Playoff time. Win or go home. Don’t forget your pads and your hot chocolate.
JL Mann @ Spartanburg
The Spartanburg Vikings survived a scare last week against the Riverside Warriors, going back and forth on the scoreboard before the Vikings were able to get the stop they needed and win by just one point, 20-19.
Riverside QB Gideon Merhib was nearly unstoppable by the Viking defense as he through for 233 yards, but more dangerously ran for fo 145 yards on 25 carries and a touchdown. In all the Warrior offense racked up over 500 yards off offense but only had 19 points to show for it. Spartanburg got a much better performance against a weaker defense from new starting RB Ruben Landrum, going 156 yards on 21 carries for a touchdown, and QB Trey Burke was 14-20 passing for 150 yards and two scores.
The JL Mann Patriots have struggled this season after massive roster turnover and a new coach. The Patriots went 1-9 this year and 1-6 in Region 1 on their way to the #11 seed in the Division 1-5A bracket. The Patriots lone win of the year came against Easley 14-13, but overall have been outscored an average of 29 points per game.
Boiling Springs @ Mauldin
Boiling Springs enters the playoffs on a three game losing streak after a 42-14 defeat at home against Byrnes to finish the regular season. The Bulldogs had an outside shot at hosting a playoff game with a win and some help but now will have to go on the road to take on the Mauldin Mavericks.
Boiling Springs never could get its offense moving against Byrnes last week, gaining just one first down before halftime. Byrnes scored two touchdowns on defense just four plays apart, and the Bulldogs never recovered.
Mauldin is 5-5 on the season and will matchup with Boiling Springs for the second time this season after the Mavericks won 21-14 on August 29. Mauldin took region champion TL Hanna to overtime in a 28-21 loss and got region wins over Easley, Woodmont and JL Mann.
Eastside @ Gaffney
The Gaffney Indians finished the regular season with a win at home against Wade Hampton, blanking the Generals in 39-0. Plenty of guys got in on offense for the Indians, but they were paced on the ground by Justin Dawkins and Josiah Hill each scoring two touchdowns on the ground. 8 receivers caught the 13 completions from QB Banks Bouton.
This week Eastside will matchup with Gaffney for the second time this season, but for the first time at the Reservation in the first round of the Division 2-5A playoffs. Eastside took Gaffney to the wire back on October 3rd, but couldn’t close out what ended up being a 40-35 Gaffney win. Eastside QB Peyton Schrader had 3 total touchdowns and 258 total yards between passing and throwing that night.
Eastside is entering the playoffs at 4-6 overall and 1-6 in Region 2 as the 12th seed, just getting in ahead of Easley and Woodmont. Dorman beat the Eagles in the regular season finale 49-12, and their only region win was against Wade Hampton.
Greer @ Camden
The Greer Yellow Jackets wrapped up the regular season with a home loss against Daniel, who became region champions with a 33-7 win. The Yellow Jackets allowed 439 yards of offense to the Lions, and were without QB Dawson Fowler again. Greer will enter the 4A playoffs off of two straight losses as the 10 seed, and travel to the 7 seeded Camden Bulldogs.
Greer will need another big day from junior RB Calvin McCoy, who had a monster regular season in his first year as the starter. McCoy had 1,313 yards in 10 games with 16 touchdowns on the ground, and added another 167 receiving yards.
Camden is 7-3 and went 4-2 in Region 3-4A. The three losses include two to state title contenders Ridge View and South Pointe and one in a rivalry game with A.C. Flora to finish the regular season. The Bulldogs have wins over two other 5A teams in White Knoll and Lugoff-Elgin, and are led by junior QB Greyson Rimpf who has thrown for 1,981 yards and 25 touchdowns to just 6 interceptions.
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