UPPERSTATE
Lewisville (7-3) At Wagener-Salley (8-2) Winner goes to 6-4 McCormick (who has a first-round bye). Denmark-Olar (2-8) At Timmonsville (6-4) Winner goes to 7-3 Ridge Spring-Monetta (who has a first-round bye). Hunter-Kinard-Tyler (4-6) At Whitmire (4-6) Winner goes to 10-0 Lamar (who has a first-round bye). Blackville-Hilda (4-6) At Dixie (7-3) Winner goes to 8-2 Williston-Elko (who has a first-round bye). LOWERSTATE Scott’s Branch (6-4) At Green Sea-Floyds (5-5) Winner goes to 7-1 Baptist Hill (who has a first-round bye) East Clarendon (2-8) or Bethune-Bowman (6-4) At Cross (5-3) Winner goes to 8-2 Lake View (who has a first-round bye). Hannah-Pamplico (5-5) At Military Magnet (2-8) Winner goes to 9-1 C.E. Murray (who has a first-round bye). East Clarendon or Bethune-Bowman At St. John’s (5-4) Winner goes to 10-0 Hemingway (who has a first-round bye)
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Dixie (6-3) at Ware Shoals (2-7)
This is actually an important game in terms of the playoffs. Dixie is coming off a big win over Whitmire, but should they drop this contest and the Wolverines upset McCormick, they would fall out of second place, lose the tie-breaker to Ware Shoals based on the head-to-head loss and would most likely be out of the playoffs even at 6-4. They were able to line up and run it last week to the tune of almost 250 yards. If Ware Shoals doesn’t win this one, it’s time to count cleats and starting throwing a ball through a hoop. We’ve seen recently that nothing is a sure thing, but it just doesn’t feel like the Purple Hornets can score enough points to win this game. They’ve scored more than 20 once all year and that came last week against Calhoun Falls Charter’s roster of 13 players. Whitmire (4-5) at McCormick (5-4) The Wolverines had a rough go of it last week against Dixie, falling 38-6. The team, which is very young, got a little overwhelmed at the line of scrimmage and actually didn’t manage a score on offense (Jaylen Brown had a 99-yard kickoff return for the team’s only score). Still, have already punched their playoff ticket (most likely hosting HKT next week if everything plays out the way I think it will). McCormick lost to AAA Columbia out of region last week 28-2. Helmet-wearing rocket Mataeo Durant, who tweaked his ankle the week before, played limited snaps last week and I’m actually surprised he played at all since the game meant nothing. If he’s healthy, the Chiefs are clearly the favorite tonight to win, clinch the region title and earn a first-round playoff bye. A Whitmire win, though, plus a Dixie loss makes the Wolverines region champs. If Whitmire and Dixie win we get a super fun three-way tie for first. I don’t expect that to happen but McCormick doesn’t need to let a scrappy, hard-playing team like Whitmire hang around… Great Falls (0-8) at Lewisville (6-3) Last week, short of having a player eaten by a bear, pretty much everything bad that can happen to a team happened to Lewisville. They turned the ball over six times, had an interception returned for a score, threw a pick in the end zone, allowed two kick returns for scores and despite all that, they drove inside Timmonsville’s 20 in the final seconds with a chance to tie the game. It’s kind of like pooping in your pants…you’d rather do it in the privacy of your car than in church where everyone can see it. That was a terrible analogy, but you get my point (or you don’t, because I really don’t either) which is that if you’re going have a stinker of a game, do it now instead of when the playoffs come and it ends your season. Lewisville is not a very deep team, but they have as much top-level talent as anyone. They have offensive versatility with QB Rhett Cox, WRs Mikial Fourney and Johnny Courtney and uber-productive RB Quentin Sanders. Defensively they are loaded up front with Josh Belk and company, have one of the state’s most underrated LBs in Jaylen McFadden and an active secondary. Great Falls is building something for the future with most of their 12 freshmen now starting. They have real talent (sophomore WR Kelton Talford has the potential to be one of the state’s best) but please refer back to the previous sentence and the whole 12 freshmen playing thing. This should be a chance for Lewisville to get the bad taste of last week out of their mouth…but they also don’t need to look past a rival hungry for a win. Lamar (9-0) at McBee (2-7) The top-ranked Silver Foxes have outscored their three region opponents 140-32. They have the best defense in 1A, they are great on special teams, they have a stable of terrific backs and they have improved throwing the ball. They are a complete team and the favorite as of now to win the upperstate title. McBee got off to a rough start, losing their first seven before notching wins over Great Falls and Camden Military the last two weeks. It’s been a significant drop-off for a team that made three straight deep playoff runs, but given the bumper crop of talent (that made them competitive in every sport, really) they lost, that’s understandable. Tyreke Wright is a threat to score whenever he touches it, but they’ve had a really tough time on defense this year. They have to win this to have a shot at the playoffs but it just feels like too heavy a lift against a team this good… Blackville-Hilda (3-6) at North (0-9) The Hawks aren’t as good on defense and don’t impose their will quite to the extent they did in 2016 when they would just punch you in the giblets and bleed the clock dry, but they still have a solid power-running game and that should be plenty against North, who has the state’s longest losing streak. Denmark-Olar (2-7) at Williston-Elko (7-2) The Blue Devils figure to make it seven straight wins tonight. Tyran Parker is a two-way threat at quarterback and they’ve played really well on defense. They’ve already clinched the region title, a number one playoff seed and a first-round bye. Denmark-Olar is home of the largest skeeters I’ve ever seen, which could perhaps be trained to attack the opposition…but they’re playing at Williston, so that won’t save them tonight, though the Vikings are headed to the playoffs. Wagener-Salley (7-2) at Estill (2-7) I figure that the Chitlinville Express will notch an eighth win tonight. Honestly, the Hand Slung All-Stars have had some struggles on offense this year which may present a problem come next week against Lewisville in the playoffs. Their defense comes to play every week, though which should equate to a W tonight. Hunter-Kinard-Tyler (4-5) at Ridge Spring-Monetta The old oaken hyphen spittoon is up for grabs tonight (not really, but they should play for one) or maybe the golden Trojan (since that is the mascot of both teams). HKT a dynamic offense led by QB Devante Scott who had 300 total yards last week (including 180 yards rushing on eight carries) in a blowout win over North. However, they are apt to give up points in bunches, especially against good teams, which RS-M definitely is. Since losing a very competitive game to Williston-Elko, the Trojans (the ones from RS-M) have outscored their last four region opponents 156-14 and this is a program that always seems to play their best down the stretch. They’ve got the number two seed and a first-round bye locked up already and figure to enter the post-season on a roll...though HKT won’t go quietly, I don’t think. Baptist Hill (6-1) at Military Magnet (2-6) So long as QB Corey Fields and his almost comical, video game stats are a healthy go for the Bobcats, this probably won’t be competitive. He got banged up in the team’s loss to the OC a few weeks ago, but the team was off last week, so he’ll hopefully be a go tonight. I don’t know a lot about Military Magnet, other than some folks who’ve seen them did tell me they play very hard. And, yeah, all I got for you on this one, Brojack. St. John’s (4-4) at Charleston Charter Academy for Wayward Dolphins A&M (1-6) If you really look at St. John’s schedule, the four wins are impressive and the four losses are all close (coming by a total of 29 points) and have come at the hands of good teams. This feels like a really good opportunity for Kam Smiley and company to pad their stats and build up some momentum heading into the playoffs. C.E. Murray (8-1) at Scott’s Branch (5-4) This may or may not be a competitive football games (and really, that’s why you come here…for insightful commentary and strong takes). I keep joking that Scott’s Branch is a perplexing fuel, pumped into the tank of uncertainty, in the car of question marks, driving down WTH Highway. They shut down good offenses of St. John’s and Bethune-Bowman, they SHUT OUT Bamberg-Ehrhardt…and gave up 52 to Timmonville and 42 to Cross. So, they are capable of neutralizing even the best offenses OR getting curb-stomped by them. The War Eagles fall into the “best offenses” category. Elijah Bey is somehow flying under the radar, despite throwing for 1,817 yards, 25 touchdowns and only three picks with a completion percentage over 64. Darius Rush has 14 TD catches but is also a threat score at RB and as a returner. On top of that, they have a nasty defense. They need to win this one to wrap up the region title, the number one playoff seed and a first-round bye. They should get it, but with Scott’s Branch it’s hard to tell. Branchville (4-5) at Bethune-Bowman (5-4) If my figuring is right (and it often isn’t) the winner of this game earns an at-large playoff spot. The Mr. T Haircuts have an exciting QB in Braxton Wedgeworth III Esq and a boulder rolling down a steep hill at RB with Makiah Simmons. This was a 5-1, ranked team before they hit region play, which has seen them get whacked by big margins in each game. I don’t know a ton about Branchville, other than those four wins have come against teams with a combined three wins, so advantage B-B, I’m thinking. Lake View (8-1) at Hemingway (9-0) This is the game of the week in Class A football and maybe the state. The winner is the region champ, the loser is runner up and both get first round byes. Lake View has won eight straight since losing the opener to Latta. They haven’t blown a lot of doors off, they’ve just consistently played well and won comfortably most every week, though they haven’t done that against the most difficult of schedules. Hemingway beats everyone so badly every week I had to invent a term to describe it (I went with “crank smack”) since no other English word really embodied the painful rootins they are handing out. Like a lot of 1A teams, both have impressive dual-threat quarterbacks (Troy Singletary at Hemingway and Deante Bridgette at Lake View) who are both capable of running or throwing for 200 on a given night. Hemingway is more battle-tested and seems to have more ways to beat you, scoring frequently on offense and defense. They are the favorite to come out of the lowcountry this year, but I highly doubt the defending champion Wild Gators are going without a fight. Creek Bridge (0-9) at East Clarendon (1-8) East Clarendon is in the playoffs with a win tonight. Hope that’s all you wanted on this one, because that’s all I’ve got. Green Sea-Floyds (4-5) at Hannah-Pamplico (5-4) Green Sea badly needs this game to earn an at-large playoff spot after a shocking loss to East Clarendon two weeks ago. H-P rolled last week behind QB Eric Mays, who had 300 total yards and four touchdowns. This figures to be a competitive game, but H-P is certainly playing a lot better right now… Ware Shoals- 38
Calhoun Falls Charter- 6 Dixie- 33 Whitmire- 6 Columbia- 28 McCormick- 2 Lamar- 60 Great Falls- 6 Timmonsville- 36 Lewisville- 28 McBee- 41 Camden Military- 7 Williston-Elko- 32 Blackville-Hilda- 10 Wagener-Salley- 28 Denmark-Olar- 14 Ridge Spring-Monetta- 46 Estill- This is what compares 2 U, according to Sinead Hunter-Kinard-Tyler- 58 North- Ladies and Gentlemen…The Bottle Rockets! Military Magnet- 28 Branchville- 22 C.E. Murray- 56 Bethune-Bowman- 20 Cross- 42 Scott’s Branch- 6 Lake View- 44 Creek Bridge- 8 Hannah-Pamplico- 48 East Clarendon- 10 Hemingway- 42 Green Sea-Floyds- 6 Breakdown- It’s hard to believe, but we have arrived at the final week of the regular season. Last Friday did provide us with some separation and helped bring the playoff picture into better focus (in case you missed it, I have playoff scenarios right here, complete with no less than nine, butt-covering asterisks) but what it didn’t provide us with was many surprises, with one exception. Timmonsville over Lewisville knocked me for a bit of a loop. It’s not that the Whirlwinds aren’t talented and capable of beating most anybody, because they are. Morris, Eaddy etc. give them a very potent offense and they’ve proven pretty scrappy on defense for the most part too. Just looking at common opponents, though, Lewisville flogged McBee, Timmonsville needed a late rally to pull one out of their hind quarters against the Panthers. Lamar trucked the Whirlwinds, but only led Lewisville 16-6 midway through the fourth before scoring two late touchdowns. Of course all the past performances don’t mean NOT NAM when you turn the ball over seven times, which Lewisville did. On top of that, they gave up three non-offensive touchdowns (including two kick returns). You have to be extra limber to kick yourself in the face that many times. The thing is, most teams have a game like that every once in a while and we all have a day like that once in a while. You ever spill coffee in our lap in the morning and just know that the whole day is gonna suck? You’ll get a flat tire, the phone will ring all day with complaint calls, you’ll get nothing done, a rogue band of hobo clowns will tie you to a sliding board and spank you with a cheese wheel. We’ve all been there, right? Anyway the Lions had thrown three interceptions in eight games this season and threw five Friday, then you add in the two special teams scores they allowed and it’s actually kind of amazing that they were driving with a chance to tie the game in the final seconds. You want to win them all and the loss did drop them from second to third in the region, but better to have that performance now that in the playoffs. If they play the way they’re capable of, they will face Lamar again for the upperstate championship in four weeks…Honestly, everything else went pretty much to form. A few final scores were mildly surprising, though the actual outcomes weren’t. I expected Whitmire to play a little closer to Dixie than 33-6. The Wolverines are tough and well-coached, but they are also very young, including on the line. Dixie, from what I understand, is solid up front, which may have given Whitmire a tough time (much like Lewisville did earlier in the season). The Hornets dominated time of possession and ran for nearly 250 yards, which indicates that might have been the case. The Wolverines managed only one score and that came on special teams. Both teams are already in the playoffs and Whitmire has a chance to make things super messy at the top of Region I this week against McCormick, who currently sits in the driver’s seat for the region title…Williston-Elko beating Blackville-Hilda 32-10 seemed closer than I expected, right up until I saw that it was 32-0 at halftime. So they ended it early and put things on cruise control, I guess. They don’t really seem to put up the unseemly 70-point whoopings they used to, that left opponents walking funny for weeks after. They are more of a run the clock and play nasty defense team now, which totally works just as well. Tyran Parker had 226 total yards in the victory. They’ve clinched a region title and number one playoff seed already, so now they’ll probably just go through the formality of beating Denmark-Olar and then enjoying a bye week…I guess Cross’ rogering of Scott’s Branch was a little surprising, but then it also wasn’t somehow. Cross lost a couple of early games to stiff competition by narrow margins and had some health issues to contend with, BUT they have a Shrine Bowl RB/LB/Buzzsaw in Cleats in Nathan Walker and seem to be peaking at exactly the right time. Scott’s Branch remains a creamy enigma, flash frozen in uncertainty, scooped into the cone of questions and topped with the sprinkles of WHA?!?! They shut out Bamberg-Ehrhardt, they shut down great offenses from Bethune-Bowman and St. John’s AAANNND gave up 50 to Timmonsville and now 42 to Cross. Walker ran for 147 yards, had 10 tackles and an 89-yard interception return. They most likely will play an at-large team in round one of the playoffs, then (I’m guessing) Lake View in what should be a an old-timey donnybrook where players carry teeth and ears off the field in their pockets. As for Scott’s Branch, they get to tangle with C.E. Murray this Friday…Speaking of the War Eagles, they stuck a nanner in the tailpipe of the Mr. T Haircuts this past week racking up 600 yards of offense and 56 total points. Elijah Bey, who isn’t getting nearly enough attention IMO, was 16-of-20 for 258 yards and ran for another 66. Kalil Williams had 178 yards and four touchdowns, which is cool and all, but then I tell you it was on nine carries and you’re like NUH UH! And I’m all like OH YES HE DID! Darius Rush caught three balls for 117 yards and added a 28-yard touchdown because of course he did. The War Eagles essentially won twice last week since, for some reason, Bamberg-Ehrhardt had to forfeit its earlier win over them for whatever that’s worth. Now, provided they take care of a Scott’s Branch team that has certainly shown it can knock off high-level opponents, C.E. Murray will win a region title and earn a first round playoff bye. Quick hits- I talk up Devante Scott from HKT a lot and here’s why; he threw for 120 yards and a touchdown Friday AND ran for 183 yards and another score ON EIGHT FLIPPIN’ CARRIES. So Kalil Williams is like “he did what now?”…I invented the term crank smack to describe the manner in which they were doling out savage rootins each week. They’ve done it with such regularity you actually look at their 42-6 win over Green Sea-Floyds Friday and think “huh, off night for them I guess.” Troy Singletary threw for nearly 170 and three scores in that one and ran for another 95…The gang from Chitlin Junction had a little tougher time of it Friday with Denmark-Olar than I was expecting in a 28-14 triumph. Oddly, the Stump Whooped Warriors have scored exactly 28 points in three of their past six games. They should have a fairly easy go of things with Estill this week, but they then are likely to face Lewisville in the first round of the playoffs when they’ll need considerably more offensive juice. Poll Time! As per usual, I have posted my top 10 1A poll, followed by the full S.C. Prep Media Poll… 1. Lamar-Here they are and here they’ll stay until someone takes it from them. Lucas, Herion and Green give them tons of offensive options, the defense doesn’t give an inch and the special teams are outstanding. A complete team. 2. Hemingway- I mean, I had to invent a term to describe the size of the butt whippings they are dispensing. 3. Lake View- Had a little trouble with Hannah-Pamplico two weeks ago, but have been cruising against a so-so schedule since opening with a loss to Latta. Get a chance to prove something this week against Hemingway. 4. C.E. Murray- One of the state’s most explosive offenses and a gritty defense. Don’t be shocked to see them playing Hemingway again down the line. 5. Baptist Hill- Corey Fields has thrown for a metric buttload of yards and touchdowns and the Bobcats defense is markedly improved this year. 6. Williston-Elko- Not flashy, but they haven’t lost in a while either, Bubba. 7. Lewisville- As much front-line talent as anybody in 1A, but the bad night against Timmonsville drops them a few spots. 8. Cross- Nathan Walker and company are healthy and on a roll. 9. Ridge Spring-Monetta- Here’s a team that’s slid under the radar. They can run it and throw it and they just mash people on defense. 10. Wagener-Salley- I give them a slight edge over Timmonsvill for 10th place. A stable of nice backs and a really good defense, but the offense seems capped at 28 and they don’t really have a signature win despite the 7-2 record. Class A 1. Lamar (13) 2. Hemingway 3. Lake View 4. (tie) Williston-Elko C.E. Murray 6. Baptist Hill 7. Wagener-Salley 8. Lewisville 9. Ridge Spring-Monetta 10. Timmonsville Receiving votes: Cross, Scott’s Branch, Dixie, McCormick, Hannah-Pamplico Suggested Reading Do they play “I sang Dixie” at Dixie games? If they don’t, they should. You can read about HKT, Chitlinburg and other games here, or you can keep being pig-headed like your dadgum daddy. I DON’T KNOW WHO YOU ARE ANYMORE!!!! “I’m not taking any sort of responsibility for you trying ‘Texas Style BBQ’ in Camden (bleepity bleeping) South Carolina,” my friend and occasional fellow blogger Jed Blackwell said, via text.
Recently, I was facing a very long road trip to watch Lewisville play at Lamar. When I have a road trip of that length, I try to do a little advance research and plot a course to eat barbecue. As I have mentioned here many times before, I consider smoked, seasoned and lightly sauced meat to be the finest food man can consume and if you disagree with that, I’m not saying you’re a bad person, I’m just saying you’re terribly wrong and perhaps not very bright. Anyway, my path to Lamar would run toward Great Falls, through a small slice of Lancaster County, on through Beaver Creek to Liberty Hill and then to Camden. From there, I would hop on I-20 to Darlington. I learned the hard way during baseball season that if you don’t eat before you get to Lamar, you ain’t eating, Hoss. Someone who is from Lamar had actually warned me about that in advance, but I did not heed their advice. I like to eat at local, non-chain restaurants whenever possible and was certain I could find something…I could not and I did not. I actually went through the motions and asked my phone for a list of restaurants near Lamar and, uh, let’s just say my idea of “near” and hers varied greatly and one of the options was a gas station. I’m sure their roller grill hot dogs are divine, but I decided to pass. So, I made it to Camden and had to make a quick stop to buy a new notebook. I noticed that right across the street from the CVS I pulled into there was a place billing itself as a “Texas-style BBQ” restaurant. I was intrigued. That led me to send a group text to three friends, with Jed being the first to respond. He refused to endorse the place…not because he’d eaten there and not liked it, but because the idea of a place in Camden being full of Texas goodness seemed absurd to him. The other two friends only offered up that they’d never heard of the place, but one made an off-handed comment intended to be funny. “If there’s only two people in there, run!” my friend (and also occasional blogger) James responded. That actually planted a seed, though. If the place is full of locals, that’s usually a sign that good food can be had. I recall my trip to North Augusta a few years back that led me to pull into a BBQ place I’d never heard of. There was one person in the restaurant, but I went ahead, sat down and ordered the buffet. It was the worst food I’ve ever tasted in my life. The vegetables were all straight out of a can, the meat had zero flavor and the sauce tasted like old soup and misery. The fact that only one person was in there at the start of what should be the busiest time of the day (supper) should have been a huge hint that I should have perhaps explored other dining options. The parking lot at this place in Camden (Westfall’s Texas Style BBQ) was already pretty full at only 5:40 p.m. That was a good sign. I went inside and there was a line, so the cars outside obviously didn’t just belong to employees and weren’t some clever ruse designed to throw food sleuths like me off the trail. I quickly checked the menu and found it to be simple and uncluttered. That’s a good thing in my book. A place I USED to consider one of the state’s finest barbecue eateries had a buffet consisting of pulled pork, pork skins, ribs, hash and rice. That’s all. All of those things were exquisite, partly because their entire focus was on crafting perfect meat, not making 20 different sides and cooking chicken and sausage and whatever else. That place changed, going the “we’re going to cook everything now” route and the quality suffered. Price is something to look at too. That horrid buffet in North Augusta was something like $7.50 for all you can eat. Now, I’m not saying good food can’t be had for good prices sometimes, but a price that low shows one of a few things – either they buy very cheap, inferior goods or they can’t draw a crowd based on great flavor, so they try to lure you in with a low price. Westfall’s was very reasonable, but they weren’t giving anything away, either. Now, my preference is always pork when it comes to the realm of smoked meats, but I figured a place billing itself as “Texas-style” would probably specialize in brisket. So, I ordered a brisket sandwich to go, which came with a pickle, my choice of side and sauce. I opted for the tater salad and the “sweet and spicy” sauce. My hope was that I would only have to use the sauce sparingly. I ate my supper as I made it onto I-20. The brisket had great texture, which is hard to get, frankly. You want it cooked enough to be tender, but not so tender that it is basically roast beef. This had the balance you’re looking for. There was some smoke flavor, it was juicy and the spice was subtle. I ended up not needing much sauce at all. The tater salad was a little sweeter than I prefer, but that’s a matter of personal preference, it was good and the taters were cooked correctly, with just a little bit of snap left in them. So, if you find yourself on the road and hungry, remember to look for lines, look at prices and find a place that doesn’t try to be all things to all people, menu-wise. You’ll rarely be disappointed. Jed should have taken responsibility and recommended the place I ate. If he had, I’d really owe him one. An asterisk can be used to denote a number of things. If it appears next to someone’s name in record book, it likely means his achievement occurred over a longer season than the previous record holder (see Roger Maris) or that the record holder is a dirty, cheating juicer (see lots of people). An asterisk can also mean “but” or “unless” or “I’m not really sure and I’m using this punctuation mark to confuse you” which is more the direction I’m going below. Here are the playoff scenarios as I see them. Now, the upperstate, I’m pretty confident on. The things that have to happen for seeds or teams I have listed to change are far-flung. Most everything is pretty definitively settled. The lowerstate is a confusing pig pile with a dozen or so loose ends and most everything still up in the air…so much so that I probably shouldn’t have bothered. Some of the stuff is ALL BUT assured and would require an upset of mammoth proportions. Respectfully, Military Magnet isn’t going to beat Baptist Hill…but they COULD, so I have to allow for that and not write it in stone. So anyway, the 1A playoffs as they probably will be with a big fat *
Upperstate Region 2 #3 Lewisville* At Region 3 #3 Wagener-Salley Winner goes to McCormick** (who has a 1st round bye) At-large Denmark-Olar At Region 2 #2 Timmonsville Winner goes to Ridge Spring-Monetta (who has a 1st round bye) Region 3 #4 Hunter-Kinard-Tyler At Region 1 #3 Whitmire Winner goes to Lamar (who has a 1st round bye) Region 3 #5 Blackville-Hilda*** At Region 1 #2 Dixie Winner goes to Williston-Elko (who has a 1st round bye) *So long as they defeat Great Falls. A loss combined with a Lamar loss to McBee would move the Panthers to this spot and possibly make the Earth spin off its axis. If Great Falls beats Lewisville and McBee loses to Lamar, there is a three-way tie between Lewisville, McBee and Great Falls and each would be 1-1 against the other two teams, so it would be broken by defensive points allowed. Lewisville would get the spot so long as Great Falls does not score 61 points on them. **So long as they defeat Whitmire. A loss by the Chiefs combined with a Dixie win over Ware Shoals would create a three-way tie for first place. *** A Blackville-Hilda loss combined with a Denmark-Olar upset of Williston-Elko would put Denmark-Olar in this spot and Estill as the at-large team…and could result in dogs and cats sleeping together; mass hysteria. Lowerstate Region 5 #3 Scott’s Branch* At Region 6 #3 Hannah-Pamplico/Green Sea-Floyds/East Clarendon** Winner goes to Baptist Hill*** (who has a first round bye, pending that asterisk) At-Large At Region 5 #2 Cross Winner goes to loser of Hemingway/Lake View game Region 6 #4 Hannah-Pamplico/Green Sea-Floyds/East Clarendon**** At Region 4 #3 Military Magnet Winner goes to C.E. Murray***** At Large At Region 4 #2 St. John’s****** Winner goes to winner of Hemingway/Lake View game *If Scott’s Branch loses to C.E. Murray Friday, everything is neat and clean and the above seed is correct. If they beat C.E. Murray, though, then those two school and Cross are in a three-way tie for first and will all be 1-1 against each other. Defensive points allowed would break the tie and C.E Murray would have a big leg up in that department based on Cross big win over Scott’s Branch and C.E. Murray’s win over Cross, so this probably remains intact and the wacky stuff probably doesn’t happen. Of course, I didn’t think wacky stuff like the Bears completing four passes Sunday and still winning would happen either. **OK…if Hannah-Pamplico wins over Green Sea-Floyds, they are the number three seed. If Green Sea wins and East Clarendon defeats Creek Bridge there is a three-way tie between H-P, GS-F and East Clarendon, each will be 1-1 against the other two teams and defensive points allowed will decide the number three seed. If GS-F beats H-P and East Clarendon loses to Creek Bridge, then GS-F is the number three seed. *** If Baptist Hill defeats Military Magnet, they win Region 4 and get a number one seed and a first-round bye. If, let’s say, everyone at Baptist Hill drank from a tainted water bucket and all got mono and Military Magnet wins…and St. John’s beats the Charleston Scholastic Academy for Taxidermy and Life Skills, then Baptist Hill, St. John’s and Military Magnet will all be tied atop the region at 2-1 with each team 1-1 against the other. So we go the defensive points allowed route to determine first, second and third place. I mean, that’s probably not happened, but we’re covering our as…our bases here just in case. If St. John’s lost and Military Magnet beat Baptist Hill, then Military Magnet is your region champion, they get the number one seed and first round bye and I look like a tool for my silly mono joke. ****See my comments on **. We could get a three-way tie, it could be any of the three here blah blah blah. *****See my first lowerstate * because I’m not repeating all that crap again. ****** I know we’ve both grown a lot as people since ***, but it still holds. Just read that, apply it here and let’s be done with this. My best guess on the two at-large teams is that whoever comes out last in the Hannah-Pamplico, Green Sea-Floyds, East Clarendon scrum gets one of the spots and the winner of Bethune-Bowman v Branchville gets the other. Ware Shoals (1-7) at Calhoun Falls Charter (0-8)
The Purple Hornets still have the faintest flicker of a playoff flame sputtering on a tiny wick in the wind and drizzle…or something like that. They need to win this one and knock off Dixie next week. The problem is the team’s offense, which has only produced 87 points in eight games and 40 of those came against Great Falls and Greenwood Christian Academy. This game will conclude the regular season for the Flashes. They won’t make the playoffs, may not win a game and might be playing their last game of 11-man football for a while (if rumors are true) but this team gets my undying support and respect for making it through the season with 13 players and trying hard every week. Whitmire (4-4) at Dixie (5-3) So, the Wolverines are still in the thick of the region title race. With a win tonight, their matchup next week with McCormick will be for the Region I crown, a number one playoff spot and a first-round bye. This is a young team, but one that fights you for 48 minutes, is tough and stays in their lane. Last week, they had three backs run for over 90 yards, which in a scrum is exactly what you want. They mix in a nice complimentary passing attack too. Dixie is coming off a 14-7 loss to McCormick. They still have a shot at region, but you’ll need to harken back to my awful Ware Shoals candle analogy. They have to win this game, win next week against Ware Shoals, then hope Whitmire upends McCormick to create a three-way tie. As for this game, I’m expecting it to come down to the wire. Columbia (2-6) at McCormick (5-3) The Chiefs bring a five-game winning streak into this non-region match-up. McCormick knocked off Dixie 14-7 last week and did it without Mataeo Durant, the cheetah/bottle rocket/Barry Sander hybrid that plays running back for them, at 100 percent. He suffered an ankle injury early and though he toughed it out, he was obviously limited…you know, since he didn’t average 20 FREAKIN’ YARDS A CARRY LIKE HE’D DONE FOR THE LAST MONTH. However, Silas Cannady and KaDarius Garrett stepped in and contributed. I don’t know if Durant will play this week, what with this game not meaning much in the grand scheme of things, but if he does, he might be back to posting silly Playstation stats against a Capitals defense that has struggled mightily this year, particularly against the run. Lamar (8-0) at Great Falls (0-7) Let’s be honest here…barring an alien invasion (when they come, they are coming to Darlington, I’m convinced) or an outbreak of rubella, Lamar is going 10-0 and is probably going AT LEAST to upperstate. Their backfield is like two hummingbirds and a dump truck. Tyrik Herion and Jacquez Lucas are lightning quick, while Jeblonski Green is used to tote bricks away from construction sites. The thing is, he hasn’t had to play on offense a whole lot, which keeps him fresh for his DE/OLB duties…which is not what anyone lined up across from him wants. The defense is like a wall…one with legs and a surly demeanor. They’re good on special teams, too. They are pretty dang complete. Great Falls has talent and the future prospects are good, I believe…but they are just so young. They often feature a sophomore QB, a freshman RB, a sophomore at WR and two to three freshman up front on offense. That will bear fruit down the road, but it also explains the team’s struggles this year. Lewisville (6-2) at Timmonsville (5-4) The Lions have had a week of to get over the loss to Lamar and get healthy. For the second time all year, they will trot out their projected starting offensive line with Quay Simpson making his return. The Lions can run and throw with equal effectiveness, they big-play you to death, they have one of the state’s best players in Quentin Sanders and a defense that blows up plays before they get going. You get burned playing the score comparison game sometimes, but if you look at common opponents, this one should go Lewisville’s way. HOWEVER… Timmonsville has real talent on offense, with QB Jamaric Morris making it go. He’s an athletic kid with a good arm who has more than 1,800 total yards and 19 touchdowns. He doesn’t run often, but he makes it count when he does. He’s got a good back in Tyquan Eaddy and blazer at WR in Chris Taylor (nearly 25 yards-per-catch). They did have their momentum blunted by Lamar last week, however. This isn’t a gimme and if Timmonsville makes a few splash plays early or forces turnovers they can compete with almost anyone. Camden Military (1-5) at McBee (1-7) This should be an out-of-region W for the Panthers. Really, though, next week against Lamar is all that matters if they want a shot at the postseason. (insert inane candle reference here). Wagener-Salley (6-2) at Denmark-Olar (2-6) Believe it or not, Denmark-Olar, with its two region victories, actually has an OK shot at grabbing an at-large playoff spot. A win here would really bolster those chances. I’d say the odds are slim, though. The Chitlin Warriors have lost two-of-three and have struggled on offense in general and with turnovers in particular, but their defense is nasty and should be enough to get them back on track tonight. Williston-Elko (6-2) at Blackville-Hilda (3-5) Before beating a struggling Estill team last week, B-H had been outscored 112-12 in their three previous games. W-E has won five straight and they’ve averaged right at 40 points-per-game during that streak. So, you know, this might not go well for B-H. Estill (2-6) at Ridge Spring-Monetta (5-3) RS-M has won five-of-six since opening with two losses (both coming in “up” games) and they’re peaking at the right time, which they seem to do every year. They do throw the ball some now, which makes my face hurt, since I once watched them piece together a drive that lasted 11 minutes and 54 seconds, all on the ground. It was legit leather helmet, players smoking in the huddle, 1928 stuff. Anyway, they should take care of Estill and have a shot to lock up second place in the region next week. Hunter-Kinard-Tyler (3-5) at North (0-8) North has the state’s longest losing streak and not to be mean, but that will probably still be the case when this game ends. HKT will give up some yards and points at time, but Devante Scott and company can flat light up a scoreboard. Branchville (4-4) at Military Magnet (1-6) A non-region game. Branchville has taken some small steps forward this year, dialing down the strength of schedule and winning four games in the process. Nothing wrong with a struggling program doing that at all. Military Magnet did get its first win last week over that school whose name I always make fun of. Um, that’s about all I got for you here, Jimmy. Bethune-Bowman (5-3) at C.E. Murray (6-2) I don’t know what has become of the Mr. T Haircuts. At one point they were rolling, ranked and making playoff plans. Now they are sitting at 0-2 in the region and are staring 0-3 straight in the face. They’ve been prone to give up some big plays, but with QB Braxton Wedgeworth III Esq. and RB Mikiah Simmons, they went over 40 points four times early this season. Now they’ve been shut out twice and have scored only 12 points in the past two weeks. And I have some news for you…the remedy for a struggling offense ain’t a trip to Greeleyville, brother. Scott’s Branch (5-3) at Cross (4-3) This is one of the most intriguing games of the week. Scott’s Branch has been a little up-and-down this year (if by up-and-down you mean shut out a top-five AA team in Bamberg-Ehrhardt, then get 50 stuck in them sideways by Timmonsville), but they are playing very well now, having beaten a good St John’s team to seven points last week. Defense is this team’s calling card. Cross, meanwhile, is back on track, y’all. Nathan Davis did crazy Nathan Davis stuff last week (which is to say ran for more than 250 yards and led the team in tackles), which is kind of a weekly deal. Their losses have all been close to good teams, but they are healthy and playing well on both sides now. This might end up 3-0 in overtime. Because of time constraint, Region VI gets the “in other action” treatment, but seriously, all three should go exactly the way you think they will… Lake View (7-1) at Creek Bridge (0-8) East Clarendon (1-7) at Hannah-Pamplico (4-4) Hemingway (8-0) at Green Sea-Floyds (4-4) Whitmire- 42
Calhoun Falls Charter- 16 McCormick- 14 Dixie- 7 Lamar- 50 Timmonsville- 20 McBee- 42 Great Falls- 6 Blackville-Hilda- 26 Estill- 3 Hunter-Kinard-Tyler- 38 Denmark-Olar- 8 Williston-Elko- 53 North- Remember how many times she was a lady, according to the Commodores? Well, subtract three from that. Ridge Spring-Monetta- 28 Wagener-Salley- 8 The OC- 33 Baptist Hill- 22 Military Magnet- 28 Charleston County Technical Academy for TIG Welding and Massage Therapy- 14 Scott’s Branch- 8 St. Johns- 7 Cross- 40 Mr. T Haircuts- Did you ever learn about the wonders of the world? There was a particular number of them. Seven less than that. C.E. Murray- 40 Branchville- 8 Hemingway- 65 Creek Bridge 8 (COVER YOUR FACE CREEK BRIDGE!) East Clarendon- 24 Green Sea-Floyds- 12 Lake View- 34 Hannah-Pamplico- 27 Breakdown- As we roll into the final weeks of the regular season, region standings and possible playoff scenarios are starting to become more clear. Lamar has now all but wrapped up the Region II title and a number one playoff seed by virtue of its 50-20 win over Timmonsville Friday night. I heard from my double-secret, imbedded Lamarian (Lamartian? Lamartino? What do you call a person from Lamar) and he said the game wasn’t really as close as the score makes it sound. Lamar led 30-8 at halftime, and built on that before the Whirlwinds scored a couple late to make it look closer. So now only winless Great Falls and one-win McBee stand between the top-ranked, 8-0 Silver Foxes and a region championship. They have everything; a trio of talented running backs, a fairly athletic quarterback who has improved as a passer and a defense that just mule kicks you in the face until you submit to their horrific brand of barnyard justice (I have no idea what that means). Timmonsville has some excellent players, namely QB Jamaric Morris (1,800 total yards and 19 scores) Tyquan Eaddy (Nearly 700 yards rishing and 11 scores) and Chris Taylor (who averages nearly 25 yards per completion) but it was still no match for Lamar. They now have another big game this week, facing Lewisville (fresh off a bye) for second place in the region and a home playoff game…McCormick proved me wrong this past week. Not by beating Dixie, which I fully expected, but by proving they actually have more than one weapon. I have called their offense a one-trick pony; mind you the pony does the most amazing trick ever, playing an oboe while it rides a unicycle through a flaming hoop, but I thought they were basically Mataeo Durant and 10 guys who block for Mataeo Durant. Well, I’m dumb and was wrong. He suffered an ankle injury early in the game that limited him severely, so Silas Cannady and KaDarius Garrett stepped in and ably filled in. This being 1A, both also play on defense and Cannady picked off three passes. So, they extended their win streak to five games and moved to 3-0 in the region. They don’t have Region I totally locked up yet, because Whitmire (who plays Dixie this week) is still unbeaten in the region and the two battle next Friday, but they’re close and apparently have multiple ponies to ride…I pretty much expected the Ridge Spring-Monetta v Wagener-Salley game to be an even match-up and apparently it was despite the final 28-8 score. The Trojans held a 6-0 lead in the third and the Chitlinville 11 were mounting what looked like a go-ahead drive. Instead, they lost a fumble, RS-M recovered it and returned it for a score. They put it on the ground again on their next drive to set up another Trojan’s score and that was that. I don’t know what it is about RS-M, but they ALWAYS seem to hit their groove about this time of year. Probably, it only looks like they are scuffling early, because they play a plus-sized, manly out-of-region schedule. They played Batesburg-Leesville and Saluda the first two weeks (and actually gave Saluda a good game) but the only loss since then was a competitive one to Williston-Elko. They should beat Estill this week, then face a pesky Hunter-Kinard-Tyler team in the regular season finale for second place in Region III. The Stump Whooped All-Stars are probably locked into third place now. At one point, they seemed like a legitimate contender in the upperstate when they ran out to a 5-0 mark. However, hindsight being 20/20, some of their early wins that looked impressive (Blackville-Hilda and he Mr. T Haircuts) have lost some luster as those teams began to struggle. Now, they still do play some fierce defense, but in losing two-of-three, they’ve score 18 points total. Really, they haven’t been especially prolific all year on that side of the ball. They’ll be fine the next two weeks against Estill and Denmark-Olar, but right now they’re likely facing Lewisville or Timmonsville in the first round of the playoffs, which ain’t an easy draw, Chester…Williston-Elko, barring a player revolt or a massive scurvy outbreak in the greater Barnwell County area, will not lose again, will win Region III and the number one playoff seed that comes with it. I think that’s about it…I’m not going to lie, I did an almost silly, cartoonish spit take when I saw that The OC had not only beaten previously undefeated Baptist Hill, but had held one of the state’s most prolific offenses to 22 points in the process. Now, The OC is a talented team, had a D-1 quarterback transfer in and already have a couple of nice victories, but if they were going to beat the Bobcats, I thought it would be by some slapnuts, pinball score of 89-88 or something. Well, I did a little reading up on the matter and it turns out uber-stud Baptist Hill QB Corey Fields was injured in the first half as was one of the team’s top receivers. From what I read, he’ll be fine, but it was a non-region game, they are off this week, so there wasn’t much point in having him tough it out with a hurt shoulder. I’m sure The OC is excited about the win (as they should be) but this was a throwaway for Baptist Hill. If Fields started and finished I assure you things would have been significantly different. Quick Hits- I haven’t been able to find anything on St. John’s 8-7 loss to Scott’s Branch. After starting 4-0 (with wins over AAA, AAAA and AAAAA teams) St. John’s has now lost four-of-five. If you look closely at those losses, you see a close one to AAA Hanahan, a tight one with The OC, a close shootout with Baptist Hill and a one-pointer Friday. They’ve been in every game and I still think with Kam Smiley and his weapons in the passing game, they are a threat, but the losses are losses (two of them in the region) so they’ll have a much tougher path come playoff time. Scott’s Branch remains the hamburger meat of mystery, mixed with the spices of confusion, fried in the perplexing skillet and served in a WTH taco shell. They have now shut out Bamberg-Ehrhardt, held St. John’s to seven, limited the Mr. T Haircuts to 12, but also gave up 52 to Timmonsville and 40-plus on another occasion. They have won three straight, though, and seem to be playing well when it matters…I though Green Sea-Floyds was perhaps a team on the rise at the start of the year. They lost a few “up” games close, blew out a few bad teams and gave Lake View a heck of a game. Hard to understand, then, their loss to previously winless East Clarendon Friday. Could have been just a bad night, which happens sometimes, but they only scored six points on offense against a team that had yielded at least 42 on five occasions this year. Hard to figure…Hannah-Pamplico has sometimes eaten that same taco that Scott’s Branch grubs on. They beat Timmonsville and gave Lamar its most competitive game, but also got smacked by THE SAUSAGES and needed OT to beat Waccamaw. This is the team that, last year, miraculously pulled rabbits out of its hats, or cards out of its sleeve, or crap out of a fire or jelly beans out of their tail hole, um, whatever analogy I’m supposed to use here. They won a lot of close, last-second games is my point. Anyway, given all that, it’s not surprising, I don’t guess, that they nearly upset Lake View. The Wild Gators, since losing the opener to Latta, have been cruising along, but honestly, you look at their schedule and wonder if they’ve really got a quality win. De’Ante Bridgett is versatile weapon at QB (He ran for three scores Friday) and they’ve generally played good defense, but we’ll see all we need to see and know all we need to know Oct. 27 when they play Hemingway...Cross is back ya’ll, announcing that with a 40-0 beat down of the Mr. T Haircuts. Again, not surprised by the outcome, but shutting down Bethune-Bowman is a day’s work Nathan Walker ran for 231 yards and three touchdowns. Apparently, the Mr. T Haircuts got down early, had to abandon the running game with man-tank Makiah Simmons and the receivers had a very rough night with drops. If Cross keeps playing like that, they will be a very tough out. The Mr. T Haircuts, however, might find themselves on the outside looking in where the playoffs are concerned now, with an 0-2 region record and C.E. Murray coming up next on the schedule. Poll Time! As per usual, my submission for the S.C. Prep Media Poll is listed first with the full poll listed after… 1. Lamar- Duh. 2. Hemingway- Double duh. 3. Lake View- Three through five are almost interchangeable, but by virtue of their 7-1 record, they earn this spot. 4. Lewisville- Top end talent and penchant for the big play make them the top upperstate contender not named “Lamar.” 5. C.E. Murray- I’d love to see them get another shot at Hemingway. Nasty defense, a good QB in Elijah Bey and one of the state’s best all-around players in Darius Rush. 6. Baptist Hill- Corey Field was hurt, so I’m not really punishing them for that loss. 7. Williston-Elko- They play solid defense and have some offensive variety. They’ll win their region, but given how things are playing out, what is their signature win? 8. Wagener-Salley- The Chitlinburg boys are super stingy on defense but need to find some offense soon. 9. Scott’s Branch- The taco tastes like uncertainty…but they’re playing well down the stretch. 10. McCormick- I had a rough time deciding between them, RS-M and Cross, but by virtue of the five straight wins and the presence of a transcendent talent, I go with the Chiefs here. 1. Lamar (14) 2. Hemingway 3. Lake View 4. Lewisville 5. Williston-Elko 6. C.E. Murray 7. Baptist Hill 8. Wagener-Salley 9. Ridge Spring-Monetta and Scott’s Branch (tie) Receiving votes: McCormick, Cross, Hannah-Pamplico, Timmonsville Suggested Reading Behind the wall, next to the public course, just down the road from a truck stop that used to have good hamburger steaks, in the Pearl of the Piedmont, the Wolverines are going playoffin’. Seriously, that one pony bounced on a pogo stick, played the kazoo and did long division all at the same time. Remember that one A-Team episode where Mr. T shockingly got his tail whipped by that really big scary dude? Just pretend Nathan Walker is that big scary dude. Corey Fields was hurt, nothing to see here. Calhoun Falls Charter (0-7) at Whitmire (3-4)
Whitmire was off last week, while the Flashes lost to Dixie 45-12. The Wolverines are young but they play hard, they are well-coached and have some talent (RB/CB Jaylen Brown really stands out among a few others) and that’s probably going to be plenty tonight. That’s no knock on CF Charter at all…nothing but respect for a team that guts it out through a season with 13 players and legitimately seems to give everything it has every week, but Whitmire should even their record at 4-4 tonight and lock up a playoff spot in the process. Dixie (5-2) at McCormick (4-3) Whitmire can still have a say, but this sure feels like it’s for the Region I title and a number one playoff seed. Dixie was actually ranked 10th this week in the S.C. Prep Media Poll. That’s a significant achievement for a team that until last year was always somewhere between “meh” and “homecoming opponent.” No doubt they are better, but really look at their five wins. They have come against teams with a cumulative record of 7-28 and three of the five are small, non-SCHSL opponents. That’s Travey’s polite way of saying they haven’t beaten anybody. McCormick comes in on a real hot streak, having won four straight and during the course of those four games, Mataeo Durant has rushed for almost 800 yards and averaged 15 yards per carry. So basically, he’s what you’d get if Barry Sanders, a cheetah and a rocket booster could somehow have a child. In the last two weeks, he’s averaged over 20 yards a tote. I think he gives them a huge edge in this one. Timmonsville (5-3) at Lamar (7-0) Raise your hand if you thought the Region II was coming down to Timmonsville-Lamar. If you raised your hand, you either live in Timmonsville or are a lying liar who tells lies. It’s been several years since the Whirlwinds had a winning record, but here the team sits at 5-3. This hasn’t been a fluke either and isn’t fed by a weak schedule. Jamaric Morris is a versatile quarterback, Tyquan Eaddy is a touchdown-scoring machine and the defense, when facing 1A competition, has been extra salty. With any team other than Lamar, I’d worry about a letdown. They are just off a physical, hard-fought win over the team everyone expected to give them their stiffest test in Lewisville. Looking at their history, though, Lamar doesn’t let down. It just doesn’t happen. They are still a little young up front, but Rashard Coleman runs the offense well and has improved as a passer, while Herion and Lucas are an explosive backfield combo. They’re good on special teams and then there’s that defense. Law mercy that defense. They don’t blitz or stunt or play many exotic coverages. They pretty much stay in a 3-4 and play you straight up. They don’t make mistakes and also they hit you like a wheelbarrow full of bricks rolling down an icy hill…and the wheelbarrow has a gun turret. Lamar is obviously a favorite no matter who they are playing (especially at home…I mean that, ESPECIALLY. AT. HOME.) but this isn’t a gimme by any stretch. Great Falls (0-6) at McBee (0-7) Even though the records are what they are, one or the other of these teams could still sneak in the playoffs, but they have to start winning now (and get some help). Both teams are very young. McBee has actually been close in some of their games, but have had some awful late fades. They were tied 14-14 with Mullins going to the fourth quarter and lost 49-14. They had a chance to pull within one score of Lewisville late in the first half, but got stuffed on fourth down, gave up a 91-yard touchdown pass a play later and the rout was on. They lost a lead to Pageland and were outscored 16-0 in the fourth quarter against Timmonsville last week in falling 22-14. Their problem has been the defense which has gotten gashed for lots of big plays. Great Falls, on the other hand, has had a ROUGH time offensively, having been shut out three straight times. They have talent, but they also have 12 freshmen, most of whom have to play. They have a sophomore at quarterback, a freshman who plays a lot at running back, some young guys up front etc. Loser of this one (McBee in particular since their already 0-2 in the region to Great Falls’ 0-1) is basically playing out the string. Blackville-Hilda (2-5) at Estill (1-6) What’s funny is that only a few short weeks ago, I opined about the manner in which B-H physically ground opponents into flour and used them to cook disgusting biscuits. Well, I was wrong. Early on, it looked like they were building on the punch-you-in-the-face philosophy they won with last year. But after a good early start, when I was told they legitimately looked pretty good, the bottom has dropped out. They’ve been outscored 112-12 in the last three games. Estill beat North and that is all. The loser tonight has no shot at the playoffs. I mean, the winner doesn’t have much one, but… Denmark-Olar (2-5) at Hunter-Kinard-Tyler (2-5) This shows that not all 2-5s are created equal. Denmark, which has really big skeeters, has scored 12 points total in its five losses and its two wins have come against teams with one combined victory. HKT played a manly out-of-region schedule and has routed the two struggling teams they’ve played. Expect Devante Scott and company to have big nights statistically. Ridge Spring-Monetta (4-3) at Wagener-Salley (6-1) This is basically for second place in the region, which in Region III means a first-round bye. So, the implications are obviously huge in this one. RS-M rolled over Blackville-Hilda 40-6 last week. The Trojans are throwing it a little more this year, from what I’ve read, which frankly makes my head hurt a little. I watched them win a playoff game once in which they attempted A pass. One. Singular. Anyway, whatever they are doing is working and they still have a good running back with Collier Sullivan. The boys form Chitlinvania won on a forfeit last week against North, so they’ve had week off since their loss to Williston-Elko. They still kind of consider the forward pass a trick play, so expect Tre Davis and Kevin Jackson to get a lot of carries. They don’t score a ton of points, but haven’t had to really because of their defense. In fact, both teams play outstanding defense. This should be a close one and a good one. North (0-7) at Williston-Elko (5-2) Let’s be nice, say that we’re glad North is playing this week and move along… Baptist Hill (6-0) at The OC (5-2) This one could end up featuring a pinball-like score given how effectively both teams throw the ball. The Bobcats are fresh off another quality win, 50-42, over St. John’s. That’s the first game this year, though, where their defense got worked pretty well. Luckily, Corey Fields threw for 70 jazillion yards (it may have actually been 463) and 79 touchdowns (or maybe eight). Seriously, I’m still not happy about Fields, who legitimately averaged 450 total yards a game, being snubbed by the Shrine Bowl. No one can match the numbers he’s put up this year. No, I will say that Sam Hartman of the OC, a Wake Forest commitment, is in the same ballpark. I will note that four of their five wins have come against much lesser competition, but they were competitive against C.E. Murray (for a half anyway) and did beat St. John’s, so they aren’t to be taken lightly. I’m setting the over/under on total passing yards tonight at 750. Military Magnet (0-6) at the Charleston Academy of Science, Literature and Tractor Tire lubin’ (1-6) A chance for the Riptide to win two straight after they beat Palmetto Christian last week. Bout all I got on this one for you, Bogator. St. John’s (4-3) at Scott’s Branch (4-3) A pretty intriguing out-of-region match-up this week. St. John’s got down early but mounted a nice comeback that fell short against Baptist Hill last week, 50-42. They have given up some big numbers through the air this year, but that has come against high-powered offensive attacks. They can also hit you through the air with Kam Smiley and his bevy of weapons. They run the ball well too, giving them a nice balance that a lot of teams lack. Scott’s Branch…I got no clue. They shut out Bamberg-Ehrhardt, they gave up 50 to Timmonsville, they held the Mr. T Haircuts to 12. They are capable of shutting down good offense…or getting lit up. Against like-sized opposition, they are just OK offensively. NO telling which way this one goes. Cross (3-3) at Bethune-Bowman (5-2) The Mr. T Haircuts looked like they were really asserting themselves before getting tripped up by Scott’s Branch last week 18-12. Mikiah Simmons still had a huge rushing effort in that game, going for nearly 200 yards, but they just weren’t finishing their drives. Cross, after falling to a surprising 2-3 with a loss to C.E. Murray, bounced back wit a mammoth blowout of Branchville last week. They, rightly, have a Shrine Bowl player on their roster with RB/LB Nate Walker. The loser of this one has two region losses, at which point the playoff math starts getting tough. Branchville (4-3) at C.E. Murray (5-2) Not to belittle Branchville’s four wins, because that’s a great step in the right direction for them. Those wins, though, came against a non-SCHSL team and three public schools with three wins between them…and some of those games were close. C.E. Murray had last week off and also has Darius Rush and Elijah Bey so… Region VI get a collective “nah man…” Creek Bridge (0-7) at Hemingway (7-0) Hannah-Pamplico (4-3) at Lake View (6-1) East Clarendon (0-7) at Hannah-Pamplico (4-3) Dixie- 45
Calhoun Falls Charter- 12 McCormick- 61 Ware Shoals- 12 Lamar- 30 Lewisville- 6 Andrew Jackson- 48 Great Falls- Remember how many it took to make a thing go right and to make it out of sight? Well, two less that that. Timmonsville- 22 McBee- 14 Ridge Spring-Monetta- 40 Blackville-Hilda- 6 Denmark-Olar- 22 Estill- 14 Williston-Elko- 36 Hunter-Kinard-Tyler- 12 Wagener-Salley- 2 North- Hard to score when you don’t actually play (forfeit) Baptist Hill- 50 St. John’s- 42 Charleston Charter Academy for Haberdashery and Gutter Installation- 36 Palmetto Christian Academy- 14 Scott’s Branch- 18 Bethune-Bowman- 12 Cross- 46 Branchville- 6 Green Sea-Floyds- 30 Creek Bridge- 6 Lake View- 30 East Clarendon- 6 Hemingway- 55 Hannah-Pamplico- 7 Breakdown- With everyone now playing region contests, the playoff pecking order is starting to take shape. In the upperstate, the biggest match-up Friday was between Lamar and Lewisville. The Silver Foxes came out of it with a 30-6 victory that was closer than the score makes it seem. It was 16-6 at one point in the fourth, but Lamar tacked on a couple of late scores to pull away. The game was a defensive battle for most of the first half. I’d heard that Lamar was fairly young up front and not yet quite up to the level of last year. I think that is accurate, because for much of the game, Lewisville won the physical battle in the trenches. Josh Belk was nearly unblockable, racking up a sack and about five tackles for losses. The Lions defense was put in terrible positions on several occasions (shanked punt, bad punt snap) but rose to the challenge and turned away three early Lamar scoring opportunities. Midway through the second, Lamar, smartly, went away from the passing game and the straight-ahead running attack, which just weren’t effective against the Lewisville defensive front. They went with more counters, draws etc. and that got them moving. Tyric Herion had a huge game, running for over 200 yards, many of which came in big chunks. He got them in position for a field goal and a 3-0 lead. He then powered a touchdown drive late in the first half (more on that in a minute). Lamar led 16-0 early in the fourth, when Lewisville finally struck, getting out of their spread and going with the single-wing package. Quentin Sanders had 36 hard-earned yards on the march and threw a touchdown to Mikial Fourney. After that, though, Lamar struck quickly for another score (on a nice throw from Rashard Coleman) then scored again a short time later as, I think, the amount of time Lewisville’s defense had been on the field began to catch up with them. Lewisville didn’t play particularly well, with A LOT of penalties and dropped passes. On two occasions, Lewisville had receivers open for what would likely have been touchdowns, but on one of them the receiver lost the ball in the lights and on the other the receiver just never turned around to look for the ball. Lamar played a cleaner game, made fewer mistakes and played fantastic defense. If Lewisville had played the way its capable of, things may have been different…but I can also say that not having awesomely-named man-beast Jeblonski Green on defense or at running back (he was out with a concussions, I was told) probably made a big difference for Lamar. They deserved to win, they deserve their number one ranking and I suspect these two teams will play again. Now, having said, let’s talk about Lamar’s first touchdown. Lewisville had a ball hit a receiver in the hands, it popped up in the air and Lamar picked it off at their 41. At that point, there was 1:57 left until halftime and Lamar was out of timeouts. On first down, Herion got outside and gained 20 yards. As the Silver Foxes lined up to snap the ball for the second play of the drive, though, there was still 1:57 showing on the clock. Lewisville’s sideline went crazy, and the clock did start running as Herion went off tackle for two yards. Then it stopped again as Lamar ran another play (another big Herion gain on the ground). So essentially, the Silver Foxes got two untimed downs. Lamar ended up scoring with 21 seconds left before the break, meaning they likely would not have scored at all without the assist from the clock. Then, almost as a giant “neener, neener” to the Lions, the ensuing kickoff went through the end zone, no one touched it, but three seconds ran off the clock (which the officials did have put back). I suppose it’s kind of, theoretically, maybe possible that what happened was an honest operator error or a technical problem of some kind…but boy the timing and situation sure do make it look hinky. I haven’t been to enough games at Lamar to know if that’s commonplace but here’s the thing, Lamar is one of the top programs in the state regardless of classification and is perfectly capable of beating most anybody without getting an assist from an outside source. That kind of stuff is beneath a program of that stature and, if it was done intentionally, it was unnecessary since Lamar could have just spiked the ball to stop the clock. I normally don’t go after officials, but I’m also wondering why they didn’t notice the clock wasn’t moving and do something about it. Other than providing a momentum swing, it thankfully didn’t alter the outcome of the game, but it could have. In any event, Lamar will face a scrappy Timmonsville team this week and will wrap up a region crown and top playoff slot with a win…In the lowerstate, the game of the week was Baptist Hill v St. John’s. I’m not a bragger, so I’ll just note that a certain blog that opines about 1A football, meat, game clocks and quotes old rap lyrics in its scoreboard, told you this was a probably going to be the most exciting game in the state. WELP! Baptist Hill ended up emerging with a 50-42 victory. Corey Fields is very much like a grown man playing football in the backyard with his children, if the dad was overly competitive and had anger issues. Maybe trucks his five-year-old daughter at the goal line and spikes the ball in her face. He’s really good at football is point here. He threw for 463 yards and accounted for eight touchdowns and is now AVERAGING 450 total yards of offense a game. Richard Bailey was on the receiving end of 263 yards worth of those throws. St. John’s has played pretty good defense this year, but really, I’m almost starting to think it doesn’t much matter what kind of defense you play against Baptist Hill. Fields is a smart, athletic player with a howitzer for an arm, the offense plays to his strengths and he has excellent weapons around him. St. John’s obviously played well offensively too, since the Bobcats had not allowed more than 18 points in a game all year. They’ll be fine in the long run, but now Baptist Hill has essentially wrapped up a region title and number one playoff seed and has earned the right for us to start comparing them to other top lowerstate contenders, like Hemingway. If anyone has seen both, I’d love to hear them compared and contrasted. Quick hits- Have two teams had more dramatic reversals of fortune than Timmonsville and McBee. Over the past three years, the Whirlwinds have gone a combined 8-25, while the Panthers (behind a bumper crop of athletes, all of whom were named Wright) had the three best seasons in school history, twice advancing to the upperstate finals. Now, Timmonsville is 5-3 and almost assured of a playoff spot, while McBee is winless. Their game Friday was close, with McBee actually holding a lead going into the fourth quarter, but the Whirlwinds outscored them 16-0 in the fourth quarter and scored the game-winner with under a minute to go. Timmonsville’s success isn’t a fluke and isn’t a product of weak scheduling. Jamaric Morris gives the offense some nice balance with his arm but is also a threat to run. He has a great target in Chris Taylor (who was averaging nearly 23 yards per catch last time I checked) and Tyquan Eaddy is a terrific running back. Since they started playing like-sized schools, the defense has excelled as well. They’ll be a tough out for anyone. McBee can still theoretically make the playoffs, in much the same way I could theoretically crap out a live turkey. They have to beat Great Falls this week, then would have to beat Lamar AND hope that either Lewisville or Lamar loses out. So, you know, those odds are long…No other score surprised me much other than Scott’s Branch knocking off Bethune-Bowman. Scott’s Branch has pretty much been an enigma, dusted with the flour of confusion, placed in the basket of uncertainty, dunked in the sizzling hot grease of inconsistency, plated with some WTH gravy and served to customers at the Who Are You bar and grill. This is a team that not only beat, but shut out Bamberg-Ehrhardt, yet also gave up 52 points to Timmonsville. They certainly did a days work holding the Mr. T Haircuts to 12 points Friday. They’ll really be tested the last three weeks playing Cross, C.E. Murray and St. John’s. Shrine Bowl Class A had three participants chosen to take part in the Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas earlier this week…congrats to C.E. Murray’s Darius Rush, McCormick’s Mataeo Durant and Cross’s Nate Walker. Rush (a South Carolina commitment) is listed as a wide receiver on the roster only because “Swiss Army knife of football awesomeness” wouldn’t fit in the space provided. He’s caught 12 touchdown passes, but he could legitimately play anything other than offensive or defensive line, even on a team of all-stars. Durant (who is going to Duke) is at this point probably, really, making opposing defensive coordinators drink or poop themselves. He’s averaging 20 yards PER CARRY the last two weeks. That hasn’t come against the stiffest competition, but that’s impressive if you’re playing Ms. Sally’s Finishing School for Slow Girls. He’s run for nearly 200 a game over the last four, while averaging 15.6 a tote. He’s not a product of the system, he doesn’t have gaudy stats because of weak competition; he is legitimately one of the top 5 football players in the state regardless of position or classification and has truly rare athletic ability. I’m not as familiar with Walker (a Wofford commit) since I haven’t seen him in person, but the numbers show he is a studly running back and the highlights I’ve watched give the indication that hits like truckload of bricks rolling down a hill…no, no, falling out of an airplane…ON FIRE! He was taken as a linebacker where is speed and ability to hurt people should come in handy. Three 1A players is more than we normally get in the Shrine Bowl, so I’m thankful there were that many. Unfortunately, 1A is always underrepresented, because of a built-in bias some people have. I’ve heard “well, he’s put up those numbers playing 1A teams” from some people…ones that aren’t terribly bright. Hey, not bright guy, go ask Darlington what it was like playing that little ol’ 1A team Lamar. Same for Crestwood. Same for the AAA, AAAA and AAAAA victims St. John’s has flogged this year. Even beyond that, take that stupid argument to its logical conclusion. So, a running back, we’ll call him Jimmy Jack, plays for a 1A team. Let’s play along with the dumb theory and say the overall quality of his opponents is not as high as those in higher classifications. By extension then, can’t we assume that the talent level on his own team isn’t as high either? So he’s putting up big numbers with less help, right? Jimmy Jack is probably also going to be the focus of attention for defenses more often too. Oh, and since this is 1A, Jimmy Jack also is starting at safety and serving as the kick returner. He never leaves the field, where most players at larger schools do. Chew on that one, Slappy. I hate the number of 1A players who get overlooked. Fields is obviously on the list this year. I implore you, if you haven’t already, to go check out his Hudl page and watch some highlights. He isn’t Dinky McCheckdown throwing 50 screen passes a game. He throws it all over the field with great arm strength, touch and accuracy. He’s also a huge threat to run. Now, I’m not going to knock another kid just to bolster my point. Derion Kendrick, Dekereon Joyner and Sam Hartman are all very deserving of making the team. I haven’t seen Hartman in person, so I don’t know if he could have been taken as an “athlete” but Kendrick and Joyner sure could have, which would have freed up another QB spot. Hartman’s numbers are terrific (2,344 yards and 24 touchdowns) but most of The OC’s (my name for Oceanside Collegiate where he plays) wins have come against much lesser competition. Fields is the most productive quarterback in the state and his team in undefeated. Sadly, your on-field play your senior year has come to have ZERO bearing on whether you make the Shrine Bowl or not. It’s all about combine performances and how you fit a coach’s scheme. Well, if your scheme is “let’s win at football” then Fields should have been picked. So should Quentin Sanders. He had a very good junior year, but he is having an un-freakin-believable senior campaign. Through eight games he has accounted for 25 dadgum touchdowns. He’s one of the top running backs in the state in terms of yardage, but they only took two running backs for the Shrine Bowl which worked against him…but of course he is also a superb defensive back and kick returner, so he could have helped in a lot of ways. His exclusion was galling to me. I expected that Belk would make it since he’s already playing in a national all-star game and is graduating early to enroll at Clemson. He had injury issues the past two years and had off-season surgery that led to him carrying a little extra weight early in the season. Now fully healthy and having lost weight, Belk is dominating everyone he plays. Lamar flat-out couldn’t block him, particularly in the first three quarters. Linemen come at such a premium, I thought for certain he’d be picked…he should have. If you have any other glaring 1A ommisisons, leave them in the comment section or email me at [email protected]. Poll Time Here is my weekly 1A poll, followed by the full S.C. Prep Media Poll. 1. Lamar- Solidified this spot with an impressive win over Lewisville. 2. Hemingway- I invented a term (crank smack) to describe how bad they are beating everyone they play. Speed to burn, score points on defense and special teams…the total package. 3. Lake View- Look at the Wild Gators, just quietly winning every week by three touchdowns. Aren’t likely to be challenged until the regular season fnale against Hemingway. 4. Baptist Hill- Try to outscore them. Go ahead…try. 5. Lewisville- Not going to drop the Lions too far for a loss to Lamar. Well-rounded on offense and as physical up front on defense as anyone. 6. C.E. Murray- Hard to see how Rush, Elijah Bey and company lose again in the regular season. 7. Williston-Elko-They are running the ball and playing good defense. A great combination. 8. Wagener-Salley- See above. 9. Timmonsville- First time I’ve ranked the Whirlwinds, but they’ve earned it with three straight wins. 10. St. John’s- The 10th spot was a tough one to pick, but St. John’s losses have all been close ones to either bigger schools or very highly ranked ones and the full resume says they still belong here. 1. Lamar (14) 2. Hemingway 3. Lake View 4. Lewisville 5. Williston-Elko 6. Baptist Hill 7. C.E. Murray 8. Wagener-Salley 9. Timmonsville 10. Dixie Suggested Reading… You can read about Lamar v Lewisville here…if you like reading poorly-written stories by HACKS! Corey Fields is a scary football robot who has turned on his creators. SAVE YOURSELVES! You can read about Scott’s Branch’s win over the Mr. T Haircuts here, or you can pound sand, Jimmy. I’m getting a little tired of your no-reading self. Calhoun Falls Charter (0-6) at Dixie (4-2)
This will be the first public school Dixie has played in nearly a month after playing a pair of small private schools and having an off week last Friday. Let’s be polite to the Flashes, since they’re showing up to play every week with 13 kids, and say they struggled to contain Mataeo Durant last week (he had over 200 yards and five touchdowns on 10 carries). I don’t think anyone from Dixie will put up those sort of numbers, but this seems like a good opportunity for them to notch their fifth win. McCormick (3-3) at Ware Shoals (1-6) So last week, Durant looked like Tecmo Bowl Bo Jackson…if it was possible for poorly animated video games characters to play wearing a jetpack and swinging a giant scepter. The thing this, those numbers didn’t come about just because of the opponent, Durant is legitimately that good. Ware Shoals lost to Whitmire last week 26-20. After struggling mightily on offense for a while, the Purple Hornets have cracked 20 in three of the past four games, but they’ll need more than this week to keep pace with Durant and company. A lot more than that. Lewisville (6-1) at Lamar (6-0) This is the game of the week in the state, not just 1A. You have the top-ranked, unbeaten Silver Foxes facing the third-ranked Lions. The winner of this one has the inside track on the region title and a number one playoff seed. Lewisville is fresh off a 66-12 whoop down (I just made that up) of McBee. That one had to feel especially good, since the Panthers had beaten them five straight times, usually by wide margins, including twice in the playoffs. Rhett Cox was efficient (10-of-13) but also made big plays (278 yards on those 10 completions). He has grown into the QB role very well and has developed into a threat with his legs. He has a bevy of weapons to throw to including Mikial Fourney (who is as good at playing receiver as he is safety, which is really saying something) and Johnny Courtney (a criminally underrated talent, in my opinion). Quentin Sanders comes to the field each week intent on breaking your will to compete in athletics and he succeeds, having run for nearly 1,100 yards and scored 24 touchdowns. The defense is playing really well, really brings a lot of heat and is forcing a lot of turnovers. Lamar, spreads the sugar out in terms of the running game a little more with the speed of Jacquez Lucas and Tyrik Herion and the battering ram, Lord don’t let him run to my side of the field, brute strength of Jeblonski Green. Rashard Coleman has improved a great deal as a passer this season, which gives Lamar balance, which makes them scary and unpleasant to deal with. I’ve heard that their line is very young and may not be quite to last year’s quality, but dang if that’s actually revealed itself yet as they crank-smacked AAA and AAAA teams earlier in the year. Defensively, Lamar doesn’t do anything very fancy. Not a lot of blitzing or exotic coverages. They play you straight up, fly to the ball and hit you hard enough to make pee leak out of your toes (no clue why I just wrote that). Oddly, Lamar has had its off week, the week before playing Lewisville every year since the two have been region mates. They’ll be well-rested and should be healthy. I can’t wait to see this one (follow along at @CNR_Sports on Twitter). Timmonsville (4-3) at McBee (0-6) If I’d told you at the start of the season that McBee would be winless at this point and essentially playing for its playoff life, you’d have pointed and laughed. You would probably point and laugh at me anyway because of that whole having a third eye thing, but still…I saw McBee in person last week. Tyrece Wright and Shane Hammonds are dynamic players. Wright, in particular, has excellent patience, an explosive first step and the speed to run away from anybody. The problem, at least last week, was that they got overwhelmed at the line of scrimmage by Lewisville, particularly in the second half. Defensively, they give up a lot of big plays, a product of having graduated so many good players and being so young on the back end of the defense now. I know fans are impatient, but I hope they realize how young the team is and how the past three years were, in fact, the golden age of Panther athletics. Having said that, if they lose this one, they have almost no hope of making the postseason and a win would be considered an upset. Timmonsville is playing very well right now. Quarterback Jamaric Morris is throwing the ball well enough to give them some balance and Tyquan Eaddy is a stud at running back. The defense is improved over last year too. They’ll end up being a tough out for anybody, I think. Great Falls (0-5) at Andrew Jackson (2-4) The Red Devils lost to Timmonsville 56-0 last week. They have some talent, but they have a sophomore at QB, a freshman getting a lot of time at RB, a sophomore starting at WR and some underclassmen who’ve had to play up front. Give them some time and wins will come. A.J. has obviously fallen off from last, but do run the ball pretty well. Bout all I got for you on this’n, Hoss. Ridge Spring-Monetta (3-3) at Blackville-Hilda (2-4) I’ve had to re-examine my assessment of Blackville-Hilda a bit. I’ve been saying that physically, they pound people into a jelly-like substance, spread them on loaf bread and eat them. That was the formula last year and a few of their early games led me to think they were on that same track, but those early wins, with some reflction, don’t look quite as good now. They got boat-raced by HKT last week. RS-M, by comparison, has won three-of-four, with the only loss being a competitive one to Williston-Elko. This is usually when they hit their peak, just sayin’… Estill (2-4) at Denmark-Olar (1-5) Denmark has the biggest skeeters I’ve ever seen. Thus ends the relevant information I can offer on this contest. St. John’s (4-2) at Baptist Hill (5-0) The game of the week in the lowcountry. Trust me on this…if you’re team is off or is playing a walkover game, do yourself a favor and get yourself to the greater Hollywood, Peters Point area for this game. On one hand, you have St. John’s, who has torched AAAA and AAAAA teams this year. The two losses both came to bigger schools and once they actually played their first Class A opponent last week, they laid down a 42-6 stomping. Kam Smiley is an underrated, terrific QB, they run the ball well and have a big-time receiving threat at tight end. The Bobcats are unbeaten and have maybe the most productive player in the state in QB Corey Fields. He isn’t a one-man band, though, he has some terrific weapons to work with in Richard Bailey and Jay Burnell among others. So this could be a shootout…but both teams play real, physical defense. So maybe it won’t be. The only thing I’m sure of is that the winner is the likely region champ and it will be immensely entertaining either way. As an added bonus, here is a breakdown on the match-up by St. John’s coach Josh Harpe. Sadly, the very long open road to Lamar beckons, so everyone else gets the “in other action” treatment… Charleston Charter Academy for Scholastic Achievement and Pants at Palmetto Christian Bethune-Bowman at Scott’s Branch Cross at Branchville Green Sea-Floyds at Creek Bridge Lake View at East Clarendon Hannah-Pamplico at Hemingway My day-to-day, pay-the-bills job is that of an editor/writer for a newspaper. Obviously, I cover sports, but I also cover local government, court and write editorial and columns. The columns (and this will come as shocker, I’m certain) typically veer toward the silly and inane. That was going to be different this week, when I heard about the death of Tom Petty on Monday. I never met the man, I never spoke to him, but he certainly spoke to me with neatly-wound, melodic stories of the south, of underdogs, of how cool it is to be in a rock band, of how bad it sucks to get your heart broken, how good it feels to mend it and how if you look hard enough, there’s always a faint glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel. I started writing and after 700 words I typed the phrase “and then I heard the Traveling Wilburys for the first time.” So there were 29 FLIPPIN’ YEARS TO GO! I was writing a book…which is fine to do if you’re actually writing a book, but books don’t fit in newspapers, so I sat that column aside and wrote something about getting lost, cursing at my phone for giving me the wrong directions and Siri hitting me with a guilt trippy “I’m sorry you feel that way.”
It’s just hard to summarize in an economical number of words what music and the people who make it mean to a person. I can’t play a freakin’ kazoo, but I love music. When I first started the quest to find my own music to listen to, instead of the oldies and soul music my parents favored (not that I don’t love oldies and soul music to this day) I somehow settled on a skinny stoner from Gainesville, Florida. I wish I could tell what it was about his music that drew me in. I liked a lot of the rap and heavy metal my friends were all listening to, but there was something about the music that guy was making that hit that tuning fork we all have deep inside. I didn’t realize it at that time, but he was heavily influenced by the Byrds, the Beatles, Elvis and old R&B music, which is readily apparent to a trained ear…so, maybe I liked him because he sounded like the people I had spent most of my childhood listening to, riding here and there with my dad or mom. I developed a fondness for big, heavy guitar music and Petty can deliver the goods on that front (listen to “Change the Locks” or “Runnin’ Down a Dream"). But he can also drop a folky number on you like "Wildflowers," which I love just as much. When I was young and immature (instead of older an immature like I am now) he probably also had a cool factor in my mind because he sang about rolling joints and stuff. My cousin and I would ride down the road in his truck listen to “You don’t know how it feels,” sing that line really loud, look at each other and laugh the knowing laughs of two 19-year-olds who’d never touched the stuff and really had no idea what Tom Petty was talking about. It’s more than just sounds and vibes, though. I think the reason his death felt like such a gut punch was partly because of his longevity. Tom Petty continuously made amazing, relevant, vital music from the time I was two-year-old until Monday. He has been playing in the background my entire life. On dates, through break-ups, on long nights of drinking beer with my buddies, Tom has been there, acting very much like the wise old narrator he portrays in the “Into the Great Wide Open” video…patting you on the back, telling you she was no good anyway, that there’s something better waiting down the road and handing you another cold one. I’ve seen several other people write about how Tom Petty’s music was essential “car-driving music” and that’s certainly another reason his tunes resonated with me. I drive almost 90 minutes to and from work every day and spend a lot of time traveling to ballgames. Especially before cell phones became so prevalent, your only companion on long trips was whatever voices came out of your stereo speakers…and dadgum it, it just feels good to crank “Refugee” to top volume and scream “It don’t make no difference to MEEEEEE, BABY!” Driving in a car is an oft-used allusion to freedom and independence in music and very few things scream freedom and independence (things I’m rather fond of) than Tom Petty music. In fact, as soon as possible, get in your car, find a rural patch of road, put on “Kings Highway” and turn it up as loud as your ears can stand. If you don’t find that to be a freeing, life-affirming exercise, you and I probably can’t be friends. Now that I’m a little older and write for living, I also appreciate good writing. “God it's so painful Something that's so close And still so far out of reach” “So I started out For God knows where I guess I’ll know When I get there” Those are just two of the hundreds of examples I could give. That’s brilliance. He paints a vivid picture of time and place and emotion with a bare minimum of words…which is to say he doesn’t have to write a book. Even if I can’t express it in a few words, I’m just glad that memories last a lifetime and music lives forever. God bless you, Mr. Petty. Now, I offer up a tribute the best way I know how…my weekly top 10 poll, with a tip of the cap Charlie T. Wilbury. 10. Bethune-Bowman- The Mr. T Haircuts have been knocking on the door for some time and with Cross having two-of-three, they move into my top 10 for the first time. Braxton Wedgeworth III is named like a golf pro a retirement community course, but plays QB like lightning in cleats. Makiah Simmons is beastly block of granite at running back, adding some power to Wedgeworth’s speed and passing ability. Now, they don’t have a signature win to speak of, but they’ve taken care of business with the exception of a loss to Wagener-Salley. They play Scott’s Branch this week, then get a couple of chances to prove they belong with back-to-back games against Cross and C.E. Murray. Whether they take a step forward or become just another Face in the Crowd, we’ll see. 9. St. John’s- The Islanders got everyone’s attention by slaying AAAA and AAAAA dragons early in the season. They lost two straight at one point, but it’s important to note that both of those losses came to bigger schools. They had not played a fellow 1A team until last week’s waxing of Military Magnet. Now that they’ll be playing like-sized schools from here and on out. Coach Harpe is building something special down there, has a great QB Kam Smiley, throws to the tight end (which I love) and has his team playing excellent defense. They get a big challenge this week with Baptist Hill, but I expect them to come out Swingin’. 8. C.E. Murray- After giving up 56 points to Hemingway two weeks ago, the War Eagles made a statement last week against Cross, holding them to six points (the defense actually scored those) and less than 100 total yards. That’s a heavy left, Bubba. The offense has Darius Rush who scores many, many touchdowns and an underrated QB Elijah Bey. Beating Cross gives them the inside track on a region title and WILL move them ahead of a couple of other teams to a higher ranking next week. Alright, that seems like plenty…It’s time to move on. 7. Wagener-Salley- The boys Chitlin Junction suffered their first loss last week, dropping a 29-10 decision to Williston-Elko. Now, W-E has been dominant in that region for years and is, I think, primed to run the table in the regular season. Wagener-Salley, if you look at the whole body of work, has just been OK on offense, but I’m still a believe in that defense. That’s why I only dropped them two spots from last week. I guess Even the Losers get lucky sometimes. 6. Williston-Elko- QB Tyran Parker did just enough offensively against Chitlin Junction and the defense pretty much choked them out. The Blue Devils have a feisty HKT team this week, but aside from that it’s hard to see how they don’t run the table, finish 8-2, earn a number one playoff seed and emerge as a realistic threat in the upperstate. It’ll be a long time before they hit the Wall(s). 5. Baptist Hill- The Bobcats have now gotten two quality wins after beating up on some lesser teams to start the season. This group has some substance and it isn’t just QB Corey Fields and his offensive weapons. They play real defense now, which combined with the freaky air show Fields rolls out every week makes them formidable. They’re game tomorrow against St. John’s figures to be a barn burner. It’s also worth mentioning they’re doing this while having their season interrupted by a hurricane that sent them off the field for a couple of weeks. I don’t know whether The Waiting was the hardest part or not, but they’ve come through it very well. 4. Lake View- I really feel like people are sleeping on this team. They aren’t putting up the “holy crap they did what” numbers they did last year, but since losing in the opener to Latta by a close score, they’ve just cruised along, efficiently dispatching everyone they’ve played. No reason to think they’ll be challenged until the finale with Hemingway, so I doubt they’ll be Free Fallin' down my poll anytime soon. 3. Lewisville- The Lions are operating at a high level in every respect right now. Rhett Cox has grown into the QB position nicely. He’s efficient, makes explosive plays, is an able runner and has great weapons at his disposal. Quentin Sanders is among the best players in the state regardless of position with his 24 total touchdowns. Defensively, Josh Belk at defensive tackle, Jaylen McFadden at middle linebacker at Mikial Fourney at safety are among the best at their positions in the state and give the defense as solid a middle as you can have. They play Lamar tomorrow night for the inside track to a region title and number one playoff seed. There’s only Room at the Top for one team…we’ll see who that is. 2. Hemingway- The Tigers have flogged everyone they’ve played this year, leaving them all saying "Don’t do me like that” Hemingway. 1. Lamar- The defending upperstate champ has just embarrassed a AAA team, beaten a good AAAA and knocked over a pair of AA’s. They have a stable of backs, an improving, athletic QB in Rashard Coleman and one of the most physical defenses anywhere. They belong here until proven otherwise…It’s good to be King. This was what the actual, full S.C. Prep Media Poll ended up looking like… 1. Lamar (14) 2. Hemingway 3. Lewisville (1) 4. Lake View 5. Williston-Elko 6. Baptist Hill 7. C.E. Murray 8. Wagener-Salley 9. St. John's 10. Bethune-Bowman McCormick- 58
Calhoun Falls Charter- Very little. None actually. Whitmire- 26 Ware Shoals- 20 Timmonsville- 56 Great Falls- Stats mean whatever you want them to mean, man… Lewisville- 66 McBee- 12 Hunter-Kinard-Tyler- 44 Blackville-Hilda- 6 Ridge Spring-Monetta- 43 Denmark-Olar- Ladies and gentlemen, the late, great Whitney Houston Estill- 44 North- Now for your headliner…ELLA FITZGERALD! Williston-Elko- 29 Wagener-Salley- 10 Baptist Hill- 56 The Charleston Lowcounrty Academy for Leadership, Empowerment and Machine Shop failed to score in this football contest. St. John’s- 42 Military Magnet- 6 Scott’s Branch- 30 Branchville- 12 C.E. Murray- 22 Cross- 6 Hannah-Pamplico- 44 Creek Bridge- 8 Hemingway- 42 East Clarendon- 14 Lake View- 38 Green Sea-Floyds- 22 Breakdown- We have finally reached the point where pretty much everyone is now into the region slate, so we had no “up” games to speak of this past Friday. As much as I enjoy seeing 1A teams beat the big boys, under the new playoff format, those games really don’t carry much significance, serving mainly as preparation for the real thing. So it’s kind of like kindergarten, minus the juice boxes, nap times and booger-eating, but I digress. I took in the Lewisville-McBee game in person. The final score made it look like a total crank-smacking (a phrase I made up recently to describe really one-side tail-whippings) but was actually fairly competitive in the first half. It was a 24-12 game late in the second and McBee drove inside the Lewisville 10 with a chance to make it a one-score game. Instead, the Lewisville defense held them on downs with under 20 seconds to go until the break. Lewisville, not content to take a knee and head to the half, went deep. McBee had Quentin Sanders single-covered, which proved to be less than optimal. Rhett Cox hit him in stride for a 91-yard touchdown. Lewisville got the ball to start the third, scored quickly again and the game was over. The Lewisville passing offense scuffled a little in the early weeks, but they improve in efficiency and explosiveness every week. That’s partly because the line has gotten healthy, but also because of Cox’s week-by-week improvement. He has so many weapons to work with in Johnny Courtney, Mikial Fourney and Sanders. Of course, Sanders is freaky football cyborg bent on destruction and touchdown-making. He ran for 154 yards on top of his back-breaking touchdown catch and scored five times. The defense made some adjustments in the second half, spreading their linebackers out a little to cut off the outside run game of McBee. It worked to the tune of the Panthers amassing eight yards after halftime. Josh Belk, Fourney and Jaylen McFadden are playing their positions As always, McBee plays hard and Tyrece Wright is a threat to score every time he touches the ball. Shane Hammonds is a good athlete as well, but they are young up front and the defense gives up a lot of big plays. Now, both teams have huge games this week. McBee plays Timmonsville in what amounts to a must-win game. I said a couple of weeks back this was going to end up being for a playoff spot and it sure looks like it will be. The Whirlwinds come in having won three-of-four and have cracked 50 in all three of their wins. The Lions, ranked third in Class A, go to top-ranked Lamar Friday. This is almost a region title game, meaning it’s a battle for a number one playoff seed. It’s the game of the week in Class A…The other really big game in the upperstate last week saw the boys from Chitlinvania fall from the ranks of the unbeaten with a 29-10 loss to Williston-Elko. That region has some good teams, but in retrospect it was an exercise in dumbuttery (is that a word? It may not be a word) on my part to think anyone was going to knock W-E off its decade or so long perch on top. It’ll happen someday, but I’ll have to see that happen before I call for it. QB Tyran Parker had a really good game for the Blue Devils, with 169 total yards and two touchdowns. They’ll face a pesky HKT team this week, but aside from that, W-E will cruise to a region crown. As for the Stump-Whooped All-Americans, I believe they are a very good team. The 29 they gave up is a bit deceiving, because the offense put the defense in terrible positions several times. As I go back and look at their resume, good defense stands out. To shut out The Mr. T Haircuts and hold HKT to six points is an enormous feat. What I do notice, though, is they score roughly 20-some points a game and often do it on teams that give up big point totals on a near-weekly basis. So, maybe what I’ve seen as running the ball and salting games away has actually been a team that is just OK on that side of the ball. I read that they were something like 4-of-17 passing with two picks Friday. A little balance on offense always proves especially important come playoff time. I think they’ll be fine, with only one real challenge left on the slate in Ridge Spring-Monetta…The only other result in the upperstate that really jumped out at me was HKT hammering Blackville-Hilda 44-6. I’m not surprised they won the game, so much, but that score was a shocker. I haven’t found an account of that one (I’d love to hear about it if you were there), so I don’t know if there were a bunch of turnovers or something that led to it getting out of hand. I would suspect Devante Scott put up redonkulous numbers like he normally does, but I think we also have to consider that HKT opened with four brutal games. In the past two weeks, they’ve won by a combined score of 82-6. Might also have to take into account that all my tales of the Hawks physically eating opponents, digesting them and pooping them out the window of a moving car might have been a tad overblown. They are still physical, no doubt, but maybe aren’t quite as good as last year. They are 2-4 now with wins over a pair of teams with one win between them, so…In the lowerstate, the game of the week was without a doubt C.E. Murray’s 22-6 win over Cross. As well at the War Eagle offense played the week before against second-ranked Hemingway (scoring 35 points) I imagine their defense took it personally that they gave up 56. If you’ve seen C.E. Murray, you know they are throwing it A LOT more than the past few years (Darius Rush, ho hum, two more touchdown catches), but their identity is still tied up in being stronger and more physical than you. So, they went ahead and held Cross to under 100 total yards Friday. That is a statement, and that statement is NO RUN WE SMASH!!!!!! Their game in three weeks against the Mr. T Haircuts figures to be for the region crown. As for Cross, they are now in the unfamiliar position of being 2-3 and of scoring 14 or less points three times this year. They should have an easier go of things against Branchville this week, then face a big game vs. the Mr. T Haircuts…Lake View’s win over Green Sea-Floyds wasn’t unexpected. De’Ante Bridgett threw for 244 yards and three scores. Jalik Roberts had 189 yards and three total scores as well. I feel like, because they aren’t putting up “lawd I hop these children’s mamas aren’t seeing this” type stats, lost so much talent from last year and are winning fairly close games, people are sleeping on Lake View a bit. There’s no reason to think they won’t go into the final game against Hemingway 8-1 and that the game won’t be for a region crown. As for GS-F, I thought they had at least a puncher’s chance in this game. They kept it close but came up short of getting a signature win. They should win their next two before getting another shot at a big victory, that being against Hemingway. Suggested reading His name is Rush, but most of his touchdowns are catches. You see what’s up here, the old switcheroo… Lewisville beat McBee if anything this hack writes is to be believed. They’re going playoffin’ in the Pearl of the Piedmont, I do believe… Mataeo Durant scored 5 touchdowns on 10 flippin’ carries. My only question then is why not run him 30 times and score 15 touchdowns? Perhaps this is why I do not coach. |
TravisI am Travis, the king 0f SC 1A Football Archives
November 2021
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