By Tyler Shugart
Upper State. Final Four. Semi-Finals. Whatever you chose to call it, your team is one win away from making a trip to the State Championship. At the beginning of this season we talked about how good region 3 5A and region 3 3A were. We hit that nail right on the head. All four teams alive in the upper state are from those two regions. Both of these games should be very good.
5A-Spartanburg at Boiling Springs
At the beginning of the playoffs I had the Vikings as a dark horse to make it to Columbia, and before the season I had Boiling Springs winning the region title. After Northwestern lost to Gaffney in the opening round of the playoffs the Upper State Title was really up for grabs. The Vikings and the Bulldogs have both competed at a really high level in the playoffs thus far. When these two teams got together in the regular season Boiling Springs jumped out to a 14-0 lead which they maintained through halftime. Spartanburg came roaring back in the third quarter. It took overtime to decide that game and Boiling Springs came away with a 24-21 victory. I think both of these teams have kind of figured things out since that game and both teams have played better. Spartanburg’s offense has really started playing at a higher level, and QB William Yex has looked very good at times. On the other side I think Boiling Springs has started playing a lot better on defense and their offense has been very strong all year. This game could come down to who has the football last. Both teams are very skilled. Should be a classic.
Pick- Boiling Springs
Chapman at Newberry
The Panthers lost to Newberry 28-27 in the regular season. Since that time chapman has averaged 48.2 points per game. The Panther offense led by DJ Twitty has really found its stride down the stretch. However the Panthers can also score on defense. The Panther defense has been up and down some this year. They need to have a big game against a talented Newberry offense that is coached by one of the best coaches in SC High School Football, Phil Strickland. I think a nod should also be given to Chapman Head Coach Mark Hodge and the job he has done at Chapman High School. Taking this team from a 4-7 team two years ago and making them into a real contender in class 3A. If I were the Byrnes AD I think I would at least give Coach Hodge a call to gauge his interest in the job. If the Chapman offense can continue to score and the defense come up with a couple stops this team could win the whole thing.
Pick-Chapman
Both of these games should be fantastic. I can’t wait until Friday!!!!
