It has felt like forever but it’s finally time as the 2024 High School Football season kicks off on Friday night! The schedule is loaded with games, especially with 2A/3A regions. So, let’s take a look at the 2A/3A games in our local listening area.
Broome @ BHP
The Broome Centurions finished second in the region last year with a 3-1 region record and finished the season at 9-3. They won a wild game against Seneca in the first round of the playoffs before being knocked out by a strong Clinton team in the second round.
The Centurions will look very different this year the one-two punch of KBB and Jaylin McGill is no longer with the team. KBB graduated and McGill is now playing for MVP. So who is going to step up? That is something to look out for in the Centurion’s first few games.
Jameson Dearybury is the starting QB for the Centurions, Dearybury was the starting QB on the JV team last year and Coach Fleming said he manages the game well and can spread the ball around. Coach has also noted that the run game is going to be by committee, so many guys are going to touch the ball and the hot hand will continue to get it.
The Centurions still have a strong offensive line with a lot of returning guys from last year so look for the Centurions to rely on an experienced line and provide their backs with room to run and time for Dearbury to throw.
BHP is a strong program coming off a great year last season as they went 13-1 overall and 4-0 inside their region. Their only loss was in the upper state championship game to Daniel.
The offense is led by their senior running back Marquise Henderson who averaged 166 yards per game on the ground last year, he must be contained by the Centurion’s defense.
Like always I expect a good fight from Broome but I am leaning towards BHP in this season opener.
Chapman @ Daniel
Chapman has a tough challenge right off the bat to start the season as they will go on the road to take on a loaded Daniel team. The Panthers are coming off a year where they won their region going 4-0 and went 10-2 overall. The Panthers were eliminated by the Chester Cyclones in the second round of the playoffs, so they will look to make a longer run this year.
Chapman is another team that has lost several key players from a year ago including their quarterback Coleman Gray, who passed for over 2,000 yards with 17 touchdowns and also ran for 895 yards and 15 TDs, They have lost wideout Shawn Cunningham, who hauled in 61 passes for 864 yards and 9 touchdowns. Halfbacks Mathai Scott and Keanu Na both combined for 1,403 yards and 21 touchdowns are also gone.
That’s simply a lot of firepower that has to be replaced and another team where it will be interesting to see who becomes the focal point over the next couple of weeks.
Daniel coming off a state championship year will look to continue their dominance, now they have also lost a lot of key guys from their team but they do have some guys returning like Lee Turnispeed who had his hands in many aspects on offense.
Right now I am leaning towards Daniel to win this game but I am looking forward to seeing Chapman compete in this game as it’s right off the bat, a great measure stick to see where they stand.
Union @ Newberry
Union over the last couple of years has struggled, but this year they are led by a new head coach Quinnen Isom who is bringing new energy into the program.
Coach Isom has stated that there is a lot of depth on the offensive and defensive line, which should be a strength for this Union County team. Starting at quarterback is Quay Brannon who Isom has said has impressed with his decision making but the Yellow Jackets have many guys who can play QB and could use different packages at times to switch things up.
Newberry was 6-6 last year and went 4-2 inside their region, they went to the second round of the playoffs and battled a really good Abbeville team but lost. They are returning a lot of players from a year ago it was an offense that scored 26 points per game and a defense that allowed 20 ppg.
For Union they got to string together some stops something they didn’t do a lot last year, but if they can force some punts and maybe a turnover they will give their offense a chance to put up points. Right now I am leaning towards Newberry to win the game.
Woodruff @ Clinton
Woodruff is coming off a year where they went 4-6 overall and 2-2 in region play and lost in the first round of the playoffs to Wren.
Woodruff is returning their QB TJ Morris who threw for 2,700 yards coach Sloan raved about his leadership saying “He’s a great leader and student of the game.” Morris has several returning starters around him guys like Running back Aiden Gibson, Wideout Kori Moates, and tight end Cam Taylor. Having familiar weapons for Morris is a big thing as they already have established chemistry.
Defensively the Wolverines have several starters returning and most of those guys are on the defensive line and Linebacker core, so compared to some teams they have a good bit of experience coming back, which I find as a big advantage for them.
Clinton has moved down to the 2A level but in the last couple of seasons, they have had a lot of success. Last year they went 10-3 overall and 4-0 inside the region. They lost in a tight game against BHP in the third round of the playoffs. Clinton is returning their dual threat QB Tushawan Richardson, who led the team in total yards last year.
I like the experience of Woodruff and I think that will play big for them this year but right now I am leaning towards Clinton getting the win.
Walhalla @ Landrum
The Landrum Cardinals are coming off a year where it was an up-and-down roller coaster. they were 4-1 during their first five games but struggled in their last 5 region games going 1-4 that was enough to make the playoffs but they were eliminated in the first round by a good Strom Thurmond team.
Landrum’s star player was Colton Link, who averaged 150 yards on the ground per game last year, but he has graduated, and the Cardinals are looking to see who can emerge as their new leading back. Landrum has several guys competing for that top running back spot.
The Cardinals QB will be starting Ty Foster at the Quarterback position and in the past this has been a very run-heavy team, but in their scrimmage last week they were airing the ball out so perhaps they will look to have a vertical passing game as the primary offense. One concern for me is the O-line is replacing starters so guys starting for the first time it will be interesting to see how they hold up.
Walhalla was 4-6 on the season and was 2-3 in region play and failed to make the playoffs. Their biggest threat returning is their running back Landon Robinson, who averaged 97 yards on the ground last year.
Walhalla’s offense didn’t put up big numbers last year scoring around 20 ppg and their defense was a weak point allowing 32 points per game. I like Landrum in this game to be able to make plays against Walhalla’s defense and win this game.
Chesnee @ Pendleton
Chesnee is coming off a 6-6 season where they went 2-3 inside region play and won their opening-round playoff game against Batesburg-Leesburg.
Chesnee is also entering this season with a new head coach as Brett Chappell is taking over and he has had success at his previous schools as a head coach. Chesnee is returning 20 starters from a year ago and some key guys for their offense should be Aiden Allen and Bryson Sprinkle who anchor the offensive line and running back Kyle Martin.
Pendleton had success last year going 9-3 and 4-1 inside region play, they lost in the second round of the playoffs to BHP. Pendleton is replacing some key positions like their quarterback but returning some playmakers like their star wideout Abijah Webb, who averaged 96 yards receiving per game. The question is can their new QB sling it to their playmakers and keep the high-powered offense that scored 45 points per game last year?
Defensively they are returning some guys from a stingy defense like Trent Garner, Carson Gregory, and John Henderson. Each of these guys averaged 8 tackles per game. Webb also plays on the defensive side of the ball and led the team with coming away with three interceptions.
Right now I am leaning towards Pendleton winning this game, but if Chesnee can stop the pass they will give them a shot at it.
MVP vs Atlantic Collegiate
Mountain View Prep will play their first ever game on Saturday as they will play this contest against Atlantic Collegiate at Presbyterian College at 6:30 pm.
I know with Moutain View being a new school they have kids from all over the area on the roster and seem to put together a strong team. But What I am curious to know is how quickly can they mold together and get used to playing with one another. Will they click right away or will it take some time that’s my biggest thing to look out for in the upcoming weeks?
What I do know is they have a stud running back with Jaylen McGill, the former Broome star and if you give him so much space to work with he is going to take to the house or at least make a big play for his team.
Atlantic Collegiate is based out of Conway SC and according to Max Prepes they played only three games last season, so what they are all about is a mystery and we will find out together this week.
I am leaning towards MVP on getting the win, but again how sharp are they going to look will be the biggest question for me.
Related
