Here is a look at what is coming up in Week 4 for 4A/5A
I’ll start with our Spartanburg Nutrition Game of the Week which is Byrnes at Gaffney. Gaffney is coming off of a 38-14 win over Mallard Creek, while the Rebels fell in a shoot out against Westside 64-62.
The Indians dominated from the start last week, jumping out to a 21-0 lead and never relenquishing it against the Mavericks. The Gaffney defense was smothering for most of the game, while the offense rolled up 240 yards on the ground after grabbing the big lead. They were able to overcome 15 penalties last friday but will need to be much more disciplined against the Rebels to come away with another win.
The Rebels dropped their second consecutive game in Week 3, despite scoring 62 points. Quarterback Gabe Rogers was outstanding in the loss, throwing for 474 yards and 6 touchdowns. Wide reciever Thomas Gregory was unstoppable on the outside as he had 7 catches for 163 yards and 4 scores. The issue for Byrnes was on the defensive side of the ball. This will be a tough task for the Rebels defense as Gaffney comes in averaging over 6 yards per carry on the ground, and quarterback Grayson Loftis has played very efficiently early in the season.
I expect this game to come down to the wire on Friday, and possibly down to the last possesion. I expect Byrnes to put up a much better effort on defense, and with Gabe Rogers and company they have the ability to score on anybody. However, I do think Gaffney’s defense will be up to the task, and if the Indians get a lead in the second half they will be able to run out the clock and secure the win.
The other game in 5A this Friday is Boiling Springs at Hillcrest. The Bulldogs fell to Spartanburg 52-13, while Hillcrest was off in Week 3.
Both these teams enter Week 4 having lost to the Vikings in their last game. The Bulldogs struggled offensively once again last week, but did manage to find the endzone in the loss. Hillcrest was able to put together a nice second half rally two weeks ago in their last action, but ultimately fell short as well.
I think Boiling Springs again shows improvement on offense, but I don’t see it being enough. Hillcrest won’t dominate the Bulldogs like other teams have so far, but I think the Rams do enough to get a close victory. The Bulldogs will enter Week 5 still searching for their first win of 2021
You can read about the Greer-Union game in the 2A/3A article. Dorman and Spartanburg are both off in Week 4.