2 weeks Ago
Aiken (0-3) at Airport (0-3) Last time they played Airport defeated Aiken 14-12 on Sept. 29, 2023. Keys to the game Aiken will be looking for its defense to get on track after allowing 131 points in the Hornets' first three games.
Aiken gave up four passing touchdowns in a 49-18 loss to Lugoff-Elgin last Thursday, but up next on the schedule is an Airport offense that has been grounded through three games. The Eagles have been held to 29 points through their first three games, and they've failed to reach double digits in each of the last two. Aiken struggled with turnovers last week, fumbling the ball four times, while Airport had an interception returned for a touchdown to help turn a close game against Westwood into a rout.
Both teams are limping into the Region 4-AAAA opener, and it could come down to a bounce or two to give one team the momentum it needs to get into the win column. Midland Valley (0-3) at Gray Collegiate (1-2) Last time they played This is the first meeting between the two programs. Keys to the game Midland Valley took a much-needed week off last week after three consecutive games against Class AAAAA schools, and it doesn't get much easier this week against Region 4-AAAA newcomer Gray Collegiate Academy.
The War Eagles have started the season 1-2, with the win over James Island and the losses to Tennessee powerhouse Baylor and Class AAAAA No. 1 Dutch Fork. As such, Gray Collegiate is still thought of highly enough to occupy the No.
10 slot in the Class AAAA rankings. The War Eagles' lineup has plenty of high-level college prospects, but Midland Valley can't get caught up in the names on the jerseys. The Mustangs are working toward finding a way to finish plays, finish drives and finish games, and now's the time to start showing what they figured out during the brief non-region schedule.
North Augusta (3-1, 1-0 Region 4-AAAA) at Gilbert (1-2) Last time they played This is the first meeting between the two programs. Keys to the game North Augusta is on to its second Region 4-AAAA opponent of the year on the road at Gilbert. Coming off of a statement win against Strom Thurmond last week, the Jackets are focused on getting better offensively against Gilbert.
North Augusta’s run game has been a bright point throughout the season with Michael Doe leading the team in rushing. Improving up front, especially the offensive line, will be vital to allow Doe to make plays and keep pressure off of quarterback Corey Tillman. Doe and Tillman missed the final minutes of Friday's game due to injury, leaving their status for this week in question.
The Indians can score in various ways with several productive skill players on the field, posing a threat to the Jackets' defense. They’ll have to stop Gilbert from finding its rhythm and contain the Indians on the ground to keep the offense off the field. While Gilbert is 1-2, its last loss to River Bluff was only by one point.
Every game matters now with only region opponents ahead for the Jackets, who took an early lead in the league race with their Week 3 win over South Aiken. South Aiken (2-2, 0-1 Region 4-AAAA) at Brookland-Cayce (0-3) Last time they played Brookland-Cayce defeated South Aiken 35-20 on Oct. 11, 2019.
Keys to the game "Stop the run" is a pretty simple way to put it. South Aiken loves to establish the run game and Brookland-Cayce likes to pound the rock, too, so whoever does a better job up front and can get the run going will have the upper hand. South Aiken can't afford to get too caught up in last week's 31-26 comeback thriller against Barnwell, but so far this season the T-Breds have shown that they don't get too high after wins or too low after losses.
They'll need to do that again Friday, because this one counts in the region standings. Last week, South Aiken's defense only allowed one touchdown over the final three quarters, Kyson McLeod again showed signs of becoming a star receiver, and Jevon Edwards surpassed 5,000 career rushing yards and scored the game-winner. The T-Breds will take that kind of night again, especially against a Bearcats team with a misleading record - the three losses were to Class AAAAA River Bluff and White Knoll, and most recently to Class AAAA No.
4 May River. Josey (0-4) at Fox Creek (2-1) Last time they played This is the first meeting between the two programs. Keys to the game The Predators are looking to carry the energy from their shutout win over McCormick over to this week as they prepare for Josey.
With momentum building for Fox Creek, head coach Lemuel Lackey said it’s time for the team to find some more consistency on both sides of the ball. Several skill players, like wide receiver Devonta Holmes, found their stride last week but Lackey is looking for them to put it all together now as a team. The Eagles are on the hunt for their first win with an athletic group of players that have struggled offensively this year, only scoring a total of 20 points in their first four games.
The Predators will need to stop them on the ground early with an emphasis on tackling. Forcing turnovers will also be vital to getting the offense back on the field as much as possible. Against McCormick, Fox Creek had success all over the field, whether that was through the air from quarterback Nathan Owens to Holmes or on the ground with running back Michael Grigg.
The offense will have more opportunities to find its groove against a Josey team that has allowed 200 points this year. Aiken man dead after being shot on the Northside City of Aiken has a budget surplus of nearly $4 million. Here's how it could be spent.
Final reading of sale of old Aiken County Hospital delayed following Aiken County Council hearing Community asked to help find missing North Augusta teenage girl Man accused of holding Aiken woman at gunpoint, facing felony charges Murder most foul? Restaurant welcomes aspiring sleuths with dinner theater dining Two Aiken pre-teens arrested after allegedly threatening several Aiken County middle schools Home for Good Dog Rescue, PETSInc team up for Sept. 26 veterinary clinic near Aiken Missing North Augusta teenager could be in Florida 'School threats are not a joke:' 21 South Carolina juveniles charged over alleged threats Silver Bluff (0-4) at Lincoln County (4-0) Last time they played This is the first meeting between the two programs. Keys to the game The non-region grind continues for Silver Bluff with a road trip to face Georgia Class A, Division II power Lincoln County.
The Red Devils' powerful, run-based offense has powered them to four straight wins to begin the season by a combined 101 points, and during that stretch they're averaging 7.6 yards per carry as a team. Lincoln County has passed the ball on only about 15% of its offensive snaps, but they're well-timed attempts and have gone for 19.
5 yards per completion. The Silver Bluff defense will have to be ready for another physical battle in order to bounce back from Thursday's loss at Blackville-Hilda. The Bulldogs may have found something on offense with Jameat Williams at quarterback, as he passed for 95 yards and rushed for 162 and a touchdown in his first action at that position.
Barnwell (3-1) at Swansea (4-0) Last time they played Barnwell defeated Swansea 40-8 on Sept. 3, 2021. Keys to the game These two teams may not know each other that well, having not played since the seniors were freshmen, but Barnwell head coach Brian Smith and Swansea head coach Willie Fox are quite familiar with one another from their days at Aiken County Class A rivals Ridge Spring-Monetta and Wagener-Salley, respectively.
Anyone who saw Fox's War Eagles teams can assume that this group from Swansea can run the ball well, and that's one of the ways the Class AAA No. 9 Tigers are 4-0 for the first time since 2012. Teysean Charley has gone over 100 yards in each of the last two games, and the Tigers have scored on defense and special teams in those games.
Class AA No. 6 Barnwell will have to limit its mistakes, and the Warhorses will need to play a more complete game than last week when they squandered a 19-point lead against South Aiken. The Warhorses rushed for 217 yards on 39 carries last week, so getting the run game going early can go a long way toward bouncing back from that loss.
Emerald (2-2) at Strom Thurmond (2-1) Last time they played Strom Thurmond defeated Emerald 31-6 on Sept. 20, 2019. Keys to the game Cleaning up mistakes is going to be priority No.
1 for Strom Thurmond after a frustrating 14-7 loss to North Augusta last week. The Rebels felt they should've won by multiple scores, but they committed entirely too many penalties and turned the ball over too many times to negate good scoring opportunities. The final tally was 12 penalties against the Rebels in that game, but it felt more like 20 considering where and when they were committed.
That spoiled a solid performance by the Strom Thurmond defense, which held North Augusta to only 240 yards of total offense. The Rebels, ranked fifth in Class AA, now set their sights on an Emerald offense that's averaging 289.3 yards per game.
The Vikings are averaging 5.8 yards per carry as a team, and like the Rebels they use a lot of backs to get there. Emerald rushed for 243 yards and held Broome to just 42 last week, but they allowed 288 passing yards and four touchdowns in a 28-25 loss.
The Strom Thurmond passing game has yet to materialize this season, but this could be a chance to get the aerial attack working. Ridge Spring-Monetta (1-2) at Eau Claire (1-3) Last time they played This is the first meeting between the two programs. Keys to the game After breaking their losing streak last week, the Trojans are still finding areas to improve in ahead of their matchup against Eau Claire.
While head coach Jay Brannon said while he was happy with their success throwing and running the ball, they’ll need to continue establishing their run game against the Shamrocks. Sophomore running back De’Arie Kinard played a big part in the Trojans' ground efforts along with sophomore wide receiver Jaiden Holloway, who picked up 75 rushing yards on 10 carries while also making his first start at quarterback and passing for 163 yards and another score. After a fumble on a bad snap early against American Leadership Academy and several other costly penalties last week, protecting the football and avoiding turnovers will be vital pieces of the puzzle to come out with a second win on Friday.
The Trojans' defense held ALA to just six points and just 70 yards of total offense last week. They’ll need to keep that momentum going against Eau Claire with more effort on forcing turnovers. The Shamrocks are coming off a 35-22 loss to Williston-Elko as both teams fight for their second win of the season.
Columbia (3-1) at Wagener-Salley (2-2) Last time they played This is the first meeting between the two programs. Keys to the game Wagener-Salley is back in the win column after taking down Allendale-Fairfax 30-0 last week. The War Eagles are healthy and finding their groove coming into a tough matchup against Columbia on Friday.
They’ll need to carry the momentum from their shutout last week against a tough, veteran offense in the Capitals. With senior quarterback Justin Wright leading Columbia, the War Eagles will need to contain the run and find ways to put pressure on him. Wagener-Salley head coach Blaze Gillespie said he wants the team’s driving force to be the defense and that if they can get it done Friday, the offense will follow their lead.
If the War Eagles can contain the Capitals on the ground, their offense will have opportunities against a team that has allowed 73 points this season while only scoring 85. However, they’ll have to keep an eye out for Columbia’s junior safety Myles McDuffie, who recorded two pick-sixes against Great Falls last week. With homecoming also coming up for Wagener-Salley, it’ll be important to ignore the distractions as the team looks to get another win before region play starts.
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