By Alex Smith
It may be hard to believe but it’s already the last week of the regular season. A few teams wrapped up region titles last week but there is still plenty to play for this Friday. Let’s take a look at this week’s games.
I’ll start with what turns out to be a region championship game in Region I-2A, and that is where the Landrum Cardinals travel to take on Southside Christian. Both teams are 3-0 in region play, and both teams are already guaranteed at least one home playoff game.
Landrum was led once again by a strong defensive effort last week against rival Blacksburg, coming away with a 20-6 win to ensure the Wildcats will not win a third straight region title.
The Cardinals will have their hands full this week, as they will try and slow down a Sabres team that has been outscoring opponents by over 30 points a game during their 5 game winning streak. In a game that matches a very good Sabres offense against a Landrum defense that is allowing only 7.6 points per game, something will have to give.
I think this game will come down to which team makes the fewest mistakes. Turnovers could be the difference in this one as both these teams have done a great job at taking advantage of opponents miscues throughout the year. If the Cardinals stay disciplined like they have for most of the season, I think Landrum will come away a close win, and their first region title under Coach Jason Farmer.
One of the teams that wrapped up a region title last week is the Chapman Panthers. They locked up their second straight region title with a 42-24 win over Southside last Friday night. This week they look to finish the regular season undefeated as they host the Chesnee Eagles.
Chesnee is 2-7 on the year and broke a losing streak with a 54-26 victory over Carolina Academy two weeks ago, before having a bye last week. Chesnee earned the 4 seed in Region II-3A with their last win, so both these teams are locked into their postseason positions.
I don’t believe the Panthers have much of a struggle in this one, and I think they will win handily over the Eagles as they get prepared for another postseason run that they hope ends in Columbia for the third straight season.
The region champion was crowned in Region III-3A last Friday as well, where Union County wrapped up the title by way of a 28-21 victory over Newberry. The Yellow Jackets have been very impressive since falling to Greer, and have shown improvement every week under first year head coach Brian Thompson.
The Yellow Jackets finish the regular season on the road against Emerald this week. Emerald is coming off of a 34-19 victory over Clinton last week, and will most likely end up as the 4 seed out of the region as they enter the playoffs.
Union County should win their fifth straight this week, as I don’t see Emerald slowing down the potent rushing attack led by Kesean Glover and T.T. Kershaw. I expect Union to dominate at the line of scrimmage and rip off enough big plays to finish this season on a high note as they prepare for what I expect to be a deep playoff run.
The Woodruff Wolverines wrapped up second place in the region last Friday with a 48-3 thumping of Mid-Carolina. This week they finish the regular season on the road against the Clinton Red Devils.
Even with nothing to play for this week, I think the Wolverines go out and get the road win. Coach Bradley Adams has done a great job preparing his team from week to week, and even without much motivation I think Woodruff is just too talented for the Red Devils. Look for North-South quarterback Keegan Halloran to have another efficient game, and Woodruff should roll to a three score victory.
The Broome Centurions are off this week and are locked in as a 3 seed for the postseason. All the teams in the upstate will be off next week, as all playoff games were pushed back a week due to a hurricane earlier this season. The final week of the regular season is upon us and it should be just as entertaining as the previous ten weeks. Almost time for the playoffs!!
