Week Two is here in South Carolina — game three for most teams — and it's time to take a look at the biggest matchups in the Upstate this Friday night. Heading into this week, my season record for weekly picks stands at 39-15 (72.2%). Here are the biggest games this Friday.
Greenwood at Dorman: Dorman leads the all-time series vs Greenwood 19-9 while Jake Morris is 1-1 vs the Eagles in his tenure at Dorman. This will be the biggest test of the year so far for the Cavaliers and I expect it to be a good one in Roebuck. Triston Lewis of Greenwood is a swiss army knife and it will be interesting to see what Dorman's game plan is for the Gamecock commit. Wade Cooper's defense has only given up seven points this season so I expect Dorman to make it tough on the Eagles when it comes to putting up points. This one should be a lot of fun.
Greer at Hillcrest: Talk about domination? Greer has dominated Hillcrest in this series as they lead all-time 17-4 but that domination has not been as of late. From the year 1960 to 2005, Hillcrest only had one win (1970) over Greer. However, in the last three matchups, Hillcrest is 3-0 vs Greer. Will Young's squad is still looking for their first win of the season after dropping the first two contests to Boiling Springs and BHP while Hillcrest is comes off of a 30-21 loss to Clover. I do believe Greer can keep it interesting, but at the end of the day I like Jackson Free and the Rams to make one too many plays and the Rams will get the win.
Chapman at Boiling Springs: While both of these teams are young in areas, this game holds weight every season regardless of the records. Boiling Springs is 1-1 on the season after a win at Greer and a loss at Mauldin. Chapman comes into this game looking for their first win of the season after two losses to Daniel and St. Joseph's. Both offenses are still trying to find their identity before region play arrives. I do believe that the defense of Boiling Springs will be too much for Chapman to handle on Friday and while it may be close for a half, I like the Bulldogs to seal the deal when it matters.
Wren at Powdersville: A rivalry to say the least, this game means more than most. Two schools separated by 8 miles will go at it tonight for bragging rights for the next 365 days. Wren has started the season 2-0 with wins over Palmetto and Easley and has outscored both opponents 92-21. Powdersville dropped the season opener to Seneca then responded well in Week One by defeating Abbeville 36-22. This game in my mind will come down to the small details and whoever can win the turnover battle will have a big edge.
Let's pick:
Easley over Wade Hampton
Gaffney over Greenville
Dorman over Greenwood
Hillcrest over Greer
Daniel over J.L. Mann
Fountain Inn over Mauldin
Westside over T.L. Hanna
Woodmont over Pendleton
Boiling Springs over Chapman
Riverside over Christ Church
Spartanburg over Broome
Woodruff over Emerald
BHP over Laurens
Dixie over Southside
Wren over Powdersville
Blue Ridge over Polk County
Pickens at Liberty
Seneca over West Oak
Palmetto over Travelers Rest
Chesnee over Walhalla
AC Flora over Southside Christian
MVP over St. Joseph's
York over Union County
Chase over Blacksburg
Clinton over Newberry
Ware Shoals over Landrum
Abbeville over Batesburg Leesville
For a full recap of these games, catch Cole Bryson & Alex Guest on The Saturday Morning Scramble 8-10am on The Fan Upstate!