By Mitch
It is the final week of the High School Football season, some teams have wrapped up a region title and some teams are looking to improve their playoffs seedings. Let’s take a look at the matchups from 5A and 4A.
Gaffney @ Spartanburg
For the Spartanburg Vikings if they are going to have any hope of making the playoffs then this is a must-win for them. The only way the Vikings can get into the playoffs is through the up-large bid, so winning this game is a big resume builder that would be hard for the committee to ignore.
Over the past few weeks, the Vikings have shown an improvement on the offensive side of the ball and have been able to provide consistent offense. They are going to need that consistency if they are going to get the win over the Gaffney Indians.
Gaffney is coming off an impressive lopsided vicotry over the Boiling Springs Bulldogs who came into the game red hot. Gaffney is looking to finish out their season strong and get ready for the playoffs.
I expect to see the Vikings keep this one close for most of the game but in the end I see Gaffney pulling away and getting the win.
Byrnes @ Boiling Springs
The Byrnes Rebels bounced back nicely after falling to the Dorman Cavaliers as they beat Hillcrest convincingly. But now they will be on the road to take on the Boiling Springs Bulldogs. The Bulldogs had a rough game last week as they traveled to Gaffney and it doesn’t get easier for them with the Rebels coming into town.
In the terms of playoffs seeding the Byrnes Rebels will be the two seed but Boiling Springs with a win and a Mauldin lost would jumped them to the fourth seed.
The way the Rebels have been playing I see this as a real tough game for the Bulldogs, if the Rebels start off fast and grow an early lead, I just don’t beleive the Bulldogs have enough offense to mount a comeback.
Riverside @ Dorman
Well the Dorman Cavaliers win another region title, which I felt like at the beginning of the year not enough people were talking about the Dorman Cavaliers and felt like other teams in the region would pass them. But they showed they are still at the top and have a chance to have a undefeated regular season.
They host the Riverside Warriors on Friday Night and should be another game where the Cavaliers should have a massive lead and a running clock. I expect to see several young players get valuable playing time in this game for the Cavaliers and their starters should get plenty of rest before the playoffs.
Greer @ Blue Ridge
The Greer Yellow Jackets battled a very good Eastside team last week but the Eagles made a few more big plays to win 35-28.
Now the Jackets will look to win on the road on Friday Night vs the Blue Ridge Tigers. Both teams are sitting at 1-3 inside play and with a win the Yellow Jackets imrpove thier seeding in the playoffs. If the Yellow Jackets play like they did last week then this should be a winnable game for them.
Also, if Greer can continue to execute the way they have been executing the past two weeks then they could be a real dangerous team in the playoffs.