The opening week of High School Football lived up to its expectations. We had several teams earn big wins as well as a few powerhouse teams fall in their debut contest. This week we have another great slate of games to discuss and pick. I started the season with a 16-7 record in my weekly picks. Let’s now take a look at the marquee games that we will see in Week Zero.
Byrnes @ Chapman: This game was not close last season but was very competitive in 2021. Chapman started the season with a big win at Woodruff while Byrnes started the season with a big win over Hough. These two teams are explosive and I expect many points to be scored in this one. Both teams enter this game with a veteran QB who knows their respective offensives well. I do give the edge to Byrnes in this matchup because of their speed on the outside with Weaver & Bomar. Byrnes returns a lot of talent at the skill positions and I like Byrnes to continue to get better week in and week out.
The Pick: Byrnes 38, Chapman 24
Spartanburg @ Dutch Fork: The biggest news regarding this game happened this past weekend when reports came out that Dutch Fork QB Jonathan Hunt suffered a collarbone injury Saturday night while playing against Colquitt County. Dutch Fork lost the game by a score of 48-17 and now has to lean on a backup QB to play against a very good Spartanburg team. Spartanburg comes into this one off of a loss as well but not by near as much. Spartanburg will still have a tough challenge ahead of them on Friday night on the road. I do think this game is close, but I like Dutch Fork to take care of business on their home turf.
The Pick: Dutch Fork 28, Spartanburg 24
Greenville @ TL Hanna: Greenville comes into this game off of one of their biggest regular season wins in program history as they knocked off the Dorman Cavaliers in Week Zero. TL Hanna also comes into this game off of a win as they defeated Boiling Springs to open up their 2023 campaign. Greenville has something to prove this season while TL Hanna may be down compared to other years when they went on state title runs. I like Greenville to keep the train moving on Friday as they get to 2-0 on the season.
The Pick: Greenville 31, TL Hanna 21
Chesnee @ Broome: This is one of my favorite matchups of the week as both teams had huge wins in Week Zero. Broome snuck out a win in a close game against Powdersville and Chesnee started the season with a win over Blue Ridge. The Centurions caught a huge break and had a late fumble call go their way on Friday night that was clearly a fumble but the player was ruled down by the officials. Regardless, the Centurions made a huge stop when Powdersville went for two and stuffed Eli Hudgins behind the line of scrimmage. Kamajay Brackett-Brannon was spectacular for the Centurions on Friday and I think he will be the difference maker this week. Chesnee is much improved this season but I think the Centurions will be too much to handle.
The Pick: Broome 34, Chesnee 19
Berea at Landrum
The Pick: Landrum 21, Berea 17
Union County at Gaffney
The Pick: Gaffney 54, Union County 17
Boiling Springs at Mauldin
The Pick: Boiling Springs 24, Mauldin 21
Greer at Hillcrest
The Pick: Hillcrest 30, Greer 21
Riverside at J.L. Mann
The Pick: Riverside 35, J.L. Mann 28
Wade Hampton at Travelers Rest
The Pick: Travelers Rest 24, Wade Hampton 21
Woodruff at Fountain Inn
The Pick: Woodruff 29, Fountain Inn 24
St. Josephs at Blacksburg
The Pick: St. Josephs 31, Blacksburg 21
Abbeville at Powdersville
The Pick: Abbeville 35, Powdersville 25
Easley at Daniel
The Pick: Daniel 45, Easley 14
Westside at Belton-Honea Path
The Pick: Westside 40, Belton-Honea Path 21
Rock Hill at South Pointe
South Pointe 35, Rock Hill 17
Southside at Christ Church
The Pick: Christ Church 38, Southside 18
Eastside at Pendleton
The Pick: Pendleton 21, Eastside 14
Clover at Northwestern
The Pick: Northwestern 38, Clover 24
North Augusta at Dorman
The Pick: North Augusta 31, Dorman 21
Palmetto at Seneca
The Pick: Seneca 40, Palmetto 14
Clinton at Laurens
The Pick: Clinton 35, Laurens 18
Jefferson at Wren
The Pick: Wren 31, Jefferson 28
Carolina at Southside Christian
The Pick: Southside Christian 30, Carolina 28
Liberty at Blue Ridge
The Pick: Blue Ridge 28, Liberty 18
Walhalla at Woodmont
The Pick: Woodmont 19, Walhalla 14
Fort Mill at Chester
The Pick: Chester 42, Fort Mill 21
For a full recap of all of these games, catch Cole Bryson & Alex Guest this Saturday from 8-10am on The Fan Upstate.
