Midlands HS football: Best Week 9 games, schedule, predictions, new power rankings
The high school football season is headed down the stretch with four weeks left in the regular season for South Carolina public schools and three for private schools.
Here is a look at some of the top matchups, area schedule and this week’s power rankings:
Blythewood (6-2, 2-2) at Sumter (7-0, 3-0)
Players to watch — B: WR Carter Coleman, DL Sterling Sanders; S: DE Anthony Addison, RB Kam Fortune
Notes: Game is the WACH Fox Sonic Rivals Game of the Week. First meeting between schools since 2019. Sumter has a 3-2 series lead. Sumter is 7-0 for the first time since 2020. Carter Coleman leads Blythewood in receiving with 40 catches for 730 yards and 11 touchdowns. Blythewood QB Johnny Collins needs 78 yards to hit 2,000 yards passing on the season. Kemuel Little leads the Bengals with 12 sacks and 23 tackles for loss. Jaylen Reeves is tops on Blythewood with six interceptions. Sumter rushed for a school-record 468 yards in its last game against West Florence. Sumter is averaging 330 yards per game on the ground. Sumter DE Anthony Addison, a USC commit, has 61 tackles (15.5 for loss) and 4.5 sacks.
Prediction: Sumter
Chapin (4-3, 0-2) at River Bluff (6-1, 1-1)
Players to watch — C: QB Brady Albro, WR Khalen Bostick; RB: RB Hayden Myers, WR/DB Stephen Collier
Notes: River Bluff leads the all-time series, 5-3, but Chapin won last year, 41-38, on Chase Cline’s 49-yard field with 13 seconds left. Chapin has lost three straight after a 4-0 start. River Bluff is coming off its first loss of the season. Chapin QB Brady Albro needs 58 passing yards for 2,000 this season. Khalen Bostick is Chapin’s top receiver with 43 catches for 704 yards and 10 TDs. Blaine Fender leads River Bluff with 73 tackles and running back Hayden Myers needs 166 yards for 1,000 yards rushing this year.
Prediction: Chapin
Dreher (3-4, 1-3) at AC Flora (6-2, 3-1)
Players to watch — RB/LB Willie Smith, DL Amarri Ellison; ACF: QB Roper Wentzky, WR Kendall Byrd
Notes: AC Flora has won six straight against its Richland One rivals and holds a 35-24 series lead. All six of Flora’s last wins against Dreher have been by 40 points or more. AC Flora enters the game in second place in Region 3-4A. BJ Mack leads ACF with 712 yards rushing. Kendall Byrd leads ACF with 58 catches for 669 yards and five TDs. Azel Banag is tied for ACF’s lead with 61 tackles and tops with two interceptions.
Prediction: AC Flora
Dutch Fork (6-0, 2-0) at Lexington (5-2, 1-1)
Players to watch — DF: DB Elgin Sessions, LB, Josh Smith; RB/LB Matt McAulay, QB Brennan Carter
Notes: Dutch Fork leads the series, 14-8, and has won 10 straight against the Wildcats. The Silver Foxes are the No. 1 ranked team in Class 5A and in MaxPreps RPI. Dutch Fork has outscored its opponents, 249-17. DF cornerback Elgin Sessions has returned an interception for a touchdown in each of the last two games. DF running back Maurice Anderson leads the team with 13 rushing touchdowns. Lexington rallied from a 23-13 deficit to defeat Chapin, 33-32, last week. The go-ahead score came on Brennan Carter’s 22-yard TD pass to Nigel Lewis with 43 seconds left.
Prediction: Dutch Fork
Hammond (7-0) at Northwood (7-1)
Players to watch — H: TE Mike Tyler, QB Andrew Turner; N: LB Cody Mccleary, RB Keshon Ford
Notes: Game was originally scheduled for Sept. 27 but was postponed because of Hurricane Helene. First meeting between the two programs. Hammond QB Andrew Turner has thrown for 1,588 yards and 22 touchdowns. LSU commit Mike Tyler has 30 catches for 549 yards and five TDs. Jackson Ross leads the Skyhawks with 9.5 sacks. Northwood is coming off its first loss of the season, 28-12, to Porter-Gaud last week. Linebacker Cody Mccleary leads Northwood with 90 tackles and Will Watts has 10 sacks.
Prediction: Hammond
Irmo (7-0, 2-0) at White Knoll (4-3, 0-2)
Players to watch — I: QB AJ Brand, WR Donovan Murph; WK: WR/DB Devin Geronomi, DL Tyrone Jennings
Notes: First meeting since 2017 between two schools. Irmo leads the all-time series, 11-2. Irmo QB AJ Brand needs 365 total yards for 10,000 yards of total offense in his career. He has more than 9,000 yards passing/rushing and 525 yards receiving (Brand was WR his freshman year.) Donovan Murph leads Irmo in receiving with 55 catches for 769 yards and four TDs. Jaiden Bryant leads Irmo with 5.5 sacks. Connor Burgess leads WK with 84 tackles. The Timberwolves have lost two straight games and haven’t lost three in a row since 2022.
Prediction: Irmo
Ridge View (4-3, 3-0) at West Florence (5-2, 2-1)
Players to watch — RV: QB Tre Howard, WR Khristian Jackson; WF: LB Lavern Evans, WR Terry Lowery
Notes: First meeting since 2007 between two teams. Series is tied, 1-1. Ridge View has scored 50 points or more in two straight games. It is believed to be the first time that has happened in school history. Ridge View quarterback Tre Howard has thrown for 580 yards and eight touchdowns over the past two games. Ridge View’s Darryl Spencer had three sacks last week against Lugoff-Elgin. WF’s Terry Lowery has 998 all-purpose yards and 10 total touchdowns.
Prediction: Ridge View
Game schedule, predictions
(Winner picks in bold face caps)
Thursday
GRAY COLLEGIATE at South Aiken
NORTH AUGUSTA at Airport
Friday
American Leadership at BATESBURG-LEESVILLE
CARDINAL NEWMAN at Augusta Christian
CHERAW at North Central
Columbia at CHESTER
Eau Claire at FAIRFIELD CENTRAL
Fox Creek at KEENAN
Gilbert at BROOKLAND-CAYCE
Great Falls at CA JOHNSON
GSIC at PROVIDENCE ATHLETIC CLUB (Bray Park)
Lakewood at LOWER RICHLAND
Laurence Manning at BEN LIPPEN
Newberry Academy at LAURENS ACADEMY
SALUDA at Ninety-Six
STROM THURMOND at Pelion
SWANSEA at Silver Bluff
Trinity Collegiate at NORTHSIDE CHRISTIAN
WARDLAW at WW King
WESTWOOD at Lugoff-Elgin
York at CAMDEN
Last Week: 23-4
This Season: 173-37
Midlands Power Rankings
Here are the area’s power rankings by The State staff. A look at the top 10 teams in the area and those just on the outside.
1. Dutch Fork (6-0)
- Last Week’s Ranking: 1
- Last Week: Defeated White Knoll, 38-0
- This Week: at Lexington
2. Irmo (7-0)
- Last Week’s Ranking: 2
- Last Week: Defeated River Bluff, 35-14
- This Week: at White Knoll
3. Hammond (6-0)
- Last Week’s Ranking: 4
- Last Week: Defeated Augusta Christian, 51-16
- This Week: at Northwood
4. Saluda (5-0)
- Last Week’s Ranking: 5
- Last Week: Defeated Pelion, 50-0
- This Week: at Ninety-Six
5. Batesburg Leesville (6-0)
- Last Week’s Ranking: 6
- Last Week: Defeated Ninety-Six, 42-14
- This Week: vs. American Leadership
6. River Bluff (6-1)
- Last Week’s Ranking: 3
- Last Week: Lost to Irmo, 35-14
- This Week: vs. Chapin
7. Swansea (6-1)
- Last Week’s Ranking: 9
- Last Week: Off
- This Week: at Silver Bluff
8. Lexington (5-2)
- Last Week’s Ranking: NR
- Last Week: Defeated Chapin, 33-32
- This Week: vs. Dutch Fork
9. Fairfield Central (6-1)
- Last Week’s Ranking: NR
- Last Week: Defeated Chester, 22-6
- This Week: vs. Eau Claire
10. AC Flora (6-2)
- Last Week’s Ranking: NR
- Last Week: Defeated Richland Northeast
- This Week: vs. Dreher
Dropped out: White Knoll, Richland Northeast, Blythewood
Others considered: Gray Collegiate, Keenan, Richland Northeast, Blythewood, White Knoll
