Site: Pinky Babb Stadium. Time: 7:30 p.m.
Sumter notes: The Gamecocks (3-1) got back on track last week in a 45-0 win over White Knoll that was over early. Sumter had a 21-0 lead by the end of the first half and had a 35-0 by halftime … In retrospect, the Gamecocks 16-14 home loss in the previous week to Spartanburg wasn’t as bad as first suspected. After all, the Vikings went back on the road last week and pulled off another two-point win. This time, ironically, at Greenwood … Roderick McDowell ran for 66 yards and two touchdowns in little more than two quarters of work last week vs. White Knoll. Quarterback Stephen Curtis was 4-for-6 passing for 108 yards and two TDs. Sumter finished with 209 yards rushing, 178 passing.
Greenwood notes: The Eagles opened the season with a 56-3 rout of cross-town rival Emerald, but have since lost three in a row to Lexington, Dorman and revitalized Spartanburg. Greenwood needs a win to avoid having the longest losing streak in 11 years, dating back to a five-game skid in Shell Dula’s first year in command in 1997 … The Eagles pulled within 13-11 with 2:51 remaining in the fourth quarter on a scoring pass from Christian Powell to Cory Fain, but the bid for a two-point conversion to tie the score failed. Spartanburg then ran out the clock … But for all the struggles on offense, Greenwood’s defense couldn’t keep the Spartanburg offense in check. The Vikings finished with 270 yards rushing and 120 passing.
Series history: Friday’s game in the Lakelands is the first-ever regular season meetings of two of the state’s oldest programs, and the first meeting of any kind since back-to-back playoff confrontations in 1993 and 1994. The teams split two hotly contested Big 16 first-round playoff games. Greenwood was a 28-27 winner in 1993, and Sumter prevailed 31-28 the following year.
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