As schools have welcomed back students to begin the 2023 school year, we now focus our attention to a weekly three hour time frame that holds excitement for football fans all across the state. That three hour time frame can end in agony or it can end in elation, but regardless, each week has its own story to tell.
My name is Cole Bryson and this is my 11th season covering High School Football in the Upstate of South Carolina. I moved back home after spending a year working in Dallas, Texas. I will be hosting the Saturday Scramble each Saturday from 8-10am as well as publishing this article to preview the games each week. I hope you follow along and enjoy the opinions that I have to give.
Week Zero offers a great lineup of non-region matchups across the Upstate and I will walk you through a few games that I would keep an eye on this week.
South Pointe at Spartanburg:
This is one of the more intriguing games to me as we have a new look Spartanburg Vikings team entering the 2023 season. With the loss of two year starter Raheim Jeter, the Vikings look to fill that QB spot with the new signal caller TJ Johnson. Johnson received high praise from Grey Ramsey, assistant on staff with the Vikings.
“He’s a dual threat type of player & played a lot last year as a backup. Reminds me a lot of a former QB @ Chapman, Colton Bailey. He’s a naturally gifted thrower and has the ability to change arm slots and thrives in our RPO game.”
The Vikings finished the 2022 season with a record of 8-5 while going 3-1 in region play. The season came to an end in Irmo as the Vikings fell to the Silver Fox of Dutch Fork 63-14. The 4A Stallions of South Pointe will be a tough test for the Vikings on Friday night. Looking down the road for the Vikings, I look for them to have a good season despite a brutal schedule. As far as Friday night goes, I like Spartanburg to edge out a win at home.
The Pick: Spartanburg 28, South Pointe 27
Riverside at Travelers Rest:
These two programs are both really intriguing to me in a similar way. Both programs have had their struggles in the past but both programs have went out in the last few years and tabbed really quality head coaches. The Devil Dogs of Travelers Rest welcome back Michael Lancaster who begins his second season at the helm after a 4-7 season in 2022. As far as the Warriors go, they welcome back Matthew Rochester as he begins his third season after compiling a 11-11 record in his first two seasons. I do believe that both of these programs are being led by the right men, however, one of them has to lose on Friday night. I like Riverside’s skill positions and what they will be able to do on the offensive side of the ball.
The Pick: Riverside 42, Travelers Rest 21
Dorman at Greenville:
Many times early in the season we are unable to gauge where a team is because of the early opponents. For example, if a 5A team beats up on a bunch of 3A teams or even a 2A team, there many be doubts on the level of difficulty from that schedule. However, that is not the case when it comes to Dorman & Greenville. This is one of the better matchups this Friday as we see a 4A power take on a 5A power with a new head coach. Jake Morris, graduate of Dorman High School, will begin his first season as head coach on Friday night as the Cavaliers begin the 2023 campaign with a tough test. The Red Raiders finished the 2022 season with a 10-4 record after losing to Northwestern in the 4A state playoffs. In 2022, the Cavaliers had no issue with Greenville as they went on the road and won by 25 to open the season. This year, I look for this game to be a lot closer. In fact, I like the tides to turn this season.
The Pick: Greenville 31, Dorman 28
We now have a full slate of games to pick so we can be on our way to kickoff on Friday night.
Christ Church @ Gray Collegiate
The Pick: Christ Church 38, Gray Collegiate 35
Southside Christian @ Commerce
The Pick: Southside Christian 21, Commerce 17
St. Joseph’s @ Fox Creek
The Pick: St. Joseph’s 40, Fox Creek 21
Blacksburg @ Buford
The Pick: Buford 21, Blacksburg 14
Blue Ridge @ Chesnee
The Pick:
Blue Ridge 35, Chesnee 28
Daniel @ Greer
The Pick:
Daniel 42, Greer 20
Pendleton @ Dixie
The Pick: Pendleton 24, Dixie 14
Wade Hampton @ Seneca
The Pick: Wade Hampton 28, Seneca 21
Palmetto @ Woodmont
The Pick: Woodmont 14, Palmetto 0
Broome @ Powdersville
The Pick:
Broome 35, Powdersville 28
Carolina @ Liberty
The Pick: Liberty 24, Carolina 7
Chapman @ Woodruff
The Pick: Chapman 34, Woodruff 21
Chester @ Lancaster
The Pick: Chester 40, Lancaster 21
Clinton @ Batesburg-Leesville
The Pick: Clinton 31, Batesburg-Leesville, 10
Newberry @ Union County
The Pick: Newberry 38, Union County 20
Crescent @ Pickens
The Pick: Crescent 28, Pickens 21
JL Mann @ Eastside
The Pick: JL Mann 31, Eastside 28
Hillcrest @ Laurens
The Pick: Hillcrest 35, Laurens 22
TL Hanna @ Boiling Springs
The Pick: TL Hanna 28, Boiling Springs 14
Byrnes vs Hough
The Pick: Byrnes 35, Hough 17
Gaffney @ Crest
The Pick: Gaffney 42, Crest 14
For the best Friday night recap, tune in Saturday morning from 8-10am on The Fan Upstate; 97.1 Spartanburg, 97.7 Greenville, & the Audacy app.