1 week Ago
Class AAAA, Lower State Airport (2-8) at North Augusta (9-1) Last time they played North Augusta defeated Airport 56-8 on Oct. 17, 2024. Keys to the game It’s 0-0 for the Jackets as they prepare to start the third phase of their season in the playoffs against Airport.
North Augusta began to find its stride in the latter portion of its region schedule with a more dynamic offense and a defense that held a talented Gray Collegiate offense to just 17 points last week. The offensive and defensive lines will be the key to starting the postseason with a win against the Eagles. The last time both teams met on Oct.
17, North Augusta beat Airport handily 56-8. Limiting big plays will be important for the defense to keep Airport from gaining momentum on each possession. Offensively, Corey Tillman is finding more and more success through the air, especially with wide receiver Connor Brown back on the field.
North Augusta is working toward getting better all around at this point in the year and staying focused on only the opponent ahead. Airport has struggled this year with only two wins, one of which was from a forfeit against Gray Collegiate. The Eagles have given up 320 points this season while only scoring 137 in nine games.
After a long season, the Jackets are looking back on both what they’ve done well and what needs to be cleaned up ahead of Friday. Head coach Richard Bush said as always, their next opponent is the most important one. Midland Valley (5-5) at Darlington (5-5) Last time they played Darlington defeated Midland Valley 13-0 on Nov.
4, 2006, in the first round of the Class AAA playoffs. Keys to the game Midland Valley started to find its stride in the second half of the regular season, winning three of its last four games before falling at North Augusta in the finale. A big reason for that is because the Mustangs started cutting out the mistakes that led to a difficult start to the season against a brutal schedule, and they'll look to keep that momentum rolling as they enter the postseason.
The Mustangs have plenty of firepower on offense at the skill positions, which will create some problems for a Darlington team allowing 30.6 points per game so long as they can avoid turnovers. Limit the giveaways and penalties, and the Mustangs will like their odds against anyone.
Darlington has had an up-and-down season, but the Falcons do enter the postseason on a positive note after beating Wilson following a three-game losing streak. Midland Valley's defense will try to avoid allowing any momentum-building big plays to a Darlington offense that was held to less than 21 points five times this season. South Aiken (6-4) at Bishop England (8-2) Last time they played This is the first meeting between the two programs.
Keys to the game Two programs riding positive momentum into the postseason meet in the first round. South Aiken picked up much-needed back-to-back wins over Aiken and Airport to get into the playoffs, and the T-Breds have ridden senior running back Jevon Edwards to this point. The South Carolina High School League's leading rusher, Edwards accounted for 2,308 yards during the regular season, and needless to say the Bishop England defense will be fully committed to limiting him however possible - which, at this point in the season, may mean holding him under 300 yards.
The passing game has shown signs all season of giving the T-Breds some balance offensively, and they'll need it to make a run in the playoffs. Bishop England has won three straight games and five of its last six to claim the Region 6-AAAA title despite a loss to May River, and the Battling Bishops have done that thanks in large part to a defense allowing only 15.8 points per game this season.
They've also shown an ability to score late to either come from behind or put games away, so the T-Breds will have to be ready for a full four-quarter battle. Class AAA, Lower State Silver Bluff (2-8) at Hanahan (5-5) Last time they played Silver Bluff defeated Hanahan 21-14 on Nov. 16, 2001, in the third round of the Class AA playoffs.
Keys to the game Silver Bluff has found plenty that works during Region 4-AAA play, picking up two wins after starting the season with seven consecutive losses. The offense finally found a spark, and in a big way, as the defense and special teams have also turned in big performances in recent weeks. The key for the Bulldogs will be to stay out of their own way on the road against a Hanahan team that has held opponents to 28 points or less eight times this season.
Hanahan has a balanced offense that averages 5.3 yards per rush attempt, which will be a challenge for a Silver Bluff team that takes a lot of pride in the way it plays defense. Silver Bluff will have to take care of the football, because Hanahan isn't a team that loses the turnover battle - the Hawks have only lost eight turnovers this season.
Fox Creek (4-5) at Oceanside Collegiate (6-3) Last time they played This is the first meeting between the two programs. Keys to the game The Predators know they have a giant to face on Friday on the road against Oceanside Collegiate and head coach Lemuel Lackey said the key is to take it one quarter at a time. The key to getting Landsharks off balance is to keep the ball out of their hands.
Fox Creek will need to move the ball downfield well and finish off drives in the end zone. On the mental side, Lackey said it’s all about focusing on playing the game and not just playing the other school. Doing the little things right, like catching the ball, running the right blocks and making tackles will be what makes the difference for the Predators on Friday.
Oceanside has shut out its last two opponents to finish off the regular season and has scored over 40 points a game in its last seven games. The Predators will need to keep the ball in their hands as much as possible to limit how many explosive plays the Landsharks can make offensively. It’s been a long season for Fox Creek with a frustrating region schedule, and on Friday it’ll be all about taking it one play at a time.
Class AA, Upper State Strom Thurmond (6-3) at Chester (4-5) Last time they played This is the first meeting between the two programs. Keys to the game A key for Strom Thurmond will be to leave last week in the past. The Rebels suffered a tough, 8-7 loss to top-ranked and undefeated Batesburg-Leesville in a game they needed to win by 13 points to win the Region 2-AA title in a three-team tiebreaker.
A late gamble backfired, costing the Rebels the win. It's important for them to bounce back quickly from that loss, particularly on the offensive side after coming up empty on too many drives against Batesburg-Leesville. Chester has posted shutouts in its last two games, and three of the last four, so it will be key for Strom Thurmond to achieve some balance to keep drives going.
The Rebels have the kind of power run game that can extend drives and keep the other offense on the field, like in last week's opening drive that lasted nearly nine minutes - but they came away with no points. Strom Thurmond's defense held an explosive Batesburg-Leesville offense to only 113 total yards, and the Rebels know they have a defense that can keep them in any game they play. Their next test is a Chester team averaging just under 30 points per game.
Class AA, Lower State Academic Magnet (4-6) at Barnwell (9-1) Last time they played Barnwell defeated Academic Magnet by forfeit on Nov. 3, 2017, in the first round of the Class AA playoffs. Keys to the game Now is the time for Barnwell to enjoy the fruits of its Region 5-AA championship, a four-game stretch during which the Warhorses set their sights on the No.
1 seed and then accomplished that to set themselves up for four consecutive home playoff games should the Warhorses continue winning. That means not looking past a visiting Academic Magnet team that lost four of its last five games by a total of 163 points. Barnwell will lean on its balanced offense that has generated 1,256 passing yards and 1,546 rushing yards to keep the Raptors' defense off balance.
Barnwell's defense has been a strong point for nearly the entire season, and the Warhorses will look to continue that trend against an Academic Magnet team that hasn't scored more than 14 points in a game since Sept. 20. Class A, Upper State McCormick (2-8) at Blackville-Hilda (8-2) Last time they played Blackville-Hilda defeated McCormick 46-20 on Nov.
3, 2023, in the first round of the Class A playoffs. Keys to the game The postseason run begins now for a Blackville-Hilda team with its eye on a state championship, and the key this week is to not get caught looking ahead to a potential second-round game at Abbeville should both teams win games they're heavily favored to dominate. The Fighting Hawks have shown over the course of the last two seasons that they have the ability to focus on the task at hand, which could lead to a quick night against McCormick.
Blackville-Hilda will have an advantage depth-wise against a McCormick team that's fought an uphill battle all season in terms of numbers. The Chiefs pulled off a stunner with a 24-16 win at Whitmire on Oct. 25, only to follow that up with losses to Dixie and Abbeville by a combined score of 96-6.
For Blackville-Hilda, it's a matter of taking control of the game early, keeping it clean and playing to its strengths in order to coast into the second round. Ridge Spring-Monetta (5-5) at Ware Shoals (4-5) Last time they played Ware Shoals defeated Ridge Spring-Monetta 29-14 on Nov. 11, 2005, in the second round of the Class A playoffs.
Keys to the game On paper, the Trojans' matchup with Ware Shoals is a close one since both teams have similar overall records. The Hornets have a slight upper hand in their region with a 3-2 record while Ridge Spring-Monetta finished 2-3. Defense has been the name of the game all season for the Trojans and they’ll need to continue putting pressure on at the line of scrimmage.
However, the key to coming out with a win will be for the offense to put points on the board to back up the defense. The Hornets have the edge offensively with 285 points scored in 10 games this season while RS-M has only scored 129. However, the Trojans have only given up 218 points while opponents have scored a total of 300 points against Ware Shoals.
RS-M has also been focused on fundamentals all season, finding ways to improve especially when it comes to missed assignments. If the Trojans can play a clean game against the Hornets and find ways to score, they’ll be able to gain momentum early on against Ware Shoals. Williston-Elko (4-6) at Dixie (7-2) Last time they played Williston-Elko defeated Dixie 18-3 on Nov.
10, 2017, in the second round of the Class AA playoffs. Keys to the game The Blue Devils will need to be up for the challenge against an explosive Dixie team on Friday. After a regular season full of ups and downs, Williston-Elko is focused on taking it one day at a time in preparation for the Hornets.
Winning the turnover battle will be important for the Blue Devils as they work to keep the ball in their possession as much as possible. It’ll be a physical matchup on both sides of the ball, making it vital for Williston-Elko to take control at the line of scrimmage. Offensively, the Blue Devils will need to capitalize on any mistakes the Hornets make to drive the ball downfield.
Being able to score in the red zone and taking advantage of every scoring opportunity will be the key to making it to the second round of the playoffs. Williston-Elko has found a lot of success defensively, holding a dominant Blackville-Hilda offense to just 20 points at the end of the regular season. Limiting turnovers and controlling possession of the ball will be the key for the Blue Devils to pull off the upset to open up the postseason.
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