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.
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TravisI am Travis, the king 0f SC 1A Football Archives
November 2021
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