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South Aiken (3-5, 1-4 Region 4-AAAA) at Aiken (0-8, 0-5 Region 4-AAAA) Last time they played South Aiken defeated Aiken 42-41 on Oct. 27, 2023. Keys to the game It's Aiken-South Aiken.
The city rivalry is still the city rivalry, even with both teams struggling. It may also be the best week for both to get back on a normal schedule after squeezing three games into the previous two weeks. The key for South Aiken's offense is going to be finishing drives in the red zone, which is an area where the T-Breds struggled in last week's 41-14 loss to Midland Valley.
Running back Jevon Edwards rushed for 263 yards and two scores, bringing his season totals to 1,662 yards and 19 touchdowns, but there were still too many opportunities the T-Breds let slip away. The rest of the offense will be looking for a bounce-back performance, and this should be a game requiring no additional motivation. Aiken will again look to minimize the mistakes that have snowballed on the Hornets in recent weeks, with them losing their last four games by a combined 186 points.
Still, they'd love nothing more than to bury their rival's playoff hopes, and both sides are well aware that this game isn't one that's played on paper. Just consider last year, when a South Aiken team that many expected to win comfortably needed 442 yards and six touchdowns, the last of which coming with 23 seconds left in the game, from Edwards to win by a point. South Aiken has won seven in a row in the series, and a big senior class doesn't want to be the group to let the streak end.
Aiken would love nothing more than to start a new streak in a series it used to dominate. Midland Valley (4-5, 4-2 Region 4-AAAA) at North Augusta (7-1, 5-0 Region 4-AAAA) Last time they played Midland Valley defeated North Augusta 49-48 on Oct. 27, 2023.
Keys to the game Rivalry week returns for the Jackets and Mustangs in their first meeting since last year's classic that ended North Augusta's win streak in the series at 24 games. Both teams are on a roll, with seventh-ranked North Augusta remaining undefeated in Region 4-AAAA play while Midland Valley has won its last three games after a rough start to the season. For the Jackets this week it’s all about stopping Midland Valley from making the big plays.
The Mustangs have a lot of versatility in their offense, especially with dual-threat quarterback Xavier Geter, who can run the ball to extend drives. North Augusta will need to control the run game to disrupt the rhythm Midland Valley has been building in the last three games. The Jackets' own offense has been dominant so far this year with running back Michael Doe and quarterback Corey Tillman at the helm.
Against South Aiken, Midland Valley’s defense was able to contain standout running back Jevon Edwards and it’ll have to do the same to control the Jackets on the ground. North Augusta will be the Mustangs' final and biggest test in a turbulent regular season. Teams can show up in different ways for a rivalry game, and North Augusta head coach Richard Bush is working on keeping the team level-headed going into one of their biggest games this year.
Silver Bluff (1-7, 1-1 Region 4-AAA) at Fox Creek (4-4, 0-3 Region 4-AAA) Last time they played Silver Bluff defeated Fox Creek 37-0 on Sept. 29, 2023. Keys to the game Fox Creek is looking for a region win to close out the season, while Silver Bluff is back from a bye week with plenty of momentum following a breakthrough win two weeks ago.
It’ll come down to consistency on both sides of the ball on Friday night. Fox Creek has struggled offensively so far during the region schedule. After scoring more than 40 points for four consecutive games to start the season, the Predators have fallen flat since starting region play, scoring just 21 points in their last three games.
Head coach Lemuel Lackey said sustaining longer drives to build a rhythm will be the key to getting back on track against the Bulldogs. Finding ways to tackle in space will also be vital defensively to hold back Silver Bluff’s physical offense and shorten drives. The Bulldogs finally clicked in their win over Swansea, exploding for 673 yards of total offense with 472 of those coming on the ground.
Another big night like that could have them looking like a dangerous opponent in the Class AAA playoffs after a frustrating losing streak. Blackville-Hilda (6-2, 2-1 Region 3-A) at Williston-Elko (4-5, 1-3 Region 3-A) Last time they played Blackville-Hilda defeated Williston-Elko 50-14 on Oct. 18, 2023.
Keys to the game Barnwell County rivals meet in a matchup of teams who both experienced a reversal of fortunes last week. Blackville-Hilda was rolling into a big-time matchup against Hunter-Kinard-Tyler, but the seventh-ranked Fighting Hawks suffered a 59-12 loss to derail their region title hopes while the fourth-ranked Trojans took control of the league standings. Williston-Elko, on the other hand, snapped a three-game losing streak in league play with a 25-24 win over Wagener-Salley that had to feel especially cleansing for a Blue Devils team that had lost two of those three by a point apiece.
Blackville-Hilda will look to get its offense back on track against a Williston-Elko defense that has been the team's strength all season. This is a big momentum matchup for both as they look toward the playoffs, and it's always a hard-hitting affair when these two get together. Whale Branch (4-4, 2-1 Region 5-AA) at Barnwell (8-1, 3-0 Region 5-AA) Last time they played Barnwell defeated Whale Branch 49-6 on Oct.
11, 2019. Keys to the game It's region championship time for No. 3 Barnwell, which would lock up the Region 5-AA crown with a home win.
That's been the goal for the Warhorses the last few weeks, as they know how important it is to have the region's No. 1 seed in the state playoffs - they would be in line to host four potential playoff games, while the No. 2 seed may only get one.
Quarterback Cameron Austin was nearly perfect in last week's win over Edisto, and Nehemiah Brown led a strong rushing attack that has generated 26 touchdowns so far this season. Opponents are averaging just 10 points per game against the Warhorses, which could be trouble for a Whale Branch offense that has had trouble scoring in its losses. The Warriors employ a run-heavy offense, and Barnwell has shut down a few of those already this season.
Ninety Six (3-6, 2-2 Region 2-AA) at Strom Thurmond (5-2, 2-1 Region 2-AA) Last time they played Strom Thurmond defeated Ninety Six 42-8 on Oct. 30, 2015. Keys to the game This is a big bounce-back opportunity for No.
9 Strom Thurmond, which suffered a tough 10-point loss to No. 2 Saluda last week and hosts No. 1 Batesburg-Leesville next week.
Ninety Six is the opponent on Friday night, though, and the biggest key for the Rebels will be to keep their focus on the task at hand. Last week is over and next week is next week, and Ninety Six plays a physical style that can shorten the game and take away opportunities for the Rebels to put it away. The defense allowed 370 yards of offense, 233 on the ground, in last week's loss to Saluda, so that group will be eager to take back some of its pride against a Ninety Six offense that loves to pound the rock.
The Rebels will also be looking to get their own ground game rolling again after being held to 92 yards on 36 carries last week. Ridge Spring-Monetta (5-3, 2-1 Region 3-A) at Hunter-Kinard-Tyler (7-1, 3-0 Region 3-A) Last time they played Hunter-Kinard-Tyler defeated Ridge Spring-Monetta 26-20 on Oct. 27, 2023.
Keys to the game It's Trojans vs. Trojans on Friday night as Ridge Spring-Monetta faces its toughest opponent yet in Hunter-Kinard-Tyler, which is playing for the region title. From RS-M coach Jay Brannon’s perspective, they are as well.
H-K-T’s offensive production this season has been dominant, making it the perfect match-up for a defense that hasn’t allowed more than eight points in its last six games. The defense must continue being on top of its game to contain an explosive H-K-T offense that put up 59 points on Blackville-Hilda last week. It all comes down to how well RS-M can finish off drives in the red zone.
Against Calhoun County last week, the Trojans struggled to capitalize on opportunities to score down the stretch in long drives. Brannon knows teams are starting to figure out their biggest weapon in quarterback Jaiden Holloway, and RS-M will have to find more success throwing the ball downfield to make the big plays. After several good practices this week, Brannon said his group can compete with anyone in the region and Friday night will be their chance to prove it.
Calhoun County (2-7, 2-2 Region 3-A) at Wagener-Salley (2-6, 0-3 Region 3-A) Last time they played Calhoun County defeated Wagener-Salley 56-8 on Oct. 27, 2023. Keys to the game It’s senior night for the War Eagles this week and it’s all about the details against Calhoun County.
With just four seniors and a young group of starters, every week is an opportunity to get better for Wagener-Salley. Despite an 0-3 record in the region, head coach Blaze Gillespie is happy with the progress the team has made this season. Focusing on the fundamentals and the little details will be the key to getting back on track against the Saints.
Calhoun County is coming off of a close win against Ridge Spring-Monetta last week but has struggled to score against teams like Blackville-Hilda and Hunter-Kinard-Tyler. The War Eagles kept it close against county rival Williston-Elko last week, falling to the Blue Devils by just one point. Gillespie said he saw a lot of improvement during the game and hopes to build on that this week.
With the regular season winding down, morale for Wagener-Salley hasn’t faltered with playoffs on the horizon..
