Week 10 Preview Capsules: Greenville County

THURSDAY

Berea (2-7, 1-3 Region I-4A) at Class 4A No. 5 Westside (8-1, 4-0 Region I-4A)

Series record: Westside leads 4-1, including a 55-0 win last season in Greenville.

Last week: Berea defeated Pickens 28-25; Westside beat Easley 63-35 last Thursday

Location: Westside High School, 806 Pearman Dairy Rd, Anderson

Who to watch for Berea: QB Amazay Robinson, RB Taurean Davis, WR Destin Eichelberger

Who to watch for Westside: WR Joshua Williams, QB Cutter Woods, RB Marco Evans

What’s at stake: The Rams will try to extend their winning streak to nine games and have the region championship all to themselves. The Class 4A playoffs seed the top four teams in each region 1-16 and Westside will be the No. 3 seed in the Upper State. In last week’s win over Easley, Evans ran for 180 yards and two touchdowns, Dequirous Robertson rushed for 161 yards and four scores, and Woods completed 14-of-20 passes for 213 yards and three touchdowns.

Davis rushed 10 times for 142 yards and two touchdowns, including the game-winner with a minute to play as Berea won its first region game last Friday. Robinson ran for a touchdown and threw a 62-yard scoring strike to Eichelberger also for the Bulldogs, who will miss the playoffs – even with a win Thursday – for the 12th time in the past 13 seasons.

FRIDAY

Class 1A No. 2 Christ Church (7-2, 5-0 Region I-4A) at Class 1A No. 5 Southside Christian (6-2, 5-0)

Series record: Christ Church leads 9-4, including a 14-13 win last season.

Last week: Christ Church defeated St. Joseph’s 35-21; Southside Christian won at Ware Shoals 47-12 last Thursday

Location: Sabre Stadium, 2211 Woodruff Rd, Simpsonville

Who to watch for Christ Church: RB Dashun Reeder, QB Tucker Hendrix, WR Jackson Repp

Who to watch for Southside Christian: WR Ethan Chandler, WR Zachary Brewster, RB Christian Kaiser

What’s at stake: In a word, “everything” is at stake in this one. It’s a rivalry game, a rematch of a classic battle last season, and a region championship is on the line. Perhaps bigger than anything will be the winner’s advantageous placement in the Class 1A playoffs. The top seed out of Region I can’t face another No. 1 seed until the Upper State championship game.

Meanwhile, the No. 2 and 3 seeds out of Region I are on the other side of the Upper State bracket along with the No. 1 seeds out of Region III and IV. There is no Region II in football. The No. 1 seed out of Region III could be No. 1-ranked Lewisville (8-1) if the Lions beat McBee Friday.

Last season at Christ Church, the Cavaliers rallied from a 13-0 third quarter deficit to knock off the Sabres, 14-13, on their way to a region title and state title. Southside Christian missed a field goal with three minutes left that would’ve given it a nine-point lead. Christ Church drove 80 yards and scored the game-winning touchdown with less than a minute to play. It was the only Cavs’ game decided by fewer than eight points last year.

Class 1A No. 7 St. Joseph’s (7-2, 3-2 Region I-1A) at McCormick (3-6, 2-3 Region I-1A)

Series record: St. Joseph’s leads 5-2, including a 52-12 victory last season in Greenville

Last week: St. Joseph’s lost at Christ Church 35-21; McCormick won at Calhoun Falls 40-12 last Saturday.

Location: McCormick High School, 6981 Hwy 28 S, McCormick

Who to watch for St. Joseph’s: FB Brayden Johnson, RB Lucas Salgado, LB Johnny Jaraczewski

Who to watch for McCormick: RB Dre’Kevan Thomas, RB Kenya Morton

What’s at stake: St. Joseph’s needs a win to secure third place in the region and a home game in the opening round of the Class 1A playoffs. A McCormick win and a Dixie loss at Calhoun Falls would give the Chiefs the No. 3 seed and the Knights No. 4. Wins by McCormick and Dixie would result in a three-way tie for third with each team going 1-1 against the others.

In the Chiefs’ victory last week, Thomas ran for two touchdowns and had an interception return for another score.

J.L. Mann (7-2, 2-1 Region I-5A) at Class 5A No. 5 Hillcrest (8-1, 2-1 Region I-5A)

Series record: Hillcrest leads 16-13, including a 41-21 victory last season to extend its streak in the series to 10 consecutive wins.

Last week: Mann was off after a 55-6 win over Mauldin in Week 8; Hillcrest won at Mauldin 57-0

Radio/TV/Internet: Hillcrest – facebook.com/HHSRamAthletics (Facebook Live stream).

Location: Chandler Stadium, 3665 S Industrial Dr, Simpsonville

Who to watch for J.L. Mann: WR Mikel McClellan, QB Ethan Anderson, RB Na’Cyus Morrison

Who to watch for Hillcrest: ATH Avery McFadden, RB Thomas Stanley, MLB Tyson Moses

What’s at stake: Second place in Region I-5A and a home game in the opening round of the Class 5A playoffs. The loser of this game will be the region’s No. 3 seed and will travel to Region III’s third-place team (either Nation Ford, Blythewood or Fort Mill) in the opening round of the playoffs.

In the Patriots’ win two weeks ago, Morrison rushed 15 times for 145 yards and four touchdowns, while Anderson threw for 279 yards and four scores. McFadden became Hillcrest’s all-time leading receiver and all-time leading scorer in last week’s rivalry win. This week, McFadden became the first Ram ever to be a finalist for Mr. Football.

Woodmont (4-5, 0-3 Region I-5A) at Mauldin (0-9, 0-3 Region I-5A)

Series record: Mauldin leads 13-0, including a 42-7 win last season in Piedmont.

Last week: Woodmont lost at T.L. Hanna 64-25; Mauldin lost to Hillcrest 57-0

Location: Freeman Field, 701 E Butler Rd, Mauldin

Who to watch for Woodmont: RB Ezekiel Belcher, RB Tavorace Williams, DL R.J. Flemmings

Who to watch for Mauldin: DL DeMario Moore, LB A.J. Norfus

What’s at stake: Fourth-place and the final playoff seed out of Region I. The winner will open the Class 5A playoffs at the Region III champion, which will be the winner of Friday’s game between Clover and Rock Hill.

Belcher and Williams rushed for 108 yards apiece in last week’s loss to region champion Hanna. Mauldin was held to 76 yards of total offense, including six yards rushing, in last week’s defeat. A loss Friday would leave the Mavericks with their fourth winless season in school history and first since 1998.

Easley (4-5, 2-2 Region I-4A) at Greenville (6-3, 3-1 Region I-4A)

Series record: Greenville leads 20-14-2, including a 42-0 win last season at Easley

Last week: Easley lost at Westside 63-35 last Thursday; Greenville won at Greenwood 48-7

Location: Sirrine Stadium, 100 Cleveland St, Greenville

Who to watch for Easley: RB Logan Sullivan, QB Jay Stoker, WR Will Patton

Who to watch for Greenville: ATH Mazeo Bennett, DL Jayden Wilson-Abrams, RB Kylar Zimmerman

What’s at stake: Greenville needs a win to secure second place in the region and a home game in the opening round of the Class 4A playoffs. The second-place team out of the region will be the No. 8 seed in 4A Upper State’s “Sweet 16” will host Region IV’s third-place team, which will be the loser of Friday’s game between Lexington and Dutch Fork.

An Easley loss would leave the Green Wave as the fourth-place team and the No. 15 seed, which plays at Region IV champion and No. 2 seed White Knoll to open the playoffs. An Easley win, coupled with a Greenwood win over Pickens, would create a three-way tie for second with all three teams having gone 1-1 against each other.

Mazeo Bennett had half of Greenville’s six rushing touchdowns last week and finished with 80 yards on four carries. In Easley’s loss, Patton threw two touchdown passes and caught two of Stoker’s three touchdown passes. Sullivan rushed for 131 yards.

Riverside (5-4, 2-1 Region II-4A) at Greer (4-5, 3-0 Region II-4A)

Series record: Greer leads 34-8, including a 49-48 win last season.

Last week: Riverside was off after a 41-20 win over Eastside in Week 8; Greer won at Wade Hampton 65-7

Radio/TV/Internet: Greer – WGYT 92.1 FM, yellowjacketsports.net

Location: Dooley Field, 301 Chandler Rd, Greer

Who to watch for Riverside: WR/RB Mikkel Skinner, WR Speedy Taylor, DB Quinton Hood

Who to watch for Greer: RB LaDainnian Martin, WR Chase Byrd, QB Chris Hall

What’s at stake: A region championship and home field advantage throughout the playoffs. The Region II champion will be the No. 1 overall seed in the Upper State Playoffs and will host the fourth-place team out of Region III in round one.

A Riverside loss combined with an Eastside win over Wade Hampton would create a three-way tie for second place between Eastside, Laurens and Riverside. All three went 1-1 against each other.

In the Warriors’ win two weeks ago, Skinner rushed for 68 yards and a touchdown and also caught a touchdown. Taylor caught four passes for 85 yards and a score. Last Friday, Greer had one fewer offensive play than Wade Hampton but enjoyed a 510-yard advantage in total offense. Hall had 281 yards of total offense and four touchdowns.

Wade Hampton (2-7, 0-3 Region II-4A) at Eastside (5-4, 1-2 Region II-4A)

Series record: Eastside leads 33-22, but Wade Hampton ended a five-game losing streak in the series with a 49-42 win last season.

Last week: Wade Hampton lost to Greer 65-7; Eastside defeated Laurens 36-34

Location: John Carlisle Stadium, 1300 Brushy Creek Rd, Taylors

Who to watch for Wade Hampton: DE/TE Javarous Haygood, DE/TE Will Kay, QB Jack Stepp

Who to watch for Eastside: RB Kalvin Banks, LB Andrew Moree, DE MJ Posey

What’s at stake: Eastside can finish as high as tied for second with a win or tied for fourth and out of the playoffs with a loss. An Eagles’ win and a Riverside loss would forge a three-way tie for second place with both teams and Laurens. It would also give the Eagles their first winning season since 2019.

If Eastside and Riverside win, the Eagles would finish tied with Laurens for third place and get the No. 3 seed tiebreaker as a result of its head-to-head win. A Generals’ win would give them the fourth and final playoff seed from the region.

Banks had 179 yards rushing and four touchdowns in Eastside’s win last week. Wade Hampton was limited to just 50 yards of total offense on 49 plays in the loss to Greer. Xaikius Latimer’s 11-yard touchdown run was the lone score for the Generals.

Fountain Inn (2-7, 0-4 Region II-3A) at Southside (0-9, 0-4 Region II-3A)

Series record: Southside won the first meeting between the teams, 38-14, last season in Fountain Inn.

Last week: Fountain Inn lost to Palmetto 23-21; Southside lost to Belton-Honea Path 44-0

Location: Joe Perkins Stadium, 100 Blassingame Rd, Greenville

Who to watch for Fountain Inn: RB BoJack Johnson, WR Zach Madden, LB Xeviel Gonzalez

Who to watch for Southside: RB Javontae Searles, QB Chance McClure, DE Christopher Smith

What’s at stake: Nothing in terms of playoffs. After capturing its first two wins as a varsity program earlier this season, Fountain Inn is going for its first region win. The second-year program lost a heartbreaker last week. After stopping Palmetto’s two-point conversion attempt with 50 seconds left, Fountain Inn clung to a 21-20 lead. The Mustangs got the ball back and attempted a field goal that was blocked, but the Fury were flagged for a penalty. Palmetto made its next kick to win the game. Gonzalez had a team-high 12.5 tackles, including 4.5 tackles-for-loss.

Southside is trying to avoid its second winless season in school history. The other came in 1981. The Tigers are also looking for their first points in region play as they are currently on a 16-quarter scoreless streak. They last scored in the fourth quarter of a 38-12 loss to Easley on Sept. 22.

Blue Ridge (1-8, 1-2 Region III-3A) at Travelers Rest (3-6, 1-2 Region III-3A)

Series record: Travelers Rest leads 38-18, but Blue Ridge snapped a five-game losing streak in the series with a 49-48 win last season in Greer.

Last week: Blue Ridge lost to Chapman 50-21; Travelers Rest was off after losing at Chapman 56-0 in Week 8

Radio/TV/Internet: Blue Ridge – upstateprepcast.net/blue-ridge

Location: Chico Bolin Stadium, 301 N Main St, Travelers Rest

Who to watch for Blue Ridge: RB K.B. Henderson, WR Asheton Stokes, DE Eli Smith

Who to watch for Travelers Rest: WR Drew McKibbon, LB Lucas Tankersley

What’s at stake: The final two Class 3A playoffs seeds from Region III. The winner will be the No. 3 seed and will play at the Region I’s No. 2 seed, which will likely be Pendleton, in round one of the playoffs. The loser will be the fourth seed and play at No. 1-ranked Daniel in the opening round.

Blue Ridge is trying to avoid its third 1-9 record in the past six seasons. Henderson was a bright spot against Chapman last Friday as he ran 20 times for 141 yards and two touchdowns. Henderson, who’s rushed for 15 touchdowns, is 40 yards shy of the 1,000-yard mark for the season.

Travelers Rest has put up at least 42 points three times this season, but the shutout loss two weeks ago marked the fourth time the Devildogs were held to seven points or less.