By Mitch
There are three games in the 5A/4A ranks in week 0 of the High School Football season. Let’s take a closer look at the matchups.
Spartanburg at Nation Ford
The Vikings open the season against Nation Ford, who they beat in last years opener by a final score of 52-28. The Vikings tallied a near 400 yards of total offense as it was one of the best offensive performances they had all year.
This season the Vikings have a new offensive coordinator, as Jason McManus will be the play-caller. It will be the first real look at his offense. The Vikings will play two quarterbacks in this one as both Seth Smith and Zay Foster will see time behind center. Smith played against Nation Ford last year, he completed 8 out of 21 passes for 139 yards. He did throw for a touchdown but threw three interceptions.
Look for Nation Ford to try to establish their running game against the Vikings. Nation Ford has size upfront with a Senior Lineman Devin Hodges, who is 5’10” 265 pounds. They have a senior running back Nathan Mahaffey, who ran for 163 yards on 26 carries against the Vikings last year.
If the Vikings are going to win this one, offensively they must take care of the football, which has been the Vikings biggest problem the past couple of years. Defensively they must stop the run and make Junior Quarterback Gabe Huitt try and beat them. I see this as a very winnable game for the Vikings!
Wade Hampton at Dorman
Dorman steamed rolled past Wade Hampton in last season’s opener with a 55-0 victory. The Cavaliers racked up over 400 yards of offense in the win. Most of the starters were pulled after the first quarter as the Cavaliers were up 28-0.
The Cavaliers will be led by Senior Quarterback Hayden Lee, who we have heard a lot of good things about from Coach Gutshall. Over the past couple of years, the Dorman offense has been run-heavy, having talented running backs and a massive offensive line. They are replacing several running backs and offensive lineman, so it will be interesting to see if Dorman sticks to running the football or puts the ball in the hands of Lee and opens up their passing game.
I don’t see Dorman having any issues in the game, I see it being another lopsided victory for the Cavaliers.
Byrnes at Greer
Both of these teams had a tremendous amount of success a year ago. The Byrnes Rebels reached all the way to the Upper State Championship game but fell to TL Hanna. And the Greer Yellow Jackets made it to the 4A state Championship game but fell to Myrtle Beach.
The Rebels have had their way with the Greer Yellow Jackets over the years and last season was no different when these two teams met. Byrnes defeated Greer by a final score of 39-26. Greer was certainly in this game though and had their opportunities to pull ahead and sneak out of Nixon Field with a victory. But costly turnovers prevented their chances of an upset.
This season the Yellow Jackets are replacing many key players and will be starting a transfer from Byrnes, Rahiem Jeter at the quarterback position. The Byrnes Rebels, on the other hand, are returning many of their key players and are a favorite in the 5A classification.
I think the experience that is on the Byrnes side will overwhelm Greer in this one and the Rebels will keep their winning streak alive against Greer.
