BAXTER'S BLITZ: WEEK ONE
Week One is in the books and there was some fantastic action on Thursday and Friday night around the state. What is our take away from week one action? It's all right here in the Week One edition of BAXTER'S BLITZ!
I'm going to start the 5A segment out by eating a little crow myself. Way back in the Spring when we did early picks, I picked the Spartanburg Vikings to struggle and one of the games I felt they would drop was T.L. Hanna. Well, the Vikings proved me wrong, knocking off the Yellow Jackets in a 14-7 overtime win. Now, I'll take my knock for that prediction but I still think this team has a slight drop off, which is what I said. They still have Northwestern and Westside, who I think are their top two opponents and from the looks of things Gaffney appears to be finding a groove. Despite that, I was wrong on the Hanna game and give credit where credit is due! Congratulations to the Vikings.
The top team in the state, Fort Dorchester, was in action last night and completely annihilated Colleton County in a 67-3 game in the low country. I have no confirmation as to whether the alleged transfers from Colleton County to Fort Dorchester took the field against their former teammates. I don't think it would have mattered, however, because this team is a monster.
The Trojans on Northwestern began the season on a sour note, losing to cross-town rivals South Pointe in week zero. I believe their wounds are healed, however, as they absolutely laid the lumber to a good Dorman football team last night 42-28. Dorman lead in virtually every category except passing yards. Unfortunately they also lead in penalties with nine. I believe the Cavs will recover but as a running football team, you can't afford to trade scores AND get penalties.
The Gaffney Indians whupped up on Union County last night 53-7 and sophomore quarterback Tyshun Surratt threw for more than 300 yards and 5 touchdowns. This is week two of crushing a Yellow Jacket (they beat Hanna last week) and the Indians are hoping to sustain this progress as they continue through non-region play. In two weeks they play West Charolotte and will dismantle that team, and follow with Hillcrest against a declining Rams team. But in three weeks they will get the measuring stick test when they host the Northwestern Trojans.
BEST OF THE WEEK IN 5A? I have to say Spartanburg knocking off T.L. Hanna; granted it was an OT win but it was against a good football team.
WORST OF THE NIGHT IN 5A? Blythewood Bengals. First of all, you've got your opponent down 21-7 as the 4th quarter begins. You give up two scores but still lead 21-20 because they miss a two-point conversion going for the win. All you have to do is line up in victory formation and kill the clock. The thing is you HAVE to hold onto the football when you do that. Ridge View gets the fumble AND the benefit of a personal foul and kicks a game winning field goal. Crikey!
The Hartsville Red Foxes knocked off South Florence in dominating fashion 64-14. This is a team that could be seeing it's best football in this decade. It is really early but I'm thinking a possible Hartsville vs South Pointe redo in the state title game.
South Pointe, the top team in 4A, knocked off Nation's Ford 24-10 and I'm a little surprised we didn't see more offense out of the Stallions. Defensively, they are solid and that is going to be their strength this season.
The Ridge View Blazers, for the 2nd week in a row, got a big win over a ranked 5A football team, knocking off Blythewood 23-21 in a wild finish. I told you about the ending in the 5A capsule but here's the real story. The Blazers ran 72 plays to Blythewood's 45 plays. When you've got an athlete like Jordyn Adams (Blythewood) on the field, limiting his touches is key. Coach Parks and staff did a great job of that!
The South Aiken T'breds are a team I called a sleeper in the preseason and they are looking good thus far. Last night, they got a convincing 28-14 win over 5A White Knoll and I think this team has to be considered the team to beat in the Region 4.
Richland Northeast knocked off Swansea 55-7 and the Cavaliers are looking like a team that could be a playoff team, even in the strong region they are in.
BEST OF THE WEEK IN 4A? I've got to go with Ridge View knocking off Blythewood. The Blazers are 2-0 with wins over 5A Sumter and 5A Blythewood.
WORST OF THE WEEK IN 4A? I'm saying the York Cougars. They got thumped by the Rock Hill Bearcats to fall to 0-2 on the season after an opening week loss to Laurens. This team lost some players to transfer and have gone from major contender to pretender in the last month.
I suppose the story of the night was the top ranked Woodruff Wolverines getting their behinds handed to them by Abbeville in a 28-0 shut out. This was not even a close game as the Panthers flexed their 2A muscles against a promising Woodruff team.
Dillon appeared back to form with a 62-14 dismantling of Mullins. The Wildcats played well in a loss against NC power Mallard Creek last week and were ready to show the SC folks they weren't going anywhere.
The Strom Thurmond Rebels dropped a heartbreaker to Aiken on a blocked PAT but that wasn't the real story here. Aiken beat the Rebels on the inside. The Hornets had two backs over 100 yards and a third for 63 yards, churning up 279 yards on the ground against the Rebels. For the Rebels, the quarterback was the leading rusher and that is a problem. Must fix before region play.
The Brookland-Cayce Bearcats played a wild game against rival, 4A Airport, and ended up with the 47-43 win. They are 2-0 but are going to need to get consistent in moving the football. They score but they score on big plays and if your lifeblood is big plays, the day you face a team that doesn't give them up is the day the blood in the offense stops flowing. Solid win and sure to move up in the polls.
The Bluffton Bobcats gave a rude welcome to May River with a 77-3 romp of their cross-town rival. The Sharks of May River were never threatened the end zone and this got ugly quickly as the Bobcats went to a 56-3 half-time lead, scoring 21 points in the first four minutes of the game. Look for this team to be a force in the lower state 3A.
BEST OF THE NIGHT IN 3A? Gilbert Indians with a 32-24 win over a good Batesburg-Leesville team. While many will say this was an upset, this Gilbert team is better than people are giving them credit for.
WORST OF THE NIGHT IN 3A? Woodruff. The top ranked team in the class should not go scoreless in a match up with a 2A opponent. They will bounce back but this was not a good showing at all.
The top ranked Abbeville Panthers ran through Woodruff 28-0 last night to make a major statement about their position of power. T.J. Rogers rushed for 165 yards and 3 touchdowns and the Panthers defense held the Wolverines to under 50 yards rushing.
The Cheraw Braves got a big win over Marlboro County, shutting out the Bulldogs 14-0. The Braves move to 2-0 on the season and it would appear that they are wanting some respect in the Class 2A.
Southside Christian went to 2-0 on the season with a win over Ware Shoals. The Sabers are explosive offensively and are going to make the upstate race interesting down the stretch.
The Calhoun County Saints got a 38-24 win over Gray Collegiate and continue to roll up wins for Coach Bill Kimrey. This Saints team is going to have a say in this class' run for the title and it will take some big defensive performances to slow them down.
BEST OF THE NIGHT IN 2A? Easily Abbeville as they continue to roll. This team has to be considered the team to beat in the class.
WORST OF THE NIGHT IN 2A? I'm going to say Batesburg-Leesville's loss to Gilbert simply because they were favored and they were in the top five. But this is not a disheartening loss considering how improved the 3A Gilbert team is this season.
Not that anyone had any doubts about Lamar being the cream of the crop in this class but this team destroyed Central 31-0; Lamar is good but I think this could also tell us a little about how far Central has declined.
Lake City got a big 45-7 win over Lakewood; guys, this isn't supposed to happen. 1A schools knocking off a team two classes up from them in a dominating fashion is cause for concern. That said, we all knew the Wild Gators were going to be strong this season and here they prove it.
Wagener Salley gets another win and the impressive thing about this team is the number of freshmen they are starting on this roster. This team is not a powerhouse by any means but they are competitive and they have a lot to look forward to over the next couple of seasons.
The game I really wanted to get a bead on was the CE Murray vs Bamberg-Ehrhardt game but that is being played today (Saturday). The Eagles could be a team to contend with again this season.
BEST OF THE NIGHT IN 1A? Lamar's total domination of the Central Eagles is the one in my mind that tells us just how strong this Lamar team is.
WORST OF THE NIGHT IN 1A? Gotta go with the McCormick Chiefs, dropping to 0-2 after losing to Fox Creek last week and Lincoln County (GA) this week. Outscored 76-6 in two weeks.
If there was any questions as to whether Hammond would be ok this season, they laid that to rest with a 40-7 win over Spartanburg Christian. Quarterback Corbett Glick was 14 of 14 for 302 yards and 5 touchdowns in one half of play.
Ben Lippen romped past Heathwood Hall 50-14 in a game that wasn't really even that close. The Falcons are going to make the 3A race very interesting, especially in the Midlands.
Florence Christian lost some talent but my goodness! 54-0 loss to Laurence Manning! LMA may be the most complete team in SCISA 3A and they are going to be a contender this season.
BEST OF THE NIGHT IN SCISA? Hammond's win over Spartanburg Christian was expected but we weren't sure how good the Skyhawks would look. They didn't disapppoint.
WORST OF THE NIGHT IN SCISA? Heathwood Hall's lackluster performance against Ben Lippen. Where has football gone for the Highlanders?