Another great week of high school football has come and gone. We had 8 games across our area with Dorman at Hillcrest and R-S Central at Chesnee cancelled due to COVID protocols. So, let’s dive on in and recap the action!
Spartanburg 52 Boiling Springs 13
The annual tussle between the Vikings and Bulldogs has become one of those games that when the schedules are released, you have to circle. Over the last decade and a half, this rivalry series has seen some close and exciting games, some controversy, and some crazy things happen. Last year, the Vikings broke a 6 game losing skid to the ‘Dogs in the first-ever matchup between them at Viking Stadium. This year, both teams came in with a few question marks.
For the Vikings, it was whether or not Raheim Jeter would be at 100%. For the Bulldogs, it was a complex issue, since Boiling Springs is very young and not quite at the same size as a lot of their competition.
While this was our Game of the Week presented by Spartanburg Nutrition, it did not quite live up to the hype of the others we have had so far in this 2021 season. Spartanburg got off to s somewhat slow start, scoring only twice in the first quarter on a 26 yard TD pass from Jeter to Jay Staggs and an 18 yard rushing score from Drek Carter. The Vikes only held a 17-0 lead at the half.
The second half saw a lot more action as Drek Carter rushed for 2 more TDs, Jeter hit Jay Staggs for a 53 yard TD reception. Garrett Fulmer also logged a passing TD to Que Moore. Trey Harris and Terrian Nelson also had rushing TDs in the 2nd half.
On the Boiling Springs side of things, the young Bulldog offensive line continued to struggle. The Dogs scored a couple of late TDs in the 4th quarter on a pair of long runs from Carmelo Martin, one of 22 yards and another for 80.
The win for the Vikings was their 2nd in a row in the series and their first at Bulldog Stadium since 2011. With this one on the rear view, Spartanburg will look ahead to either a bye week or a game that will be scheduled with someone from out of state or who has a last-second cancellation. We will keep you posted as news comes out later this week.
Boiling Springs has Hillcrest on the road next week, who was idle after having to cancel their originally scheduled game with Dorman this week due to the Cavaliers being in Covid-19 protocols.
Westside 64 Byrnes 62
The Rebels hit the road to Anderson to take on the Rams of Westside this week. Byrnes, fresh off a tough 56-25 loss to Dutch Fork at home last week, came in with a major question mark hovering over them. Last week, their star running back Mack Long was injured and was not available this week. (We still have not received official word, but it appears that Mack will miss a significant amount of time, if not the remainder of the season.) So, who would step up to fill his shoes? What would the Rebels’ main strategy be on offense without him?
Clearly, from this score, offense was not in short supply tonight, so either those questions remain to be answered because Westside has defensive issues, or the Rebels will be just fine on O even without Long. So… It is safe to say we don’t know…
One thing is for certain about the Rebels.. Gabe Rogers is leaps and bounds improved from last year. Rogers was 27-39 for 474 yards and 6 TDs through the air tonight, bringing his season total for passing TDs to 10 through just 3 games.
Thomas Gregory led the way on the ground for Byrnes with 7 catches for 102 yards and a TD while Kanai Cook was their leading rusher with 22 carries for 168 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Byrnes and Westside traded blows all game, with neither team leading by more than 2 TDs. In the end, this basketball game.. I mean football.. came down to an onside kick after Byrnes cut the Rams’ lead to 64-62 with :08 to play in the ballgame. The rebels failed to recover it and the Rams took home the W in a game that saw a combined 866 yards of total offense and 126 points.
Next up for the now 2-2 Rebels is a huge non-region tilt at the “new” Reservation in Gaffney. NO doubt, this could be in early consideration to be our week 4 game of the week.
Gaffney 38 Mallard Creek (NC) 14
The last time these 2 met was in 2019 at the Reservation, with Gaffney falling 27-20 to the Mavericks. This time around, the matchup had less intrigue as this Mallard Creek team was not as highly touted as the 2019 squad. MC had played only 1 game, a 28-20 win over Providence, who is also from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg area. So, they have not nearly had the same reps and playing time Gaffney has. Playing in a hostile environment like the Reservation with only 1 game under the belt, all signs looked to be pointing to a big Gaffney win. And that is exactly what we got.
Gaffney had some trouble out of the gate, as Grayson Loftis threw a pick on their opening possession of the game. Luckily, the Indians’ defense was able to force Mallard Creek to a 3 and out. Gaffney’s 2nd possession didn’t go much better as the Indians went 3 and out. But they caught a huge break as the Mavericks muffed the ensuing punt, setting up the Indians in the red zone. They would later draw first blood on a 3 yard TD rush by Tyler Smith, who went on to finish the night with 2 TDs.
Grayson Loftis and Gaffney’s offense had a great night, with Loftis passing for 106 and 2 TDs while the Indian rushing attack put up 240 yards, combining for 346 yards total offense.
The story of the game for the Indians was their defense. We already knew this Gaffney defense was nasty and has plenty of speed and ability to swarm to the football. They certainly found a way to limit Mallard Creek tonight, holding them to a nearly balanced 178 yards through the air and 174 rushing yards. They also forced 3 turnovers (MC had 5 total turnovers, a blocked punt and a blocked field goal being the other 2).
The bugaboo for both teams in this game was that it was not at all clean. There was a lot of chippiness and both teams had 15 penalties, Mallard Creek for 133 yards and Gaffney for 75.
Gaffney will be riding high with confidence as they continue to show why they could be a big contender in 5A at the season’s end. But they will have one of their toughest tests yet in the Byrnes Rebels this week. Can that defense keep pressure on Gabe Rogers and force Byrnes to have t answer the running back question for sure this week? I cannot wait to find out.
Southside Christian 23 Greer 15 (Thursday)
The Yellow Jackets are off to a rollercoaster start to the season. They started off week 0 with a 55-14 blowout loss to Byrnes (no shame there) and rebounded with a nice 28-25 win over a Westside team that oddly enough, beat Byrnes in a Big XII style shootout 64-62 last night.
Their main issues have been on defense, coming into Thursday’s game having given up 80 points. But, it was not at all the case in this one. The issue was turnovers. Greer had 2 fumbles on their first 2 possessions of the game which led to 10 quick points for the Sabres. All in all, the Yellow Jackets would turn the ball over 4 times, with the 2 fumbles, a turnover on downs, and a botched snap on a punt, which led to 17 Southside Christian points.
Greer forced their share of them too. The Jackets got on the board on a 20 yard scoop and score by Malaki Miller after he blocked the Sabres’ first punt of the night. Izzy Rhodes and MJ Green also had an interception each.
Greer made a valiant effort to get back in this game late as they went on a 6 play, 61 yard drive that was capped by a Hollis Crosby TD pass to Payton Diggins. The Jackets would successfully add the 2 point conversion to make it a 1 score game, but the comeback bid would fall just short.
Greer, now 1-2 on the season, will have to prepare to make the long trek to Union next week for the annual Jacket Bowl. This one looks to be somewhat intriguing since both teams are really struggling to find their footing early. While I am sure Will Young’s squad will shore up the turnover problem, his defense will have to be sharp to stop Ja’Bryson Hunter next week.
Brookland-Cayce 42 Chapman 35
This was the game I was in attendance for this week, and let me say, it was all sorts of intriguing, and not because Chapman lost while scoring less than 50 points..
The Brookland-Cayce Bearcats were 1-0 coming into this game, having beaten a very good Blythewood team with a defense that is extra nasty 14-3. They showed up tonight with only 30 players, which one thought might play into Chapman’s hands since they had more depth. But it wasn’t so.
B-C has a lot of speed on both sides of the ball, swarms to the ball on defense, has a strong linebacking corps, and a QB that is able to make great throws on the run. Offensively, they don’t are many deep shots, instead running a lot of play action, rollouts, and slants across the middle of the field. They keep it between the sticks and they eat clock with long sustained drives.
That description of their offense was exactly what their plan was to counter Chapman’s offense and keep the Panthers off the field.
The Bearcats took their opening drive of the game all the way to the Chapman 6 yard line before getting stuffed on 3rd and 4th down, resulting in a turnover on downs, but they still moved the ball efficiently on that drive. Chapman countered by somewhat giving them a taste of their own medicine. The Panthers balanced their offensive attack in the early going with great success, running the ball between the tackles with sophomore running back Keanu Na a couple of times and then having Drew Settle roll out and hit either Walt Waddell or DJ Black.
The Panthers built up a 21-6 lead late in the 2nd quarter before the Brookland-Cayce offense finally began to execute their game plan better and wear down the Chapman defense. Chapman rushed 3-4 guys and kept a lot of pressure on B-C QB Tanner Staton. However, this ended up playing right into the Bearcats’ hand.
Staton, as I said earlier, excels at scrambling and making big throws on the run. In rushing 3 or more guys on him, it opened the door for him to do exactly what he tends to — find his man either across the middle, which the Panthers frequently left open, or down the near sideline. This would end up plaguing Chapman for the rest of the night, as it seemed every time they had B-C in a big 3rd (or 4th) down, whether long or manageable, they would give up a big play. They could not get their defense off the field late.
Brookland-Cayce scored 22 unanswered to go into halftime leading Chapman 28-21. They built up their biggest lead of the night after forcing the Panthers into a 3 & out on their first possession of the 2nd half, and returning the ensuing punt 75 yards for a TD to go up 35-21. But, the Panthers fought back.
The Panther defense held B-C to just one 2nd half TD on a 52 yard pass that made it 42-27 with 5:00 to play in the 3rd quarter.
Drew Settle passed for 2 more TDs in the 3rd quarter, one to DJ Black on a screen for 60 yards and the other on a check down under heavy pressure to Keanu Na for an 11 yard TD. After the successful 2 point conversion, Chapman trailed only by a TD 42-35.
Now for a wild 4th quarter.. Both teams took long drives throughout the 4th quarter, but Brookland-Cayce still had more success in moving the ball, again due to Chapman continually allowing the Bearcats to convert on 3rd and 4 down. It looked like B-C was about to put the nail in the coffin when Staton went to pass to his receiver streaking into the end zone down the far sideline. But, Chapman’s Kaden Thompson had other plans, as he went up for what at the time looked to be a game-saving pick. Chapman started the ensuing possession at their own 1 and drove it all the way to around midfield before Drew Settle ended threw a pick that gave the Bearcats the ball at their own 41 with 5:00 to play.
The most shocking part was the ending. Chapman had no timeouts remaining and B-C was just going to knee it out. But, with a minute to play, they appeared to fumble the ball on the snap to take the final knee. Chapman recovered and the refs initially awarded it to them. But, after a lengthy discussion, it was deemed that the Panthers encroached on the QB and were flagged, ending a wild game.
Chapman will have to put this one behind them quickly and get ready to face Chesnee on the road next week. With Chesnee in COVID protocols this week, the status on this game is yet to be determined. But if it is played, it might be another fun one. Chesnee has done well offensively this season and they can be a real pest for the Panthers for a bit.
Indian Land 51 Broome 33
The Centurions have had a similar start to the season to Greer. They are also now 1-2 and under Dylan Ramirez, they have managed to put up impressive offensive numbers. Broome has scored 109 points through 3 games, averaging 36.3 points per game. Last night on the road at Indian Land was no exception, as Ramirez passed for 2 TDs, one to Braxtin Turner from 10 yards out, and another for 20 yards to Carlos Cohen, who also had an 80 yard kickoff return for a touchdown. Jamir Dewberrry was also a key factor with 2 rushing TDs for the Centurions.
The big issue Broome has had so far is not being able to finish games on the defensive side of the ball, and that happened again last night, Indian Land hung 32 unanswered over the final 15 minutes of the game (last 3 of the 3rd and all of the 4th quarter).
Next up, the Centurions will have another somewhat lengthy road trip as they will go to Emerald to take on the Vikings. I look for Broome to take advantage of a struggling opponent and for Ramirez to have a huge night in that one. Broome will rebound and get back to .500.
York 33 Union County 26
After 2 weeks off to start bathe season due to Covid protocols, Union finally got started on the road at Laurens last week. Unfortunately for the Yellow Jackets, things did not get off to an ideal start, as they fell to Laurens 44-28.
This week, the question coming in was whether or not the Jackets would be up to full strength and depth. Due to the COVID affect, Union had a few guys that missed last week, which may have played a factor into the loss to Laurens. I still don’t quite have an answer for that. But here is what I do know.. Union struggled to contain York’s sophomore QB Aiden Davis, who had 2 big TD rushes as well as 1 passing touchdown.
I also know Union county has a trend of starting strong, playing really well in the 1st quarter in both games so far. After 1, the Jackets held a 12-7 lead last night only to end up being outscored 26-14 over the next 3. Last week at Laurens, Ja’Bryson Hunter had a huge 1st quarter with 3 passing TDs for the Jackets only to see Laurens outscore them 17-7 the rest of the game.
This week, Union will host Greer in the next installment of the Jacket Bowl. This rivalry is one of the more fun ones in our area, and with both of these teams looking to find a consistent stride, plus Union finally getting to play at home, I look for a huge crowd and a fun contest.
Another great week of high school football has come and gone. We had 8 games across our area with Dorman at Hillcrest and R-S Central at Chesnee cancelled due to COVID protocols. So, let’s dive on in and recap the action!
Spartanburg 52 Boiling Springs 13
The annual tussle between the Vikings and Bulldogs has become one of those games that when the schedules are released, you have to circle. Over the last decade and a half, this rivalry series has seen some close and exciting games, some controversy, and some crazy things happen. Last year, the Vikings broke a 6 game losing skid to the ‘Dogs in the first-ever matchup between them at Viking Stadium. This year, both teams came in with a few question marks.
For the Vikings, it was whether or not Raheim Jeter would be at 100%. For the Bulldogs, it was a complex issue, since Boiling Springs is very young and not quite at the same size as a lot of their competition.
While this was our Game of the Week presented by Spartanburg Nutrition, it did not quite live up to the hype of the others we have had so far in this 2021 season. Spartanburg got off to s somewhat slow start, scoring only twice in the first quarter on a 26 yard TD pass from Jeter to Jay Staggs and an 18 yard rushing score from Drek Carter. The Vikes only held a 17-0 lead at the half.
The second half saw a lot more action as Drek Carter rushed for 2 more TDs, Jeter hit Jay Staggs for a 53 yard TD reception. Garrett Fulmer also logged a passing TD to Que Moore. Trey Harris and Terrian Nelson also had rushing TDs in the 2nd half.
On the Boiling Springs side of things, the young Bulldog offensive line continued to struggle. The Dogs scored a couple of late TDs in the 4th quarter on a pair of long runs from Carmelo Martin, one of 22 yards and another for 80.
The win for the Vikings was their 2nd in a row in the series and their first at Bulldog Stadium since 2011. With this one on the rear view, Spartanburg will look ahead to either a bye week or a game that will be scheduled with someone from out of state or who has a last-second cancellation. We will keep you posted as news comes out later this week.
Boiling Springs has Hillcrest on the road next week, who was idle after having to cancel their originally scheduled game with Dorman this week due to the Cavaliers being in Covid-19 protocols.
Westside 64 Byrnes 62
The Rebels hit the road to Anderson to take on the Rams of Westside this week. Byrnes, fresh off a tough 56-25 loss to Dutch Fork at home last week, came in with a major question mark hovering over them. Last week, their star running back Mack Long was injured and was not available this week. (We still have not received official word, but it appears that Mack will miss a significant amount of time, if not the remainder of the season.) So, who would step up to fill his shoes? What would the Rebels’ main strategy be on offense without him?
Clearly, from this score, offense was not in short supply tonight, so either those questions remain to be answered because Westside has defensive issues, or the Rebels will be just fine on O even without Long. So… It is safe to say we don’t know…
One thing is for certain about the Rebels.. Gabe Rogers is leaps and bounds improved from last year. Rogers was 27-39 for 474 yards and 6 TDs through the air tonight, bringing his season total for passing TDs to 10 through just 3 games.
Thomas Gregory led the way on the ground for Byrnes with 7 catches for 102 yards and a TD while Kanai Cook was their leading rusher with 22 carries for 168 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Byrnes and Westside traded blows all game, with neither team leading by more than 2 TDs. In the end, this basketball game.. I mean football.. came down to an onside kick after Byrnes cut the Rams’ lead to 64-62 with :08 to play in the ballgame. The rebels failed to recover it and the Rams took home the W in a game that saw a combined 866 yards of total offense and 126 points.
Next up for the now 2-2 Rebels is a huge non-region tilt at the “new” Reservation in Gaffney. NO doubt, this could be in early consideration to be our week 4 game of the week.
Gaffney 38 Mallard Creek (NC) 14
The last time these 2 met was in 2019 at the Reservation, with Gaffney falling 27-20 to the Mavericks. This time around, the matchup had less intrigue as this Mallard Creek team was not as highly touted as the 2019 squad. MC had played only 1 game, a 28-20 win over Providence, who is also from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg area. So, they have not nearly had the same reps and playing time Gaffney has. Playing in a hostile environment like the Reservation with only 1 game under the belt, all signs looked to be pointing to a big Gaffney win. And that is exactly what we got.
Gaffney had some trouble out of the gate, as Grayson Loftis threw a pick on their opening possession of the game. Luckily, the Indians’ defense was able to force Mallard Creek to a 3 and out. Gaffney’s 2nd possession didn’t go much better as the Indians went 3 and out. But they caught a huge break as the Mavericks muffed the ensuing punt, setting up the Indians in the red zone. They would later draw first blood on a 3 yard TD rush by Tyler Smith, who went on to finish the night with 2 TDs.
Grayson Loftis and Gaffney’s offense had a great night, with Loftis passing for 106 and 2 TDs while the Indian rushing attack put up 240 yards, combining for 346 yards total offense.
The story of the game for the Indians was their defense. We already knew this Gaffney defense was nasty and has plenty of speed and ability to swarm to the football. They certainly found a way to limit Mallard Creek tonight, holding them to a nearly balanced 178 yards through the air and 174 rushing yards. They also forced 3 turnovers (MC had 5 total turnovers, a blocked punt and a blocked field goal being the other 2).
The bugaboo for both teams in this game was that it was not at all clean. There was a lot of chippiness and both teams had 15 penalties, Mallard Creek for 133 yards and Gaffney for 75.
Gaffney will be riding high with confidence as they continue to show why they could be a big contender in 5A at the season’s end. But they will have one of their toughest tests yet in the Byrnes Rebels this week. Can that defense keep pressure on Gabe Rogers and force Byrnes to have t answer the running back question for sure this week? I cannot wait to find out.
Southside Christian 23 Greer 15 (Thursday)
The Yellow Jackets are off to a rollercoaster start to the season. They started off week 0 with a 55-14 blowout loss to Byrnes (no shame there) and rebounded with a nice 28-25 win over a Westside team that oddly enough, beat Byrnes in a Big XII style shootout 64-62 last night.
Their main issues have been on defense, coming into Thursday’s game having given up 80 points. But, it was not at all the case in this one. The issue was turnovers. Greer had 2 fumbles on their first 2 possessions of the game which led to 10 quick points for the Sabres. All in all, the Yellow Jackets would turn the ball over 4 times, with the 2 fumbles, a turnover on downs, and a botched snap on a punt, which led to 17 Southside Christian points.
Greer forced their share of them too. The Jackets got on the board on a 20 yard scoop and score by Malaki Miller after he blocked the Sabres’ first punt of the night. Izzy Rhodes and MJ Green also had an interception each.
Greer made a valiant effort to get back in this game late as they went on a 6 play, 61 yard drive that was capped by a Hollis Crosby TD pass to Payton Diggins. The Jackets would successfully add the 2 point conversion to make it a 1 score game, but the comeback bid would fall just short.
Greer, now 1-2 on the season, will have to prepare to make the long trek to Union next week for the annual Jacket Bowl. This one looks to be somewhat intriguing since both teams are really struggling to find their footing early. While I am sure Will Young’s squad will shore up the turnover problem, his defense will have to be sharp to stop Ja’Bryson Hunter next week.
Brookland-Cayce 42 Chapman 35
This was the game I was in attendance for this week, and let me say, it was all sorts of intriguing, and not because Chapman lost while scoring less than 50 points..
The Brookland-Cayce Bearcats were 1-0 coming into this game, having beaten a very good Blythewood team with a defense that is extra nasty 14-3. They showed up tonight with only 30 players, which one thought might play into Chapman’s hands since they had more depth. But it wasn’t so.
B-C has a lot of speed on both sides of the ball, swarms to the ball on defense, has a strong linebacking corps, and a QB that is able to make great throws on the run. Offensively, they don’t are many deep shots, instead running a lot of play action, rollouts, and slants across the middle of the field. They keep it between the sticks and they eat clock with long sustained drives.
That description of their offense was exactly what their plan was to counter Chapman’s offense and keep the Panthers off the field.
The Bearcats took their opening drive of the game all the way to the Chapman 6 yard line before getting stuffed on 3rd and 4th down, resulting in a turnover on downs, but they still moved the ball efficiently on that drive. Chapman countered by somewhat giving them a taste of their own medicine. The Panthers balanced their offensive attack in the early going with great success, running the ball between the tackles with sophomore running back Keanu Na a couple of times and then having Drew Settle roll out and hit either Walt Waddell or DJ Black.
The Panthers built up a 21-6 lead late in the 2nd quarter before the Brookland-Cayce offense finally began to execute their game plan better and wear down the Chapman defense. Chapman rushed 3-4 guys and kept a lot of pressure on B-C QB Tanner Staton. However, this ended up playing right into the Bearcats’ hand.
Staton, as I said earlier, excels at scrambling and making big throws on the run. In rushing 3 or more guys on him, it opened the door for him to do exactly what he tends to — find his man either across the middle, which the Panthers frequently left open, or down the near sideline. This would end up plaguing Chapman for the rest of the night, as it seemed every time they had B-C in a big 3rd (or 4th) down, whether long or manageable, they would give up a big play. They could not get their defense off the field late.
Brookland-Cayce scored 22 unanswered to go into halftime leading Chapman 28-21. They built up their biggest lead of the night after forcing the Panthers into a 3 & out on their first possession of the 2nd half, and returning the ensuing punt 75 yards for a TD to go up 35-21. But, the Panthers fought back.
The Panther defense held B-C to just one 2nd half TD on a 52 yard pass that made it 42-27 with 5:00 to play in the 3rd quarter.
Drew Settle passed for 2 more TDs in the 3rd quarter, one to DJ Black on a screen for 60 yards and the other on a check down under heavy pressure to Keanu Na for an 11 yard TD. After the successful 2 point conversion, Chapman trailed only by a TD 42-35.
Now for a wild 4th quarter.. Both teams took long drives throughout the 4th quarter, but Brookland-Cayce still had more success in moving the ball, again due to Chapman continually allowing the Bearcats to convert on 3rd and 4 down. It looked like B-C was about to put the nail in the coffin when Staton went to pass to his receiver streaking into the end zone down the far sideline. But, Chapman’s Kaden Thompson had other plans, as he went up for what at the time looked to be a game-saving pick. Chapman started the ensuing possession at their own 1 and drove it all the way to around midfield before Drew Settle ended threw a pick that gave the Bearcats the ball at their own 41 with 5:00 to play.
The most shocking part was the ending. Chapman had no timeouts remaining and B-C was just going to knee it out. But, with a minute to play, they appeared to fumble the ball on the snap to take the final knee. Chapman recovered and the refs initially awarded it to them. But, after a lengthy discussion, it was deemed that the Panthers encroached on the QB and were flagged, ending a wild game.
Chapman will have to put this one behind them quickly and get ready to face Chesnee on the road next week. With Chesnee in COVID protocols this week, the status on this game is yet to be determined. But if it is played, it might be another fun one. Chesnee has done well offensively this season and they can be a real pest for the Panthers for a bit.
Indian Land 51 Broome 33
The Centurions have had a similar start to the season to Greer. They are also now 1-2 and under Dylan Ramirez, they have managed to put up impressive offensive numbers. Broome has scored 109 points through 3 games, averaging 36.3 points per game. Last night on the road at Indian Land was no exception, as Ramirez passed for 2 TDs, one to Braxtin Turner from 10 yards out, and another for 20 yards to Carlos Cohen, who also had an 80 yard kickoff return for a touchdown. Jamir Dewberrry was also a key factor with 2 rushing TDs for the Centurions.
The big issue Broome has had so far is not being able to finish games on the defensive side of the ball, and that happened again last night, Indian Land hung 32 unanswered over the final 15 minutes of the game (last 3 of the 3rd and all of the 4th quarter).
Next up, the Centurions will have another somewhat lengthy road trip as they will go to Emerald to take on the Vikings. I look for Broome to take advantage of a struggling opponent and for Ramirez to have a huge night in that one. Broome will rebound and get back to .500.
York 33 Union County 26
After 2 weeks off to start bathe season due to Covid protocols, Union finally got started on the road at Laurens last week. Unfortunately for the Yellow Jackets, things did not get off to an ideal start, as they fell to Laurens 44-28.
This week, the question coming in was whether or not the Jackets would be up to full strength and depth. Due to the COVID affect, Union had a few guys that missed last week, which may have played a factor into the loss to Laurens. I still don’t quite have an answer for that. But here is what I do know.. Union struggled to contain York’s sophomore QB Aiden Davis, who had 2 big TD rushes as well as 1 passing touchdown.
I also know Union county has a trend of starting strong, playing really well in the 1st quarter in both games so far. After 1, the Jackets held a 12-7 lead last night only to end up being outscored 26-14 over the next 3. Last week at Laurens, Ja’Bryson Hunter had a huge 1st quarter with 3 passing TDs for the Jackets only to see Laurens outscore them 17-7 the rest of the game.
This week, Union will host Greer in the next installment of the Jacket Bowl. This rivalry is one of the more fun ones in our area, and with both of these teams looking to find a consistent stride, plus Union finally getting to play at home, I look for a huge crowd and a fun contest.
Landrum 34 Ninety-Six 6
The Cardinals had another favorable matchup of last night on the road against the 96 wildcats, piecing together a convincing win.
Landrum QB Jesse Bowers continued his impressive work, rushing for 105 yards and 3 TDs. The Cardinal defense also made some more waves this week, as Marc Baker logged a strip and a 15 yard scoop n score. Linebacker Ryan Bunleut also had a big night with 2 tackles for a loss and a 36 yard interception return to set Landrum’s offense up deep in Prius territory and lead to a TD.
Next up, the Cards will look to continue their win streak as they will go to the Upward Star Center to play Spartanburg Christian Academy.
That is a wrap on week 3! With the 20th anniversary of 9/11 today, we would like to extend our thoughts and prayers to all who lost loved ones that day and would also like to extend our deepest gratitude to all the Military, Police officers, Firefighters, EMTs, Paramedics, and First Responders out there that give so much to serve us and keep us safe. Enjoy all the college & NFL football this weekend!
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