It’s the next-to-last week of the high school football regular season. For some teams, this Friday will be their final regular season game before the postseason or before next season.
To be sure, this week will not be short on any drama, as several matchups will have region championship implications while many others will help determine seeding for the state playoffs which begin the week of November 10.
Let’s take a look at five of the top matchups we’re keeping our eyes on this week.
North Augusta (7-2, 3-0) at Midland Valley (9-0, 3-0): It doesn’t get much bigger than this for North Augusta or Midland Valley. Last game of the regular season for both teams. Both squads sitting at a tie for first place in South Carolina Region 4-AAAA. Both teams are set for a first round home game in the state playoffs, regardless of the outcome. But don’t be mistaken — this one is all about region bragging rights.
Midland Valley has looked virtually unbeatable through its first nine games. A large part of that domination is the performance of senior running back Traevon Dunbar. The 5-foot-10, 190-pound 3-star prospect is 124 rushing yards away from breaking the 2,000-yard milestone. He’ll have to do it against one of the toughest defenses in the region in North Augusta. The Yellow Jackets have been solid all season defensively, while taking on a “community” approach on offense. Not many stars, but a group of solid performances that give North Augusta just enough to keep winning games. This one should be a good one — perhaps the matchup of the week in the CSRA. Prediction: Midland Valley 31, North Augusta 21.
Greene County (8-0, 3-0) at Aquinas (6-2, 2-1): Despite the loss to Washington-Wilkes last week, this one is still must-see-TV. Last Friday was an uncharacteristically tough outing for Aquinas quarterback Jim Franklin. After tossing three interceptions in the 31-27 loss at Washington-Wilkes, Franklin will, no doubt, be looking forward to avenge that performance at home and give Greene County its first loss of the season. Greene County’s calling card is its run game. The Tigers are averaging over 230 yards per contest on the ground. Aquinas had some trouble with Wilkes’ run game last week. Despite the region setback, Aquinas still has a very outside chance at finishing at least in a tie for first in the region. But it will need to win out against Greene County and Warren County and hope for some unlikely upsets. Look for Aquinas to come out playing inspired football at home, the week after a loss. Prediction: Aquinas 24, Greene County 21.
Putnam County (5-3, 4-2) at Laney (5-2-1, 4-1): Since the 28-14 loss at Thomson on Sept. 15, the Wildcats have been quietly playing some of the best football of any team in the CSRA, particularly on defense. Laney’s won its last two games against Josey and Westside by a combined score of 67-0. Laney has a great opportunity to win out the rest of the regular season slate with this week’s win and a likely victory against Glenn Hills (1-7, 0-2) next week. A Putnam County slip-up could keep Laney out of a guaranteed first round home game in the playoffs. But the way Laney is playing on both sides of the ball, that doesn’t seem likely. Prediction: Laney 31, Putnam County 10.
Evans (3-5, 2-2) at Brunswick (5-2-1, 3-1): The last two games for Evans are crucial for the Knights being able to hold on to their fourth place standing in Region 2-AAAAAA. After getting off to a solid 2-0 start in region play, the Knights’ offense has tripped them up in 42-10 and 22-14 losses to Effingham County and Glynn Academy respectively. Evans could only muster 180 yards of offense against Effingham. It got a little better against Glynn when Evans put together 316 total yards in a fairly balanced attack. But couldn’t end enough drives with points. Meanwhile, Brunswick has won three straight games, including two against fellow Columbia County squads Grovetown and Lakeside and is averaging 452 total yards of offense per game. 5-foot-8 senior wideout TJ Mitchell for Brunswick is arguably the region’s top pass catcher with 39 catches, 818 yards and eight touchdowns. Prediction: Brunswick 35, Evans 13.
Richmond Academy (3-5, 1-2) at Hephzibah (5-3, 1-2): Hephzibah is currently in a three-way tie for third place in the region behind Harlem and Morgan County — both teams the Rebels have lost two in consecutive weeks. Meanwhile, ARC can push its way into third place with a win against the Rebels. The Musketeers can then maintain that spot next week against Salem (1-7, 0-3). Maybe a couple of weeks ago, this could’ve been seen as a very winnable game for Hephzibah. But two straight losses have taken a little wind out of the Rebels’ sails. Richmond Academy will have its hands full though, trying to stop Northern Illinois’ news Class of 2024 commit in Hephzibah running back Telly Johnson who’s just 12 yards away from eclipsing the 1,000-yard mark. If Hephzibah can control the line of scrimmage — which it should — coach Daniel Dorsey’s bunch should bring a halt to its 2-game skid.
