At its best, no one plays better than Lexington

Here are five things we learned from Week 4:

1. The Lexington Wildcats are the best team in the Midlands when they play four quarters. Easily. They entered the season at the top of the Midlands rankings and struggled through three games to get to 2-1. But against previously unbeaten Westwood on Friday, they put together four quarters of football and dominated a good team.

2. Logan Bailey is a legitimate candidate for Mr. Football. The senior Chapin quarterback continues to command respect of defenses and set the tone for every game he plays in. In addition to his prowess on the field, he’s been a mentor at Camp Aspen in Chapin, as well as worked with the Justin Pepper Foundation in Chapin. So, on and off the field, he exemplifies what a Mr. Football should be.

3. The White Knoll Timberwolves continue to quietly improve as the season rolls on. Another solid game from running back Maurice Jones and, more importantly, a defense that held Swansea’s dangerous Chance Walker to under 100 yards on the ground. This team is preparing themselves for a tough region schedule.

4. Dutch Fork is still a contender. The Foxes knocked off a very good Dorman team on Friday night and they did it without the services of Stephen Davis, Jr, who went out early with an injury. QB Cole Douglass continues to show improvement and the offense is moving the ball well. I still think they need better play consistently on defense, but this team proved they can hang with the best in the state and they are only going to get better.

5. Irmo is better than their record would indicate. The Yellow Jackets are loaded with talent — we knew that. Their struggles are with inconsistency and discipline (in execution). But when they put it together, such as the first half of last week’s game against Ridge View and this week against Spring Valley, this team shows flashes of a team that could challenge for their region crown.

This story was originally published September 20, 2015 at 9:02 PM.