Dixie (3-2) at McCormick (0-4)
If it is possible for a shutout loss to be a feather in your cap, then Dixie has a gigundous ostrich plume in their derby. Yes, they were shut out by Ninety-Six, but it was a 12-0 game and we’re talking about a ranked AA team that hung 62 on Emerald, 57 on St. Joe’s and 45 on Crescent. They played some grown man defense and now they’ll be facing their first Class A opponent of the year. The Chiefs have struggled mightily on offense in the post Mataeo Durant era (14 points in four games), but that’s to be expected. I mean, deer move real fast, but if you hog tie and blindfold them, then TRY RUNNING NOW BAMBI! What was I talking about? The Chiefs aren’t lacking in talent at all. Watch some highlights of Silas Cannady and I promise you’ll see a guy capable of totin’ the tater and making some big plays. Part of McCormick’s problem has been playing a really rugged schedule…of course, that holds true tonight, so… Whitmire (3-2) at Ware Shoals (0-6) The Wolverines are coming off a 29-0 thumping of the Mr. T Haircuts. In that game they got 114 yards and two touchdowns from Jaylin Brown and Chandler Crumley added 81 yards. Nate Stanley ran for a score and ran a pick back for six. Those three sentences are a perfect microcosm of Whitmire’s attack. They have any of about 6 guys who are liable to get carries on a given night and hurt you. They run that scrum, which let me tell you as a reporter how miserably hard it is to get a good picture when what you get on every play is a pig pile of 11 dudes surging in one direction. The thing is, they do run some outside stuff better than most teams in that offense do and about the time you start crowding the line, they’ll burn your butt with a wheel route. They’re scrappy as all get out and play very hard. Now, I saw Ware Shoals last week in its marathon quintuple overtime loss to Great Falls. I know they’ve had some bad losses this year, but I was impressed with the degree to which those kids don’t quit. Both teams had guys that scarcely left the field for four quarters and five overtimes. They played their tails off and they have some guys who can play. They rotate quarterbacks and Jermarius Goodman made some nice plays when he was under center as did Ben Webb. Their receivers aren’t blazing fast but they got open and caught the ball and the Weaver kid at RB is a thumper. As long as they keep fighting like they did last week, they’ll win a game before the season ends, just probably not tonight. Camden Military (3-0) at Great Falls (3-2) In an odd quirk caused by that blasted hurricane, these two teams played Ware Shoals four days apart, with both getting close wins. The Red Devils gutted one out last week. Really, they dominated regulation, but they just couldn’t finish drives. Ware Shoals scored on its opening possession, did about nothing for three quarters and change, then scored with five seconds left to force overtime. I think it actually hurt Great Falls that they ran the opening kick back for six. Considering Ware Shoals had lost to Bob’s Backyard Bearcats or whoever and were 0-5, they might have thought it was going to be an easy night. Coach Scotty Steen agreed with that assessment. You have to remember this is a super young team. That young talent (guys like Hunter Funderburk, Quay Bowser, Kaleb Funderburk, Xavian Moore) are all underclassmen, so there will be peaks and valleys. I think a good strategy is to throw it in the general direction of Kelton Talford. Seriously, it’s like trying to cover a tree when you’re lined up across from him. A really athletic tree with sticky hands. Like maybe one of those really mean trees from “The Wizard of Oz” that rebuked Dorothy for pulling apples off them. He’s tall is what I’m getting at here. And Bowser, Hunter Funderburk and Moore are crazy good compliments who are going to be names Class A fans need to get accustomed to hearing. It’s good to see such a venerable program back and winning again. That said, Camden Military is not a pushover this season. I don’t know a ton about them but they’re 3-0 and have a very athletic quarterback in Zequan Seward, so the Devils don’t need to take anything for granted. Gray Collegiate (1-4) at Lamar (4-0) The top-ranked Silver Foxes haven’t played since September 7, which I’m sure Gray Collegiate is thrilled they get to play a really well-rested Lamar team. I bet they are just dying to hit somebody at this point. Lamar hasn’t put up the unholy offensive numbers they did last year, but they still score plenty and their defense actually looks better than the 2017 state title winning edition, if such a thing is possible. Gray, I think, is probably better than its record shows. They did get their doors blown off by White Knoll, but they lost to The OC Semi-Pros by one, Dreher by four and Gilbert by seven. So, they’re 12 points from being 4-1. Even with the big boy schedule they’ve played, though, I don’t know if they are ready for what’s about to hit them. Lake View (2-2) at McBee (0-4) The Wild Gators got their crap handed to them in a taco shell when last they played on September 7. Of course, that was against AAA powerhouse Dillon, who hands lots of people their crap, so that’s not really a big deal. They lost close to open the year to a good AA tea in Hannah-Pamplico, then doled out some grade 1 rootins to the Sausage People and South Robeson. I hate it for McBee, who very recently was competing for state titles, but they are really young, they have lost a bumper crop of talent in the past few years and they’re giving up 47 a game, they’ve only scored 31 points in four games and, you know, it may not go well for them tonight. Timmonsville (4-1) at Hemingway (2-3) Count me as a big believer in what Coach Baker and the Whirlwinds have going in Timmonsville. They are 4-1 and that lone loss was to AA Lee Central in overtime. Jamaric Morris is a scary dude with the ball in his hands, be that as a quarterback or a defensive back who just picked your pocket. They also have an excellent RB in Fanando Jackson, who went for over 200 yards on a pretty good Scott’s Branch defense last week. Hemingway started off the year by being on the business end of a 62-point cranksmacking at the hands of Lamar. They lost badly to Carvers Bay and Andrews but did beat a C.E. Murray team that struggling a bit last week. They have individual talent that rivals anyone, but man, it’s hard to get past the junk kickings they’ve absorbed. I’m not sure what to think of them right now. They are the bologna of confusion, fried on the grill of misunderstanding, sandwiched by the bread of HUH, slathered in the mustard of misgivings and served on a plate of “who are you really?” at the WTH café. If they somehow come out of this one with a win, then I’ll be convinced they’ve found their way. Blackville-Hilda (2-2) at Hunter-Kinard-Tyler (1-3) HKT had scored one touchdown in three losses before laying the wood to Estill hard and heavy in a 50-7 win last week. They’re young, and breaking in new skill talent. The Hawks lost to the Chitlintown boys last week 28-6. Their other loss came to a bodacious AA team in Barnwell and they have two quality wins over the Mr. T Haircuts and Allendale-Fairfax. They are throwing it a tad more than in recent years, but they are big up front, they are physical and they want to gut you with a soap shiv…or something. If HKT’s youth has started to mature this could be interesting, but it sure feels like a night where the Hawks are just going to win it in the trenches. Ridge Spring-Monetta (2-2) at Denmark-Olar (3-1) The Trojans are probably still sky high from their win over Williston-Elko last week. They withstood a big night from freakish man-beast Keshawn Toney to take a 30-22 win, their first over W-E in a while. I feel like this is a matchup where the records aren’t that big a deal. RS-M has played a rugged slate, while D-O hasn’t so much. That isn’t a knock on what they’ve accomplished, but it’s a big leap from the Mr T Haircuts, Branchville and North to Saluda and Batesburg, Biggun. This is usually when the Trojans start to get on a roll. Wagener-Salley (3-1) at Williston-Elko (1-3) This is a huge game in Region III. Having already lost to RS-M, W-E will be all but eliminated from the region title race with a loss tonight. I won’t lie, I’m surprised a bit by how the Blue Devils have struggled. I know they’ve played a beefy schedule and had a big group of senior graduate from last year. I just figured with their overall numbers (50-some on varsity) and a couple of transcendent talents like Toney, they’d cruise right along as always. The Chitlinville All-Stars won an old-fashioned tater-kicking contest over a physical Blackville squad last week. If they win tonight, it all but sets up a region title game with RS-M in two weeks. The numbers would all say they are the favorite, but its worth mentioning that what seems to give them issues at time is an athletic team that can spread it out and throw it…which W-E certainly can do with Toney. Estill (0-4) at North (0-5) Not intending this as a shot at either school, but it’s an opportunity for one or the other to notch a rare win. North has the state’s longest losing streak and has yielded at least 42 points in every game this year. Estill has scored a touchdown this year. Bethune-Bowman (2-3) at Military Magnet (0-5) Military Magnet lost by 10 to Branchville, 13 to Academic Magnet and two to North Charleston. So, they’ve been in some games. They are geared to keeping it close, gnawing up the clock and letting the air out of the ball from that scrum on offense. The Mr. T Haircuts have a solid running attack with Jesus Benjamin and an experienced and athletic guy under center in Braxton Wedgeworth III, esq. But for whatever reason (maybe a new coach, new offense and some new starters up front) that isn’t equating to points right now. They got shut out by Whitmire last week while turning it over three times and aside from the North blowout, just haven’t put points on the board. If they struggle again tonight, it might be a rough season. Calvary Day (3-0) at St. John’s (4-1) The Islanders have become one of my favorites to emerge from the lowcountry. They are outstanding on special teams, they balance the run and pass well and the offense seems to be asserting itself more and more as the season goes on. Josh Harpe is doing an excellent job with a pretty young team. They’ll have a tough one with Baptist Hill in late October, but I could see them running the table or going 8-2. Keep an eye on them. Um, got nothing for ya on Calvary Day, Hoss. Branchville (3-1) at Scott’s Branch (1-3) I thought Branchville might be a team that could surprise people this year. They are senior heavy and went 4-6 last year…but they struggled with Military Magnet, got thumped pretty good by Denmark-Olar etc. They might be on the menu at the same place as Hemingway. Scott’s Branch has real talent and a good coach but are struggling offensively. Maybe this week, with the level of their schedule dialed down just a hair, is the start of something. Cross (0-5) at C.E. Murray (2-3) I don’t know what has happened to have the War Eagles struggle defensively the way they have during a three-game losing streak, but I don’t know that it will matter tonight as they play struggling Cross tonight, one of the youngest teams in Class A. Creek Bridge (0-4) at The Charleston Finishing School for Bona Fide Suitors and Tractor Lubin’ (0-4) The Riptide have scored some points here and there, which seems like will be enough to take this’n.
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TravisI am Travis, the king 0f SC 1A Football Archives
November 2021
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