On Friday night, TL Hanna knocked off then #2 in the poll Hillcrest, that caused major shifts in this week's poll. The Upstate Top 10 is South Carolina's only poll that ranks teams regardless of class size. Rob Jones unveils a new edition of the poll each week on the Saturday Morning Scramble. The audio version of the new poll from the Oct. 15th episode is below and the written form is below that.
Others Under Consideration This Week (In no particular ranking order)
Christ Church- The Cavs have just one loss on the season. This next two week stretch will tell the story of their regular season and determine the Region race in Region 1-1A. Christ Church has traditional region rivals St. Joe's coming Oct 21st and Southside Christian to finish the regular season Oct 28th.
St. Joe's- Coach Chris Goodman has led them to a 1 loss season thus far. However, that one loss was to region rival Southside Christian. St. Joe's gets Christ Church at home, it's a must win for St. Joe's to stay in the region title hunt.
JL Mann- The Patriots are having a renaissance season this year. Coach Scoot Watson has led them to their 1st playoff berth since 2011. Mann is off this week and then has Hillcrest on the 28th. A win in the game would likely give Mann a 2nd place finish in Region 1- 5A and homefield for the 1st round of the postseason.
Westside- They own wins over quality opponents in TL Hanna and Abbeville. Their losses are to Greenville High in blowout fashion and a competitive loss and BHP. They got a tough road win at Greenwood this past week.
Abbeville- Since losing a couple of early games in non-region play Abbeville has started to click. They have been dominant in Region 1- 2A games and look to secure the Region Title. The losses came in a one score game to 3A Powdersville and to 4A Westside.
10. Greenville High- The Red Raiders are holding at #10 again this week. They started the year 0-3 against quality 5A opponents in Dorman, Hanna and Byrnes. Since then they have come alive and winning region games in convincing fashion, including a 30 point win at Westside. They can wrap a region title with a win over Greenwood this week and an Easley loss.
9. Byrnes- The Rebels fell in a hard fought game 25-22 at Dorman on a late FG last week. It's the 3rd loss of the season for Byrnes and the 2nd in region 2 5A play. The loss means Byrnes will not have a shot at the region title. They are off this week and host Gaffney in the regular season finale next week. Byrnes is down 1 spot from last week.
8. BHP- The Bears are holding in this spot from last week. They have just one loss on the year, that was at a really good Powdersville team in region 2 3A play. BHP holds a win over Westside on the year. They are likely to finish 2nd in Region 2 3A. BHP hosts Southside this week and hosts Wren next week to finish the regular season. If them and Powdersville win out, BHP would finish 2nd in region.
7. Powdersville- The Patriots control their own destiny in Region 1 3A. They are holding in this spot and have a huge rivalry game in Region play with Wren this week. They can clinch the region title with a win over Wren on Friday.
6. Hillcrest- The Rams suffered their 1st loss of the season at Hanna last week , 14-13. As a result they have fallen 4 spots in the poll. The loss means that Hillcrest most likely will finish 2nd in Region 1 5A. However, they still have games with Mauldin and Mann. Mauldin will be playing for their playoff lives and Mann will be playing for a shot at a home playoff game in the 1st round.
5. TL Hanna- The Yellow Jackets humped 4 spots in the poll with a home win over Hillcrest last week. Hanna has just one game left as their bye week comes on the final regular season week. Hanna can wrap up the Region 1 5A Title with a win over Woodmont this week.
4. Gaffney- The Indians moved up a spot after a 19-7 win over Boiling Springs. The movement is not so much based on that game or win, but more so on the loss by Hillcrest. Gaffney has 2 losses early in the season, but is unbeaten in Region 2 5A. The Indians are on "The Reservation" this Friday hosting Dorman. Gaffney would get the Region Title with a win.
3. Clinton- The Red Devils moved up a spot to #3 with the Hillcrest loss. Clinton Coach Corey Fountain was a guest on the Scramble last weekend and he has his guys poised for a playoff push. Clinton has been mowing teams down, they are unbeaten and have won every game by 2 TD's or more. They have a big road test this week at Chester in a game that will determine the Region 4 3A Champions.
2. Dorman- The Cavs move up a spot after the Hanna win over Hillcrest. Dorman though has looked beatable the last two weeks, winning those two games by a combined 4 points. Their biggest test of the season this Friday at Gaffney. A Dorman loss gives Gaffney the Region 2 5A Title. A Dorman win would then lead to a showdown with cross town rival Spartanburg High with Region Title implications on the line.
1. Daniel- The Lions are still holding in the top spot. Daniel is unbeaten this year and has won 32 straight games. They would wrap up the region title with a win over Pendelton on Friday. Daniel is looking for its first State Title Three-peat in program history.
This Friday Oct. 21st features some big matchups that will determine region races. The marquee game on the slate is #2 Dorman at #4 Gaffney. Find out how Friday's games will shape the newest edition of the Upstate Top 10 by tuning into the Saturday Morning Scramble this weekend from 8-10 AM here on The Fan Upstate.
