Ware Shoals- 38
Calhoun Falls Charter- 6 Dixie- 33 Whitmire- 6 Columbia- 28 McCormick- 2 Lamar- 60 Great Falls- 6 Timmonsville- 36 Lewisville- 28 McBee- 41 Camden Military- 7 Williston-Elko- 32 Blackville-Hilda- 10 Wagener-Salley- 28 Denmark-Olar- 14 Ridge Spring-Monetta- 46 Estill- This is what compares 2 U, according to Sinead Hunter-Kinard-Tyler- 58 North- Ladies and Gentlemen…The Bottle Rockets! Military Magnet- 28 Branchville- 22 C.E. Murray- 56 Bethune-Bowman- 20 Cross- 42 Scott’s Branch- 6 Lake View- 44 Creek Bridge- 8 Hannah-Pamplico- 48 East Clarendon- 10 Hemingway- 42 Green Sea-Floyds- 6 Breakdown- It’s hard to believe, but we have arrived at the final week of the regular season. Last Friday did provide us with some separation and helped bring the playoff picture into better focus (in case you missed it, I have playoff scenarios right here, complete with no less than nine, butt-covering asterisks) but what it didn’t provide us with was many surprises, with one exception. Timmonsville over Lewisville knocked me for a bit of a loop. It’s not that the Whirlwinds aren’t talented and capable of beating most anybody, because they are. Morris, Eaddy etc. give them a very potent offense and they’ve proven pretty scrappy on defense for the most part too. Just looking at common opponents, though, Lewisville flogged McBee, Timmonsville needed a late rally to pull one out of their hind quarters against the Panthers. Lamar trucked the Whirlwinds, but only led Lewisville 16-6 midway through the fourth before scoring two late touchdowns. Of course all the past performances don’t mean NOT NAM when you turn the ball over seven times, which Lewisville did. On top of that, they gave up three non-offensive touchdowns (including two kick returns). You have to be extra limber to kick yourself in the face that many times. The thing is, most teams have a game like that every once in a while and we all have a day like that once in a while. You ever spill coffee in our lap in the morning and just know that the whole day is gonna suck? You’ll get a flat tire, the phone will ring all day with complaint calls, you’ll get nothing done, a rogue band of hobo clowns will tie you to a sliding board and spank you with a cheese wheel. We’ve all been there, right? Anyway the Lions had thrown three interceptions in eight games this season and threw five Friday, then you add in the two special teams scores they allowed and it’s actually kind of amazing that they were driving with a chance to tie the game in the final seconds. You want to win them all and the loss did drop them from second to third in the region, but better to have that performance now that in the playoffs. If they play the way they’re capable of, they will face Lamar again for the upperstate championship in four weeks…Honestly, everything else went pretty much to form. A few final scores were mildly surprising, though the actual outcomes weren’t. I expected Whitmire to play a little closer to Dixie than 33-6. The Wolverines are tough and well-coached, but they are also very young, including on the line. Dixie, from what I understand, is solid up front, which may have given Whitmire a tough time (much like Lewisville did earlier in the season). The Hornets dominated time of possession and ran for nearly 250 yards, which indicates that might have been the case. The Wolverines managed only one score and that came on special teams. Both teams are already in the playoffs and Whitmire has a chance to make things super messy at the top of Region I this week against McCormick, who currently sits in the driver’s seat for the region title…Williston-Elko beating Blackville-Hilda 32-10 seemed closer than I expected, right up until I saw that it was 32-0 at halftime. So they ended it early and put things on cruise control, I guess. They don’t really seem to put up the unseemly 70-point whoopings they used to, that left opponents walking funny for weeks after. They are more of a run the clock and play nasty defense team now, which totally works just as well. Tyran Parker had 226 total yards in the victory. They’ve clinched a region title and number one playoff seed already, so now they’ll probably just go through the formality of beating Denmark-Olar and then enjoying a bye week…I guess Cross’ rogering of Scott’s Branch was a little surprising, but then it also wasn’t somehow. Cross lost a couple of early games to stiff competition by narrow margins and had some health issues to contend with, BUT they have a Shrine Bowl RB/LB/Buzzsaw in Cleats in Nathan Walker and seem to be peaking at exactly the right time. Scott’s Branch remains a creamy enigma, flash frozen in uncertainty, scooped into the cone of questions and topped with the sprinkles of WHA?!?! They shut out Bamberg-Ehrhardt, they shut down great offenses from Bethune-Bowman and St. John’s AAANNND gave up 50 to Timmonsville and now 42 to Cross. Walker ran for 147 yards, had 10 tackles and an 89-yard interception return. They most likely will play an at-large team in round one of the playoffs, then (I’m guessing) Lake View in what should be a an old-timey donnybrook where players carry teeth and ears off the field in their pockets. As for Scott’s Branch, they get to tangle with C.E. Murray this Friday…Speaking of the War Eagles, they stuck a nanner in the tailpipe of the Mr. T Haircuts this past week racking up 600 yards of offense and 56 total points. Elijah Bey, who isn’t getting nearly enough attention IMO, was 16-of-20 for 258 yards and ran for another 66. Kalil Williams had 178 yards and four touchdowns, which is cool and all, but then I tell you it was on nine carries and you’re like NUH UH! And I’m all like OH YES HE DID! Darius Rush caught three balls for 117 yards and added a 28-yard touchdown because of course he did. The War Eagles essentially won twice last week since, for some reason, Bamberg-Ehrhardt had to forfeit its earlier win over them for whatever that’s worth. Now, provided they take care of a Scott’s Branch team that has certainly shown it can knock off high-level opponents, C.E. Murray will win a region title and earn a first round playoff bye. Quick hits- I talk up Devante Scott from HKT a lot and here’s why; he threw for 120 yards and a touchdown Friday AND ran for 183 yards and another score ON EIGHT FLIPPIN’ CARRIES. So Kalil Williams is like “he did what now?”…I invented the term crank smack to describe the manner in which they were doling out savage rootins each week. They’ve done it with such regularity you actually look at their 42-6 win over Green Sea-Floyds Friday and think “huh, off night for them I guess.” Troy Singletary threw for nearly 170 and three scores in that one and ran for another 95…The gang from Chitlin Junction had a little tougher time of it Friday with Denmark-Olar than I was expecting in a 28-14 triumph. Oddly, the Stump Whooped Warriors have scored exactly 28 points in three of their past six games. They should have a fairly easy go of things with Estill this week, but they then are likely to face Lewisville in the first round of the playoffs when they’ll need considerably more offensive juice. Poll Time! As per usual, I have posted my top 10 1A poll, followed by the full S.C. Prep Media Poll… 1. Lamar-Here they are and here they’ll stay until someone takes it from them. Lucas, Herion and Green give them tons of offensive options, the defense doesn’t give an inch and the special teams are outstanding. A complete team. 2. Hemingway- I mean, I had to invent a term to describe the size of the butt whippings they are dispensing. 3. Lake View- Had a little trouble with Hannah-Pamplico two weeks ago, but have been cruising against a so-so schedule since opening with a loss to Latta. Get a chance to prove something this week against Hemingway. 4. C.E. Murray- One of the state’s most explosive offenses and a gritty defense. Don’t be shocked to see them playing Hemingway again down the line. 5. Baptist Hill- Corey Fields has thrown for a metric buttload of yards and touchdowns and the Bobcats defense is markedly improved this year. 6. Williston-Elko- Not flashy, but they haven’t lost in a while either, Bubba. 7. Lewisville- As much front-line talent as anybody in 1A, but the bad night against Timmonsville drops them a few spots. 8. Cross- Nathan Walker and company are healthy and on a roll. 9. Ridge Spring-Monetta- Here’s a team that’s slid under the radar. They can run it and throw it and they just mash people on defense. 10. Wagener-Salley- I give them a slight edge over Timmonsvill for 10th place. A stable of nice backs and a really good defense, but the offense seems capped at 28 and they don’t really have a signature win despite the 7-2 record. Class A 1. Lamar (13) 2. Hemingway 3. Lake View 4. (tie) Williston-Elko C.E. Murray 6. Baptist Hill 7. Wagener-Salley 8. Lewisville 9. Ridge Spring-Monetta 10. Timmonsville Receiving votes: Cross, Scott’s Branch, Dixie, McCormick, Hannah-Pamplico Suggested Reading Do they play “I sang Dixie” at Dixie games? If they don’t, they should. You can read about HKT, Chitlinburg and other games here, or you can keep being pig-headed like your dadgum daddy. I DON’T KNOW WHO YOU ARE ANYMORE!!!!
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
TravisI am Travis, the king 0f SC 1A Football Archives
November 2021
Categories |