Spartanburg @ Dorman
Dorman was one of the only teams in the Upstate to have played the week of Hurricane Helene, as the Cavaliers moved up its home game against Byrnes to beat the storm two weeks ago. After a tight loss, the Cavaliers are back up and running with another home game against the Spartanburg Vikings.
Even in a normal lead-up to the city rivalry, weird things can happen in this game and recent play can often be tossed out. Dorman enters the game at 1-1 in-region and 3-2 overall, while Spartanburg has played one game less with a 1-0 region record and 3-1 overall.
Dorman’s last game came on September 25th, a home loss to Byrnes by a final score of 14-3. The Cavaliers showed strength on the defensive line to hold the Rebels from hitting explosive plays, but struggled to get consistency on offense. As for the Vikings, they haven’t played since September 20th in a home game against Eastside, and won a blowout 49-6.
Spartanburg has a lot of advantages at this matchup, and the form from before the delay would suggest the Vikings are the pick here. But given the long layoff from both teams, and the rivalry factor between the two teams, anything can happen in Dorman/Spartanburg.
Boiling Springs @ Wade Hampton
Boiling Springs returns to action on the road against a winless Wade Hampton team this Friday night. The Bulldogs dropped their first region game of the year against Gaffney a few weeks ago in overtime to fall to 0-1 in Region 2 and 3-1 on the season. Wade Hampton is 0-4 with one region loss against Byrnes.
Boiling Springs will look to restart its electric offense that scored an average of 40 points per game in the non-region schedule led by QB Lincoln Husky. The Bulldogs battled with Gaffney at home until the end, and even in a loss proved that they are still very much a contender to do damage in the 5A-Division 1 playoffs. Their results later in the season against Spartanburg, Byrnes, and potentially Dorman (depending on rescheduling) will help determine where the stock for Boiling Springs will be at going into big games in November.
Wade Hampton’s last game was September 20th at home against Byrnes, a 52-0 loss for the Generals. Wade Hampton hasn’t scored more than two touchdowns in a game yet this season, and this Friday is shaping up to be another blowout in favor of Boiling Springs.
Byrnes @ Gaffney
Always a marquee game on the schedule every single season, Byrnes and Gaffney meet again this Friday night at the Reservation. Last year’s matchup decided the region title for the Rebels in the last week of the regular season, but the Indians ended up going farther in the 5A playoffs.
This year’s game has a little less juice in it because of the point on the schedule it is being played, but still is a monster game for positioning in Region 2. The Indians sit undefeated 4-0 and a 1-0 region record with the win over Boiling Springs from late-September. Meanwhile, the Rebels have moved past a winless non-region stretch with back-to-back region wins over Wade Hampton and Dorman.
A win for Byrnes on the road would do a lot to finally put the first three weeks in the rear view, turning a three-game losing streak into a three-game win streak all in-region. With the rescheduled Dorman game in the win column from September 25, the Rebels are the only team with two wins in Region 2, and could build a gap over Gaffney and Spartanburg by winning a third. For Gaffney, a win keeps the Indians undefeated and at worst still in a tie for first place with Spartanburg.
Blue Ridge @ Greer
Greer will take the field again at home this Friday night against Blue Ridge and jump back into Region 2-4A action. Last time out for Greer was on September 20th against Berea and a 63-0 blowout win to move to 2-3 on the season, but 1-0 in-region.
The Yellow Jackets gained nearly 600 total yards in the win, and held Berea to -25 total yards. RB Nick Holmes scored two touchdowns in limited action, while RB Miron’tae Harris ran 10 times for 115 yards to lead the way on the ground for Greer. QB Kaden Rowland was nearly perfect, going 13-14 through the air with a touchdown.
Blue Ridge has had an up-and-down season so far. The Tigers won the first two games on its schedule against Wade Hampton and Polk County (NC), but dropped its next two to Eastside and Pickens. The loss to Pickens was a 35-26 region result, so Blue Ridge will look to grab a region win at Dooley Field on Friday night.
