I didn’t want to start the spookiest month of the year with a jump scare, but if I came to this realization then you have to as well. We are officially in the last month of the regular season. I know, horrifying. Which means there are five weeks left to fight for playoff positioning, seeding, and wins against your rivals. It’s a full five game slate of region games for our 5A and 4A teams. Let’s dive in.
Spartanburg @ Wade Hampton
The Spartanburg Vikings took a 28-21 loss at home to Gaffney last Friday night, a close game throughout that got away when the Indians started to emphasize the run as well as a key interception late in the contest. RB Trenton Lynch put together another phenomenal effort, carrying the rock 27 times for 189 yards and a touchdown, and WR Keyvion Ferguson added two receiving touchdowns on 5 catches and 46 yards.
The Vikings defense allowed 276 yards rushing to Gaffney last week, but did a good job bottling up the pass game as Indians QB Banks Bouton only completed five passes for 60 yards. Spartanburg got the first score of the game, but after Gaffney tied it early in the second quarter the Vikings never led for the rest of the contest. The loss dropped Spartanburg to 2-3 on the season and 1-1 in region play.
Wade Hampton has lost each of its first two region games, 45-3 at Byrnes and 41-15 at home against Riverside. The Vikings never ended up playing Wade Hampton last season, as their game against the Generals was the one that ended up getting cancelled after Hurricane Helene. Wade Hampton is 0-5 this year and has been outscored 163-71 in those games.
Boiling Springs @ Dorman
Dorman went on the road in what could end up being one of the highest stakes games by the time we get to the end of the season and beat a quality Byrnes team 33-21 in Duncan. RB Nick Means led the way on offense, going for 170 yards and a touchdown, including a big 69 yard touchdown run to put the first points on the board for the Cavaliers in the 1st quarter. The Cavaliers defense was led by Ja’Bez Thomas, who ran in a touchdown on offense and picked off two passes, bringing one of them back for a touchdown. As a unit they bottled up Byrnes RB Tre Segarra to just 51 yards on 17 carries and a long of 9 yards in the game.
Boiling Springs bounced back with a home win over Eastside, featuring a new signal-caller leading the way. After struggling to find any momentum on offense in a blowout loss to Gaffney the week before, the Bulldogs ran out QB Imri Logan who put it all together in a 42-17 win against the Eagles. Logan was 18-23 passing for 341 yards and 4 touchdowns, and perhaps most importantly no interceptions after turning it over 4 times against Gaffney.
The Bulldogs offense will face another test of a tough defense and will have to be much cleaner with the ball than they were against Gaffney. If Boiling Springs can get healthy in their secondary it should be able to help stop the rushing attack that Dorman brings.
Byrnes @ Riverside
Byrnes was on the receiving end of the loss to Dorman last week and just never got in a flow on offense. The Rebels barely ran for over one yard per carry, were -3 in the turnover margin, and held off the scoreboard for the last quarter-and-a-half after cutting it to a six point deficit. Despite the loss, the areas that Byrnes needs to improve are clear and will have the chance to on the road against Riverside.
The Riverside Warriors are 1-1 in Region 2 games this season, with a win against Wade Hampton and a loss to Dorman. Riverside had an up and down non-region slate, grabbing a season opening win against Mauldin before dropping the first two of three straight against Greenville and at Christ Church leading into their loss at Dorman. Before the Wade Hampton game, Riverside’s defense had allowed 27 points or more in every game. Byrnes should be able to get its offense back on track and the front 7 for the Rebels could wreck havoc per usual.
Gaffney @ Eastside
Gaffney’s issues from non-region play offensively now seem to be very much in the past. Since the bye, the Indians have won two region games averaging 31 points per game against Boiling Springs and at Spartanburg. RBs Josiah Hill and Justin Dawkins have provided a steady 1-2 punch for this offense with newly named starting QB Banks Bouton and a dynamic linebacker pair of Zyon Ratchford and Ty McGill. Gaffney matched the 2-0 start to region play that Dorman got off to ahead of this Friday night’s game against Eastside.
Eastside, along with Wade Hampton, is 0-2 in region play after starting the year with three straight non-region wins. Eastside lost its region opener 48-34 at home against Spartanburg and last week 42-17 at Boiling Springs, and both games followed a similar script. The Eagles were able to keep games close with its offensive speed and strong running back room, but as games continue its struggling depth shows itself and they run out of gas. Gaffney should be the team built to get out to a good start and
Pickens @ Greer
The Greer Yellow Jackets won their second game in a row last week with a 30-7 win at Travelers Rest. It makes Greer 2-4 on the year, but 2-0 in Region 2-4A play. RB Calvin McCoy led the ground game with 17 carries for 151 yards and a touchdown, and backup QB Xavier Sammet found the connection with WR Tucker Hudson that has worked so well for the team. Hudson caught 7 passes for 151 yards and a touchdown. Sam White dominated on the defensive side of the ball with 6 tackles, 3 tackles for a loss, and a sack.
The Pickens Blue Flame are 2-4 this season and 1-1 in region play, and have made a habit of playing in big shootout type of games. Before thrashing Berea 63-0 last week, the Blue Flame lost to Blue Ridge 50-42. The defense is allowing 37.5 points per game through six contests. QB Brooks Dow is completing 66% of his passes and has thrown 14 touchdowns, and is just under 200 yards per game at 185 for the season. Dow is also the team’s leading rusher with a team-high 84 carries and 711 yard. Pickens does not have a rushing touchdown in 6 games this year.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login