Midlands squads happy to be at home for playoffs

Dutch Fork won’t have to leave the Midlands if it makes it to its third straight state championship game.

The Silver Foxes are the top seed and have home-field advantage when the Class 4A, Division I playoffs brgin next Friday. Dutch Fork hosts Summerville in the first round.

It’s the second straight year the Silver Foxes have been a top seed in the postseason. Dutch Fork was a No. 2 seed last year and made it to the title game before losing to Hillcrest.

“Having the first seed means a great deal to us because we feel as if that reflects our work we have been putting in since January,” Dutch Fork quarterback Cole Douglas said.

After an 0-2 start, Dutch Fork finished the season by winning eight of its last nine games. Douglas says the team has been “dialed in” since the region-opening loss to Ridge View last month.

“The seniors asked ourselves if we really want to be the great team we know we could and the unanimous answer was yes,” Douglas said.

Dutch Fork is one of three Midlands teams in the Class 4A Division I playoffs. White Knoll and Spring Valley will hit the road for the first round. The Timberwolves are at Sumter, while the Vikings go to unbeaten Fort Dorchester.

In Class 4A, Division I, Lexington, Blythewood and Irmo host first-round games. The Wildcats, who finished the regular-season on a 10-game winning streak, will host Fort Mill. It’s the first time Lexington has hosted a playoff game since 2011.

The Wildcats, like most teams in Class A last week, had the week off to get ready for the postseason

“We played for 10 straight weeks, so the bye came at the right time and let us heal up,” Lexington coach Josh Stepp said. “We are excited to be playing to be playing at home, and are just taking things one game at a time.”

Blythewood will host just its second playoff game since moving to Class 4A in 2008. The Bengals take on North Augusta. Irmo, one of three teams in the Class 4A playoffs with a losing record, will host T.L. Hanna. The Yellow Jackets finished second in Region 4-4A. Westwood opens the playoffs on the road at Conway.

Chapin, Richland Northeast, Brookland-Cayce and Airport are left in the 3A playoffs. The Eagles host Wren and are looking to move on to the Upper State semifinals for the first time since 1995.

RNE is on a five-game winning streak and travels to defending state champion South Pointe. Brookland-Cayce, one of four lower seeds to win in the first round of the 3A playoffs, will travel to Georgetown.

Airport is at top-ranked Hartsville. It’s the fourth meeting since 2010 between the schools, with the Eagles 2-1 against the Red Foxes during that span.

“They are the top team in the state, so it will be a challenge but it will be a great atmosphere,” Airport coach Kirk Burnett said after Friday’s 35-27 win over Orangeburg-Wilkinson. “We are going to have play above our heads, and hopefully, they will put the ball on the ground a little bit. But we are looking forward to the challenge.”

In Class 2A, Division I, region foes Fairfield Central and Newberry are on track to meet in the Upper State championship if both win this week. The Griffins will host Woodruff, while Newberry travels to top-seeded Strom Thurmond. Newberry and Fairfield Central have met in the playoffs the past three years.

In Class 2A, Division II, Batesburg-Leesville gets a rematch with Abbeville in the second round. B-L lost to Abbeville 30-13 on Oct. 16.

Hammond is the lone Midlands team left in the SCISA playoffs. The Skyhawks have won 24 straight games and go for their eighth state title in the last 10 seasons when they face Pinewood Prep on Saturday for the 3A championship at Benedict College.

SCHSL Playoffs

SCISA

This story was originally published November 14, 2015 at 12:55 AM.