As the weeks go on, the teams will start to dwindle down and we will see the contenders instead of the pretenders. There were several blowouts last Friday but with the 2nd round upon us, I expect much more competitive games this week! Let's take a look at the matchups that will happen this Friday night.
CA Johnson at Southside Christian:
Johnson comes into this matchup 6-3 on the season and is one of the better 1A teams out of the Columbia area. The Hornets have won 3 in a row and are coming off of a blowout win over Wagener-Salley 38-0. Southside Christian remains flawless on the season and has steamrolled just about everyone they have played. I expect the Hornets to score, but I do not think the Sabres will have a problem advancing to the 3rd round.
Cole's Pick: Southside Christian 40, Johnson 14
Saluda at Abbeville:
While Saluda has had a fantastic season coming into this game 7-2, this is their toughest test of the season by far. The Tigers have losses to Rabun County (Georgia) & to Gray Collegiate. Abbeville comes in without blemish. I think this one will be competitive in the 1st half, but I like the Panthers to finish strong in the 2nd half.
Cole's Pick: Abbeville 35, Saluda 20
Christ Church at St. Joseph's:
This is a rivalry for both of these teams but the stakes are even higher this Friday as the winner will advance and the loser will go home. Back on the 10th of September, Christ Church defeated the Catholic Knights in overtime by a score of 28-22. This one should be one of the best games of the night as it is not a long road trip at all for Christ Church, just 1.8 miles to be exact from school to school. I usually like the loser in a rematch as it is hard to beat a team twice, but I like Christ Church to take care of business on the road this Friday and knock of St. Joseph's. Grayson Klue, starting RB for Christ Church did not play last Friday due to injury, but Klue will be back this Friday from what I am hearing and with this offensive line playing the way they are, I like Christ Church to be the more physical team up front and win in another close one.
Cole's Pick: Christ Church 35, St. Joseph's 31
Chester at Chapman:
The games just keep getting better and better this week as the folks in Inman will witness one of the better games on the slate this week as the Chester Cyclones will travel down HWY 176 for the 63 mile trip to take on the red hot Chapman Panthers. Chester is 7-3 on the season and comes into this game riding a 5 game win streak. Chapman comes into this game 8-2 on the season riding a 7 game win streak. Both of these teams are really talented but there is one question that I do not know if Chester can answer. Do the Cyclones have the guys in the secondary to go step for step with DJ Black & Timothy McClurkin and do they have an answer for a fresh Derrick Miller who has only been back a few games after battling an injury during the middle part of this season? When you have a talented QB like Drew Settle who can make any throws necessary, you better be able to play ball control and keep the Chapman offense on the sideline. If Chester can do that and finish drives, the Cyclones may have a shot. However, I think the Panthers will be too much on Friday night.
Cole's Pick: Chapman 43, Chester 30
Wren at Powdersville:
Cole's Pick: Powdersville 50, Wren 40
Woodruff at Daniel:
Cole's Pick: Daniel 45, Woodruff 35
Clinton at Lower Richland:
Cole's Pick: Clinton 49, Lower Richland 28
Greenville at A.C. Flora:
Cole's Pick: A.C. Flora 40, Greenville 38
Irmo at Westside:
Cole's Pick: Westside 35, Irmo 28
Laurens at South Pointe:
Cole's Pick: South Pointe 38, Laurens 28
Catawba Ridge at Greenwood:
Cole's Pick: Greenwood 40, Catawba Ridge 25
Ridge View at Hillcrest:
Cole's Pick: Hillcrest 42, Ridge View 30
Spring Valley at Spartanburg:
Spartanburg has been one of the hottest teams in the Upstate as of late as they come into this game riding a 5 game win streak and the Vikings had a very easy win last Friday at home vs Woodmont. However, Spring Valley is not Woodmont. Spring Valley runs a triple option based offense where they do throw the football out of the gun. Spring Valley comes into this game 7-2 on the season. I think this one will be close through 3, but I like the Vikings to pull away in the 4th quarter.
Cole's Pick: Spartanburg 40, Spring Valley 28
T.L. Hanna at Gaffney:
This is a much anticipated matchup between two teams who have had incredible seasons in 2021. Gaffney sits at 11-0 on the season while T.L. Hanna comes into this game 10-1. Gaffney has outscored opponents this season 422-163. The Indian offense is averaging 38.4 points per game while the Gaffney defense is only allowing 14.8 points per game. Yes, T.L. Hanna is good, but I have seen both teams. Gaffney is the much better team here and the Indians will get the win and advance to the 3rd round of the playoffs.
Cole's Pick: Gaffney 35, T.L. Hanna 24
Byrnes at Northwestern:
And for the final game on our slate this Friday, we have the Byrnes Rebels (6-5) facing off against the Northwestern Trojans (10-1). Yes, Northwestern is a talented team, yes they have a Mr. Football finalist at QB, yes they have been dominant and consistent in 2021, but this is a different Byrnes team than we saw 6 weeks ago at the midpoint of the season. Here is a stat for you. The Byrnes defense gave up 40 points per game throughout the first 6 games of the season. Throughout the last 5 games of the season, the Rebels defense has given up 14.6 points per game. That is a HUGE turnaround by this Fred Cross led defense. This Byrnes defense will need to be lights out on Friday in order to pull this massive upset at District 3 Stadium. One thing that I look at as very important is if Miguel Dingle will be playing on Friday. He did not play last Friday for the Rebels due to sickness and is questionable for this week. Dingle is the centerpiece of this Rebel defense and not having Dingle will be a huge loss for Byrnes. Offensively, the Rebels have not been who they were earlier in the season as the average of points scored has dropped by 10 points in the last 4 games. Northwestern has a solid offensive line with a very good running back but their QB Will Mattison is the key of this team. His ability to not only throw, but make plays with his legs makes him hard to tame for defenses. Even without Dingle, this Byrnes defense has been playing with much more confidence and a group effort of a group of guys that include Rashard Wright, Will Fowler, Aaron Taylor, Carter Gosnell, Chris Foster, and the list goes on and on. In my opinion, this Rebel defense will have to get pressure this Friday in order to subdue this Trojan offense. With the Rebels having the underdog mentality, I think this group comes out fired up and shocks the Upstate on Friday night and knocks off the big dog of Northwestern.
Cole's Pick: Byrnes 35, Northwestern 31
For a full recap of these games, listen to The Saturday Morning Scramble this Saturday from 8-10am on ESPN Upstate with Cole Bryson.
