Ware Shoals (3-6, 1-2) at Dixie (5-4, 1-2)
The Purple Hornets kept their playoff hopes alive last week with a 39-8 win over Calhoun Falls Charter. Janius Jefferson, a really good running back, had 186 yards and four touchdowns in the game. The defense limited the Flashes to less than 90 yards of total offense. Dixie had a rougher time, dropping a 16-6 game to Whitmire. The Hornets (Dixie is a regular hornet, existing only to sting and inflict pain and not dazzle the world with its purpleness like Ware Shoals' version of the bug) have had several rough years in a row. They dialed their schedule back quite a bit this year (three non-SCHSL opponents) but that's helped them get their footing, enjoy a little success and maybe take a step forward as a program. They've only averaged 10-a-game against actual public schools, however. This is a big game, with the winner moving to the playoffs and loser likely counting shoes. The teams already played once, in Week 0, with Dixie winning 28-21. Ware Shoals seems to have improved since then, so this could be a close one. McCormick (4-5, 3-0) at Whitmire (4-5, 2-1) This game is for the Region I championship. "But, but, your week in review said McCormick had locked that mother up and built it a room in its attic to live in." Well, math and attention to detail are not strengths of mine. You want a laser focus on minutia and mad cipherin' skills, go talk to a banker. You want horrible analogies and mildly inappropriate jokes with some football mixed in, just stay with me. Anyway, I screwed up and this is, in fact, for the region title. McCormick went out of region last Friday and captured an "up" win, knocking of AAA Columbia 30-14. Mataeo Durant ran for 130 yards and two touchdowns in the win. They actually ran for 220 as a team and got just enough of a passing threat from Dillon Walters (93 yards passing) to provide a little balance. Really, McCormick's record is somewhat deceiving. With Durant, one of Class A's best players, injured early in the year, the team struggled, but they've won four straight since he returned, which ain't a coincidence Bubba. Whitmire got a hard-fought 16-6 win over Dixie last week. That came on the heels of a total head-scratcher loss to Calhoun Falls Charter the week before in which the Wolverines turned the ball over six times. I haven't seen them this year, but my understanding is that Whitmire is pretty young and have a metric butt ton of new starters, what with 18 seniors having graduated from last year. Think about a school with 160-ish kids losing that many players in a year and then you'll appreciate how impressive that 4-5 record actually is. I've also been told they are extremely well-coached and are always in position to make a play. They may not have a lot of team speed but the kids play very hard and you'll know you've been in a fight by the time a game ends. Devin Vo set the school record for carries in a game two weeks ago (and ran for more than 200 yards) so you could see a lot of he and Durant with the ball in their hands. Should be a good one behind the brick wall, next to the public course in the Pearl of the Piedmont. Lewisville (7-1, 1-1) at Great Falls (0-9, 0-3) On paper, this looks like a mismatch. Football is not played on paper, of course...mainly because the players' cleats would tear it up and whatnot. The Lions are ranked in the top five and are 7-1, with the lone loss coming to a powerhouse McBee team. They also beat what have turned out to be really good AA teams in Andrew Jackson and Blacksburg. They have a North-South All-Star in WR/RB Mike Hill (one of only six 1A players so honored...the minimum that could be selected, which is a total load but I'll sound off on that tomorrow), a senior quarterback in Trey Keels who is fresh off a 380-yard, three-touchdown performance, highly coveted lineman Josh Belk, a pair of outside linebackers (Daryl Foster and Jene Thompson) who have combined for more than 20 sacks and a bevy of other weapons. Great Falls is breaking in new schemes on offense and defense, has a thin roster and now has a couple of injuries to contend with. I'm telling you, though, I've seen every game between the two since 2001 and somehow this always ends up being an interesting game. Two years ago Great Falls came into this match-up 7-2 while Lewisville was 1-8 and the Lions won it. There have been years one team was up and the other was down and it still ended up being close somehow. It's as fierce a rivalry as there is in the state. McBee (6-2, 2-0) at Lamar (8-0, 2-0) This is the top match-up in the state Friday. McBee, like McCormick, is actually better than their record would indicate. They were missing five starters for losses to Pageland and Cheraw (including Dashonnell Wright who should've made the North-South game) but since they've gotten healthy they've won by scores of 40-28, 44-16, 42-6 and 46-7. Wright is the best-known of their weapons, but not their only one as Ricardo Wright and, seriously, some other kid named Wright have also been providing some big-play punch. The Wright's are into some mass procreating down there. Anyway, McBee doesn't throw it, but they consistently move the chains AND get big gainers out of their wishbone. Defensively, well, they're coming. You better do some blocking because they send the house and have the athletes to play man coverage behind that. Lamar, of course, has now won 16 straight games dating back to last year. Offensively they still run the system they switched to last year, which I heard one coach call what you'd get if the Wing-T and the spread had a baby. They don't throw it as much as they have in past years and they don't have one, beastly running back that will rack up 2,000 yards like they did in Tre Ceasar last year. They have a stable of guys, any of whom is capable of going for 100-plus yards on a given night. Defensively, someone who has seen them on film a couple of times told me they are kind of vanilla on defense, but he meant it as a supreme compliment. They are so flippin' good, they don't have to shift fronts, change coverages or blitz a whole lot. They hit you hard and all 11 on that side can run. In their last five games against fellow 1A teams, they've given up 25 total points and they have AAA and AAAA scalps on their belt this year. This is a huge one. If McBee wins, having already beaten Lewisville, they all but sew up first place in the region and avenge last year's loss to Lamar that ended their dreams of a perfect season. Lamar wins this one, then beats Lewisville next week and they win the region and just strengthen the perception that they're the team to beat again this year. North (1-6, 1-3) at Blackville-Hilda (6-2, 4-1) Look, offensively, B-H is a one-trick pony. Now, that pony does one of the coolest tricks you've ever seen. It can do a backwards flip through a flaming hoop while it farts the theme from "Miami Vice." They have a big front line and they run the ball out of a sort of modified single-wing. They physically mash most of the school children unfortunate enough to line up across from them. However, if you can physically match up with them and neutralize the running game, well, you get what happened last week, which is a 30-6 loss to Williston-Elko in what basically decided the region title. Even in trailing by that big a margin, the Hawks threw for six yards. Six. That isn't to say they aren't good, because they sure are, just milking the clock and playing good defense and slowly squeezing the life out of opponents. It seems like a safe bet that they start a new winning streak against a struggling North squad. Williston-Elko (5-2, 4-0) at Denmark-Olar (2-5, 1-3) The Vikings got one of the biggest wins of last week, with their 30-6 victory over Blackville-Hilda. Tyran Parks ran for 200 dadgum yards, the defense limited a big, powerful B-H rushing attack to 85 yards and the the team has now won five straight. Denmark has wins over struggling North and Branchville, but otherwise has scored six points this year in five losses...so, you know, Friday might not be their night. Ridge Spring-Monetta (3-5, 2-3) at Hunter-Kinard-Tyler (3-4, 2-2) The annual battle for the Golden Hyphen Trophy. Not really, but they should totally play for that. Anyway, HKT won 41-0 over North last week, they've won two-of-three and the loss was a close one to Blackville-Hilda, so they seem to be peaking at the right time. Devante Scott was 12-of-15 passing last week for 285 yards and also has an excellent running dimension to his game. RSM had one of the WTH games of last week. They lost to previously winless Estill 12-6. They've lost two straight overall and I'm seriously wondering what's going on with a team that's made nice playoff runs each of the past few years. Did the team stop and eat gas station chili before the game last week? I'd love some details (leave them in the comment section if you went to the game). They're probably still in the playoffs but a loss in this one, then a game against Blackville-Hilda next week could have them staring at a five seed and an unpleasant first-round playoff path. Estill (1-7, 1-4) at Wagener-Salley (5-2, 3-2) Good for Estill to end their losing streak and get a win last week. The Stump-Whooped All-Stars seem to be back to form, with consecutive wins after back-to-back losses. Bout all I got on this'n, Hoss. Part II of the preview should be posted by tomorrow afternoon.
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TravisI am Travis, the king 0f SC 1A Football Archives
November 2021
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