By Alex Smith
Last week we saw most of the 3A and 2A teams in our area have great success on the field. Let’s hope for more of the same in Week 2.
I’ll begin with the Fox Sports 1400 Game of the Week, in which the Chapman Panthers will take their high powered offense on the road to face a defensive-minded 5A team in Boiling Springs. Last week the Bulldogs opened up 2019 with a commanding 24-10 win over Westside. They didn’t attempt a pass in Week 1 and I think that will have to change if they plan on scoring with the Panthers. In last Friday’s game against Seneca, Chapman racked up 70 points in the first three quarters and rolled to a 70-14 victory. Mikele Colasurdo topped 300 yards for the second straight week, and running back Dante Smith put out 217 yards from scrimmage and 4 touchdowns in being named our Player of the Week for Week 1. This may be the toughest defense the Panthers will face in the regular season, but I don’t expect them to struggle all that much to score points. Unless Boiling Springs can find a passing game, I see the Panthers pulling away in the second half and cruising to a two score win.
The Woodruff Wolverines moved to 2-0 on the year with an impressive 45-28 win over the Broome Centurions. Running back Shamare Dendy was outstanding for the second straight week, finishing the night with 171 yards rushing and 3 touchdowns on just 18 attempts. Bradley Adams’ team will face off against Southside Christian this Friday, playing a team that rolled Hickory Grove by a score of 52-0 a week ago. While I believe Southside Christian will be a tough game, Woodruff won’t be pushed around quite as easily as their last opponent. I like the Wolverines in a tight one, but after getting a lead, Shamare Dendy will take over and seal the victory.
The Broome Centurions will look to bounce back after their first defeat of the season, and they’ll have to do it on the road against the Clinton Red Devils. Last week Clinton was shut out by Laurens, falling by a score of 28-0. While I expect Clinton to score this week, I don’t think it’ll be enough to knock off the Centurions. I like Broome’s speed on the edges to have some big plays on both sides of the ball, and senior running back C.J. Littlejohn to do the bruising work once again, following his 3 touchdown game a week ago.
The Chesnee Eagles will look to make it 2 wins in a row for Coach Clay Lewis, as they host the Blue Ridge Fighting Tigers in Week 2. This Blue Ridge team is coming off a bye week, and they knocked off Landrum in their opener two weeks ago. The Eagles should be feeling good after a dominating 35-13 win over Christ Church last Friday night. Quarterback Jacob Kimbrell has done a great job of running the new offense, and I look for him to continue to improve as the season goes along. It is a tough match up this week against a Tiger team that is more talented than many people thought they would be. I believe the winner of this game will be the team that comes out and grabs an early lead. Neither offense is well suited to play from behind, so I think that will be the key factor in deciding this game.
The only 3A team in our area still searching for their first win is the Union County Yellow Jackets. The Jackets schedule will do them no favors again this week as they have to play on the road at Gaffney. The Indians are one of the top 5A teams in the state and they are loaded with talent all over the field. Indians quarterback Undre Lindsay is one of the best in all of South Carolina, and slowing him down will be a tall task for a Union defense that has given up some points over the first two weeks. While I see Jackets’ quarterback Kesean Glover having some brilliant moments, as he always does, I don’t think Union will be able to hang with Gaffney for four quarters. Tough start to the season for the Yellow Jackets, but I still like them to win their region.
In 2A, Coach Jason Farmer’s Landrum team rebounded nicely after a season opening loss, with an impressive 35-7 win over Dixie. This week the Cardinals will head down the road to take on the 4A Walhalla Razorbacks. Walhalla comes in having outscored their first two opponents by a score of 104-6. Last season the Cardinals held tough for four quarters before falling 10-7. I think this game will be just as interesting as a year ago, but with more scoring. Landrum running back Cam Wilson was unstoppable last week, finishing with 153 yards and 3 touchdowns on only 7 carries. I look for him to have a big game, but in the end it might not be enough against a Razorback team that has looked great early in the season. I think this is a great game for four quarters, but the home team pulls out the win.
