Midlands High School football playoff capsules
Summerville (4-7) at Dutch Fork (8-3)
LAST MEETING: 2006, Dutch Fork 35-21
LAST GAME: Summerville def. Bluffton 37-21; Dutch Fork def. Lugoff-Elgin, 42-0
PLAYERS TO WATCH – S: OL Chandler Farrell, WR/QB Krishaon Jackson; DF: QB Cole Douglas, DE Rory Gallman
NOTES: Winner faces West Ashley-Dorman winner next week. … Second meeting between the two schools. … Douglas needs 56 yards for 1,000 yards rushing this season. He also has thrown for 1,781 yards. … Gallman leads DF with 14 sacks and Bobby Irby has four interceptions. … Austin Connor leads the Silver Foxes with 738 yards receiving despite missing the first two games. … Dutch Fork has scored at least 35 points in all of its wins this season.
Spring Valley (6-5) at Fort Dorchester (11-0)
LAST MEETING: First meeting
LAST GAME: SV lost to Blythewood, 37-28; FD def. Ashley Ridge, 47-7
PLAYERS TO WATCH – SV: RB Ty’Juan Fulton, LB Kenan Reed; QB Dakereon Joyner, RB Datron James
NOTES: Winner faces Ashley Ridge-Boiling Springs winner. … Fort Dorchester is the lone unbeaten team in Class 4A and is averaging 43.9 points a game. … Fort D running back Datron James has 25 rushing TDs. … Fulton averages 9.9 yards a carry.
White Knoll (7-4) at Sumter (9-2)
LAST MEETING: 2009, Sumter 48-13
LAST GAME: WK lost to Lexington, 41-13; Sumter def. Socastee 41-0
PLAYERS TO WATCH – WK: RB Maurice Jones, QB Calev Grubbs; S: RB Quintein Anderson, DE Richburg Canty
NOTES: Winner faces Byrnes-Gaffney winner. … Sumter leads series 2-0. … Jones has 1,137 yards rushing and 11 TDs. …Sumter averages 356 yards per game on offense.
Fort Mill (6-5) at Lexington (10-1)
LAST MEETING: First meeting
LAST GAME: FM lost to Gaffney 28-24; Lexington had a bye
PLAYERS TO WATCH – FM: QB Rogan Wells, RB Brett Ferguson L: RB Slade Carroll, WR Jayson Hopper
NOTES: Winner of game faces North Augusta-Blythewood winner next week. … First home playoff game for Lexington since 2011. … Lexington has won 10 straight games, while Fort Mill has lost three of its last four. … Lexington is averaging 400 yards a game on offense.
North Augusta (7-4) at Blythewood (8-3)
LAST MEETING: First meeting
LAST GAME: NA def. South Aiken 28-17; Blythewood def. Spring Valley 37-28
PLAYERS TO WATCH – NA: QB Landon Washington, RB Rashad Byrd B: QB David Israel, RB Osei Thomas
NOTES: Winner faces Lexington-Fort Miller winner. … Thomas needs two rushing touchdowns to break Brandon Wilds’ single-season record of 17. … North Augusta has won at least one playoff game in each of the past six seasons. … Blythewood looking for first home playoff win in nine seasons.
Westwood (8-3) at Conway (9-2)
LAST MEETING: First meeting
LAST GAME: Westwood lost to Spring Valley 21-14; Conway had a bye
PLAYERS TO WATCH – W: RB Rudy Mitchell, OL Torrey Boone; C: QB Payton Derrick, RB Jah-Maine Martin
NOTES: Winner faces Northwestern-Laurens winner. … Conway looking for first playoff win since 2008 and Westwood going for second playoff win in four-year history of the season. … Westwood lost final two games of regular season. … Derrick has thrown for 2,438 yards and 28 TDs. … Mitchell has 1,628 yards and 20 TDs.
T.L. Hanna (7-4) at Irmo (4-7)
LAST MEETING: 1978, Irmo 23-7
LAST GAME: TLH lost to Westside 27-21 (OT); Irmo def. River Bluff 44-17
PLAYERS TO WATCH – TLH: RB Davijuan Dean; Irmo: QB Mason Smith, RB Shykeem Bradley
NOTES: Winner faces Spartanburg-South Florence winner. … Irmo looking for first playoff win since 2012. … Smith needs 102 passing yards for 2,000 this season.
Wren (7-4) at Chapin (10-1)
RADIO/INTERNET: www.chapinsports.net
LAST MEETING: 1974, Chapin 26-14
LAST GAME: Wren def. Lancaster 43-41; Chapin def. Southside 58-35
PLAYERS TO WATCH – W: QB Jay Urich, WR Bailey Rogers; C: QB Logan Bailey, TE Will Register
NOTES: Winner gets Greer-Union County winner. … Bailey needs 21 rushing yards to go over 1,000 and two more touchdowns for 60 on the season. … Rogers leads team with 1,150 yards receiving. … Wren assistant coach Kyle Wilson is former player at Chapin. … Register, a South Carolina commit, picked up an offer from Michigan this week. Register has four TD catches over his last two games. … Chapin WR Evan Estridge needs 19 yards to over 1,000 for the season.
Airport (10-1) at Hartsville (11-0)
LAST MEETING: 2011, Hartsville 21-17
LAST GAME: Airport def. O-W 35-27; Hartsville def. North Myrtle Beach 42-13
PLAYERS TO WATCH – A: QB Josh Tucker, WR Kerryon Richardson; H: LB Datavious Wilson, RB Collins Bishop
NOTES: Winner faces Myrtle Beach-Hilton Head winner. … Airport has 10 wins in a season for fourth time since 2007. … Bishop, a freshman, leads team with 1,034 yards rushing. Senior Brian Rivers is 73 yards short of 1,000 on the year. … Tucker needs 75 rushing yards for 1,000 on the season. He has thrown for 1,285 yards.
Newberry (9-2) at Strom Thurmond (10-1)
LAST MEETING: 2009, Strom Thurmond 27-20
LAST GAME: Newberry def. Pendleton 42-17; ST def. Mid-Carolina 45-13
PLAYERS TO WATCH – N: QB Yafari Werts, RB Amir Abrams; ST: RB Chad Gilchrist, QB Tyrece Nick
NOTES: Winner faces Woodruff-Fairfield Central winner. … 20th meeting between two schools. Newberry leads all-time series 10-9. … Bulldogs looks for third 10-win season in last four years. Prior to 2011, Newberry had just three 10-win seasons in school history. … Werts needs three more TDs for 50 in his career.
Woodruff (10-1) at Fairfield Central (10-1)
RADIO/INTERNET: 102.7 FM/wwwkool1027.com
LAST MEETING: First meeting
LAST GAME: Woodruff def. Indian Land 45-14; FC def. Powdersville 42-7
PLAYERS TO WATCH – W: QB Keegan Halloran, WR Duke Ferguson; FC: RB Jerrell Suber-Oneal, LB Maurice Pauling
NOTES: Winner faces Newberry-Strom Thurmond winner next week. … FC averages 237 yards a game on the ground. … Holloran has thrown for 2,199 yards this season.
Batesburg-Leesville (8-3) at Abbeville (9-2)
RADIO/INTERNET: www.palmettosportscast.com
LAST MEETING: 2015, Abbeville 30-13
LAST GAME: B-L def. Central 43-20; Abbeville def. Buford 41-7
PLAYERS TO WATCH – B-L: RB Terrence Wilson, Mikal Hartley; A: RB T.J. Rogers, QB Joseph Battle
NOTES: Winner faces Saluda-Chesterfield winner next week. … Second meeting this season. … B-L’s Terrence Wilson had five touchdowns last week but was held to 81 yards rushing in the first game against Abbeville. Wilson needs seven yards for 1,800 on the year. … Abbeville has four players with at least 750 yards rushing this season.
Lou Bezjak