Region play opened last week. Here is what’s on tap for Week 7.
Region II-5A
Gaffney 4-2 (0-0) at Spartanburg 4-3 (0-1)
The Vikings fell to Byrnes 21-9, while Gaffney was on their bye week.
Spartanburg’s defense was as good as advertised last Friday. They held an explosive Rebels offense to just one score (the other two TDs came on defense) and were especially great in the red zone. Led by Cam Smith and Damien Coates, I expect Spartanburg to be tough to score on all year long. They’ll need to be great once again this week, as they face a Gaffney team that has some electric playmakers in running back Jaiden McDowell and receiver Emazon Littlejohn. On offense, the Vikings moved the ball well but stalled once they got across the 50. They’ll need to get points in those situations this Friday if they want to knock off the Indians.
Gaffney appears to be one of the most complete teams in the Upper State, and that will be on display against Spartanburg. I expect this to be another low scoring game, and whoever can pull out the win will be in great position to host a first round playoff game, and possibly win the region title.
Byrnes 6-1 (1-0) at Boiling Springs 3-4 (0-1)
Byrnes got the win over Spartanburg, while the Bulldogs fell at Dorman 14-10.
The Rebels defense helped seal the win over the Vikings, with a pair of defensive scores last week. This week they’ll look to keep that rolling against a Boiling Springs team that struggled to score points against the Cavaliers. The Bulldogs offense mustered just 3 points on offense last week, and it will be even more difficult against the Rebels who give up just 10 points per game.
Bulldogs quarterback Lincoln Huskey will have his hands full with a front seven that will consistently get pressure in the backfield. He will need to use his legs to extend plays this Friday if the Bulldogs want to keep this one close for four quarters.
I think the Rebels defense will make life tough for Huskey and Co. and I expect Rebels Freshman running back Tre Segarra to have a big night to lead Byrnes to the win, and a 2-0 start in region play.
Mauldin 0-6 at Dorman 2-4 (1-0)
Dorman came from behind to beat Boiling Springs 14-10, while Mauldin lost to T.L. Hanna 62-7.
The Cavs broke through and got a tough win last week, led by an impressive defensive effort. Dorman found their running game behind the tandem of running backs in Freshman Nick Means and Junior Jarvis Pearson, who combined for over 200 yards in the win. This week should be more of the same from those two. Quarterback Brice O’Neal struggled in his first start a week ago, but remained poised throughout a tight ballgame late. He’ll need to be better the final three weeks of the season as the Cavaliers face a brutal stretch run (Byrnes, Gaffney, Spartanburg) but should take this week to get more comfortable.
Dorman should pull away early and cruise to a big win to build some confidence for the rest of region play.
Region II-4A
Eastside 4-2 (0-0) at Greer 2-5 (1-0)
Eastside beat Emerald 35-12, while the Yellow Jackets thumped Laurens 49-7.
Tailback LaDannian Martin was outstanding last week, finishing with 268 total yards and 4 total touchdowns last week. Quarterback Chris Hall threw for just 102 yards as Greer jumped out to a big lead early and never looked back.
Eastside is much better than Laurens, but I expect more of the same from the Greer offense. Martin is healthy and should be in for another big game. Eastside will score more than the Raiders, but not enough to keep up with the Jackets this week. Greer should pull away in the second half, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they top 40 points once again as they should move to 2-0 in the region.
