Spartanburg @ Riverside
The Spartanburg Vikings are firing on all cylinders right now, coming off of a 58-14 win at home against Byrnes and riding a five-game win streak. Spartanburg put it away early, building up a big lead in the first half with big runs and a defensive touchdown later in the game. This week the Vikings travel to Riverside, and a win would clinch a share of the region title and lock in a bye in the playoffs.
RB Trenton Lynch had another big game for Spartanburg, carrying it 14 times for 186 yards and 2 touchdowns while the defense held Byrnes to 193 total yards in the game. Chris Sutton and Cam Smith also had rushing touchdowns in the win, while QB Trey Burke connected with WRs Justin Rice and Calvin Choice for scores as well.
Riverside has cooled off significantly after its 3-0 start, now 4-3 overall with a 1-3 region record. The lone Region 2 win has come over Eastside, with losses to Gaffney, Dorman, and Boiling Springs. WR Speedy Taylor being out for the year with an injury is a big blow to the Warrior offense, but TE Mikkel Skinner will look to fill in the missing production.
When Riverside is clicking on offense they can go to another level, but the Spartanburg defense will be right up there with the toughest they’ve faced, and the Riverside defense will need to match that level against the Vikings.
Byrnes @ Boiling Springs
Boiling Springs got back on the right track with a win over Riverside at home last week, scoring 41 points in the win and the defense keeping the Warriors to just 6 points on the other side of the ball. Despite the blowout last week, Byrnes still has hope at sneaking into a bye in the playoffs with a win this week.
The Rebels did stuff Spartanburg’s run game on a few occasions last week, but gave up too many big plays in the run game to stay tight on the scoreboard. This Friday’s matchup should look better for Byrnes and its physical defensive front as Boiling Springs has struggled to establish the run all season. Byrnes also found a spark at times in QB Zy Landrum as they used a two-quarterback system, and he might have earned more snaps going forward.
Boiling Springs at its best is the best offense in the county with a quarterback and wide receiver combo that can rival any in the upstate. However, in the Bulldogs two most important games that unit hasn’t made the plays when they needed to. Byrnes brings a good pass rush that can disrupt the timing that the Bulldogs need to hit big plays with QB Lincoln Husky and WR Kyle Patterson. Additionally the Boiling Springs defense is balanced and has players to disrupt both the run and pass game equally.
Byrnes certainly brings the defense that is capable of keeping the team in the game late in the fourth quarter, but on the other side of the ball I find it difficult to see how Byrnes can score enough to keep the pace.
Eastside @ Dorman
Coming off of the biggest win of the Jake Morris era at Dorman, the Cavaliers return home to take on the Eastside Eagles. In a defensive rock fight, Dorman took down Gaffney at the Reservation 9-6, with K Ranson Farr making three field goals including the eventual game winner with less than three minutes from 41 yards.
LB Kentavion Anderson made huge plays on the Dorman defense when the team needed it, hauling in three sacks. The Cavaliers dominated time of possession and followed the script that led to a win perfectly, taking the air out of the ball and Gaffney’s offense on the sideline, and making just enough plays to win. Even with all of that, Dorman benefited from a questionable call at the goal line that took an Indian touchdown off the board.
Eastside got its first region win last week against Wade Hampton 34-0, but haven’t scored double digit points in any other region game in its losses to Byrnes, Riverside, and Spartanburg.
At 3-2 in the region, Dorman would be in good position to finish at the top of the region if it weren’t for head-to-head losses to Spartanburg and Byrnes. Otherwise, the Cavaliers can all but clinch a home playoff game with a win on Friday.
Gaffney @ Wade Hampton
Gaffney dropped its first game of the season last week at home against Dorman. Whether it was because of a bad call that took a touchdown off the board, or inevitable because of the play of the Indian offense in the last three weeks, the Indians will meet winless Wade Hampton this Friday one week before a region championship game with Spartanburg.
The Indians started QB Jayvon Gilmore in this game, who played the whole game after sharing pass attempts in the win over Byrnes. Even in the units struggles, Gaffney was still able to win multiple games with big rushing games from RB Chas Smith and WR Jamarcus Smith, but that was not the case against Dorman’s strong rush defense. The Indians only ran for 30 yards at 1.4 yards per attempt and turned the ball over.
Look for the Indians to not take their foot off the gas against the Generals this Friday. Gaffney has problems, and have the opportunity to work through them against a team that hasn’t been competitive in region play.
Greer @ Daniel
The biggest game in Region 2-4A is here as the Greer Yellow Jackets travel to take on the Daniel Lions, with both teams holding undefeated region records. Greer is on a five-game winning streak going back to mid-September, while Daniel’s only loss came on the road to JL Mann by five points and have blown out all other opponents.
Greer’s offense has been in cruise control, and racked up 505 total yards and never punted in last Tuesday’s win over Pickens by a final score of 42-21. The Yellow Jackets had six different scorers for each of their six touchdowns, and the defense put the lid on the Blue Flame passing attack with just 87 yards allowed through the air. Now Greer will be the most rested they have been in a month, with no game last Friday.
Daniel QB Grayson Clary has torched all comers this year, with 21 touchdowns on the season and just one interception, and the Lions rushing attack has a stable of running backs that they rotate in to keep fresh legs.
A win in this game for Greer all but clinches the region title with last-place Travelers Rest on the schedule for November 8th, and a win mostly does the same for Daniel but opens the door for a three-way tie in the event the Lions lose to Seneca to end the season.
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