Week 0 had several exciting games on the slate and the same appears to be in week 1. Some teams are looking to build off their success from a week ago while others are trying to avoid a 0-2 start. Let’s take a look at the matchups from the 2A/3A in our listening area.
Broome @ Chesnee
Broome opened up their season with a Juggernaut BHP and struggled to get anything going offensive and couldn’t consistently stop BHP as they would go on to lose 45-14. Broome will look to bounce back as they travel to Chesnee to take on the Eagles.
The Chesnee Eagles also had a tough matchup in Week 0 as they were on the road taking on Pendelton. The Eagles fell behind early and created too big of a hole to climb out of as they lost 47-21.
For Broome, they struggled to get their passing game but did make a few plays on the ground as Ty’Qwon Booker led the way with 23 carries for 110 yards and two touchdowns. Look for Broome to get him going again and use the strength of the offense which is those guys up front opening up holes.
Chesnee also struggled to get their passing game going but did rush for 143 yards in the game, Kale Thrift had 15 carries for 72 yards and KJ Proctor had all 3 rushing touchdowns for the Eagles.
To me the key to this game is simple both teams must stop the run and force the opposition to throw the ball and make the offense one dimensional whoever can do that the best will win this game. Right now I am leaning towards Broome getting the win on the road this Friday Night.
St. Joes @ Chapman
The Chapman Panthers were another team that had a very tough test right off the bat as they squared off against a strong Daniel team. The Panthers were only able to throw the ball for 116 yards as their new quarterback Josiah Moore struggled early on in the game. The Panthers would go on to lose 41-21 so the Panthers will look to take care of business this week at home.
St. Joe’s opened their season last week against Carson Newman and they won by a final score of 40-30, so they are feeling good after opening their season with a win. They were down 17-7 at the Half but had a big second half outscoring Carson Newman 33-13.
One thing that stood out in that game, despite the win, was how many yards they allowed on the ground, as they gave up 321 yards rushing. That could be the area that Chapman can exploit and try to establish the run game, which should help open the passing game. I believe Chapman will do that and pick up their first win of the season.
Landrum @ Berea
The Landrum Cardinals struggled last week at home against Walhalla as they fell by a final score of 20-14, they scored late into the game with a few minutes left to cut the score 20-14. They played well defensively but they couldn’t get much offense going throughout the night.
Berea had their open week last week so this will be their first game of the season. Last year the Bulldogs did not have a great year as they were 2-8 overall and 1-4 inside region play. Berea only averaged 16 points per game and gave up 45 points per contest. It’s simply a team that struggles.
I feel like this is a game that the Cardinals should get back on track and should win this one comfortably and gain some confidence continuing through their season.
Fairfield Central @ Union
Union County opened their season on the road against Newberry and the debut for Quinnen Isom as the HC didn’t go as planned as they would fall 40-14. They scored their touchdowns late in the game so perhaps they found something that works for them and that could carry over this week.
Fairfield Central is also trying to avoid a 0-2 start as they opened their season against Ridge View falling 42-18. Fairfield Central tallied only 283 yards of offense while giving up over 400 yards on defense.
Both these teams are coming off games that they have plenty to clean up and whoever can do that more effectively should come out on top in this game. For Union to get the win again they have to string together stops consistently and maybe create some turnovers to give a good field position for their offense to work.
Woodruff @ Fountain Inn
Woodruff had the biggest win of the week in my opinion as they took on a very strong Clinton squad. The game went back and forth for most of the night but the most impressive thing to me was every time Clinton scored or went on a run, Woodruff had an answer and earned a 40-36 victory.
Fountain Inn opened its season against Liberty and they won by a final score of 42-34, so they are looking to get off to a 2-0 start. Fountain Inn used a strong second half to win the game as they were trailing at the half 20-6, but outscored Liberty 36-14 the final 24 minutes of the game.
Woodruff seems to have plenty of firepower on offense to rack up points, now the defense did give up 36 points but Clinton is very good. But I am sure the defense would like to string together more stops and if they do that should allow this offense to put up some points and win comfortably.
MVP @ Southside Christian
MVP made their debut last Saturday against Atlantic Collegiate and they certainly made a statement as they made quick work of Atlantic Collegiate as they would go on to win 69-0. They will look to get to 2-0 against Southside Christian this week.
Southside Christian has not had an easy schedule to start their year as they opened the season against Abbeville and they got smoked 41-7. Now they got a MVP team coming into town that feels pretty good about themselves as they after putting up 69 points and not surrounding any points.
Coming into this game I just believe that MVP is far superior to Southside Christian and I expect to see MVP put up some more big numbers and win this game comfortably.
