The high school football season is in its third week in South Carolina. Here are some of the top matchups in the Midlands as well as The State’s weekly power rankings.
Top Midlands games this week
Brookland-Cayce (1-1) at Northwestern (2-0): Second time that Class 3A Brookland-Cayce is playing powerhouse program n the first three weeks of the season. B-C played Byrnes on Aug. 19. The Bearcats are coming off a win over Airport. Northwestern has scored 121 points through two games. Running back Turbo Richard leads Northwestern with 377 yards and seven touchdowns. Northwestern is averaging 573 yards of offense through the first two games. B-C quarterback Tanner Staton has 378 yards of offense and four TDs in two games. Prediction: Northwestern
Hammond (1-1) at Gaffney (0-1): Matchup of state champions from a year ago from the top classifications of private and public school football. First time in at least two decades that Hammond has played a South Carolina public school team. Gaffney’s game last week against Union County was canceled in the first quarter because of weather. Hammond RB Aidan Canzater leads Skyhawks with three rushing TDs. Prediction: Gaffney
Hartsville (1-0) at Camden (2-0): The 100th-year anniversary of first meeting between the two schools. Camden leads series, 46-41-4. Camden won last year’s game 43-37. Camden is No. 2 in Class 3A and Hartsville is No. 6 in Class 4A in the latest S.C. Prep Media Poll. Camden quarterback Grayson White has 691 yards of total offense and nine touchdowns in the first two games. Carmelo Doby leads Camden with four sacks. Hartsville running back JaSahwn Anderson is a Georgia Southern commitment. Prediction: Camden
Irmo (2-0) at River Bluff (2-0): First meeting between two teams since 2019. River Bluff won that game 14-7. River Bluff is averaging 311.5 yards rushing per game. River Bluff running back Cooper Johns has five rushing touchdowns and back-to-back 100-yard games. Irmo quarterback AJ Brand has four passing and two rushing touchdowns through two games. Erick Tucker leads Irmo with 253 yards rushing. Prediction: River Bluff
Ridge View (1-1) at Lower Richland (1-1): First meeting between the two schools since 2007 when Ridge View won 20-7. RV quarterback Donald Tomlin has thrown for two touchdowns in each of the first two games. Zion Agnew leads RV with 10 catches for 164 yards and a TD. Running back Lamarion Pearson leads the Diamond Hornets with 261 yards rushing and five touchdowns. Makhi Campbfield leads LR with 180 yards receiving. Prediction: Ridge View
Saturday
Gray Collegiate (0-2) vs. South Atlanta, Ga. (1-0): Game is part of Cam Newton Classic in Atlanta and will kick off at 2 p.m. The War Eagles blew a 12-point halftime lead in their second-straight loss to Crestwood last week. Keyjaun Brown rushed for 175 yards and two touchdowns in South Atlanta’s victory last week. Prediction: South Atlanta
Dutch Fork (2-0) vs. Creekside, Ga (0-1): Game is part of Cam Newton Classic in Atlanta Georgia and will kick off at 5 p.m. Third-straight road game in third different state to start the season for Dutch Fork, which doesn’t play a home game until Sept. 23. Dutch Fork starting quarterback Aliam Appler left last week’s game with a shoulder injury in the second quarter and isn’t expected to play this week. Landon Danley and Jonathan Hunt will likely handle QB duties. Running back Jarvis Green leads the Silver Foxes with 375 yards rushing and had 306 yards, two touchdowns last week. Green’s 306 yards were seventh most in school history for a single game. John Buetow leads DF with 3½ sacks. Creekside lost its opener to Rome, 16-6, last week. Prediction: Dutch Fork
This Week’s Schedule, Picks
All games begin at 7:30 p.m. unless noted; Lou Bezjak’s prediction in parenthesis
Thursday
Eau Claire at Pelion, 7 p.m. (Pick: Pelion)
Friday
Batesburg-Leesville at Ridge Spring Monetta (B-L)
Butler (Ga.) at Airport (Butler)
CA Johnson at North Central (CA Johnson)
Chester at Fairfield Central (Chester)
Clinton at Newberry (Clinton)
Colleton County at White Knoll (White Knoll)
Columbia at Edisto (Edisto)
Dreher at Lakewood (Lakewood)
Heathwood Hall at Bethlehem Christian, Ga. (Bethlehem)
Lugoff-Elgin at Darlington (Lugoff-Elgin)
Mid-Carolina at Whitmire (Mid-Carolina)
Newberry Academy at Laurens Academy (Newberry Academy)
Northside Christian at Orangeburg Prep (Orangeburg Prep)
Pinewood Prep at Ben Lippen (Ben Lippen)
Porter-Gaud at Camden Military (Porter-Gaud)
Richard Winn at Wardlaw (Richard Winn)
Richland Northeast at Keenan (Richland Northeast)
Saluda at Ninety-Six (Saluda)
South Aiken at Gilbert (Gilbert)
Spring Valley at Chapin (Spring Valley)
Stratford at Lexington (Lexington)
Trinity Collegiate at Cardinal Newman (Trinity Collegiate)
Westwood at Blythewood (Blythewood)
WW King at Oakbrook Prep (WW King)
Last Week: 22-5
Season Record: 41-11
The State’s Power Rankings
A look at The State’s Top 10 for Columbia-area schools after Week 2:
1. Dutch Fork
Record: 2-0
Last Week: Defeated Spartanburg, 27-25
2. AC Flora
Record: 2-0
Last Week: Defeated Dreher, 57-7
3. Camden
Record: 2-0
Last Week: Defeated Lugoff-Elgin, 53-7
4. Gilbert
Record: 1-0
Last Week: Defeated Batesburg-Leesville, 49-14
5. Lexington
Record: 1-1
Last Week: Defeated South Aiken, 63-56
6. Irmo
Record: 2-0
Last Week: Defeated Lancaster, 27-20
7. River Bluff
Record: 2-0
Last Week: Defeated Swansea, 52-0
8. Ridge View
Record: 1-1
Last Week: Lost to Sumter, 15-14
9. White Knoll
Record: 2-0
Last Week: Defeated Spring Valley, 36-9
10. Saluda
Record: 2-0
Last Week: Defeated Ridge Spring-Monetta, 34-7
« Dropped out: Gray Collegiate, Spring Valley
« Others considered: Fairfield Central, Hammond
September 1, 2022 | State, The: Web Edition Articles (Columbia, SC)
Author/Byline: Lou Bezjak, The State | Section: prep_football