Black Friday: Spartanburg County teams fall out of football playoffs

It was a tough night for football in Spartanburg County.

For the first time since 2006 (with the Covid-shortened 2020 playoffs as an exception), no Spartanburg County teams will play in the third round of the playoffs. County teams were a combined 0-5 on Friday, ending their seasons in the second round.

Here’s a look at those second-round matchup.

Hillcrest 27, Byrnes 24

The Rams came back from a two-score deficit in the second half to stun the top-seeded Rebels.

Trailing 24-10, Avery McFadden caught a 48-yard touchdown pass from Kalab Sutton to pull to within 7 in the third quarter. In the fourth, McFadden threw a TD to Josiah Sanders off of a direct snap to tie it at 24-24.

Byrnes missed an overtime field goal, and Anthony Grudko knocked in a 26-yarder to give Hillcrest the victory.

Sutton threw for 250 yards in the contest. Thomas Stanley led the way on the ground with 75 yards on 20 carries. McFadden caught five balls for 146 yards and a score.

Tre Segarra led byrnes with 172 rushing yards and two TDs, while Armoni Weaver caught three passes for 87 yards and a touchdown.

J.L. Mann 17, Spartanburg 7

The Patriots managed just 91 total yards of offense, but held Spartanburg to 158 and returned two interceptions for touchdowns to move on to the third round.

Spartanburg built a 7-0 lead behind a 20-yard rush TD from Trey Harris in the first quarter, but the Patriots grabbed the lead for good in the second. Keyshun Henderson returned an interception 36 yards for a score to tie the game, and Joel Crespo’s five-yard pick-6 later in the quarter gave the Patriots a lead they’d never relenquish. Alessandro Santana’s 36-yard field goal in the fourth quarter put the game away.

Chester 58, Chapman 24

The Cyclones dominated the line of scrimmage, rushing for 300 yards and piling up nearly 500 yards of total offense against the Panthers.

Trooper Floyd threw for 188 yards and a pair of touchdowns, while rushing for 74 and another score. Antonio Hopkins ran for 94 yards and two TDs, catching another, and led the way on defense. Reggie Heath had a receiving TD, a rushing TD, and returned an interception 55 yards for another score.

Coleman Gray threw a TD and ran for another for Chapman.

Clinton 38, Broome 7

After a scoreless first quarter, Clinton exploded for a 21-0 halftime lead and cruised to a 38-7 win.

Tray Cook led a Clinton backfield that rushed for 181 yards on the night, finishing with 85 yards and a score. DJ Clark and Zane McClendon also rushed for TDs, and Tushawan Richardson ran for two. Kadon Crawford caught six passes for 102 yards.

Broome was held to negative-6 yards rushing on the night. Kamajay Brackett-Brannon passed for 193, including a 74-yard TD to Brayden Simpson.

Gray Collegiate 62, Chesnee 14

The Eagles fell behind big early, but closed to 21-14 before the War Eagles pulled away for the second-round win.

Here’s a look at the game from Andrew Eison of the Boiling Springs Sports Journal.