Ridge Spring-Monetta (7-4) at Whitmire (6-4)
The Trojans picked up an impressive victory last week over Great Falls by a 47-0 count. They put a pretty good Red Devils team away early, leading 25-0 a play or two into the second quarter. They actually did a lot of their damage through the air, with Remedee Leaphart (I don’t know if it’s possible to have a more awesome name than that) throwing for nearly 300 yards. D.B. Harris had a big night catching the ball and, it being RS-M, they certainly ran it well with Collier Sullivan scoring on an 80-yard run. The shutout they pitched was impressive too, because Great Falls has some field-stretching weapons (D.J. Adams, Xavion Moore and others) and teams from this region sometimes get bitten early in the playoffs by teams that stretch the field a bit, because it’s not something they see a whole lot of. Whitmire enjoyed a bye last week. They will not spread the field…they will mostly line it up in ultra-tight formation and slam it down your gullet with a scrum attack. If they get three or four yards, they’re happy, because then they just want three or four more, then three or four more. They piece together crazy-long drives that drain the clock and you’re your soul and will to compete at times. Coach Charlie Jenkins does a great job, obviously. The Wolverines were mired in the state’s longest losing streak when he took over several years back, now they are winning region titles. He takes a lot of chances, but I don’t see them as gambles. I think he makes it incumbent on the opposition to not make mistakes and to stop them from doing what they’re good at. So, they go for it on fourth down frequently and attempt an onside kick on every kickoff. You night end up with good field position, but they also might get a recovery right after a six-minute drive, then follow it with another six-minute drive. Your defense gets gassed, they pull a rabbit out of their hat and make a whole quarter disappear and suddenly you’re behind the eight ball. They aren’t going to throw the ball a lot because they aren’t good at it. What they are gonna do it ram it right down your gullet with a bevy of speedy backs and 240-pound fullback (Chandler Crumley) who is like a moose on a skateboard going down a hill with the ball in is hands. Whitmire is certainly capable of or winning this game…they are capable of being a handful for anybody, really. I think the schedule of each is a good barometer of this game. RS-M’s four losses came to two really good AA teams (Saluda and Batesburg-Leesville) and two really good Class A teams (Wagener-Salley and Blackville-Hilda). They also had a blowout road win over a good Class A opponent…that was Whitmire, back in early September. This one will be closer but I think the end result is the same. The Pick-Ridge Spring-Monetta McBee (3-8) at Blackville-Hilda (8-2) This a rematch of last year’s second round that saw the 3-7 Panthers score a massive upset on the road of the 8-2 Hawks. We have exactly the same scenario this year in terms records. Essentially, you have to toss McBee’s record out the window when sizing them up because they played one of the biggest, big-boy schedules imaginable. They opened with four OK to very good AA teams, then played Green Sea Floyds, then Lake View, then another tough AA opponent in Blacksburg. They then won two of three games in region play (just like last year) with the only loss being to Lamar. They aren’t a spread-y as they were last year in Johnny Kline’s first season at the helm. They go with multiple-back sets and use tight ends some. They are primarily a running team. They’ll ride the legs of Elijah Williams and Jaheim Wright heavilyIf you know nothing else about McBee, know this…they have a judgy sign that points at you in an accusatory way about speeding, and an endless supply of running backs named Wright. They beat Dixie last week 30-0, but that wasn’t much of a surprise. The Hornets didn’t have much to match up with the Panthers athletically-speaking. B-H had a first-round bye, but when last we saw them, they were busy absolutely mopping the floor with five straight opponents, including a very good Ridge Spring-Monetta team. They throw it a little more than in past years and have an excellent trigger man in Adonis Davis, another awesomely-named, duel-threat 1A quarterback. They have three or four legit, frontline RBs, including Daylon Dickerson, a good O line and a defense that played well all year but really excellend down the stretch. It is worth mentioning that the Hawks are the only team to give Wagener-Salley much of a challenge, standing toe-to-toe with the crazy, chitlin’-slinging man-beasts for a half. McBee can go in loose, playing with house money and the knowledge they pulled this upset last year. They’ve played top-level competition, but it has to be mentioned that when they’ve played REALLY good teams, the results haven’t been or real close. They are capable of winning this one again…but I think the safe money is on the Hawks, who are as good defensively as last year but with a more explosive and diverse offense. The Pick- Blackville-Hilda Ware Shoals (4-7) at Lamar (8-2) The only game I missed in last week’s slate was Ware Shoals’ win over HKT. I’m not sure what happened to HKT, a squad that was playing well before getting violently diddled in the regular-season finale by RS-M, then losing last week. Someone reminded me that in 1A, one injury can sometimes wreck you. If your QB gets hurt, he’s probably also a starting safety and kick returner and probably punts too. So, it could have been something like that. Credit to Ware Shoals, though. Their three regular season wins came against a non-SCHSL private school and a pair of opponents with two combined wins. Their defense had struggled all year, but they totally shut HKT down. I’ve been a fan of Demarius Goodman since seeing him play in person last year. I didn’t see his name mentioned in any write-ups, but Jake Calvert threw a touchdown pass and ran for another score. That’s great and it’s a nice step forward for a program that has been struggling in terms of wins-and-losses for a decade. Any future steps in the right direction will have to come next year, though. Lamar is a legit contender to win the whole thing. They have a nasty, senior-laden line that seems to enjoy pummelling opposing school-children, they have a dynamic, playmaking QB in Cam Galloway and they’ve started mixing in some spread concepts the past few weeks to compliment a “shove it up your bucket” running attack they’ve always had. It is also worth mentioning they gave up one offensive score in region games and that came late in the fourth quarter against Great Falls with a running clock and backups on the field. They win and win big. The Pick- Lamar McCormick (5-6) at Wagener-Salley (10-0) The Chiefs advanced by beating Williston-Elko 56-35 last week. IN fact, if you look only at their 1A competition this year, McCormick has scored, 41, 41, 44 (in a loss), 42 and 56 points. They are doing that with the all-freshman backfield of QB Suderian Harrison and RB A’Chean Durant, who runs and plays very much like a bullet in shoulder pads. If you’re a Chiefs fan, just think about the possibilities in the future as those two supremely talented skill players get bigger, stronger and more mature. As long as they have a decent line in front of them, I think this is a team to watch starting next year…but it will totally be next year. The boys from Chitlinville can physically mash most anyone who wants to have a tater-kicking contest with them (huge up front on both sides), but they can also throw it a little bit now, they seem more adept defensively against the pass and you’re not running it on them, which is sort of McCormick’s bread-and-butter. If my picks hold, we get Lamar v Wagener-Salley next week. The Pick-Wagener-Salley Lake View (7-4) at Branchville (8-2) This is about the only game this week that gives me pause and causes a little indecision. Lake View, coming into the year, was replacing 20 starters, so my expectations were not especially high. Instead, they won six games in the regular season, gave Dillon, Marion and Lamar decent to very good games and absolutely slaughtered Denmark-Olar last week. Really, the only non-competitive game they played all year was against defending 1A champs Green Sea Floyds. This is a run-heavy team and they have Swiss Army knife, do everything, cheetah/robot football ninja in Adarrian Dawkins. I’ve seen film of him at pretty much every skill position on offense and he can go the distance whenever he touches the ball. I’m told by a few people they will be the team to beat next year in 1A (depending on what happens with realignment, obviously). Branchville was off last week but had one of its best regular seasons in recent memory. It starts with their excellent senior quarterback Zach Wiles. Go look at his senior highlight film and you’ll see why Branchville is sitting at 8-2. He’s a big, mobile kid with a heck of an arm. He’s sort of the X factor here. However, you start looking at their schedule and you see a lot of wins against teams with two or fewer victories. They did beat Whitmire and narrowly got by Cross, but they also got crushed by C.E. Murray and lost to Denmark-Olar. Teams that really get physical have given them problems and the Wild Gators can sure do that. The Pick, in a close one-Lake View Scott’s Branch (3-8) at C.E. Murray (7-2) Brian Smith goes against the team he coached last year…and honestly that’s about the only interesting angle you’re getting in this one. C.E. Murray already beat Scott’s Branch badly a few weeks ago, the road team here has three wins against teams with a combined three wins, the Eagles are playing top-level defense and they’ll roll into the third round where I think we’ll get a state championship level matchup. The Pick- C.E. Murray St. John’s (4-6) at Green Sea Floyds (9-0) St. John’s is another team you need to keep in mind when you start looking toward 2020. They have young talent on offense (freshman QB) that is going to get better. They won a dog-fight over The Mr. T Haircuts last week 6-0. That says quite a lot about how hard and well their defense played. They’ll give it everything they’ve got this week, but man Green Sea is so good on both sides and has SOOOOOOO many weapons. You really start looking at their schedule, you realize they had one close win and one close, competitive loss to the unbeaten AAA team that later beat Dillon. The Trojans roll and set up a great one with C.E. Murray next week. The Pick- Green Sea Floyds. Last week’s record- 7-1
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TravisI am Travis, the king 0f SC 1A Football Archives
November 2021
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