Week 7 Preview Capsules: Greenville County

Class 5A No. 2 Hillcrest (6-0, 0-0 Region I-5A) at Woodmont (4-3, 0-1 Region I-5A)
Series record: Hillcrest leads 23-8, including a 63-20 win last season in Simpsonville. The Rams won each of the first six meetings and each of the last 14 for their longest-ever win streak against any opponent.
Last week: Hillcrest was off after winning 56-12 at Wren in Week 5; Woodmont lost to J.L. Mann 56-18
Radio/TV/Internet: Hillcrest – facebook.com/HHSRamAthletics (Facebook Live stream).
Location: Whitt Memorial Field, 2831 W Georgia Rd, Piedmont
Who to watch for Hillcrest: ATH Avery McFadden, RB Thomas Stanley, MLB Tyson Moses
Who to watch for Woodmont: RB T.J. Williams, RB, Ezekiel Belcher, WR Caleb Smith
About the Rams: In his first year as head coach, Bennett Swygert has Hillcrest rolling with its closest game thus far being a 21-6 win over Boiling Springs. McFadden leads the Rams in so many different ways. He’s their top receiver with 30 catches for 307 yards and eight touchdowns and has also ran for six touchdowns. He averages 9.8 yards per carry, 33.7 yards per kickoff return and 13.1 yards per punt return. Stanley has rushed for 574 yards and five scores. Moses has a team-high 32 tackles, including six tackles-for-loss and three sacks. He also has a forced fumble, an interception and two pass breakups.
About the Wildcats: After suffering a heartbreaking loss at Seneca two weeks ago, Woodmont came out firing last Friday as Smith hauled in a 63 yard touchdown pass from Jordan Sink to open the scoring. That momentum lasted all of a few seconds though as Mann returned the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown and never looked back. Smith finished with 107 yards on three catches. Williams has 730 yards rushing this season, while Belcher has 577.

Class 5A No. 4 T.L. Hanna (6-1, 1-0 Region I-5A) at Class 5A No. 10 J.L. Mann (6-1, 1-0 Region I-5A)
Series record: Hanna leads 12-1, including a 48-42 double overtime victory last season in Anderson. Mann’s lone win in the series came in 1971.
Last week: Hanna beat Mauldin 62-7; Mann won at Woodmont 56-18
Radio/TV/Internet: Hanna – WABB 105.1 FM, 1390 AM, spirit1051.com/listen
Location: Slaton Field, 158 Ridge Rd, Greenville, SC 29607
Who to watch for Hanna: HB KD Patterson, FB/HB Vashun Burton, RB Josh Donald
Who to watch for Mann: QB Ethan Anderson, RB Na’Cyus Morrison, DE Jacari Bennett
About the Yellow Jackets: In last year’s thrilling matchup, Hanna’s run-heavy offense was able to rally from a 35-28 deficit with a couple of minutes left in regulation. Jaylon Boles then walked it off in double overtime with his fourth touchdown run of the game. Boles is a senior this year and part of a stable of backs that has Hanna averaging 8.9 yards a carry as a team. Patterson leads the way with 873 yards and 12 touchdowns. Burton has 568 yards, Donald has 427 and Boles has 297.
About the Patriots: Mann excelled on both sides of the ball in last week’s big win at Woodmont. Anderson completed 20-of-27 passes for 313 yards with five touchdowns and no interceptions, while Morrison rushed 18 times for 184 yards and three touchdowns. Keyshun Henderson had six receptions for 109 yards and one touchdown, while Mikel McClellan had four catches for 93 yards and a score. McClellan also had an 82-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. Meanwhile on defense, Bennett had eight tackles including four sacks.

Class 3A No. 8 Broome (6-1, 1-0 Region III-3A) at Blue Ridge (0-6, 0-0 Region III-3A)
Series record: Broome won the first meeting between the teams, 49-28, last year in Spartanburg.
Last week: Broome defeated Travelers Rest 46-7; Blue Ridge was off after a 74-34 loss at Landrum in Week 5
Radio/TV/Internet: Broome – coxsportsbroadcasting.com; Blue Ridge – upstateprepcast.net/blue-ridge
Location: Jim Howard Stadium, 2151 Fews Chapel Rd, Greer
Who to watch for Broome: QB Kamajay Brackett-Brannon, RB Jaylin McGill, WR/S Tre Suber
Who to watch for Blue Ridge: RB K.B. Henderson, WR Asheton Stokes, DE Eli Smith
About the Centurions: A Broome offense averaging more than 55 points per game over the past four games will look to keep cooking with gas against a Blue Ridge team allowing 49 points per game. Brackett-Brannon has completed 71.6 percent of his passes for 961 yards with nine touchdowns and no interceptions, and rushed 95 times for 821 yards and 11 touchdowns. Those rushing totals are only second on the team though. McGill, a sophomore running back, has 1,061 yards and 16 touchdowns on 125 carries. Meanwhile, Broome defense has 17 sacks and 13 interceptions. Suber, who averages 18.3 yards per catch on offense, has a team-high six picks. Defensive tackle Chance Williams has a team-best eight sacks.
About the Tigers: Despite Blue Ridge’s struggles this year, Henderson has not been slowed down. The junior has rushed for 703 yards and 10 touchdowns. Stokes has caught 475 yards worth of the Tigers’ 607 yards passing and hauled in all three of their scoring throws. Smith has 63 tackles, including seven tackles-for-loss, to lead the defense.

Ware Shoals (1-5, 0-3 Region I-1A) at Class 1A No. 2 Christ Church (4-2, 2-0 Region I-1A)
Series record: Ware Shoals leads 15-10, but Christ Church won 36-0 last year for its sixth consecutive victory in the series.
Last week: Ware Shoals lost to McCormick 20-8; Christ Church was off following a 60-14 win over McCormick in Week 5
Location: Carson Stadium, 245 Cavalier Dr, Greenville
Who to watch for Ware Shoals: RB Justice Lomax
Who to watch for Christ Church: RB Dashun Reeder, QB Tucker Hendrix, WR Jackson Repp
About the Hornets: Thanks to a four-yard touchdown run by Lomax, Ware Shoals took an 8-0 lead after one quarter at McCormick last Friday. That’s about the offense the Hornets could muster though. Ware Shoals had three yards passing and threw three interceptions to remain winless in region play. Lomax finished with 129 yards on 20 carries for the Hornets’ lone bright spot.
About the Cavaliers: Christ Church piled up 538 yards of total offense in its win over McCormick. After missing Week 4’s win at Calhoun Falls, Hendrix returned to action and completed 8-of-12 passes for 261 yards with three touchdowns and one interception. Jackson Repp caught three passes for 117 yards and two scores, one of which was an 85-yard effort. For the season, Repp has 27 catches for 579 yards and 11 touchdowns. Reeder rushed 15 times for 125 yards and three touchdowns in the win over McCormick. He’s ran for 766 yards and nine scores this year.

Class 1A No. 5 Southside Christian (3-2, 2-0 Region I-1A) at Calhoun Falls (2-4, 0-2 Region I-1A)
Series record: Southside Christian leads 9-0, including a 49-6 win last season in Simpsonville.
Last week: Southside Christian won at Dixie 35-7; Calhoun Falls lost at St. Joseph’s 56-8
Location: Fulmer Stadium, 205 Edgefield St, Calhoun Falls
Who to watch for Southside Christian: WR Ethan Chandler, WR Zachary Brewster, WR Josh Hennum
Who to watch for Calhoun Falls: WR Da’quean Lewis, RB Jamarri Norman
About the Sabres: Paul Cobin completed 7-of-11 passes for 134 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions in Southside Christian’s win last Friday. Chandler caught two of those touchdowns, while Brewster and Hennum caught the other two. Chander leads Southside Christian with 28 catches for 391 yards and four scores this season.
About the Blue Flashes: Calhoun Falls knew it faced a tall task at St. Joseph’s last week, but it compounded the challenge by losing six turnovers in the first half to trail 42-0 at the half. The Blue Flashes were held to 16 yards of total offense. Norman helped Calhoun Falls avoid the shutout with a 12-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter and Lewis ran for the two-point conversion.

Dixie (2-4, 2-1 Region I-1A) at Class 1A No. 7 St. Joseph’s (6-1, 2-1 Region I-1A)
Series record: St. Joseph’s leads 3-0, including a 58-7 victory last year.
Last week: Dixie lost to Southside Christian 35-7; St. Joseph’s beat Calhoun Falls 56-8
Location: St. Joseph’s Catholic School, 100 St Joseph’s Dr, Greenville
Who to watch for Dixie: QB Staylon Johnson, RB Brandon Nance
Who to watch for St. Joseph’s: RB Brayden Johnson, MLB Johnny Jaraczewski, CB Tradd Coulter
About the Hornets: Dixie fell behind Southside Christian 28-0 at the half last week in suffering its first region loss. Kadin Sullivan and Tyler Glazier had interceptions in the second half to help the Hornets stay even with the Sabres after halftime. Dixie, who was without Nance much of the game due to an injury, avoided the shutout when Johnson threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Jaren Byers.
About the Knights: St. Joseph’s rebounded from its first loss of the season in a big way as it held Calhoun Falls to 16 yards of total offense. The Knights forced six turnovers in the first half and Johnson ran for touchdowns after four of them. Coulter was responsible for half of those six turnovers as he had three interceptions, giving him six over his last five games. Johnson finished with 102 yards on 14 carries.

Greenville (3-3, 0-1 Region I-4A) at Berea (1-5, 0-1 Region I-4A)
Series record: Berea leads 14-13 although Greenville has won each of the last 11 meetings, including an 85-0 victory last season. The Bulldogs last win in the series came in 1991 under then head coach Wayne Green.
Last week: Greenville lost to Westside 28-14; Berea lost to Greenwood 42-10
Location: Berea High School, 201 Burdine Dr, Greenville
Who to watch for Greenville: ATH Mazeo Bennett, DL Jayden Wilson-Abrams, DL Bruce Knauber
Who to watch for Berea: QB Amazay Robinson, RB Miquel Kilgore, WR Destin Eichelberger
About the Red Raiders: Greenville will try to bounce back after a frustrating loss in a showdown with Westside last week. After scoring on their opening possession, the Red Raiders reached the Rams’ 30 on each of their next two drives. Those both ended on interceptions though. Greenville’s first two drives of the second half each reached the Westside 10 before penalties derailed both of them and left the Red Raiders with no points.
About the Bulldogs: Robinson completed 15-of-24 passes for 240 yards last week, but it could never open any running holes. Greenwood held Berea to 34 yards rushing on 25 attempts to cruise to the win. Eichelberger had five catches for 104 yards, while Jay Austin caught three passes for 73 yards. Eichelberger has 32 receptions for 462 yards and two touchdowns this season.

Eastside (4-2, 0-0 Region II-4A) at Greer (2-5, 1-0 Region II-4A)
Series record: Greer leads 38-5, including a 55-7 victory last season in Taylors. The Yellow Jackets have won 18 of the last 19 meetings since 2004.
Last week: Eastside won at Emerald 35-12; Greer won at Laurens 49-7
Radio/TV/Internet: Greer – WGYT 92.1 FM, yellowjacketsports.net
Location: Dooley Field, 301 Chandler Rd, Greer
Who to watch for Eastside: RB Kalvin Banks, LB Andrew Moree, LB Cayden Workman
Who to watch for Greer: RB LaDainnian Martin, QB Chris Hall, WR Chase Byrd
About the Eagles: Eastside soars into region play this week on a four-game winning streak thanks in large part to the legs of Banks. Banks ran 26 times for 222 yards and three touchdowns in last Friday’s win at Emerald. In five games this season, Banks has rushed 113 times for 956 yards and 13 touchdowns. Workman leads the defense in tackles with 50, while Moree leads in sacks with six.
About the Yellow Jackets: Banks’ counterpart at running back this week had an even bigger game last Friday. Martin had 240 yards and three touchdowns on just 13 carries. He also caught a 23-yard touchdown pass. Hall threw for 102 yards and that score, plus rushed for 71 yards and two more touchdowns. Greer overcame two turnovers and 10 penalties for 97 yards by outgaining Laurens, 407-97. Martin, who missed two games this season with an injury, has 656 yards rushing and nine touchdowns this season, while Hall has 509 yards on the ground and 10 scores.

Laurens (0-7, 0-1 Region II-4A) at Riverside (4-3, 1-0 Region II-4A)
Series record: Laurens leads 4-1, but Riverside won 17-14 last year in Laurens.
Last week: Laurens lost to Greer 49-7; Riverside won at Wade Hampton 49-7
Radio/TV/Internet: Laurens – WLBG 860 AM, wlbg.com/listenlive
Location: Riverside High, 794 Hammett Bridge Rd, Greer
Who to watch for Laurens: QB Nick Danciu, LB Ja’Mauri Williams
Who to watch for Riverside: WR/RB Mikkel Skinner, WR Speedy Taylor, DL Marcus Downs
About the Raiders: Laurens’ woes continued last week as Greer held it to 97 yards of total offense on 53 plays. About half of those came on a 48-yard drive, which was capped by Josh Goodwin’s three-yard touchdown run on the final play of the first half. The Raiders, who began playing football in 1909, are off to an 0-7 start for the sixth time in school history.
About the Warriors: After a tough couple of weeks against Spartanburg and Daniel, respectively, Riverside got back on track in a big way last Friday. Every Warriors game this season – win or lose – has been decided by double digits with an average margin of 33 points. Skinner and Taylor each have 400 yards receiving this season and have seven touchdowns catches apiece.

Powdersville (2-4, 0-1 Region II-3A) at Fountain Inn (2-4, 0-1 Region II-3A)
Series record: Powdersville won the first-ever meeting, 55-14, last season.
Last week: Powdersville lost to Belton-Honea Path 56-28; Fountain Inn lost at Wren 48-7
Location: Fountain Inn High, 644 Quillen Ave, Fountain Inn
Who to watch for Powdersville: QB Eli Hudgins, RB Elijah Huggins, WR Landon Fowler
Who to watch for Fountain Inn: QB Sam Holliday, LB Xeviel Gonzalez, DB Caden Carnes
About the Patriots: Powdersville was tied with Belton-Honea Path 21-21 in the second quarter last Friday before the unbeaten Bears pulled away. The Patriots put up 328 yards of total offense and four touchdowns. Huggins had four carries for 74 yards and two touchdowns to lead Powdersville.
About the Fury: Fountain Inn fell behind 42-0 at the half last week. The Fury avoided the shutout when Holliday ran for a touchdown in the fourth quarter. Holliday has accounted for all 12 of Fountain Inn’s touchdowns (seven rushing/five passing) this season. Gonzalez, who had 10 tackles against Wren, leads the team with 44.5 stops this season.

Wren (2-4, 1-0 Region II-3A) at Southside (0-6, 0-1 Region II-3A)
Series record: Wren leads 8-3, including a 54-7 victory last season in Piedmont.
Last week: Wren beat Fountain Inn 42-7; Southside lost at Palmetto 47-0
Radio/TV/Internet: Wren – youtube.com/@stanleyyarborough7448
Location: Joe Perkins Stadium, 100 Blassingame Rd, Greenville
Who to watch for Wren: QB Colten Bagwell, RB Reese Price, DB Tyler Morgan
Who to watch for Southside: RB Javontae Searles, QB Chance McClure, DE Christopher Smith
About the Hurricanes: After a brutally tough non-region schedule, Wren got region play off on the right foot last week. The Hurricanes had all six of their touchdowns in the first half. Price ran for 112 yards and two scores, while Bagwell ran for two touchdowns and passed for another.
About the Tigers: Southside allowed 302 yards of total offense last Friday and lost the turnover battle, 3-0, in suffering its second shutout this season. The Tigers are off to their worst start since 2011.

Carolina (2-5, 0-1 Region III-3A) at Travelers Rest (2-5, 0-1 Region III-3A)
Series record: Travelers Rest leads 9-6, including a 35-3 win last year.
Last week: Carolina lost to Chapman 57-0; Travelers Rest lost at Broome 46-7
Location: Chico Bolin Stadium, 301 N Main St, Travelers Rest
Who to watch for Carolina: RB Kimoray Holland, QB JaSean Bowens, WR D’Marcus Riley
Who to watch for Travelers Rest: WR Drew McKibbon, LB Lucas Tankersley
About the Trojans: Carolina, which had put up 78 points over its previous two games prior to last Friday’s shutout loss, will look to get its offense back on track. Holland has rushed for eight touchdowns this season, while Riley has caught eight of Bowens’ nine touchdowns. .
About the Devildogs: Travelers Rest will look to extend its winning streak in the series to six. The Devildogs last loss to Carolina came in 1987.