Week 8 Previews: Greenville County

REGION I-5A

Hillcrest (4-3, 2-2) at Easley (3-4, 1-3)

Hillcrest will try to keep the momentum going after a 51-14 win over JL Mann last week. The Rams, who put up more than 500 yards of total offense, were led by quarterback Jackson Free. In just one half of action, Free completed 15-of-17 passes for 305 with four touchdowns – to four different receivers – and no interceptions. Backup QB Caden Bauer came in and threw a 93-yard touchdown pass to Reed Collier for Hillcrest’s lone touchdown of the second half. Luke McCourry caught four passes for 113 yards and a touchdown, while Ny Allen rushed seven times for 86 yards and a score also for the Rams.

Easley’s coming off a 49-24 loss at Mauldin. Josiah Coleman passed for 237 yards, rushed for 58 yards, and accounted for all three touchdowns (two passing, one rushing) for the Green Wave.

Mauldin (3-4, 1-3) at Greenville (5-2, 3-1)

Greenville will try to get back on track after having its five-game winning streak snapped in a 42-14 loss at Greenwood last Friday. It was a 21-14 game in the fourth quarter before the Eagles reeled off three touchdowns in a five-minute span to pull away. Kiishawn Farrow threw for 115 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 56 yards to lead the Red Raiders. Arkies Shell caught four passes for 80 yards, including both scores.

After missing the previous game-and-a-half due to injury, Reddick Langston had five touchdowns (three passing, two rushing) in Mauldin’s 49-24 win over Easley last week. Langston passed for 211 yards – on just 11 completions, and rushed for 161 yards – on just 10 carries. Tamari Shepherd caught four passes for 99 yards and two touchdowns, while Micah McClintock had four catches for 80 yards and a score. Taurus Thomason (71 yards rushing) and Kamari Cannon (68 yards) each had a rushing touchdown also for the Mavericks. Lucas Hagedorn led the defensive effort with 16 tackles, one sack and one interception.

No. 10 TL Hanna (6-1, 4-0) at JL Mann (1-6, 1-3)

JL Mann has a tough test against the only team without a region loss Friday as it tries to bounce back from a rough 51-14 loss at Hillcrest. The Patriots fell behind 35-0 early in the second quarter in falling for the third consecutive game. Gage Watkins threw for 216 yards with a touchdown for Mann. Tristian Shell caught four passes for 90 yards, while AJ Bush had two receptions for 75 yards and a touchdown for the Patriots. Buddy Griffin added 71 yards rushing.

Eleven different ball carriers combined for 399 yards rushing and TL Hanna also had 127 yards passing in a 42-9 win over Woodmont last week. Elijah Grimes ran 10 times for 123 yards and touchdown, while Gavin Magin completed 5-of-6 passes for 116 yards and a touchdown to lead the Yellow Jackets.

No. 5 Greenwood (6-1, 3-1) at Woodmont (2-5, 1-3)

After a 45-13 win at JL Mann in Week 6, Woodmont couldn’t keep it rolling last week as it lost to TL Hanna, 42-9. Amari Harris was the lone Wildcat to cross the goal line as he caught a touchdown pass in the first quarter to cut the Hanna lead to 14-6. Nicholas Keist’s second-quarter field goal wrapped up the scoring for Woodmont.

Greenwood is coming off a 42-14 win over Greenville last Friday. After Greenville cut the lead to 21-14 with 10 minutes to play, the Eagles responded by doubling its point total over the next five minutes. Trey Crawford rushed 16 times for 140 yards and a touchdown to lead Greenwood.

REGION II-5A

Eastside (3-4, 0-4) at Byrnes (4-3, 2-2)

Eastside has been competitive in three of its four region games this season, but still has nothing to show for it. The Eagles are coming off a 49-36 loss at Riverside last week. Lucas Tankersley had 168 yards rushing on 20 carries, including a touchdown, to lead Eastside. He also had six tackles, including a sack. Peyton Schrader passed for 123 yards and two touchdowns also for the Eagles.

Byrnes will try to rebound from a 28-16 loss at rival Gaffney last week. The Rebels jumped out to a 10-0 lead after one quarter, but was limited to just a pair of second-half field goals the rest of the way. Tre Segarra ran 33 times for 209 yards to lead Byrnes. Chanin Harris caught seven passes for 97 yards and the lone touchdown for the Rebels.

Riverside (3-4, 2-2) at No. 8 Gaffney (5-2, 4-0)

After being held to three points by Dorman in its region opener, Riverside has scored 117 over the past three games. The Warriors knocked off Eastside, 49-36, last Friday. Gideon Merhib completed 16-of-20 passes for 251 yards with three touchdowns and one interception to lead Riverside. Keyon Knowles rushed for 79 yards on 16 carries and caught four passes for 54 yards also for the Warriors.

Gaffney looks to build off a big win over rival Byrnes, 28-16, last week. The Indians fell behind 10-0 after one quarter, but kept the Rebels out of the end zone and forced three turnovers the rest of the way. Banks Bouton ran 11 times for 132 yards, including an electric 80-yard touchdown in which he tight-roped his way down the right sideline. Zyon Ratchford had 10 tackles to lead Gaffney’s defensive effort.

Dorman (5-2, 3-1) at Wade Hampton (0-7, 0-4)

Wade Hampton’s woes continued in a 45-0 loss at Boiling Springs last week. The Generals fell behind 38-0 in the first half and were held to 39 yards of total offense as their losing streak reached 21 consecutive games. Angel Gomez had 16 tackles and Jonah Hicks 11 for Wade Hampton.

Dorman will look to bounce back from a heartbreaking 33-30 loss at rival Spartanburg. The Cavaliers rallied from a 23-7 first half deficit to tie the game in the fourth quarter on a 27-yard field goal by Ranson Farr before the Vikings made a 52-yard field goal as time expired. Nick Means rushed for 98 yards and caught a 23-yard touchdown for Dorman. Meek Slydell finished with 207 yards passing also for the Cavaliers.

REGION I-4A

Southside (0-7, 0-2) at Emerald (3-4, 0-2)

In a battle of winless teams, Southside struggles continued last week. The Tigers suffered their most lopsided loss of the season, falling 58-0 to Laurens. Southside, which has lost 28 consecutive games, hasn’t scored since a 21-12 loss to Berea on Sept. 12.

After a 3-1 start to the season, Emerald has three straight losses including a 43-7 setback at Westside last week. Beau Hite accounted for 118 of the Vikings’ 172 yards of total offense with 72 passing and 46 rushing.

Westside (3-4, 2-0) at Fountain Inn (4-3, 1-1)

Fountain Inn will try to rebound from a 45-34 loss to Wren last week. Sam Holliday’s 78-yard touchdown run with six seconds left in the third quarter cut Wren’s lead to 31-28, but the Fury got no closer. Holliday finished with 205 yards passing and 116 rushing to lead Fountain Inn. Bojack Johnson ran for 94 yards, including a 57-yard touchdown run, for the Fury, while Ben Ruwe had six receptions for 81 yards and a score.

After an 0-4 start this season, Westside has won three straight games including a 43-7 victory over Emerald last week. Freshman quarterback Bear Woods threw for 324 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions for the Rams. 

REGION II-4A

Greer (4-4, 4-0) at No. 8 Seneca (7-1, 3-1)

Greer went winless against a tough non-region schedule, but has gone unbeaten in region play. Last week, the Yellow Jackets piled up 693 yards of total offense in a 61-21 win over Blue Ridge. Calvin McCoy rushed for 245 yards and three touchdowns, Zy Foster ran for 153 and three scores and Xavier Sammett had 99 and one touchdown as Greer ran for 516 as a team. Sammett also completed 11-of-16 passes for 177 yards and a touchdown. Chase Free led the Jackets’ defense with two interceptions and also ran for a touchdown on offense.

Seneca’s coming off a 48-0 win over Berea last Friday. Gavin Thoma completed 8-of-10 passes for 239 yards, with five touchdowns and no interceptions, for the Bobcats. Amari Verner ran 11 times for 115 yards also for Seneca.

Blue Ridge (4-3, 1-2) at Travelers Rest (2-5, 0-3)

After getting off to a 2-1 start, Travelers Rest enters on a four-game losing streak after a 53-7 loss to Daniel last Friday. The Devildogs were statistically even with the Lions in the first half, but trailed 21-7 at the break after being stopped at the Daniel one-yard line as the clock expired. A rough second half for TR included a kickoff that was recovered by the Lions at the Devildogs’ one-yard line. Colby Epps rushed for 87 yards and TR’s lone touchdown, while also passing for 47 yards. Preston Garraux ran for 56 yards and Cooper Blake had 54 also for the Devildogs.

Blue Ridge will try to rebound from a 61-21 loss to Greer. Dual-threat quarterback Gavin Forrester passed for 163 yards and two touchdowns, but couldn’t find any running room. Jakorey Dodd rushed for 76 yards and a touchdown, but Blue Ridge had just 73 yards rushing as a team. Mitch Bobbitt caught 10 passes for 78 yards and a touchdown, while Marquiel Troupe had two catches for 69 yards, including a 61-yard touchdown that tied the game at 14-14 in the first quarter. 

REGION II-3A

Christ Church (5-2, 1-1) at Carolina (2-5, 0-2)

Another week, another tough opponent for Carolina, which fell to St. Joseph’s 59-0 last Friday. The Trojans have won just once in 15 meetings all-time against Christ Church. St. Joseph’s took an early 2-0 lead last week when Carolina was flagged for intentional grounding in the end zone as its punter tried to escape a heavy rush. Things only got worse for the Trojans, who were held to 17 yards of total offense. After a 21-6 win over Berea on Sept. 5, Carolina’s been outscored 190-12 over the last five games.

Christ Church looks to bounce back from a heartbreaking 31-28 overtime loss to Powdersville last week. Hampton Shields’ eight-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter snapped a 21-21 tie. Leading 28-21 with about four minutes left, the Cavaliers were stopped on fourth down at the Patriots’ one-yard line. Powdersville got a 55-yard touchdown pass to tie the game before winning in OT. Michael Martin rushed for 129 yards and three touchdowns, while Judd Windham passed for 101 yards and rushed 11 times for 80 yards to lead Christ Church.

Southside Christian (2-5, 1-1) at St. Joseph’s (4-3, 1-1)

St. Joseph’s snapped a two-game losing skid in style with a 59-0 win over Carolina last Friday. The Knights allowed just 17 yards of total offense and three first downs in recording the shutout. Sam Patterson touched the football five times and scored three touchdowns. He had one rushing, another on St. Joseph’s lone completion and he returned the lone Carolina kickoff 75 yards for a score. Mack Rambo rushed for 133 yards and two touchdowns, while Patterson rushed for 58 and Mayson Ludolph had 53 yards and a score. Paul Norman took two of his three carries to the end zone also for the Knights.

Southside Christian will try to build off its first region win last week. The Sabres jumped out to a 21-7 halftime lead at Palmetto and went on to a 38-10 victory. DJ Lee rushed for 158 yards and a touchdown and also had an eight-yard touchdown pass to lead Southside Christian. Nick Fortuna rushed for 59 yards and a touchdown, while freshman Max Breit had four carries for 40 yards and a score. Breit also completed 7-of-10 passes for 107 yards and a touchdown. Keldin Wrona caught five passes for 80 yards and two touchdowns also for the Sabres. Nigel Rock led the defensive effort with 10 tackles, including three sacks.

Other game

Berea (1-6) at Walhalla (0-7), 7 p.m.

Something’s got to give in this matchup. Only two teams in the state – Military Magnet (8 points) and St. John’s (13) – have scored fewer points than Berea (27) this season, while no team has allowed more points than Walhalla (370). The Bulldogs suffered their fourth consecutive shutout last week in falling to Seneca, 48-0. Berea, which scored 21 points in its lone win, was held to 78 yards of total offense by the Bobcats.

Walhalla is coming off a 35-0 loss to Pendleton. The Razorbacks have allowed at least 67 points in a game four times this season.