Week 4 Previews: Greenville County

REGION I-5A

Easley (2-1, 0-0) at JL Mann (0-3, 0-0)

Nearly one full month into this season, JL Mann finally gets to play on its home field Friday night. A tough schedule has left the Patriots winless so far, but they are coming off their most competitive performance. Prior to last week’s bye, Mann trailed Daniel 24-14 in the third quarter before falling 31-14. Buddy Griffin and KV Massey had rushing touchdowns for the Patriots.

Mann will have to contend with a standout dual-threat quarterback in Josiah Coleman. Coleman has thrown for 846 yards with nine touchdowns and one interception, while rushing for a team-high 193 yards and six scores. Matthew Hillstock has caught 26 passes for 303 yards and five touchdowns.

Hillcrest (2-1, 0-0) at Mauldin (2-1, 0-0)

With both teams coming off byes, there’s been another week of hype around the 71st edition of the Golden Strip Derby. There’s also a little more buzz thanks to a solid start by Mauldin. After winning just three games over the previous three seasons combined, the Mavericks are off to their best start since going 6-4 in 2021. Mauldin ran for more than 300 yards in a 21-16 win at Fountain Inn in Week 2. Kamari Cannon had 137 yards, including a 77-yard touchdown run, while Taurus Thomason rushed for 91 yards to lead the Mavericks.

Hillcrest, which is going for its 13th consecutive win in the rivalry, is coming off a 55-16 win over Greer. The Rams broke a school record with 449 yards rushing, led by Josh Smith’s 151-yard, two-touchdown effort. Ny Allen had 121 yards and two scores, while quarterback Jackson Free ran for 82 yards and a touchdown. Free also completed 10-of-16 passes for 127 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions.

Greenville (2-1, 0-0) at Woodmont (1-2, 0-0)

Woodmont will look to get back on track this week after a tough 48-6 loss to a loaded Woodruff team last Friday in Piedmont. Sophomore wide receiver Frank Lewis hauled in a 56-yard touchdown pass from freshman quarterback Harper Doyle for the Wildcats’ lone score.

Greenville had a thrilling 17-14 win over Gaffney in Week 2 before last week’s bye. The Red Raiders led 3-0 at the half before falling behind 14-3 entering the fourth quarter. Sophomore quarterback Trip Bryant led a late rally with a pair of touchdown passes, including the game-winning, 13-yard pass to Ja’Dyn Rice with 23 seconds left. Bryant had 139 yards passing and a team-high 52 yards rushing in the victory. Rice finished with 74 yards receiving on six receptions. Julian Renrick has 17 tackles, including five sacks, this season to lead Greenville’s defense.

REGION II-5A

Wade Hampton (0-3, 0-0) at No. 7 Byrnes (2-1, 0-0)

Wade Hampton is coming off a bye after falling to Easley 35-21 in Week 2, extending its losing skid to 17 consecutive games. Freshman quarterback Parker McCrory has thrown for 533 yards with four touchdowns and two interceptions for the Generals this season. Sophomore Coleman Batson has rushed for 171 yards.

Byrnes bounced back from a heartbreaking loss to Irmo in Week 2 with a 49-9 win at rival Greer, avenging its 2024 loss to the Yellow Jackets. Star junior running back Tre Segura had 145 yards on just 10 carries and two touchdowns to lead the Rebels. He also caught two passes for 50 yards and another score. Quarterback Caine Rogers completed 9-of-11 passes for 164 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions also for Byrnes. For the season, Segura has 399 yards rushing and is averaging 10 yards per carry.

Riverside (1-2, 0-0) at No. 8 Dorman (2-1, 0-0)

This will be a matchup of two teams coming off what were probably unwanted byes after each suffered heartbreaking losses in Week 2. Riverside will try to bounce back from a 37-35 loss at Christ Church two weeks ago. Keyon Knowles’ third touchdown of the game cut Christ Church’s lead to 34-33 with 34 seconds left. Speedy Taylor ran for the two-point conversion to give the Warriors a 35-34 lead, but the Cavaliers drove down the field and kicked a 35-yard field goal as time expired for the win. Junior quarterback Gideon Merhib completed 21-of-24 passes for 251 yards and touchdowns to lead the Warriors.

Dorman rallied from a 27-14 halftime deficit only to fall at home to Greenwood, 42-41, in overtime. The Cavaliers led 35-27 in the fourth quarter before the Eagles got a touchdown and two-point conversion with five seconds left to force overtime. A missed extra point in OT saddled Dorman with the loss. Nick Means ran for three touchdowns, while Isaac Tate added a 47-yard touchdown run, to lead the Cavaliers.

Spartanburg (1-2, 0-0) at Eastside (3-0, 0-0)

Eastside comes roaring into region play following an 807-yard performance in a 56-21 win at Blue Ridge last Friday. The Eagles put up 697 of those yards on the ground. Kelyn Durham carried 19 times for 266 yards and one touchdown, while quarterback Peyton Schrader had 175 yards on 13 carries. Lucas Tankersley added 146 yards and three touchdowns on just eight rushing attempts, as well as a team-high 13 tackles on defense. Schrader completed just four passes for 110 yards, but three went for touchdowns.

After losses to the top two ranked Class 5A teams in the state to open the season, Spartanburg got in the win column with a 50-7 victory at Broome in Week 2. The Vikings jumped out to a 41-7 lead after one quarter. Trenton Lynch had 161 yards rushing on just eight carries and scored three touchdowns. Sophomore quarterback Chris Colin completed 6-of-10 passes for 153 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions also for Spartanburg.

REGION II-4A

Berea (1-2, 0-0) at Greer (0-4, 0-0)

Following a grueling non-region schedule, Greer will look to get on track against a Berea program that it hasn’t lost to since 1983. The Yellow Jackets, who lead the series 32-2, are coming off a 49-9 loss to rival Byrnes. Calvin McCoy had a tough assignment facing Byrnes’ run defense, but he carved out 86 yards rushing and scored Greer’s lone touchdown. McCoy has 286 yards rushing and three touchdowns this season. Sophomore quarterback Dawson Fowler has 594 yards passing and 157 rushing.

Berea notched its first win this season with a 21-12 victory at Southside last Friday. Marcus Leamon had a 42-yard punt return for a touchdown for the Bulldogs.

Blue Ridge (2-1, 0-0) at Pickens (1-3, 0-0)

Blue Ridge will look to bounce back from a tough 56-21 loss to Eastside in which it allowed more than 800 yards of total offense. Quarterback Gavin Forrester threw for 176 yards and a pair of touchdowns to lead the Tigers. For the season, Forrester has 382 yards passing, 139 rushing and seven total touchdowns. Jakorey Dodd is Blue Ridge’s leading rusher with 173 yards and four touchdowns. He’s also caught six passes for 74 yards.

Pickens is coming off a wild 49-41 loss at St. Joseph’s last Friday. Blue Flame quarterback Brooks Dow rushed for 196 yards and three touchdowns, while Will Stone had 133 yards rushing and one score. Pickens finished with 517 yards of total offense.

Travelers Rest (2-1, 0-0) at No. 6 Seneca (4-0, 0-0)

Travelers Rest had a bye last week after doubling its 2024 win total with a 35-0 win at Palmetto in Week 2. The Devildogs’ option offense had 244 rushing yards, while the defense held the Mustangs to 90 total yards and had two interceptions including a pick-six. Preston Garraux had a pair of touchdowns, one of which was set up by his own 58-yard run. Jayden Coney had a 46-yard touchdown run, while quarterback Colby Epps kept for a 49-yard touchdown – on a fourth-and-one play – also for Travelers Rest.

The Devildogs have a huge test in undefeated Seneca, which is averaging 57 points per game following last Friday’s 75-0 win over Walhalla. Gavin Thoma completed 18-of-20 passes for 372 yards and five touchdowns, while Amari Verner rushed for 120 yards and three scores. For the season, Thoma’s completed 82.9 percent of his passes for 1,106 yards with 16 touchdowns and one interception. Verner has 645 yards rushing and 12 touchdowns.

Other Games

Christ Church (2-1) at Chapman (0-4)

Christ Church had its bye week last Friday after a wild 37-35 win over Riverside in Week 2. The Cavaliers made a 35-yard field goal as time expired to earn the victory. Junior quarterback Judd Windham completed 14-of-16 passes for 167 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions, while also rushing for 32 yards and a score for Christ Church. Michael Martin rushed for 75 yards and three touchdowns also for the Cavs. Martin has 240 yards rushing and six scores this season.

Chapman is off to its worst start since going 1-9 in 2008, but it’s not from a lack of effort. The Panthers are coming off another heartbreaking loss last Friday as they fell at reigning Class 2A state champion Clinton, 40-34, in overtime. On a night in which Chapman put up more than 400 yards of total offense, Jasiah Copeland’s third rushing touchdown came with 41 seconds left in regulation to help force overtime but the Panthers failed to score in OT. Copeland finished with 161 yards rushing on 24 carries. Bryson Cothran passed for 162 yards, including a 99-yard touchdown pass to Kelton Tucker, also for Chapman.

St. Joseph’s (3-1) at Fountain Inn (2-2)

This will be a battle of two offenses who put up explosive numbers last week, albeit in very different ballgames. Fountain Inn raced out to a 55-0 halftime lead and went on to a 62-0 win over Carolina. CJ Thomas-Anderson opened the scoring with a 65-yard touchdown run and the Fury never looked back. Bojack Johnson added a 51-yard touchdown run. Fountain Inn’s defense allowed 36 yards of total offense, including minus-10 rushing.

St. Joseph’s piled up 418 yards rushing in a wild 49-41 win over Pickens. Mack Rambo led the effort as he carried 32 times for 170 yards and four touchdowns. Sam Patterson added 155 yards on 10 carries, including a 70-yard touchdown. Patterson also threw a 39-yard touchdown to Paul Norman on a halfback pass. Quarterback Jack Stewart ran nine times for 70 yards, including a touchdown, and completed all three of his passes for 47 yards.

Southside Christian (0-3) at Class 2A No. 7 Saluda (3-0)

After a bye last Friday, it’s back to the grind for Southside Christian, which has faced a ranked team every week this season. The Sabres are coming off a 41-6 loss to AC Flora in Week 2. Southside Christian avoided the shutout thanks to Keldin Wrona’s interception return for a touchdown in the fourth quarter. The Sabres have been outscored 126-20 this season with all three of their touchdowns coming in the fourth quarter.

Saluda is coming off a 34-14 win over Chester last Friday. Quarterback Bray Williams accounted for all five touchdowns for the Tigers. He completed 7-of-9 passes for 169 yards and three touchdowns, while rushing nine times for 56 yards and two scores.

Carolina (1-2) at Southside (0-4)

After snapping a seven-game losing streak with its first road win in three years two weeks ago at Berea, Carolina had a rough night against Fountain Inn last Friday. The Trojans were held to 36 yards of total offense in a 62-0 loss.

Southside had its most competitive game of the season last week in a 21-12 loss to Berea. The Tigers scored with four minutes left to cut the deficit to 14-6, but couldn’t get any closer. It marked the 25th consecutive loss for Southside.