7 story lines, plus predictions for SC high school football playoff semifinal games
It’s one of the best weeks of the year in South Carolina high school football, as the teams look to punch their tickets to state championships.
With the split of Class 5A this year, that means there will be 12 semifinal games (instead of 10) taking place Friday night across the state. Here is a look at some of the top storylines as well as predictions for all the matchups.
Tom Knotts’ unbeaten streak
Beating Dutch Fork hasn’t been an easy task since Tom Knotts took over the program. History says it’s impossible to beat the Silver Foxes in the state semifinal round.
Dutch Fork is 11-0 in semifinals under Knotts. Spartanburg will try to end that streak Friday when they travel to Fox Field in the Class 5A Division I Upper State championship.
This is the second time the two teams will play each other this season. Dutch Fork defeated the Vikings, 24-7, on Aug. 30. QB Ethan Offing threw three touchdown passes, including two to Boykin Bickley, and the Silver Foxes held the Vikings to 130 yards of total offense.
Dutch Fork’s defense is on a record-setting pace. The Silver Foxes (11-0) have allowed just 73 points this season, with the school record of 94 points allowed in 2020, the COVID year when they played just 10 games.
“This is as good of a team as we have had in a long time,” Knotts said after last week’s win over River Bluff.
Dutch Fork is in search of its ninth state championship and fifth unbeaten season in school history.
Irmo-White Knoll, Part II
Dutch Fork-Spartanburg isn’t the only rematch this week. There is one involving Region 4-5A teams White Knoll and Irmo.
The two teams met on Oct. 18 with Irmo winning, 35-21. The game was tied in the fourth quarter until Maleek Miller had a 60-yard touchdown run for the go-ahead score with 10:23 left. The Yellow Jackets stopped White Knoll on a fourth down near the 50 and scored a late TD to seal the win.
Irmo is led by Virginia Tech QB signee AJ Brand, who has thrown for 2,358 yards, rushed for 1,647 and accounted for 49 touchdowns. Brand had 306 total yards in the first game. The Yellow Jackets are looking for their first title game appearance since 2006.
White Knoll is looking for its second-straight championship appearance. They’re the the lowest-seeded team (No. 7) in 4A/5A and lowest-finishing team in the region (tied for fourth) left in the playoffs.
The Timberwolves have won 21 games over the past two seasons, most in a two-year stretch in school history.
Big-time RB battle
Two of the state’s top running backs will be on display in the Class 3A Upper State championship game when Belton-Honea Path faces Mountain View Prep.
BHP features Marquise Henderson, a Clemson signee and Mr. Football finalist who has 2,279 all-purpose yards this season, including 1,775 yards rushing and 27 total touchdowns.
MVP has junior Jaylen McGill, who has more than 20 college offers, including South Carolina, Clemson, Texas and Alabama. McGill has 3,227 all-purpose yards and 38 touchdowns.
MVP is trying to make it to the state championship in its first year of the school. BIythewood is the only school to win a state football title the year it opened (2006).
If the Stars win and Oceanside Collegiate wins the Lower State title, it will be an all-public charter school final for the second-straight year. Oceanside and Gray Collegiate played in the 2A championship last season.
Fairfield back on big stage
It’s been 11 years since Fairfield Central played in a state championship and since 2015 that Griffins have played in a state semifinal. Fairfield Central faces Clinton on Friday night and is a win away from making it to the Class 2A finals.
“My first couple years I got spoiled because we ended up playing in it three of the first four years,” Fairfield Central coach Demetrius Davis said this week. “It is exciting at this time of year no matter how cold it is.”
Fairfield is led by Shrine Bowl running back Tydarion Grier, who has rushed for 1,985 yards and 37 total touchdowns. The Griffins also have a solid defense that has given up 10 or more points just three times in their last 12 games this season.
Green Wave, Gamecocks look to end title drought
Summerville and Sumter face off in the 5A Division I Lower State championship, with both teams trying to end their title droughts.
Sumter hasn’t made it to a state championship game since 2013 and has lost in the semifinal round twice since 2020. The Gamecocks’ last state championship came in 1990.
Summerville is looking for its first state championship appearance since 2007, when the late John McKissick was still head coach. The Green Wave is in a third straight state semifinal and lost to Fort Dorchester and White Knoll the two previous years.
Summerville’s last state championship came in 1998.
Brand-name battle
Two of the more tradition-rich programs will be on display in the Class 5A Division II Upper State championship between Gaffney and Northwestern.
It will be the 57th meeting between the two teams with Northwestern leading the series overall (30-26) including last year’s 49-24 win.
Gaffney has won a record 18 state championships, while the Trojans have won five, with three coming from 2010-15.
Future USC players still in action
There are eight South Carolina signees and commitments still alive in the postseason. Three of them are playing in the Westside-South Pointe Class 4A Upper State championship.
Westside is led by QB Cutter Woods, a Mr. Football finalist who signed with the Gamecocks on Wednesday. Woods has thrown for 2,884 yards and 36 touchdowns, including five total TDs (all in the first half) last week against Camden.
South Pointe has a pair of junior commitments in offensive lineman Anthony Baxter and athlete J’zavien Currence, the top-ranked prospect in South Carolina for the Class of 2026. Currence had to play QB early in the season and has 1,055 all-purpose yards and 17 total TDs to go along with 42 tackles and two interceptions on defense.
Other Gamecocks signees in action Friday are Dutch Fork’s Josh Smith, Sumter’s Anthony Addison, Gaffney’s Shed Surratt, South Florence’s Jayden Sellers and Abbeville’s Demarcus Leach.
Game schedule, predictions
All games at 7:30 p.m. (winner picks in bold-face caps)
——Class 5A Division I——
▪ Spartanburg at DUTCH FORK
▪ SUMTER at Summerville
——Class 5A Division II——
▪ Gaffney at NORTHWESTERN
▪ White Knoll at IRMO
——Class 4A——
▪ South Pointe at WESTSIDE
▪ SOUTH FLORENCE at North Augusta
——Class 3A——
▪ Belton-Honea Path vs MOUNTAIN VIEW PREP at Hillcrest HS
▪ OCEANSIDE COLLEGIATE at Loris
——Class 2A——
▪ FAIRFIELD CENTRAL at Clinton
▪ BARNWELL at Manning
——Class A——
▪ Lewisville at ABBEVILLE
▪ Lake View at CROSS
—Last Week: 8-1
—This Season: 274-50
This story was originally published December 5, 2024 at 9:22 AM.
