By Mitch
Week 5 of the High School football season is the open week for the Greer Yellow Jackets, and its also the second week of region play for region II and there are several big region games this week. Let’s take a closer look at the matchups.
Byrnes @ Gaffney
This is one of the more anticipated matchups of the season to see these two great teams face off. So much hype has surrounded both these teams this season and they haven’t been disappointing. Last season it was the Rebels that got the best of the Indians in both of their matchups so the Indians are looking for some revenge.
Both the meetings last season were at Nixion field, so its the Indians who have the home field advantage and they are a team that is much tougher to beat at home. Gaffney last week on the road survived against Mauldin coming from behind in the fourth quarter. The slow start is something I think they can’t afford to get off to against Byrnes because if they do I think Byrnes can run away with this game. Byrnes is playing to good to fall behind against and would be extremely tough to make a late comeback.
This is the Rebels first test of the season as they have cruised so far so it will be interesting to see how they look against a strong Gaffney team. I see this game coming down to the final few minutes and see this game living up to the hype.
Hillcrest @ Spartanburg
This is the first time the Vikings will be at their own home stadium, Friday Night is going to be an exciting night for the Vikings in a huge game.
The way I feel this region will stack up Byrnes, Gaffney and Dorman will be in the top three in this region that fouth playoffs spots are up for grabs for everyone in the region. That’s why for Spartanburg this game against Hillcrest is big to put themselves ahead of Hillcrest, and you don’t want to start off region play 0-2, which both teams are trying to avoid.
I expect the Vikings to play with a lot of energy being at home and feeding off the crowd. I feel like it’s important to get off to a fast start to really get the crowd going and make it a difficult atmosphere for Hillcrest.
Boiling Springs @ Dorman
Both of these teams got off to a 1-0 start in region play as Dorman defeated Hillcrest and Boiling Springs defeated Riverside.
Boiling Springs was able to overcome some injuries and won comfortably, but against Dorman, the Bulldogs are going to have to be at full strength. I see this a tough matchup for the Bulldogs and this could be another week for Dorman where they aren’t really tested. For the Bulldogs to win it they are going to need their defense to create turnovers and put their offense in great field position.
