Week 0 has come and gone, but it definitely entertained the high school football fans in the Upstate of South Carolina. Certainly not my best week when it came to making picks on winners and losers. Let's take a look at what happened on Friday night.
Southside Christian at Southside:
Cole's Pick: Southside Christian 45, Southside 24
Southside Christian won 41-0 on Friday night. The Sabres offense was electric as I thought it would be, but I obviously underestimated their defensive performance. Big win for the defending State Champs.
Cardinal Newman at St. Joseph's:
Cole's Pick: Cardinal Newman 28, St. Joseph's 20
St. Joseph's beat Cardinal Newman 43-6. This goes to show my lack of knowledge for St. Joseph's as well as Cardinal Newman. This was not a bad pick, it was the worst pick in the history of picks.
Chesnee at Woodruff:
Cole's Pick: Woodruff 31, Chesnee 21
Woodruff defeated Chesnee 41-28. This game went very much like I thought it would. Chesnee fought tough, but at the end of the day, Woodruff has more depth than a Chesnee team who has less than 30 varsity football players.
Broome at Powdersville:
Cole's Pick: Broome 24, Powdersville 14
Powdersville defeated Broome 46-28 on Friday. I obviously underestimated the Patriots offense, and did not expect Broome to collapse in the 2nd half like they did.
Travelers Rest at Riverside:
Cole's Pick: Travelers Rest 28, Riverside 27
Riverside won 42-20 over TR. I saw Riverside much improved last season, but did not expect them to carry it over into 2021 as well. Let's face the facts, Riverside is not the same Riverside we are used to. This Warriors program is headed in the right direction and they are getting better. Huge season opener win for Riverside.
Westside at Belton-Honea Path:
Cole's Pick: Westide 35, BHP 14
BHP defeated Westside 23-20 on Friday night and this is one I did NOT see coming. I expected Westside to win comfortably, and that obviously did not happen. Westside looks like they have some things to figure out before region play arrives.
JL Mann at Eastside:
Cole's Pick: Eastside 21, JL Mann 14
JL Mann won 13-8 over Eastside on Friday in a defensive battle. The "Cole sucks at picks" train continues with this one. I obviously fumbled this pick and expected Eastside to win, but it looks as if the Eagles have some major issues on the offensive side of the football. Big win for JL Mann.
Greenville at Rock Hill:
Cole's Pick: Greenville 30, Rock Hill 28
MAN! ONE POINT! I picked Greenville to beat Rock Hill 30-28 and they did just that! Except for one lousy point! They won 31-28. All kidding aside, the Red Raiders had a tough test Friday against a really solid Rock Hill football team. I expected them to edge it out, and Greg Porter & the Raiders did just that. Big win for the Red Raiders.
Greenwood at Hillcrest:
Cole's Pick: Greenwood 28, Hillcrest 21
Greenwood defeated Hillcrest 30-23 on Friday night. The Eagles of Greenwood have a really solid team this year and I think we will continue to see them perform well on Friday nights.
Mauldin at York:
Cole's Pick: Mauldin 27, York 21
GAME CANCELED
Laurens at TL Hanna:
Cole's Pick: TL Hanna 35, Laurens 20
Those that were at this game saw one of the better games of the week. TL Hanna defeated Laurens 23-17 on Friday night and these are two talented teams. The ground attack of the Jackets was a little too much for the Raiders on Friday.
Woodmont at Blue Ridge:
Cole's Pick: Blue Ridge 38, Woodmont 28
Woodmont rolled Blue Ridge 57-34 on Friday night. Again, I could not have gotten this pick any more wrong than I did. Woodmont looks like they may have one of the better offenses in the area based on their performance on Friday.
Byrnes at Greer:
Cole's Pick: Byrnes 31, Greer 17
Byrnes defeated Greer 55-14 on Friday in a game where the Rebel offense exploded in the 2nd, 3rd, & 4th quarter. People who see this score will not see how good Greer has the potential of being this season. The Yellowjackets have a solid defense led by 8 seniors. As far as the Rebels go, it looks like the HPO of old may be making a return to Duncan.
Clover at Dorman:
Cole's Pick: Dorman 28, Clover 21
I did get this pick wrong obviously, but it looks as if no one expected this. Clover man handled the big offensive line for Dorman and the Dorman offense looked as bad as they have in a long time. It will be very interesting to see how this Dorman teams responds with some question marks at the QB position. Clover won on Friday by a score of 20-7.
Gaffney at Spartanburg:
Cole's Pick: Gaffney 35, Spartanburg 24
Gaffney defeated Spartanburg on Friday 31-12. In a game where Raheim Jeter did not go for Spartanburg, the Indians took advantage. Gaffney's new QB Grayson Loftis looked really calm and confident against a really solid Viking defense. Gaffney will need that confidence as they host Dutch Fork on Friday night. As far as Spartanburg goes, I am told that Raheim will be back this Friday at Mauldin.
Follow along all week for more insight, updates, and predictions on ESPNUpstate.com
