High school rewind: Offensive domination in Week 9
If you are a fan of offense, then Week 9 of the high school football season had plenty to offer you.
Outside the Midlands, Spartanburg quarterback Austin Scott threw for 686 yards and tied Shuler Bentley’s state record with nine touchdown passes in the 76-34 win over Wade Hampton.
Closer to home in the Midlands, Westwood’s Rudy Mitchell and Chapin’s Logan Bailey stole the show in leading their teams to key region victories.
Mitchell, the Redhawks tailback, rushed for a school-record 467 yards and four touchdowns in the 35-31 victory over Blythewood. It’s unclear where Mitchell’s total ranks in South Carolina history because the SCHSL doesn’t keep track of single-game rushing records on its website. The national single game rushing record is held by former Netcong (New Jersey) player John Giannantonio’s 754 yards in 1950.
“We knew we were going to be able to run the ball, but we had no clue we were going to be able to do it like that,” Westwood coach Rodney Summers said Saturday. “There was no need to pass with the way our offensive line was blocking and Rudy running like it that. When it is working like that, you don’t want to get away with it. Rudy has gotten so much better as the season as gone on reading his blocks.”
Summers compared Mitchell’s effort to the one Christian Brown had in the playoffs a couple of years ago when Brown had 395 yards. Mitchell basically was Westwood’s offense Friday as he had 467 of the team’s 529 total yards as the Redhawks maintained their region lead.
Bailey, the Chapin quarterback, added to his stellar senior season by totaling 461 yards and seven touchdowns in the 47-28 win over Dreher as the Eagles improved to 8-0 for the first time since 1987. The Mr. Football finalist had an eight TD game earlier this season against Swansea and has 42 TDs this season.
Bailey’s 42 TDs rank him in the top 10 in the state for a single season. The state record for touchdowns in a season is 71 held by Bentley, the former quarterback at Byrnes who is now at Old Dominion.
“Holy smokes, it was unbelievable watching the film,” Chapin coach Justin Gentry said Saturday. “His running ability was highlighted and showed his pure speed and determination. We talk all the time about Chapin grit and he exemplifies that.”
One of the Bailey’s highlights was his leap toward the goal line over a Dreher defender.
The senior’s effort earned him his first college offer Saturday from Newberry, which had coaches in attendance against Dreher. Presbyterian also was on hand to see him against Dreher.
Chapin and Dreher combined for 1,041 yards of total offense between the two teams.
Offense continued
Bailey and Mitchell weren’t the only ones providing fireworks Friday night. Here is a look at some of the other eye-popping numbers put up:
A.C. Flora exploded for 72 points in the 72-46 win over Lower Richland. It was the Falcons’ highest point total since scoring 84 in the 84-51 win over Camden on Sept. 28, 2012. Lower Richland QB Tevaughn Higgins had 417 yards passing in the loss.
Richland Northeast piled up 537 total yards as a team in the 37-28 win over Camden.
Ridge View put up some gaudy numbers in the win over Lugoff-Elgin. Quarterback Tre’ High threw for 252 yards and the Blazers had a pair of 100-yard rushers in Alli Kelley and Ronald Brown. Cam Napper also had 132 yards receiving.
Cavaliers coming on
After a 1-5 start to the season, Richland Northeast has won two straight games and is in the hunt for a playoff berth.
The Cavaliers are tied for second place in Region 4-3A with Dreher heading into the final two weeks of the season. RNE hasn’t made the playoffs since 2011 when it was in Class 4A.
Skyhawks lock up top seed
Defending state champion Hammond clinched the top seed in the SCISA 3A playoffs with the 42-0 win over Augusta Christian.
The victory was the Skyhawks’ 21st in a row and was their third straight shutout.
Bumps and bruises
Lower Richland Shrine Bowl receiver Larry Collins missed his second straight game with a sprained knee.
Lexington Shrine Bowl defensive back Nick Graves missed his second straight game with an injury. Wildcat coach Josh Stepp said Saturday he said should be back this week.
Airport linebacker Jacob Feaster will miss the rest of the season after dislocating his kneecap in the loss to Midland Valley. Feaster was second on the team in tackles with 62.
Ones to watch
Some up of the top games in the Midlands for Week 10:
Westwood at Dutch Fork – Two favorites in Region 5-4A meet with a lot riding on the game. Redhawks are 3-0 in region and Dutch Fork is 2-1.
White Knoll at River Bluff – Timberwolves are coming off back-to-back losses while Gators look to strengthen postseason positioning.
Airport at Brookland-Cayce – Second meeting of season with Eagles winning 42-37 in Week 0. Both teams have clinched playoff spots but can finish anywhere between second through fourth in region.
Chapin at Camden – Eagles clinch Region 5-3A title with victory.
This story was originally published October 24, 2015 at 4:25 PM.