Week 3 Recap

Mother Nature continued her vendetta against the 2026 high school football season in week three, this time bringing near-record heat and humidity. But, in spite of that, only one game was moved off Friday night (MVP vs May River) and the final week of non-region play delivered some fantastic matchups.

 

Dorman and Byrnes were on a bye this week while everyone else in the area did not have a head-to-head matchup. So, there are a ton of games to recap. Let’s dive in.

 

Dutch Fork 56 Spartanburg 14

 

These two have played eight times in the last 7 years with the Silver Foxes owning the series 7-1. A year ago, the Vikings fell 54-21, and did not fare much better this go round. The Foxes scored 16 seconds into the game on a 45 yard strike from Jaxon Knotts to Corey Miller and never looked back.

 

Even with Trenton Lynch back after suffering a cramp at Greenwood last week, Spartanburg was held to just 43 rushing yards — led by Lynch with 48 on 11 carries. Mayson Whiteside and Trevon Palmer combined for 22 yards on 7 touches. Quarterback Aryan Desai, making his second straight start, finished with negative 35 rushing yards on seven attempts, bringing the team’s net total down to 43.

 

In the air, Desai was 21 for 28 with 163 yards and a touchdown. Tre’Gan Mickler had the lone touchdown on seven receptions for 38 yards. Skyler Douglas was the leading receiver yardage wise with 78 on three catches.

 

Turnovers were a big issue for Spartanburg — handing over the ball four times on a pair of fumbles and two picks. But, turnovers alone were not the difference maker. Dutch Fork’s offense was also just dominant.

 

Jaxon Knotts went 14-20 passing with 178 yards and a pair of touchdowns while also running for one and 14 yards on 8 carries. Michael Robinson ran for 77 yards on eight attempts with a score while Quintin Wilson added two more TDs to go with 29 yards on four carries. Corey Miller hauled in both TD passes, tallying 54 yards on three snags to lead the aerial attack.

 

The Vikings will take a bye week to regroup before getting back at it on September 18th as they host the Byrnes Rebels.

 

Boiling Springs 34 Catawba Ridge 30

 

The Bulldogs had to gnaw and claw their way back time and time again after taking an early lead when Imri Logan connected with RJ Byrd for a 76 yard TD on 4th and 17. With 1:39 to play in the first quarter, the Copperheads answered with a 45 yard strike from Gambrill to Calvin Rocheleau, tying the game at seven.

 

Nearing the five minute mark of the second quarter, Catawba Ridge took the lead on a 22 yard field goal and later took advantage of an interception and a holding call that kept the ensuing drive alive to end the half on a 44 yard field goal to make it 13-7.

 

The Bulldogs later drove 98 yards following an interception on CR’s first series of the second half, reclaiming the lead by a point on a one yard TD run by Logan with 4:29 to play in the third, but it was short-lived as Rocheleau returned the kickoff 99 yards to make it 20-13.

 

After a Boiling Springs fumble, their defense held the Copperheads to another field goal that stretched the lead to nine heading into what would be a wild fourth quarter.

 

The Dogs did not let that deficit bother them, converting a third and long on the first play of the final 12 minutes. That led to a two-yard TD rush by Kyron Tobler, cutting the Catawba Ridge lead to 23-21.

 

Once more the snakes answered, going up 30-21 on a four yard rushing score, however Imri Logan later hit Djay Leak for a 33 yard strike to make it 30-28.

 

CJ Birk’s second pick of the game later set the Bulldogs up to jump in front on a three yard keeper from Logan. The two point try was no good, but the Copperheads faced a situation where they had no timeouts and had to score a TD to win. They drove to the BSHS 24 before Jamarcus Means sealed the game on an interception with 15 ticks on the clock.

 

Logan tallied 231 yards passing, completing 15 of his 25 attempts with two touchdowns. He also ran for 28 and a pair of scores on 13 carries.

 

Djay Leak was the leading pass catcher for the Bulldogs with seven receptions totaling 109 yards and a score. Deion Suber was next closest with five snags for 72 yards.

 

On the ground, Logan, Byrd, Tobler, and Malik Wannamaker combined for 177 yards on 39 carries.

 

In total, the BSHS defense limited Catawba Ridge to 26 rushing yards on 17 attempts and came away with three critical interceptions. Maddox Cooper and Dennis Glenn Jr each tallied five tackles on the night.

 

Boiling Springs hits the road again next week as they take on the Clover Blue Eagles on Thursday night looking to go to 4-0. The game is scheduled for Thursday due to Clover and Lake Wylie, who share the Blue Eagles’ Memorial Stadium, both have a home game.

 

Gaffney 28 Lancaster 13

 

The score looks close. But don’t be deceived. The Indians were well in control up 21-0 with under six minutes to play in the game.

 

Gaffney drove 60 yards on 13 plays in their first series of the night, scoring on a nine yard run from Kendaris “Peanut” Bailey. Early in the second quarter, Bailey found pay dirt again to cap a 31 yard push and Blake Cochran blew the game open with 2:03 to go in the half. He punched it in from three yards out to put the finishing touches on an 80-yard drive that made it 21-0 going to the half.

 

The score held there until the 5:51 mark of the fourth quarter when a Gaffney fumble led to a 12 yard score that made it 21-7. Two snaps later, Cochran fumbled, which set up another 12 yard touchdown run, but this time the extra point was blocked.

 

The dagger was put in the game when Bailey broke off a 44 yard run paired with a personal foul on the Bruins. Dylan McKey then broke the plane from three yards out to make for the final margin.

 

Gaffney mounted 345 yards of total offense in the win — 241 on the ground and 104 through the air. Quarterback Corey Taylor completed 8 of 14 passes for 104 yards. His leading target Marquis Yount hauled in two passes for 51 yards. Bailey amassed 102 yards and two TDs on nine carries while Amire White netted 53 yards on nine touches. Cochran tallied 46 on five touches and McKey added 14 yards on eight rushes to go with his score.

 

The Indians will now turn their attention to a big battle with the Dorman Cavaliers next week.

 

Greer  59 Blue Ridge 13

 

Rivalry renewed. And dominated. Absolutely dominated. The Yellow Jackets, fresh off a 52-0 shutout in the Jacket Bowl at Union last week, once again took advantage of a bad matchup to hang a crooked number.

 

This game was one where the thought going in was that if Calvin McCoy had 100 yards and a TD or two, the game was over because that means someone else doubled that. While no one player went off for the Yellow Jackets, quarterback Xavier Sammet impressed right off the rip, pulling back a keeper for a 22 yard TD run on Greer’s opening possession.

 

Blue Ridge answered with a 10 yard halfback sweep for a touchdown, tying the game at 7 with 7:44 to play in the first quarter. But Greer went on to run away from there. A long kickoff return by Calvin McCoy set the Jackets up at the Tigers’ 42, and three plays later Sammet connected with Cooper Trauger for a 17 yard score. That was the first of 49 unanswered to finish the half.

 

With a running clock in the second half, Greer was unable to break the 60 mark despite Will Young’s aggressive playcalling that suggests he wanted to score as many points as possible to make a statement.

 

The Tigers found the scoreboard for the final time when QB Holden Powell — son of Gamecock Baseball great and current North Greenville University head coach Landon Powell, hit a wide open man in the back left corner of the end zone for a 26 yard strike. The extra point was blocked and Greer went on to cruise to the win.

 

Sammet was 17 of 20 passing for 294 yards and four scores while also adding 51 yards on four rushing attempts with a TD. Four different pass catchers tallied a score — Zay Moseley leading the way with 112 yards on seven catches. Trauger hauled in three passes for 66 yards, Zion Nunez snagged two balls for 64 yards, and Calvin McCoy recorded his first receiving score of the season with 25 yards on a pair of catches.

 

McCoy led the run game with 97 yards and a score on nine rushes. Backup Zy Foster touched the rock six times for 58 yards and a pair of scores.

 

Greer looks to keep it rolling next week as they hit the road to take on another close rival in the Byrnes Rebels.

 

Chapman 27 Seneca 13

 

The Panthers are 3-0 for the first time in a long time, passing a huge road test to prove they might just be for real.

 

Two minutes in, Ashton Moore took off for a 30 yard TD scamper. The Bobcats tied it in the waning moments of the first quarter on a 1-yard run. But, Eric Gaffney punched back with a 99-yard return on the ensuing kickoff to make for a 14-7 edge at the end of the first.

 

In the middle stages of the second, Moore connected with Teagan Cantrell for a TD catch and run, stretching the advantage to 20-7. Seneca responded seconds later with a 32 yard touchdown bomb, but that would close the book on the scoring for the Bobcats.

 

The Panthers salted the game away with a Keilon Tucker 13 yard rushing score on the first play of the fourth quarter.

 

Chapman’s next test will be at home against the Clinton Red Devils.

 

Woodmont 56 Broome 13

 

What has been a tough start to the season against a schedule that is just as brutally tough, Broome found themselves on the wrong end of a lopsided affair against a 5A foe.

 

Brayden Simpson went 21-35 through the air with 270 yards, a TD, and an interception. He also ran for 45 yards and a score on 12 attempts. Corley Turner led all pass catchers with 51 yards on three receptions. Devo Brown hauled in three passes for 41 yards, Jay Reeder made four snags totaling 35 yards, and Wyatt Bowman tallied 22 yards on two catches.

 

Cam McGill led the ground game with 29 carries for 60 yards, also making the lone touchdown catch of the game to go with 98 yards on six catches.

 

The Centurions’ battle-hardening stretch continues next week as they face a high-powered offense in the Emerald Vikings on the road.

 

Chester 22 Union 6

 

The Yellow Jackets’ growing pains continued at home against a familiar foe from the next county over. The most obvious positive takeaway is that Union County found the scoreboard for the first time this season, drawing the first blood in the contest on a Noah Tucker touchdown run with 7:00 to play in the first half. They missed the PAT, but it would not matter as it was all Cyclones from there.

 

The Yellow Jackets will hit the road next week to face the potent Woodruff Wolverines offense.

 

Chesnee 42 Columbia 0

 

For the second straight week, the Eagles took advantage of a mismatch, grounding and pounding their way to not just a lopsided win, but a shutout.

 

The three-headed monster —  running backs Marquez Franklin and Brymier Miller, with quarterback Evan Reece Lawter did all the damage. Franklin notched two touchdowns on six carries for 116 yards. Miller also scored two, tallying 103 yards on five touches. Reece Lawter also had over 100 rushing yards, toting the rock 10 times for 101 with a score to go with 30 yards on 3 of 7 passing.

 

Next week, the Eagles will go across the state line to Rutherfordton for a battle with RS Central.

 

Landrum 32 Polk County 20

 

The 2026 edition of the Border War saw the Cardinals travel to Columbus, NC looking to bounce back after a tough loss last Saturday afternoon at Ninety Six.

 

Landrum quarterback Ian Patterson was the Iron Man for the Cards in this one, unofficially running the ball 22 times for 132 yards and three scores. He also went three of four passing for 74 yards and a touchdown. JP “Bull” Branyon also added 79 yards on 14 touches while Trey Nesbitt tallied 47 yards on eight carries.

 

The Cardinals are slated to host Ware Shoals after a bye this coming week.

 

May River 56 MVP 38

 

The Stars got back to action on Thursday this week after a cancellation cost them a game last week. Continuing to play “up” in competition, that was not the key to why they fell in this game. The Stars had several turnovers that proved costly.

 

Jacoby Kelly completed 18 of 27 passing attempts for 267 yards and three touchdowns. On the ground, he tallied 58 yards on six carries. The bugaboo is that Kelly also had two fumbles and two interceptions.

 

Savion Booker made five catches for 133 yards and a score. Caden Hunter also scored a touchdown to go with 51 yards on five receptions while Chase Richards notched 48 on four snags with a TD.

 

Elijah Grimes added the most rushing yards for the Stars with 86 on five carries, but Jamar Brown and Jemo Stinson were the ones to find pay dirt. Brown tallied 78 yards on six touches with a score while Stinson had 36 on 14 attempts and the other rushing touchdown.

 

Next week, MVP will take on their sister school Gray Collegiate Academy, still looking for their first win of 2026.

 

Emerald 52 Woodruff 31

 

The Wolverines faced their first big test of the season, going up against an offense that hung 70 last week on Newberry.

 

Woodruff’s defense has some youth and that did not do them any favors. After an early gamble on a fake punt, Woodruff gave the ball to the Vikings at midfield, leading to a 23-yard field goal that capped an 11-play drive.

 

The Wolverines answered with a screen pass to MiCah McClintock that went 44 yards to the end zone when Emerald brought a blitz and got burned. That 7-3 lead was short-lived as the Vikes got a 17-yard TD run and faked the PAT, successfully converting the deuce to go up 11-7 going into the second quarter.

 

Once again, Woodruff answered the Bell — literally. Curtis Bell single-handedly put the Wolverines back on top with a 33 yard kickoff return, a 35 yard diving catch, and a 27-yard TD reception to make it 14-11 barely 10 seconds into the second period.

 

But Emerald punched back with about six minutes to play in the half with a 4-yard TD run. Woodruff could not fire back with a touchdown, instead settling for a 30 yard field goal from Diego Tranquilino that made it a one point game with about two and a half minutes to play.

 

The lack of a touchdown for the Wolverines came back to bite as the Vikings went on to score 34 unanswered to put the game away. Woodruff would light up their side of the scoreboard just once more when Connor Davis connected with Grae Smith for a 65-yard TD at the 7:41 mark of the fourth quarter, making for the final margin.

 

Davis went 18 of 26 passing with 278 yards and three touchdowns. His leading target was Bell, who pulled down six catches for 76 yards and a score. Smith’s lone snag was for the 66 yard TD while McClintock had two receptions for 50 yards to go with his touchdown. Tee Glenn and Mason Satterfield also had notable numbers with Glenn tallying 44 yards on two catches and Satterfield adding 20 on three snags.

 

Julian Sullivan was the leader in the ground game for Woodruff, amassing 44 yards and a score on seven carries. Jaylen Lyles had 11 touches for just 24 yards.

 

The Wolverines will look to rebound next week as they welcome Union County to WL Varner Stadium.