Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2008

Football: Rock Hill at Irmo

Site: W.C. Hawkins Stadium. Time: 7:30 p.m.

Rock Hill notes: After going 10-15 in 2006 and 2007, the Bearcats have returned to their traditional position as a state championship this season. Rock Hill enters the Class 4A Division I quarterfinals with a 10-2 record. The only losses have come against city rivals Northwestern and South Pointe … Jatavius Stewart ran for 122 yards and two touchdowns, and also caught a scoring pass in Rock Hill’s 34-10 win over Fort Dorchester last week. Jerante Hood, subbing for injured running back Jamal Tyler, has 73 yards and two TDs on 20 carries. Tyler is lost for the season with a fractured pelvic bone … The banged-up Bearcats also saw three-year starting linebacker Brandon Jackson suffer a game-ending arm injury last week.

Irmo notes: The red-hot Yellow Jackets (9-3) opened the 4A Division I playoffs with a 24-0 win over Hillcrest. It was the sixth straight win for Irmo, which is 9-1 after getting off to a 0-2 start this season … If Irmo wins and advances, it will mark the sixth time in the last seven season that Bob Hanna’s team will finished with at least 10 victories … Last week’s success evened Irmo’s all-time playoff record at 34-34.

Series history: Rock Hill enjoys a slight, 6-5 overall edge in the series and a 4-3 advantage in playoff encounters with the Yellow Jackets. Irmo was a 69-27 winner in the most recent contest in the first round of the 4A Division I playoffs in 2006. That verdict stands as the worst Rock Hill defeat in history.