HS football playoff schedule, predictions: Region 4-5A teams stand tall in SC
It’s the third round of the S.C. High School League playoffs, and four of the six teams in Region 4-5A are still standing.
Dutch Fork, Irmo, River Bluff and White Knoll are playing games after Thanksgiving, backing up the notion that Class 5A’s Region 4 is one of the toughest regions in South Carolina. No other region has more than two teams left in the postseason.
Three those teams — Dutch Fork, Irmo and River Bluff — have each won 10 or more games, with White Knoll at seven wins. Both Dutch Fork and Irmo are No. 1 seeds in their brackets.
The region is guaranteed to have one losing team this week, with Dutch Fork and River Bluff meeting in the third round of the Class 5A Division I Upper State playoffs. There is a chance White Knoll and Irmo might meet next week if both teams win this week.
Here is a look at matchups featuring local teams in the third round of the playoffs.
River Bluff (10-2) at Dutch Fork (10-0)
Players to watch — RB: WR/S Stephen Collier, RB Hayden Myers; DF: LB Josh Smith, RB Maurice Anderson
Notes: Second meeting of the season. Dutch Fork won, 41-14, on Nov. 1. Silver Foxes are 9-0 all-time against River Bluff. The Gators have won a school-record 10 games this season. Dutch Fork has outscored its opponents, 398-50. Dutch Fork has won 10 or more games in all but one season since 2010. Josh Smith, a South Carolina commitment, leads DF with 70 tackles and seven sacks. DF receiver Boykin Bickley leads the team with 47 catches and 807 yards receiving. Blaine Felder leads River Bluff with 130 tackles. Hayden Myers leads RB with 1,360 yards and 13 TDs.
Prediction: Dutch Fork
Ridge View (8-4) at Summerville (11-0)
Players to watch — RV: QB Tre Howard, WR Khristian Jackson; S: QB Jaden Cummings, RB Jayven Williams
Notes: Third meeting between the two teams and first since 2005. Summerville won the previous two meetings. RV quarterback Tre Howard has thrown for more than 2,000 yards this season. Summerville QB Jaden Cummings, a Dartmouth commit, has thrown for more than 2,000 yards and RB Jayven Williams has more than 1,300 yards rushing.
Prediction: Summerville
West Florence (8-3) at Irmo (10-1)
Players to watch — WF: ATH Terry Lowery, LB Lavern Evans; I: QB AJ Brand, WR Donovan Murph
Notes: First meeting between two schools. Irmo has back-to-back 10-win seasons for the first time since 2008-09. Irmo QB AJ Brand is 48 yards shy of 11,000 total yards in his career and is closing in on 140 total touchdowns. Brand has thrown for 2,162 yards, rushed for 1,530 yards with 42 total touchdowns. Donovan Murph leads the team with 79 catches for 1,070 yards and seven touchdowns. Jaiden Bryant leads the Yellow Jackets with 14.5 sacks.
Prediction: Irmo
White Knoll (7-5) at Berkeley (6-5)
Players to watch — WK: QB Landon Sharpe, WR/DB Devin Geronomi; B: QB Henry Rivers, ATH Johava Williams
Notes: First meeting between the two schools. First time Berkeley is in the state quarterfinals since 2018. Devin Geronomi leads White Knoll with seven interceptions. Connor Burgess leads the Timberwolves with 131 tackles. White Knoll quarterback Landon Sharpe has thrown for 1,902 yards, rushed for 841 with 26 total touchdowns. Caleb Geronomi leads WK with 56 catches for 853 yards and four touchdowns. Berkeley quarterback Henry Rivers has thrown for 1,911 yards, rushed for 768 with 26 total touchdowns.
Prediction: White Knoll
Camden (9-3) at Westside (11-0)
Players to Watch — C: DL/TE Tanner Bracey; WR/DB Tylin Drakeford; W: QB Cutter Woods, RB/DB Sharode Richardson
Notes: First meeting between the two schools. Camden has advanced at least to the state quarterfinals in six straight seasons. Westside is the defending 4A champion and has won 25 straight games dating back to last season. Camden has been using a two-quarterback system with Grayson Rimpf and Wyatt Thompson, who has rushed for 1,021 yards and needs 120 for 1,000 passing yards. Last week, Camden trailed Wren 42-35 with 2:09 left, but Rimpf found Tylin Drakeford on a 53-yard pass and the Bulldogs were successful on a two-point try. Jojo Crim blocked game-winning field goal attempt. Tylin Drakeford leads Camden with 57 catches for 903 yards and 13 TDs. Westside QB Cutter Woods is a South Carolina commitment and has thrown for more than 10,000 yards in his career.
Prediction: Westside
Gilbert (8-4) at North Augusta (11-1)
Players to Watch — G: RB Trevon Williamson, QB Cooper James; QB Corey Tillman, RB Michael Doe.
Notes: Second meeting of season between two schools. NA won, 37-20, on Sept. 20. Gilbert has been to the state quarterfinals in six of the last eight seasons. Chandler Guthrie has back-to-back 100-yard receiving games for Gilbert. Gilbert RB Trevon Williamson needs 37 rushing yards for 1,000 on the season and Cooper James needs 71 passing yards for 2,000. Connor Gooding leads Gilbert with 32 catches for 634 yards. Demarion Brown leads Gilbert with 107 tackles.
Prediction: North Augusta
Keenan (8-4) at Loris (10-1)
Players to Watch — QB Desmond Washington, ATH Tyheim McNeil; L: QB Moon Gerald, ATH Landon Conner
Notes: First meeting between the two teams. Keenan has won eight games and is in the state quarterfinals for the first time since 2014. Keenan QB Desmond Washington has thrown for 2,789 yards and 29 total touchdowns. Washington had 470 yards passing last week in a win over O-W. Tyheim McNeil had eight catches for 278 yards and three touchdowns last week and leads the team with 55 catches for 1,139 yards and 10 scores. LB Darius Dixon leads Keenan with 119 tackles. Loris won its first region title since 2000 and is in the quarterfinals for the first time since 2015.
Prediction: Keenan
Batesburg-Leesville (12-0) at Clinton (9-2)
Players to Watch — BL: RB Amadre Wooden, WR/DB KD Whitt; C: RB Javen Cook, OL Tre Aiken
Notes: Third-straight year teams have played each other. Clinton won 50-28 last year and leads the all-time series, 7-1. Batesburg running back Amadre Wooden rushed for a school-record 334 yards and five touchdowns last week against Andrew Jackson. Wooden has rushed for 2,053 yards, fourth-most in a single season in school history. BL has scored 478 points this season, 10 off the school record of 488 in 2016. B-L is 12-0 for the first time since 2000. Clinton averages 336.3 yards rushing per game.
Prediction: Clinton
Central (10-2) at Fairfield Central (11-1)
Players to Watch — C: ATH Tray Wilson, DT Kobe Davis; FC: RB Tydarion Grier, LB Chauncey Turner
Notes: First meeting between the two schools. Fairfield is in the quarterfinals for the second time in six seasons. Central is in the quarterfinals for the first time since 2018. Fairfield RB Tydarion Grier has rushed for 1,600 yards and 30 touchdowns. FC’s Chauncey Turner leads the team with 99 tackles, five sacks and is second with two interceptions. Both teams averaged more than 200 yards rushing per game.
Prediction: Fairfield Central
Lou Bezjak’s predictions last week: 16-1
Bezjak’s predictions this season: 268-49
Statewide Playoff Schedule
——Class 5A Division I——
Upper State
River Bluff at Dutch Fork
JL Mann at Spartanburg
Lower State
Ridge View at Summerville
James Island at Sumter
——Class 5A Division II——
Upper State
Greenwood at Northwestern
TL Hanna at Gaffney
Lower State
West Florence at Irmo
White Knoll at Berkeley
——Class 4A——
Upper State
Camden at Westside
South Pointe at Daniel
Lower State
South Florence at Hartsville
Gilbert at North Augusta
——Class 3A——
Upper State
Crescent at Mountain View Prep
Powdersville at Belton-Honea Path
Lower State
Keenan at Loris
Dillon at Oceanside Collegiate
——Class 2A——
Upper State
Batesburg-Leesville at Clinton
Central at Fairfield Central
Lower State
Cheraw at Barnwell
Philip Simmons at Manning
——Class A——
Upper State
Lamar at Abbeville
Hunter-Kinard-Tyler at Lewisville
Lower State
Hannah-Pamplico at Cross
Bamberg-Ehrhardt at Lake View
