against Batesburg-Leesville to junior DeAntray McCorkle and, apart from the final drive of the game with under two minutes to go in the game, McCorkle never found any rhythm throwing the football. The Bulldogs will rely on stud defenders Jordan Boyd and Jayden Fuller to help contain a potent Rebel offense.
And therein lies the task. There is a reason every major recruiting service has Braylon Staley ranked as the top receiver in the state. The four-star Tennessee commit has hauled in 46 passes for 806 yards and eight touchdowns on the season. On the other side is Demarius Tolen, who has grabbed 32 balls for 444 yards and 3 touchdowns. Just when you have those two covered up, here comes Jay Sewell, who had a career game in the win over Saluda and also has 32 receptions for just under 400 yards and three scores.
Prediction: Silver Bluff has been a highly-ranked team all season, but the region slate seems to have been a bit tougher than they expected. This is the game Tolen wakes some college coaches up to his talent. He has a monster game to lead the Rebels to victory, 42-19.
Chester (8-1, 3-0) at Clinton (6-2, 2-0)
This game, along with the Silver Bluff-Thurmond game, could easily be our Mitchell Enterprises Game of the Week. This game will be a hard-hitting battle wire to wire. Cyclones running back Elijah Coleman added nearly 300 yards of offense to his gaudy totals for the season and is a North-South selection. He has a big, physical offensive line that will be eager to make running room for their guy in the Cyclones final contest of the season.
The Red Devils have a North-South selection of their own in tight end/linebacker Kadon Crawford and the record-setting senior will eb looking to lead his team another step closer to a region title. Junior signal caller Tushawan Richardson is having a great year in his first season as QB1. Richardson has over a thousand yards through the air and more than 600 yards on the ground. But the man who has to his biggest game of the season so far will have to be linebacker Brett Young. It will be up to Young and the rest of the linebacking corps to contain Coleman.
Prediction: The Cyclones dominate the first half, but the 2023 Red Devils make their mark on the century-long history of Clinton football with a blistering second half and huge win over Chester 32-21.
Emerald (0-8, 0-2) at Union County (1-7, 0-2)
This game is the season for both of these teams. Union County has an improbable win over Laurens, but they have been bested in every other contest this season. The Vikings have yet to get into the win column, but if they get a win over the Yellow Jackets they are in the playoffs and everything looks just a little bit better.
The Vikings have the pieces to extend their season. But a win over Union County would likely set them up with a first round matchup with Marquise Henderson and the BHP Bears. Word to the wise, do NOT, under any circumstances, talk about Henderson’s mama. He takes that very personally.
Prediction: This is the week. The Vikings go on the road for their first win and secure a playoff spot with a victory over the Yellow Jackets 25-18.
Laurens (2-7, 2-1) at Eastside (4-4, 0-2)
Da Raidahs have looked like a new team since the arrival of transfer quarterback Nick Danciu from Hillcrest. Danciu has helped transform an anemic Laurens offense into a team to be taken seriously. After losing their first seven games in a row, they have rattled off back-to-back region wins over Wade Hampton and Riverside. Eastside won some games early on in the season, but has yet to notch a victory in region play. Running back Kalvin Banks has over 1,100 yards on the season and is pretty much the Eagles lone offensive weapon.
Prediction: The Raiders are on a roll and finish their season on a three-game winning streak and earn themselves a home playoff game with a 24-12 victory over Eastside.
Greenville (4-4, 2-1) at Greenwood (4-4, 2-1)
This game is our Mitchell Enterprises Game of the Week! Check out our full preview here!