By Mitch
Week 8 of the high school football season has a few really big games let’s take a look at the matchups from 5A/4A this week.
Dorman @ Byrnes
The winner of this game will more than likely go on to win the region championship and there is no doubt that this is the biggest game of the week in this area. Both teams have been playing a high level and no teams have really been able to challenge them.
What makes this matchup so fun is both teams are well balanced on both sides of the ball and not too many weaknesses have been exposed for either teams so far this year. This game to me will come down to who takes care of the ball better, you simply cannot just give either team an extra possession or it will cost you the game.
Neither team really has been tested this season and I believe that will change as this game should be a nail bitter, look for Byrnes to feed their workhorse running back Rahji Harris, and Dorman to put the ball in the hands of their quarterback Hayden lee.
Mauldin @ Spartanburg
The Vikings lost a heart breaker last week falling to the Boiling Springs Bulldogs in triple overtime to extend their losing streak to Boiling Springs to six games. The game this week for the Vikings is a must-win or their playoffs chances aren’t looking too good.
Mauldin had a rough go at it last week against the Byrnes Rebels losing 43-0 at home. But the previous weeks Mauldin has looked like a real solid football team. So win here for them will be huge for their playoffs chances.
The Vikings showed a lot of offense this past week but the defense had its struggles I expect to see the defense to clean up some of the mistakes from last week. This one should be another close one and is winnable for both teams with so much at stake for both teams I expect a lot of energy from this football game.
Riverside @ Gaffney
Gaffney is coming off another disappointing loss last week to Dorman falling 34-10. They needed that win last week to stay alive in the region title race but those chances disappeared.
There is not much to breakdown here as Gaffney should have a lopsided victory against Riverside who is struggling once again inside this region. But it could be a way for Gaffney to regain some confidence.
Boiling Springs @ Hillcrest
What a win that was for the Bulldogs last week over the Vikings in triple overtime, Now they will look to win their third region game with a win over Hillcrest.
Hillcrest just picked up their first region win over Riverside last week and they are looking to put themselves back into the playoff picture. Boiling Springs showed life on offense last week the question is was that a fluke or did they find something that works for them offensively. If they found something with their defense I think its a winnable game for them on the road.
Greer @ Berea
Both these teams are struggling as they are 0-2 inside region play and both need a win if they are going to make the playoffs. Greer has been banged up with injuries especially on the offensive side of the ball but even with that being said they were in the game last week against Blue Ridge.
Greer defense continues to play well and keep their team in the ball game it’s just a matter of if their offense can put up enough points. Even with Greer struggles I still view this game as a winnable game for them as Berea is not the strongest of football teams. I look for the Yellow Jackets defense to carry them in this one and the offense does just enough to win this one.
