5 intriguing football playoff matchups in SC, plus this week’s Midlands game picks
It’s round three of the South Carolina public school football playoffs this week and championship weekend for S.C. Independent School Associations teams.
Here is a look at five of the most intriguing games across the state for this week.
TOP FOOTBALL GAMES IN SC THIS WEEK
Hammond (12-0) vs. Trinity Collegiate (11-1): The SCISA 3A championship will be played at Charleston Southern at 7 p.m. Hammond is going for its fifth straight title and 19th in school history but first under new coach Jon Wheeler. The two teams played Oct. 1 with Hammond winning 14-0. That was the lone loss of the season for Trinity. Hammond running back CJ Stokes leads the team with 1,377 yards and 22 total touchdowns. Hammond’s defense is giving up just 120.1 yards a game and has seven shutouts. Trinity is led by running backs Region Bennett (2,429 yards, 29 TDs) and Tre McLeod (1,459, 19 TDs). Bennett, a former Buffalo commit, has rushed for more than 6,000 yards in his career. Bezjak’s prediction: Hammond
Abbeville (12-0) at Gray Collegiate (11-1): Game of the year in SCHSL Class 2A with Abbeville ranked No. 1 and Gray Collegiate No. 2. Winner advances to the Class 2A Upper State championship and plays the Newberry-Christ Church winner. The game will be played at Fairfield Central High School in Winnsboro and Gray is the home team. It’s the third time two teams have played in the postseason with Abbeville winning both times. Abbeville is the defending state champion. Gray running back and Mr. Football finalist KZ Adams leads the team with 2,448 yards rushing and 32 touchdowns. Devin Johnson leads the team in receiving yards and interceptions while Zach Glenn is tops on the team with 132 tackles. Abbeville is averaging 45.8 points per game and 296 yards on the ground. The Panthers are giving up just 6.8 points a game but Saluda scored 34 on them last week. Bezjak’s prediction: Gray Collegiate
Camden (9-2) at Brookland-Cayce (9-2): Winner of this game hosts Class 3A Lower State championship next week against the Dillon-Oceanside winner. It’s the second straight year two teams have met in the playoffs. Camden won, 52-44, last season, in a game that took 3 ½ hours to play and featured more than 1,000 yards of offense combined. Camden is led by its defense which is giving up just 11.2 points and 185 yards a game. The Bulldogs have recorded three straight shutouts. B-C quarterback Tanner Staton has thrown for 2,074 yards and 14 touchdowns this season. West Virginia baseball signee Skylar King leads the Bearcats with 44 catches for 685 yards and six touchdowns. Bezjak’s prediction: Camden
Gaffney (12-0) at Northwestern (11-1): Winner of the game faces Ridge View-Spartanburg winner in Class 5A Upper State championship next week. It is the first matchup since 2017 between two teams. Northwestern leads the all-time series, 29-24. Gaffney has two 1,000-yard rushers in Tyler Smith (1,290 yards, 24 TDs) and Ken Littlejohn (1,164 yards, 13 TDs). The Gaffney defense is giving up just 15.8 points a game. Northwestern quarterback Will Mattison has thrown for 40 touchdowns and is 83 yards shy of 3,000 yards passing on the season. Bezjak’s prediction: Northwestern
South Pointe (10-1) at Greenwood (10-1): Winner of the game faces the Irmo-Greenville winner in the 4A Upper State championship next week. South Pointe defeated Greenwood, 34-31, in the playoffs last year. South Pointe quarterback Zaveion McCrorey has thrown for 2,300 yards and 21 touchdowns this season. SP’s Waymond Jennerrette has set single-season school records for catches (73) and receiving yards (1,129). Greenwood is in the third round of the playoffs for the first time since 2012. Bezjak’s prediction: Greenwood
Other Midlands playoff matchups
Dutch Fork (10-0) at Sumter (10-1): Winner of this game advances to Class 5A Lower State championship against Lexington-Fort Dorchester. Second straight year two teams have met in the playoffs. Dutch Fork won last year, 24-0, in the Lower State championship. According to brackets, Dutch Fork would be the home team but a new rule in 5A says if two teams play each other in playoffs in consecutive years and have the same seed (both are region champs) then the team who hosted the previous year must be on the road the next year. Dutch Fork has a 60-game unbeaten streak and is ranked in USA Today and MaxPreps Top 25 polls. Jarvis Green leads Dutch Fork with 1,260 yards rushing and 32 total touchdowns. Receiver Antonio Williams has more than 2,000 all-purpose yards and 20 touchdowns. Quarterback Davin Patterson has completed 74.8% of his passes for 1,979 yards and 24 touchdowns. Sumter is averaging 256 yards a game on ground and Zyeir Gamble leads the team with nine interceptions. Bezjak’s prediction: Dutch Fork
Lexington (9-2) at Fort Dorchester (11-0): The winner advances to Class 5A Lower State championship game. Lexington is looking for its first state semifinal appearance since advancing to the state championship in 2015. The Wildcats have been one of the state’s best stories going from no wins in 2020 to 9-2 this year. Tyler Walker and Keshawn Gladden are Lexington’s top two rushers and combined for 16 touchdowns. Lexington is giving up just 10 points a game over its last three games. Bezjak’s prediction: Fort Dorchester
Ridge View (6-4) at Spartanburg (8-3): Winner of the game advances to Class 5A Upper State championship against Gaffney-Northwestern game. Ridge View was 2-4 before winning four straight games, including three straight on the road. RV quarterback and SC State commit Andre Washington has thrown for 2,317 yards and 24 touchdowns. Zion Agnew leads the team with 698 yards receiving and nine touchdown catches. Jebari Gamble leads the Blazers with six sacks. Bezjak’s prediction: Ridge View
Irmo (7-3) at Greenville (9-2): Winner advances to Class 4A Upper State championship. Two teams have one common opponent — AC Flora. Irmo defeated AC Flora, 28-27, in the regular season and Greenville defeated the Falcons, 27-26, last week. Irmo is 2-0 on the road in the playoffs this year. Irmo quarterback Izyah Whiteside has thrown for 2,195 yards and 21 touchdowns. DeAree Rogers leads the Yellow Jackets with 64 catches for 1,404 yards and 16 total touchdowns. South Carolina commit Nick Emmanwori leads Irmo’s defense with 167 solo tackles and 13 QB pressures. Greenville quarterback Prometheus Franklin has thrown for 32 touchdowns and is 44 yards of 3,000 yards passing for the season. Greenville has four receivers with at least 400 yards receiving. Bezjak’s prediction: Greenville
Newberry (6-5) at Christ Church (9-2): The winner advances to Class 2A Upper State championship. This will be the first meeting between teams. It is Newberry’s Phil Strickland’s final season as head coach. Newberry is making its first trip to the third round since 2016. Bezjak’s prediction: Newberry
Last Week: 13-4
Season Totals: 238-56
This story was originally published November 18, 2021 at 10:52 AM.
