The Emerald Vikings set sail this Friday for the Peach Fields of Edgefield County to take on the Strom Thurmond Rebels in this week’s SK Media Game of the Week presented by Mitchell Enterprises. The two teams have only met nine times, with the Rebels holding the all-time series lead 6-3. All six of the Rebel victories have come in the past seven meetings and they are winners of the last three in a row.
Both squads are looking to bounce back from tough losses. The Rebels were caught in a defensive battle last week with North Augusta, falling 14-7 for their first loss of the season. The Vikings came up just short as they fell 28-25 to Broome for their second straight loss following a 2-0 start. Winning in the Peach Fields is not an easy thing to do. The Rebels are 14-3 at home under head coach Andrew Webb. Two of the three losses were to 4A schools Midland Valley and North Augusta and the other one was a third-round playoff loss to Saluda.
The Vikings come into the game smarting from a narrow defeat to Broome at home last week where we saw freshman quarterback Beau Hite continue to improve in his first season as a varsity signal caller. With his team trailing at halftime and a history of letting bad things get worse, Hite led the Vikings in an impressive comeback where they had the opportunity to tie or win the game slip through their hands. The Vikings have also added in a package of plays with bruisers K.D. Abney, A.J. Anderson and Chris Foster in the backfield with either Key Holloway or Chris Dean.
The Rebels are coming off a close loss to North Augusta, where the defense shined. There is one big red flag, however. Linebacker and running back Cam Blacks went down with an injury early in the game. Blacks’ health will be vital for the Rebels as he has become a leader of the defense. If Blacks is unable to play, Deonte Phillips should have no issue filling in Blacks’ spot. Phillips has been a force to be reckoned with so far, racking up 14 total tackles with two tackles for loss and rushing for 193 yards on just 23 attempts, a team high.
The Vikings have a high-powered duo of linebackers on their side as well. Junior Chris Foster and senior Kam Langford have both gotten off to a scorching start to the season and will only get better as they continue to play together. Through four games, Langford has racked up 48 total tackles with two sacks and four quarterback hurries. Foster has 67 total tackles, including a 22-tackle performance in Week 0 against Ninety Six. Foster is also a threat on offense in short-yardage situations, where he has rushed seven times, three of those for touchdowns. Listen for the names of all four linebackers, from both squads, to be called out over the PA.
Offensively, the Rebels are still trying to work out some kinks. The run game has been fluid behind a great offensive line, but the passing game has been questionable thus far. Star wideout Jay Sewell has not gotten as involved as previously hoped with the wide receiver one spot all to himself, only grabbing eight catches for 102 yards so far. It is not on Sewell as much as it is on quarterback Bri-Shaun Lee, who has had a shaky start to 2024. Lee shined in his singular start last season versus Lucy C. Laney, but has not shown that same spark yet this season. Lee and Sewell will have to find their chemistry again to attack a Viking secondary that includes Key Holloway, Kam Parks and Karson Wright.
For the Vikings, it will be interesting to see if Coach DuBose turns to his young quarterback or to his seasoned backfield to carry the load on offense. K.D. Abney has proven that he is capable of carrying the featured back load, rushing for 245 yards and three touchdowns so far. Chris Dean has also turned some heads this season with 198 rushing yards and three touchdowns of his own. On the other hand, Beau Hite already looked like a veteran under center. Hite has plenty of targets to get the ball to in Key Holloway, Armahd Key, Camelle Hill and Mekhi Williams as well.
The only problem with that is the Rebels fierce defense. Josh Merriweather, who picked up an offer from North Carolina Central, leads a Rebel defensive line that has greatly improved at stopping the run from 2023. The Rebels have another Division 1 prospect patrolling the secondary in Kaleb Simpkins, who has an offer from UNC-Charlotte. Next to Simpkins is Gregory Moore Jr., who each have a pick-six this season. The battle between the Viking offense and Rebel defense will certainly be one for the ages.
Prediction: Both teams feel like they let a win slip away last week, but only one of them can wash that taste out of their mouth. The Vikings surge back in the second half after the Rebels take an early lead, but the rally falls short for the second week in a row. Strom Thurmond defeats Emerald, 31-21.