Week 2 Recap

Once again, the weather played a factor in the local high school football schedule, with torrential rain and lightning pushing things back an hour or more. But, fortunately, the rain moved out and we were able to get week two of the season underway.

Dorman 35 Byrnes 21

In another epic chapter of the rivalry that keeps producing — even with these two no longer being region foes, the Cavaliers delivered in the clutch late. The duel between the #2 and #3 ranked teams in the 5A classification in this week’s statewide media poll, started with a bang. Byrnes QB Walker Burdette threw a 25-yard pick six to Braeydon Carson on the first play of the game.

Not long later, Ja’Bez Thomas came up with another interception, setting Dorman up at midfield. But it came to naught and the Rebels were able to get on the board. The game devolved into a back and forth from there as Thonmas took a direct snap out of the wildcat and ran straight up the middle for a TD from eight yards out, giving the Cavs a 14-7 lead. Byrnes then went on to score the next 14 unanswered on a 61 yard strike from Gideon Merhib to Choo Harris and a 28-yard scamper from Tre Segarra, giving the Rebels a 21-14 lead at the half.

Early in the third quarter, sophomore phenom Carter Nash ripped off the first of two huge touchdowns in the 2nd half that ended up being the difference in the game. He capped a 70 yard drive with a 10 yard run to tie the game at 21. With a minute and a half left in the game, Nash bobbled a direct snap and cut to the right, blowing by a defender and cutting back towards the middle of the field for a 12 yard score. On Byrnes’ ensuing possession, the Cavs’ defense held strong, forcing a turnover on downs to seal the win.

Dorman QB Cooper Patterson completed 10 of 15 passes for 78 yards. The rest of the offense was led by the three headed monster that is Nick Means (13 carries, 66 yards, TD), Thomas (8 rushing attempts, 57 yards, TD), and Nash (12 touches, 54 yards, 2 scores). Dai’Shion Watkins-Hymes was the leading receiver with 6 catches for 57 yards).

On the Byrnes side, Merhib went 9 for 15 with 160 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Segarra carried the ball 12 times for 82 yards and a score while Harris hauled in three passes for 90 yards and a TD.

Next week, Dorman is off while Byrnes hosts Greer.

Spartanburg 21 Greenwood 14

The weather led to this game being shortened to eight minute quarters with a 10 minute halftime. That led to it being a lower-scoring seesaw affair. The Vikings did something different at quarterback this week, starting senior Aryan Desai over Chris Colin.

The decision was made to shorten the game after a second lightning delay ahead of the finish of a scoreless first quarter. The Vikes struck first on a Trenton Lynch 5 yard TD run after which he appeared to suffer a cramp and did not come back in until the third quarter. His return lasted just one good run before once again being forced to retire, not to play another snap the rest of the way. Lynch’s TD made for a 7-0 lead at the half, but Greenwood tied it midway through the third quarter when Martavioius Hamilton capped a six play 31 yard drive with a three yard touchdown run, creating a deadlock that held into the fourth quarter.

The Vikings reclaimed the lead with just over six minutes to play in the game when Manson Whiteside capped a six play 60-yard march with a 12 yard run for a score, but after a missed extra point, the door was left open for the Eagles to go down the field and jump back in front.

They did just that, on a long 14 yard TD pass from Zatavion White to Ry’Keem Robinson with three minutes and some change to play to make it 14-13. The Vikings responded nicely — even without Lynch, striking for a 36 yard pass from Desai to former Dorman Cavalier Tre’Gan Mickler on third and 16, later going up seven with a successful two point conversion pass from Desai to Bj Dawkins.

With just 39 ticks left on the clock, Greenwood drove down to the SHS 37 yard line, but Tyron Duncan came up with a sack to run out the clock and seal the win.

Desai completed 10 of 19 passing attempts for 162 yards and a touchdown on the night. Chris Colin went just 2-5 with 29 yards and an interception. Mickler had the bulk of the receiving yards, hauling in four passes for 70 yards in addition to his touchdown. Three other pass catchers were over 20 yards — Grayson Bennett had 37, Lynch added 35, and Caleb McDowell tallied 29. Whiteside was the leading rusher with 36 yards and a score on nine carries while Lynch had 29 yards and a TD on 10 touches.

Spartanburg will have a tough battle for their home opener this coming week as they take on top-ranked Dutch Fork.

Boiling Springs 34  Riverside 13

While the scoreboard shows that the Warriors scored twice, it must be taken with a grain of salt. The truth is that Boiling Springs did what they were supposed to in this game — just not cleanly. The Bulldogs were penalized a ton, which played a part in Riverside even scoring.

Boiling Springs got it started late in the opening quarter with a one yard run by RJ Byrd. Riverside answered with a touchdown, but DJ Leak returned the ensuing kickoff 90 yards for a score to push the Dogs right back to the lead.

Midway through the second quarter, Imri Logan connected with Jadyn Jones for a 71-yard score, making for a 20-7 advantage at the half. Out of the break, Byrd struck again with a 29-yard touchdown run and Logan ended the third quarter with a 9 yard dash for pay dirt, making it 34-7 heading to the final stanza.

Imri Logan threw for 111 yards and a touchdown, completing three of five attempts. He also ran for a score, logging 21 yards on four rushing attempts. Jadyn Jones led all pass catchers with two receptions for 84 yards and a touchdown. RJ Byrd led the rushing attack with 55 yards on 5 carries with a pair of TDs. Djay Leak also had a 90 yard kick return for a score.

The Bulldogs’ defense took advantage of Riverside’s struggles along the O line all night, holding them to just 63 yards of total offense and a whopping -34 rushing yards. Dennis Glenn Jr had three sacks as part of his five total tackles while Will Gibeck tallied seven total tackles.

Boiling Springs will host Catawba Ridge next week as they look for a 3-0 start for the first time in a while.

Gaffney 43 JL Mann 10

This game got off to a sloppy start for both sides. JL Mann fumbled on the first play from scrimmage just for the visiting Gaffney Indians to do the same on the next play. The Patriots were first to crack the scoreboard on a field goal with just under a minute to play in the first quarter.

The Indians finally broke through halfway through the second on a Kendarius Bailey TD run, never to look back from there. Corey Taylor later connected with Hank Davidson for a score, making for a 13-3 lead at the half, and the Indians went on to out score Mann 30-7 in the second half. Davidson notched another TD — this one a 35 yard reception. Amire White, Kareem Shaw, and Blake Cochran also notched rushing touchdowns in the win.

Gaffney returns to The Reservation this week to battle the Lancaster Bruins.

Greer 52 Union 0

The tough start to the season for the Yellow Jackets continued while the other Yellow Jackets continued to put up impressive numbers. That’s right. The next installment of the Jacket Bowl was moved too Thursday — marking the only local contest that was rescheduled. Needless to say, Greer dominated. They outgained Union with 443 total yards to their 127. Greer averaged nearly eight and a half yards per play and tallied 23 first downs to Union’s nine.

Greer QB Xavier Sammet went nine for 17 passing with 107 yards while also running the ball nine times for 117 and a pair of touchdowns. Calvin McCoy tallied 146 rushing yards on 13 touches, scoring three TDs. Zy Foster also notched over 100 yards on the ground, officially with 102 and a score on seven carries. Cooper Trauger led the aerial attack with two receptions for 39 yards while Zay Moseley hauled in three snags for 36.

On Union’s end, QB Shiro Crosby completed 10 of 22 passes for 88 yards with five interceptions. He also ran for 49 yards on 18 carries, adding a sixth turnover with a fumble. The leading rusher Noah Tucker had just 18 yards on five carries. Ben Hale led the passing game, pulling down three catches for 43 yards.

Next week, Greer will host another rivalry game, facing off against their foes from down Highway 101 in the Blue Ridge Tigers while Union looks to get their first win at home against the Chester Cyclones.

Chesnee 40 Broome 20

Rivalry renewed! After a tough week for the Centurions in which they were outmatched yet still showed some fight against Woodruff, they made the trek to Chesnee. For the Eagles, this served as the season opener, and there was plenty of enthusiasm for another season with a loaded backfield on offense.

Quarterback Evan Reece Lawter — most dangerous when on the run is complemented nicely by a pair of running backs that are just as fast, physical, and elusive. There is a junior in Marquez Franklin and sophomore Brymier Miller. Not only is there a ton of speed and playmaking ability in that trio, but the interior offensive line is also sizable for the Eagles. It was a combination of all of the above that made the difference in this game.

In the early going, Brayden Simpson and running back Devon Brown were able to move the ball well. But, on the opening possession of the game, the Centurions drove inside the Eagles’ 10, but on third down, a fumble made that long drive an empty one. Two plays later, Lawter was stripped trying to stretch to the near sideline. The fumble was picked up and returned 30 some odd yards for an easy scoop and score for Corley Turner.

Chesnee answered thanks to what would be a significant part of the story of the game for them — a big run play from Miller that set Lawter up for a 3-yard QB draw for a touchdown, later also adding the two point conversion for the lead on the same play. The Centurions then went on a drive, scoring on a two yard run on a QB sweep by Brayden Simpson, who muscled his way in despite being pulled by the facemask from behind. That would mark the last time they scored.

In the end, turnovers and the clear discrepancy in size along the line of scrimmage helped Chesnee outscore Broome 32-7 the rest of the way. The Centurions mustered 183 yards of total offense with Simpson going four of seven for 27 yards and two interceptions. He also ran for 8 yards. On jjst as many attempts. Devo Brown tallied 72 yards on 14 touches with a TD, a fumble, and one catch for 28 yards. Cam McGill also tallied 76 yards on 13 carries.

On the Chesnee side, there was little to speak of as far as passing goes. Latter went 1 for four with just five yards. But he ran the ball 13 times for 152 and three touchdowns. Franklin was the leading rusher with 188 yards and a score on nine carries. Miller tallied 122 on 12 touches with two TDs. In total, the Eagles amassed 524 yards of offense (510 in the run game) while holding Broome to just 162 (147 of which came on the ground), mostly in the first half.

The Eagles’ next opponent will be Columbia at home while Broome goes on the road to Woodmont.

Chapman 61 Walhalla 6

Not much to say here. Another impressive showing for the Panthers’ offense, who scored 26 unanswered last week to beat Eastside in a game that ended due to lightning after three quarters. In this week’s case, one has to consider that the Panthers were playing a Walhalla team they vastly outmatched. But, the biggest positive takeaway aside from the win is that they did what they were supposed to and forced a running clock in the second half. That is something they would have struggled to do the last few years.

Ashton Moore went 15 for 17 passing with 265 yards and five touchdowns. Teagan Cantrell led the ground game with 61 yards and a touchdown on seven carries. Kham Von added 45 yards on six touches and Brayden Willians logged 30 on four attempts. Keilon Tucker was the leading pass catcher with five receptions for 126 yards and three scores. Grayson Murphy pulled down three passes for 49 yards and a pair of touchdowns and Caden Lachica also notched a 43 yard TD reception.

Chapman also had a special teams score thanks to a 72 yard kickoff return by Eric Gaffney, who also had a 16 yard catch, two total tackles (1 was a sack).

Next week, the Panthers will make another long road trip as they head near Clemson to take on the Seneca Bobcats.

Woodruff 32 Fountain Inn 15

It was another convincing win for the Wolverines — this time over a 4A foe as they hosted the Fountain Inn Fury. Woodruff was actually outgained by the Fury, with FIHS tallying 368 yards of total offense to the Wolverines’ 294. Fountain Inn also averaged more yards per play with an average of nearly six to Woodruff’s four and a half.

The damage was done through the air for the Wolverines. Connor Davis completed 19 of 30 passes for 188 yards and two touchdowns with an interception. Wide Receiver Curtis Bell built on his impressive showing against Broome last week by leading the team with 13 catches for 139 yards and a touchdown. MiCah McClintock hauled in three passes for 38 yards and a score.

In the ground game, Jaylen Lyles led the way with 85 yards on 22 carries. Davis added the only rushing TD of the game to go with 15 yards on 12 attempts. He also lost one fumble.

Woodruff will look to go to 3-0 next week as they host the Emerald Vikings at Willie Varner Stadium.

Ninety Six 28 Landrum 26

This game was suspended with the Cardinals trailing 14-6 in the first quarter. The two sides agreed to resume at 1:00 on Saturday afternoon, and it turned into an instant classic. The Cardinals went down 28-20 with about two minutes to play when Ninety Six booted a short kickoff out of bounds. The penalty and re-kick set the Cards up with a short field and they were able to capitalize with a busted play that resulted in an easy touchdown. However, their attempt to tie with the two point try was stopped short and the ensuing onside kick was recovered by the Wildcats, who were able to knee the clock out for what is the first win at NSHS for alum Austin Sargent.

The Cardinals will head to their hated rivals in Polk County next week for the next installment of the Border War before taking a bye on the 11th.

MVP was on a bye this week. They will get back to action next week on the road against May River. That game will be played at Gray Collegiate.