Week 2 Preview Capsules: Greenville County

Greenville (0-2) at 5A No. 2 Gaffney (1-0)

Series record: Gaffney leads the series 32-17-1, including a 73-0 win at Sirrine Stadium the last time the teams met in 2011.

Last week: Greenville lost to Riverside 49-26; Gaffney beat J.L. Mann 42-40 in overtime.

Radio/TV/Internet: Gaffney – WZZQ 104.3 FM

Location: The Reservation, 140 Twin Lake Rd., Gaffney

Who to watch for Greenville: QB Banks Bouton, DL Jair Simmons

Who to watch for Gaffney: LB Andrew Ruppe, WR Jamarcus Smith

What to know: The Indians survived a wild game against J.L. Mann last week, with Ruppe both scoring the go-ahead TD in overtime and providing the two-point conversion that proved to be the winning margin. Gaffney also got a huge game from Smith, who had nearly 200 yards receiving.

Greenville is faced with the tall task of trying to get its defense on track after allowing 91 points over the first two weeks of the season. The Red Raiders allowed more than 500 yards of total offense against Riverside last week.

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4A No. 2 Daniel (2-0) at 5A No. 8 J.L. Mann (1-1)

Series record: Daniel leads 5-2, including a 24-17 victory when the teams last met in the opening round of the 2004 Class 3A playoffs.

Last week: In a game played at Airport High, Daniel defeated Stratford 52-36; Mann lost to Gaffney in an overtime thriller, 42-40.

Location: Slaton Field, 158 Ridge Rd, Greenville

Who to watch for Daniel: RB Tremaine Davis, QB Grayson Clary, LB Spencer Conn

Who to watch for Mann: RB LaDainnian Martin, DB Ramani Bruton, LB Wyatt Ward

What to know: After facing one of the highest ranked teams in Class 5A last week, J.L. Mann faces one of the top in Class 4A this week. In an instant classic last Friday, the Patriots rallied from a 34-20 deficit with a pair of touchdowns in the final 5:22 of regulation to force overtime. A critical penalty against Mann on Gaffney’s extra point attempt in overtime led to the Indians going for two instead. After Martin scored on the Patriots’ first play of overtime, Mann had to go for two to extend the game. Gaffney broke up the pass in the end zone to pull out the win.

Daniel’s 45-game regular season winning streak was in jeopardy for much of last Friday’s neutral site game. The Lions trailed 30-24 going to the fourth quarter before outscoring Stratford 28-6 the rest of the way. Davis had 172 yards and two touchdowns on just nine carries, while Jason Bish caught six passes for 134 yards and a score.

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5A No. 10 Hillcrest (2-0) at Greer (0-2)

Series record: Greer leads 18-2. Both Hillcrest wins have come in the last two years, including a 41-20 victory last season.

Last week: Hillcrest defeated Clover 55-20; Greer lost to Belton-Honea Path 37-7.

Radio/TV/Internet: Hillcrest – facebook.com/profile.php?id=100057301007626 (Facebook Live stream); Greer – WGYT 92.1 FM, yellowjacketsports.net

Location: Dooley Field, 301 Chandler Rd, Greer

Who to watch for Hillcrest: RB Frank Starks, DE D.J. Henderson, DB Christian Henderson

Who to watch for Greer: DE Paden Armstrong; DE Aiden Jones; RB Nick Holmes

What to know: With starting quarterback Kalab Sutton a little banged up, sophomore Jackson Free got the call for Hillcrest last week and responded with 190 yards of total offense, three touchdowns passes and no interceptions. Starks had 136 yards to lead a rushing attack that piled up 324. Josh Smith ran for 86 yards and two touchdowns, Free rushed for 64 yards and Brayden Johnson had 44 yards and three touchdowns.

Greer’s killer non-region schedule continues this week. Last week, Holmes rushed for 124 yards and the Yellow Jackets’ first touchdown this season.

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3A No. 3 Pendleton (2-0) at Woodmont (0-1)

Series record: Woodmont leads 4-3. Pendleton won the teams’ last meeting, 32-6, in 2005.

Last week: Pendleton knocked off Keenan 12-8; Woodmont lost to Seneca 31-21.

Location: Whitt Memorial Field, 2831 West Georgia Rd, Piedmont

Who to watch for Pendleton: WR Abijah Webb, LB Trent Garner, QB Jace Grass

Who to watch for Woodmont: RB Tavorice “T.J.” Williams, QB Jordan Sink, OL Kameron Wallace

What to know: In a low scoring game last week, Garner helped Pendleton prevail thanks to his five (yes, five) sacks. Grass, a freshman, threw for 333 yards and two touchdowns. Webb caught nine passes for 180 yards.

Woodmont took a 14-10 lead into halftime last Friday, but could not stop Seneca’s ground game in the second half to fall in the Wildcats’ season opener.

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3A No. 5 Mountain View (2-0) at St. Joseph’s (1-1)

Series record: First meeting.

Last week: Mountain View won at Southside Christian 49-7; St. Joseph’s lost to Chapman 35-21.

Location: St. Joseph’s Catholic School, 100 St Joseph’s Dr, Greenville

Who to watch for Mountain View: RB Jaylen McGill, WR K.D. Hainsworth, DL Allen Edmondson

Who to watch for St. Joseph’s: QB Cade Alt, RB William Gillespie, RB Lucas Salgado

What to know: MVP allowed its first points of the season when Southside Christian took the opening drive for a touchdown in Week 1, but the Stars answered in a big way and blanked the Sabres the rest of the way. Hainsworth had a monster night with five receptions for 237 yards and four touchdowns.

The Knights are coming off a tough loss in which Chapman scored two touchdowns in the final 2:25 of the game to pull out the win. On a night when Alt suffered an ankle injury in the first half, Gillespie ran for a 44-yard touchdown and a two-point conversion with five seconds left in the third quarter to tie the game at 21-21. Gillespie finished with 91 yards rushing and two touchdowns.

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Fountain Inn (1-1) at Mauldin (0-2)

Series record: First meeting.

Last week: Fountain Inn lost to Woodruff 30-27; Mauldin lost at Boiling Springs 31-12.

Location: Freeman Field, 701 East Butler Rd, Mauldin

Who to watch for Fountain Inn: QB Sam Holliday, RB Bojack Johnson, LB Xeviel Gonzalez

Who to watch for Mauldin: RB Nemo Floyd, QB Reddick Langston, S Shawn Harris

What to know: Fountain Inn’s first senior class might have had this game against a Class 5A opponent circled as a chance for the school’s biggest signature win. It’s also the first meeting of what has a chance to become a Golden Strip rivalry. Last Friday, the Fury nearly pulled off another comeback win like they had in Week 0. Fountain Inn rallied from an early 14-0 deficit and tied the game on a field goal with 1:55 left to play before Woodruff hit a game-winning field goal as time expired.

Floyd has rushed for 144 yards and two touchdowns for the Mavericks this season.

Christ Church (0-2) at Riverside (2-0)

Series record: Christ Church leads 3-1, but Riverside recorded that first victory last year by a score of 48-28.

Last week: Christ Church lost to Asheville School (N.C.) 42-0; Riverside won at Greenville 49-26.

Location: Riverside High Stadium, 794 Hammett Bridge Rd, Greer

Who to watch for Christ Church: WR Jackson Repp, WR Jude Hall, QB Tucker Hendrix

Who to watch for Riverside: ATH Mikkel Skinner, WR Jaiden “Speedy” Taylor, CB Somad Eaddy

What to know: Christ Church is looking to avoid its first 0-3 start to a season since 2005. Riverside is going for just its second 3-0 start since 2001. The one came in Matthew Rochester’s first season as head coach in 2021. The Warriors began that season 6-0 to help Rochester shed his “interim” head coaching tag at the time.

Taylor had five catches for 143 yards and three touchdowns, while Skinner took two of his three receptions to the end zone last week and finished with 138 yards receiving. Sophomore quarterback Gideon Merhib has thrown for more than 600 yards and nine touchdowns in his first two varsity starts.

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Easley (0-2) at Wade Hampton (0-2)

Series record: Easley leads 20-6 and carries an eight-game winning streak in the series since Wade Hampton’s last win in 1987. The Green Wave won 62-33 last season.

Last week: Easley lost to Wren 55-7; Wade Hampton lost to Blue Ridge 21-14.

Location: Wade Hampton High, 100 Pine Knoll Dr, Greenville

Who to watch for Easley: QB Jay Stoker, WR Kadin Davis

Who to watch for Wade Hampton: DB Mehki Hentz, WR Jamarion McKinney, RB Xaikias Latimer

What to know: Stoker is a dual-threat quarterback who’s thrown for 529 yards with five touchdowns and two interceptions, and rushed for 142 yards and a score this season. Davis is the favorite target as he’s caught nine passes for 246 yards and a touchdown.

Wade Hampton suffered three turnovers and was 1-of-9 on third downs last week to open the season with back-to-back seven-point losses.

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Berea (0-1) at Carolina (0-1)

Series record: Berea leads 21-17, including a 34-19 win last season for its sixth consecutive victory in the series.

Last week: Berea lost at Landrum 46-6; Carolina lost to Eastside 27-0.

Location: David Farnham Field, 2725 Anderson Rd, Greenville

Who to watch for Berea: QB Amazay Robinson

Who to watch for Carolina: QB Ja’Sean Bowens, DE Brad Baker

What to know: Both teams will be looking to rebound from rough season openers last Friday. Berea’s defense allowed 502 yards of total offense to Landrum, while its offense suffered four turnovers. Carolina was sacked seven times in being shut out by Eastside.

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Blue Ridge (1-0) at Polk County, N.C. (1-1)

Series record: First meeting, although Blue Ridge went 8-2 against Polk Central and 3-4 against Tryon before those schools merged with Saluda (N.C.) to form Polk County High in 1992.

Last week: Blue Ridge defeated Wade Hampton 21-14; Polk County lost to Tuscola (N.C.) 21-14.

Location: G.M. Tennant Stadium, 1681 NC-108, Columbus, NC

Who to watch for Blue Ridge: RB K.B. Henderson, WR Asheton Stokes, QB Gavin Forrester

Who to watch for Polk County: RB Donte Tingling, RB Loreynzo Sanchez, LB Aaron Dickey

What to know: Henderson rushed for 126 yards and two touchdowns last week as Blue Ridge opened the season by matching its win total from last season. In a rarity, Henderson wasn’t the leading rusher though as Forrester ran for 132 and averaged 6.9 yards per carry. He also completed 11-of-17 passes for 107 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions.

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Dixie (2-0) at Southside (0-2)

Series record: First meeting. 

Last week: Dixie defeated Fox Creek 34-24; Southside lost at Liberty 34-14.

Location: Joe Perkins Stadium, 100 Blassingame Rd, Greenville

Who to watch for Dixie: QB Dallas Dotson, RB Brandon Nance

Who to watch for Southside: QB Chancler McClure, WR Javier Latimer, LB Gianni McMorris

What to know: After getting shut out in the opener, Southside’s first points of the season came on a 60-yard touchdown pass by McClure to Latimer in the second quarter last week. Latimer had four receptions for 135 yards, but the Tigers dropped their 13th consecutive game.

Nance ran for three touchdowns, including the go-ahead and game-sealing ones late in the fourth quarter, last Friday to help Dixie start a season at 2-0 for the first time since 2000.

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Palmetto (1-1) at Travelers Rest (1-1)

Series record: Travelers Rest leads 6-1, but Palmetto recorded its first win in the series with a 20-19 victory last season.

Last week: Palmetto beat Crescent 34-28 in double overtime; Travelers Rest lost to Emerald 38-0.

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

Who to watch for Palmetto: QB Kaleb Ricketts, RB Cooper Robinson

Who to watch for Travelers Rest: RB David Hernandez, OL Brayden Everette, RB/CB Ji Wiggins

What to know: Travelers Rest was held to 78 yards of total offense and only crossed midfield once in its shutout loss at Emerald. The Devildogs lost a pair of fumbles, were sacked three times and stopped on fourth down twice.

Palmetto rallied from a 21-10 deficit with less than nine minutes to play for its first win last week. Ricketts fired a 50-yard touchdown pass to Robinson and then completed a two-point pass to cut Crescent’s lead to 21-18. Elias Govea’s second field goal of the night forced overtime and Ricketts’ four-yard touchdown run in the second overtime lifted the Mustangs to the win.

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Anderson Cavaliers (2-2) at Southside Christian (0-2)

Series record: Southside Christian leads 2-0, including a 52-21 win last year.

Last week: Anderson lost to Georgia Force Christian 41-0; Southside Christian lost to Mountain View 49-7.

Location: Sabre Stadium, 2211 Woodruff Rd, Simpsonville

Who to watch for Southside Christian: RB/WR Christian Kaiser, OL/DL Jeremiah Jackson, QB Jack Criswell

What to know: The Anderson Cavaliers program was founded in 2008 as a means for homeschooled and private school students to play football.

Southside Christian could make an argument that it has faced the stiffest tests in the state to start the season. The Sabres are looking to rebound from lopsided losses to Abbeville and Mountain View.