Round 2 5A Preview

​Just 3 weeks left of high school football to determine six state champions across the state. 8 teams remain in each bracket. Let’s dive in.

Byrnes @ Dutch Fork

​The Byrnes Rebels took down Rock Hill for a second round home win this past Friday night by a final score of 37-21. The Byrnes defense didn’t allow a score until the final 5 minutes of the game, and held a 31-7 before that Rock Hill touchdown. Rock Hill’s rushing yards were -10 and 166 total yards, and Byrnes forced two turnovers. RBs Tre Segarra and Jacobi Fuller combined for 29 carries and 305 yards with 3 rushing touchdowns to pass the offense.

Dutch Fork is under nine-time state champion head coach Tom Knotts, and beat Boiling Springs in the second round 42-7. QB Jaxon Knotts was 22-29 passing for 311 yards and 3 touchdowns, and connected with senior WR Kye Fulton five times for 119 yards and a touchdown. Dutch Fork has won three straight state titles and 8 of the last 9, and has one home loss to an in-state team since 2018 (Spartanburg on August 25, 2023).

Ridge View @ Dorman

​The Dorman Cavaliers handled Blythewood at home last week for a 44-13 second round win. Dorman scored the game’s first 32 points en route to the blowout. The win makes the Cavs 9-2 this season after a region title and a first round bye, and they have another home playoff game this Friday night against Ridge View. RB Nick Means had 8 carries for 101 yards and 2 touchdowns. S Kentavion Anderson scored on an interception return from 58 yards out and his defense kept the Bengals to just 94 yards rushing in the game and 1-12 on third down.

​The Ridge View Blazers are 8-3 this season and are coming off of a home second round win against Spartanburg. Ridge View is the #3 seed in the bracket and two of the three teams the Blazers lost to in the regular season are playing Friday in the quarterfinal round (Dutch Fork and Northwestern), with the other being Sumter who won the Region 5 title. WR Carter Coleman caught 8 balls for 94 yards to lead the team in receiving, and RB Spencer Bobian ran it 23 times for 93 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Gaffney @ Northwestern

​The Gaffney Indians went on the road for a tough second round win at Greenwood by a final score of 38-31. The teams went back and forth early trading scores until the Indians went ahead by 17 with just under 9 minutes to go before a late Eagles flurry made things interesting with two minutes left, but Gaffney was able to hang on. Running backs led the way for Gaffney in the win with Kendaris Bailey running for 108 yards on 7 carries and Josiah Hill running for 101 yards on 26 carries. The Indians picked off Greenwood QB Triston Lewis three times in the win.

​The Northwestern Trojans are 10-1 and were undefeated region champions at 6-0 in Region 3, and are the top-seed in the Division 2 bracket. The Trojans lone regular season loss came early to South Pointe 27-23, and are now riding an eight-game winning streak following a 42-7 second round win against Catawba Ridge. QB Xavier Means is a dual-threat for any team that he faces with a 76% completion rate for 2350 yards, 20 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. He also gets it down on the ground with 150 carries and 895 yards and 17 touchdowns. His top target is Kameron Vance, who is committed to FCS Lafayette. S Tamarion Watkins is the star of the defense, the future Texas A&M Aggie has 54 tackles, 2 sacks, and interception and 5 pass breakups.