McCormick (5-3) at Calhoun Falls Charter (1-6)
I have to admit that I was wrong about McCormick. When they won a couple of games against Dixie and Ware Shoals I didn't think much of it, since both of those teams have struggled this year. However, they are 5-3 now and just beat a good, physical Ridge Spring-Monetta team 18-14. I know two things about Mataeo Durant...he has lots of vowels in his name and is good at running the football. He had 170 yards and three scores on RSM, so hey everybody in the lakelands, have fun tackling him for the next however many years. That win gives the Chiefs the inside track on a region title and a pantsload of first-place playoff points. Calhoun Falls Charter started the year with a win over Dixie, but lost to them last week in a rematch 61-22. That tells me something...when you only have 20 or so kids on your team and attrition kicks in, it's almost impossible to overcome. Most guys start both ways, so one injury means you suddenly have two holes to fill. They gave up 611 yards on the ground to previously winless Dixie, McCormick runs the ball really well...draw your own conclusions. Dixie (1-6) at Fox Creek (3-4) After they lost to Calhoun Falls Charter to start the year and then experienced a series of painful proddings after that, I didn't figure Dixie had a win on their schedule. Well, they ran for 611 yards in a blow-out win rematch against the Flashes last week. Fox Creek won 34-7 over Ware Shoals last week thanks in part to Dalton Swires running for 200 yards and two scores. Fox Creek still has a shot at a region title, but they have to win out, with next week's game at McCormick being the de facto region title game. They can't trip up against Dixie, can't take their eye off of the ball, they've got to give 100 percent, they can't take Dixie lightly, uh, they've gotta crack them in the face with a pool cue. I'm bad with analogies, so, you know, just plug in whatever overplayed sports cliché you want here meaning "they need to beat the Hornets." Christ Church (5-2) at Ware Shoals (2-5) In one of the season's biggest surprises, Christ Church dropped a 16-13 decision to Southside Christian last week. For a little historical perspective, that marked their first loss to a Class A team since the third round of the playoffs in 2010 and their first regular season loss to a Class A team since October 17 2007. That should actually read 2000AND-FREAKING7. Granted, they have traditionally played in a fairly week region and have some built-in advantages I have prattled on about ad naseum, but to have not lost a regular season game to a fellow Class A is pretty stout Jack. Anyway, they probably aren't losing this one. Ware Shoals did have a little two-game win streak at one point, but it was against Dixie and Calhoun Falls who each have one win and those came against each other. They're struggling and Christ Church, while not completely dominant as in past years, is still very good. Southside Christian (6-1) at Whitmire (4-3)- You have to hand it to the Sabres, they did what no one else has been able to do in EIGHT FREAKING YEARS...which is inflict a Class A regular season loss on Christ Church. They knocked out the feared champ...kinda like Buster Douglas did so many years ago. Buster showed up for his next fight in poor shape and sporting man boobies. I don't think that will be the case with the Sabres...they'll be lean and taut and boobieless...I have no idea what I'm talking about. I am a ridiculous person. Anyway, Whitmire was and still is a great story. They came into last year on a 40-plus game losing streak and are 9-9 since then. That's an amazing turnaround, but when the injury/attrition bug bites a little and you get into the tougher part of your schedule, it gets hard to sustain success. They lost a closer-than-it-sounds 34-14 game to St. Joe's, which was a one score game late in the third. They've lost three straight and it will probably be four straight after this one. But with Dixie and Ware Shoals left on the slate, the Wolverines should finish up 6-4 and probably will host a playoff game. That's real progress. St. Joe's (4-3) at Ridge Spring-Monetta (4-3) St. Joe's knocked off Whitmire last week while RSM lost a close one to McCormick. Johnathan Gibson ran for 122 yards in that one and had a pair of 40-plus yard touchdown runs, but the Trojans got worn out by the Chiefs in the first half...let me rephrase that...The Trojans trailed 12-0 at the break but weren't able to dig themselves out of that hole. Bout all I got for you on this'n. C.A. Johnson (1-6) at Lamar (4-3)- Because of the flooding in the midlands, the Hornets actually haven't played since their game 15 days ago against Great Falls. Lamar routed Lewisville 49-6 last week after having experienced a bed-messing against Andrew Jackson the week before. They aren't Jeckyll and Hyde as much as their like your ex-girlfriend Lucinda...the one who would go from baking you pies and whispering sweetly in your ear to mocking invisible chickens for their inability to fly in the drop of a hat. Just me on the crazy Lucinda thing? Actually, they aren't like that, I just wanted to get that Lucinda thing off my chest. AJ has improved tremendously since the season started and Lamar turned the ball over in that game. I hate it for the Hornets because they've been through a lot down there, but they're practice schedule has been interrupted, they were struggling anyway and, uh, probably this won't go well. Great Falls (1-6) at McBee (6-0) You know, McBee has only played one half of football in the last month. Since beating Latta, they had an off-week, had their game with Lewisville stopped at halftime because of lighting, then had their contest with C.A. Johnson postponed because of flooding. Maybe their scary drill of soul-crushing destruction will be rusty? The Red Devils are struggling with a small roster that's been hit by injuries. Let's just move along. Williston-Elko (4-2) at Blackville-Hilda (1-6) Williston has been off for a few weeks but has won four straight. Blackville-Hilda went to to the land of milk and honey last week, er, the land of kudzu and chitlins, and lost to Wagener-Salley 28-20. They've hung in most of their six losses, but got worked on the ground pretty well last week and running the ball is kinda Williston's thing so it probably doesn't take Jethro Bodean level cipherin' to figure out how this might go. Wagener-Salley (4-3) at Calhoun County (7-0) Wagener-Salley has really turned things around last year. I saw them last year, and other than the comic value of trying to watch their 300-plus-pound fullback try to run a sweep, they weren't much to look at. They are legitimately improved and had Nick Posey and KeAunri Holmes both run for more than 100 yards last week. I've seen them, they are big up front and run a Wing-T variation. They will often go with double wings, or one wing and a slot back, but they have some athletes and keep it on the ground. Now, they may not matter against Calhoun County who is 7-0 and did vile, ugly things to Hunter-Kinard-Tyler in a 62-12 win last week. The Saints should win but this might be a more competitive game than it appeared it would be a few weeks ago. Hunter-Kinard-Tyler (3-4) at North (0-6) The two-time defending little Class A champs have hit a rough patch, losing three straight and the margins have gotten wider each week. They lost by 50 to Calhoun County last week, but an account of the game I read noted the team was without it's starting quarterback "for unexplained reasons." I'll not be venturing guesses on the "unexplained reasons" because, you know, those things can range from "missed practice" to "doing mission work." Anyway, the skid should end tonight against a North team that has been outscored 179-20 in their last four contests.
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November 2021
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