Spartanburg 26 South Pointe 25
The story coming into this game was an obvious one. If there is one team that is seemingly having worse luck with the injury bug than the Atlanta Braves, it is the Spartanburg Vikings. They were short starting QB TJ Johnson (giving the reins to Trey Burke), their top wideout, Left Tackle, and their top safety. To add to all that, running back Trenton Lynch played despite not being at 100 percent.
If the injuries were not enough of a challenge to overcome, the Vikes had to go on the road to take on a perennial power.
While the rash of health issues would make it easy to pick this game the other way, Spartanburg proved that they still have the talent and will to make Mark Hodge’s famous adage come true – “Just one more point.”
The Vikings struggled their way to just 164 yards of total offense. Burke completed 50% of his passes (10-20) for 142 yards and a TD. On the ground, Trenton Lynch tallied just 25 yards on 17 carries. So how did the Vikings find a way to win this game, you ask? The difference maker in this battle came from a rather unexpected place – special teams.
Wide Receiver/kick returner Calvin Choice ran a kickoff back 95 yards for a touchdown. Kicker Will Love went 4 for 5, including the game-winning 20 yarder with six seconds left in the game – which was set up by a blocked punt, and a school record-breaking 51 yarder.
The Vikings will face yet another tough test as they welcome the defending 5A state champion Dutch Fork Silver Foxes next week with a 7:30 kickoff.
Woodruff 40 Clinton 36
The phrase “bread and butter” was used a lot in the buildup to this game on Friday afternoon. We all know what that entails for the Clinton Red Devils. They practically invented running the football. Ok.. not really. But they always are a run-first offense and they are always effective with it. With a dual threat QB like Tushawan Richardson and a roster chock full of guys that can run the ball, it is a no-brainer that to beat the Devils, especially in Wilder Stadium, you have to stay on your toes and play assignment football.
Woodruff’s defense was able to keep Clinton from having success running the ball for around half the game. That opened the door for Woodruff’s bread and butter to spread. Ok that was a bad football pun.. But you get the picture. The Wolverine offense thrives on balance and big plays with the combo of TJ Morris and tailback Aiden Gibson.
Morris – who can aptly be described as a ‘field general’, was phenomenal, going 16-23 for 228 yards and 2 TDs through the air and rushed 7 times for 33 yards and a pair of scores. He showed his field vision and ability to make something out of nothing twice in this game – perhaps never any bigger than with the game on the line facing a 4th and 11 while trailing with a little under 6 minutes to go. With immediate pressure off the edge, he dodged the defender and rolled to his left, finding an open receiver down the sideline for a game-saving conversion, setting up a 1st and goal from the 7. Following a personal foul the next play that spotted the ball on the 2 yardline, Aiden Gibson, who ran the ball for an average of just over 9 yards per carry in his 19 carry, 173 yard, 2 TD effort, gave the Wolverines the lead with an easy run to take the lead with about 5 minutes to play.
Clinton would take over with plenty of time and 1 timeout saved in their back pocket. Seems like a recipe for a late score and a nice home win to open the season. And it may have been… Had it not been for Woodruff forcing them to go away from their bread and butter.
Facing a 4th and 6, Tushawan Richardson delivered a nice conversion with a scrambling throw. The next play, he got his team in the red zone with a deep ball down the near sideline. Once again, the Woodruff defense stood strong, once again forcing Clinton into a 4th down scenario. On 4th and 1, with no timeouts, they opted to go for it all. Richardson took a shot for the corner of the endzone, but it was well-defended and fell harmlessly to the grass, sealing a huge hard-fought win for the Wolverines over a Clinton team that, despite being 2A now, easily could still win a 3A title.
Woodruff will look to keep the big energy going next week as they once again take to the road to face the Fountain Inn Fury with a 7:30 kick.
Boiling Springs 43 Greer 0
There was a lot of talk over the offseason about how big of a blow it would be to Greer offensively with star running back Ladainnian Martin transferring to JL Mann. The popular counter to that is ‘One man does not a team make’. That rings true. There is still plenty of talent in place for the Yellow Jackets. They return QB Kaden Rowland and wide receivers Brock Diggins and Max Hannon.
Some of the other offseason chatter was about just how much we should expect from a now battle-hardened and upperclassmen-heavy Boiling Springs team that features a senior leader in Lincoln Huskey, a couple of solid receivers in Kyle Patterson, Eli Mobley, and Grayson Crowe. They also have a stout defense.
I think the score goes without saying that they made a stout statement Friday night. The Bulldogs were in control from square one and went up 29-0 going into the half. Huskey was party to 6 touchdowns, passing for 4 in a 12 for 17, 264 yard effort. He also ran for one and caught one. Kyle Patterson hauled in 5 passes for 145 yards with 4 touchdowns. On the defensive side of the ball, Parker Tapp tallied 5 solo tackles, TJ Collins had 4 (two for a loss), and John Michael Simmons added 3 tackles (two were sacks).
Kaden Rowland finished the night just 8 for 17 with 71 yards and 2 picks. Running back Nick Holmes carried the ball 18 times for a net gain of 54 yards. No Greer receiver had over 25 yards. Diggins and Hannon combined for 42 yards on 4 receptions.
So what does all of that say about Greer? Absolutely nothing. This was just a tough matchup against a Boiling Springs team that did and is going to do exactly what is expected of them this season. The only question for them is where they’ll finish in the region between first and third so long as they stay healthy. Greer has historically gotten off to a rough start over the last few years and put it all together when it matters most in region play. While they may not win the region this year, it is still to be determined exactly what the ceiling is for them this year.
The Yellow Jackets will take another crack at it on their home turf next week as they take on Belton Honea Path while Boiling Springs hosts Mauldin. Both games have a 7:30 kick.
Dorman 42 Greenville 35
This matchup had some intrigue to it. Greenville said goodbye to head coach Greg Porter, who is now at Laurens, and a ton of talent from a year ago. Dorman is a team that many did not know what to expect from. They lost WR KD Hainsworth to Mountain View Prep, and graduated one of their leading receivers in Tra’Von Fernandez. They did return QB Brice O’Neal, receiver Keenan Arcega-Whiteside, and tailback Nick Means
In essence, this team has the expectation to be better than a year ago while Greenville was without a doubt expected to take a step back.
Dorman took control of this game in the 2nd quarter with 4 unanswered TDs to take a 34-7 lead in the 3rd quarter. But, Greenville managed to climb back and take a late lead with 4 consecutive unanswered touchdowns of their own.
The Cavs responded with a big 14 play, 80 yard drive capped by a 21 yard TD run from Means to make for the final tally.
Dorman was led by Means, who ran for 122 yards and 3 touchdowns on 13 carries. O’Neal was 9-11 passing with 120 yards and a pick. Makorean Anderson threw their lone passing TD as part of a 3 for 7 night with 54 yards.
Clearly Greenville does appear to be meeting expectations, but that doesn’t diminish that Dorman found a way to get to 1-0 and built some much-needed confidence in their offense as they head into a tough road trip next week as the Cavs go down to Georgia looking for a win to steal. Kickoff is set for 7:30 at Grayson.
TL Hanna 19 Byrnes 16
Byrnes, like Spartanburg, came into Friday night with a few injuries to add on to the offseason transfers of key players like Armoni Weaver, Chamarryus Bomar, and RJ Livingston. Tailback Tre Segarra was among those that were listed as questionable ahead of the road trip to TL Hanna.
Obviously, Hanna is a perennial power, and opening with them on the road was never going to be an easy task. But, the Rebels managed to hold their own against the Yellow Jackets’ Wing T offense. Both squads were held off the scoreboard until the ten minute mark of the 2nd quarter, when Hanna broke through with a 55 yard TD run. The Rebels blocked the PAT, and would find themselves down 6-0 at the half.
Offensively for Byrnes, the first half was fraught with wasted opportunities to capitalize. They made 3 trips into the red zone, ending in a punt, an interception, and a turnover on downs. Starting QB Zy Landrum was also shaken up during the 2nd quarter, having to give way to backup Cane Rogers on a couple of occasions the rest of the way.
The 6-0 score held up until the 11 minute mark of the 4th quarter when the Rebs finally found paydirt on a 48 yard run by one of the more positive storylines from the game – running back Ty’Lik Dawkins, who got the bulk of time in the backfield for the injured Segarra.
TL Hanna went on to score the next 13 unanswered via a 68-yard TD pass and a 1 yard TD run set up by an interception. Byrnes would finally strike back on a 20-some odd yard touchdown pass from Zy Landrum to Jackson Delaney and a 2 point conversion run from Ty’Lik Dawkins to make it a 3 point game late.
The Rebels defense would force a turnover on downs to give them the ball at their own 43 with just over a minute to go, and in the end, the game was decided in similar fashion to Woodruff’s win over Clinton. Byrnes faced a choice to kick a 38 yard fieldgoal to tie it and try for overtime or to go for all the marbles on 4th down. They chose the latter, and unfortunately, the pass fell incomplete.
Byrnes will continue their “Road Warrior” campaign next week as they head down to Irmo for another tough test with a 7:30 kickoff.
Daniel 41 Chapman 21
One thing Harry Cabaniss was insistent about during the offseason is that his team’s schedule in non-conference play is designed to help battle-harden them down the road rather than to chase easy wins. It certainly doesn’t get much tougher than opening on the road with the defending 3A state champion Daniel Lions.
The Panthers, with a new face under center in Josiah Moore, struggled early on and trailed 31-14 at the break. They mustered just 1 TD in the second half, although they did manage to hold Daniel to just 10 points in the final 24 minutes of the game.
Moore ended his debut 11 for 18 passing with 116 yards. On the ground, Justin Dawkins carried the ball 12 times for 64 yards. Chansen Mickles rushed for 42 yards and a TD on 9 attempts, while freshman Teagan Cantrell tallied 15 yards and a touchdown on 2 carries. Cantrell was also among the team’s leading receivers, hauling in one pass for 41 yards. Hank Tolleson led the way with 5 catches for 51 yards. Khamari Turner logged 20 yards on 2 snags while also forcing and recovering a fumble for a TD.
Chapman looks to get some more positive momentum going as they open their home slate next week with another tough test against St. Joe’s with a 7:30 kick.
Pendleton 47 Chesnee 21
In similar fashion to Chapman, the Eagles took to the road for a tough opener with a regular 2A power. They went to Pendleton for a date with the Bulldogs, and struggled hard against the pass. They surrendered 307 yards through the air along with 126 rushing yards. Pendleton’s defense held the Eagles to just 197 yards of total offense – 143 of which came via their rushing attack – which is no surprise given Chesnee’s history as a run-first offense.
Kale Thrift was the leading rusher for CHS with 72 yards on 15 carries. But it was KJ Proctor that tallied all three of the Eagles’ touchdowns – all coming via short run plays in a 3 carry, 8 yard night.
Chesnee will look to break into the win column next week as they host the Broome Centurions, who were outmatched by Belton Honea Path in a 45-14 loss to open the season. Broome logged 284 yards of total offense – 179 in the passing game and 105 rushing. New QB James Dearybury was 11-23 with 134 yards and a pick. Ty’Qwon Booker led the ground attack with 23 carries for 110 yards and 2 TDs. Brayden Simpson was the leading receiver with 5 snags for 61 yards while Reece Waugerman wasn’t far off with 2 catches for 55 yards.
Mountain View Prep 69 Atlantic Collegiate 0
We all knew that the Stars roster had a couple of playmakers in Greenville transfer QB Bryson Drummond, as well as halfbacks KD Hainsworth and Jaylen McGill from Dorman and Broome. The question about them was how well that roster would gel. They got a chance to show everyone down at PC’s Bailey Memorial Stadium in Clinton on Saturday night in their program debut. I’ll start with the obvious.. They far outmatched the Armada (cool mascot..). The game was over 5 minutes in. ACA didn’t get a first down without the aid of a yellow hankie until late in the 2nd quarter.
So, the obvious is that most will say that we don’t have a barometer as to how good MVP is since this opponent didn’t challenge them. But, they executed flawlessly all night long – something you have to do no matter how good or bad your opposition is. They also showed that they have gelled. They were celebrating and having a good time – cutting up like teenage boys should. Like they have known one another since they were in peewee ball. That is true for many of them as they are made up of a lot of guys that transferred in together. Either way, the chemistry is evident.
Take nothing away from their efforts Saturday. They showed they have the talent. They won’t have a running clock in the 2nd half every game. But they can compete, and we will definitely learn a lot more about how good this team really is next week as they take to the road to play Southside Christian. But until then, congrats to Grey Ramsey on his first win as a head coach! Moreso, congratulations to MVP for getting their first program win!
Things were not exactly pretty for the rest of our local teams. Landrum opened the season on the road at Walhalla, falling 20-14 while the Quinnon Isom era at Union County began with a 40-14 loss to a very good Newberry team.
Gaffney was the lone team not in action this week. They are set to begin a gauntlet stretch of 10n straight weeks Friday night with a big road test with one of the other 5A teams in the upstate that are in the conversation with the Indians to make a run – JL Mann. That game is set to start at 7:30.
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