(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of The Augusta Press.)
The CSRA will be the center of gravity for South Carolina’s class 2A when Silver Bluff hosts No. 7 Strom Thurmond and No. 4 Woodland visits No.2 Barnwell in what will serve as the championship games for their respective regions. The magnitude of the game at Silver Bluff was summed up in a phone interview Tuesday with fifth year head coach De’Angelo Bryant, a former Wake Forest standout and all-state member of two state championship teams for Silver Bluff.
“You couldn’t ask for a better game between two traditionally good programs that have moved into a new conference…” Bryant explained, “To really just duke it out on Friday night for something that’s on the line.”
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The entire area has taken notice as Strom Thurmond (6-2) has become the hottest team around by winning six straight games, including a road victory two weeks ago over then No. 1 ranked Saluda. One week later, Silver Bluff followed Thurmond’s lead by handing No.8 Saluda its second loss of the season to set up Friday’s clash at Silver Bluff, last season’s class 2A runner up.
Strom Thurmond’s passing game will be in focus because of 6-foot-3-inch-tall junior quarterback Quan Edmond’s track record since returning from injury in week four for the Rebels. Outside threats like Gregory Bryant and Dallas Hitt, who combined for 213 yards and two touchdowns receiving in last week’s 51-7 win over Pelion, are among the many items on Bryant’s radar for Friday’s showdown.
“They’re very explosive on the perimeter,” said Bryant about Strom Thurmond. “And their quarterback (Edmond) is a very, very solid football player who doesn’t make mistakes.”
After last season’s 11-0 start and eventual class 2A runner up finish, Silver Bluff has only recently gotten back to its winning ways. The Bulldogs (4-4) suffered through a difficult non-region schedule before winning their first three region games. Senior quarterback Maleik Williams, who has been under center for the better part of four seasons, has led the way in region play. Williams shared “Best of the Best” honors in these pages after completing 13 of 19 passes for 191 yards and 3 touchdowns in last week’s 27-15 win over Saluda.
“Maleik’s cognitive ability is just something that is off the charts,” Bryant said. “I’ve been in this thing now for a while as a coach, and he’s a rare player because of his wits and what he brings to the game… He just gives you a comfort at that position, just knowing that he’s gonna do whatever he can to take care of the football, and also take care of his team.”
Also Fighting for the Top Spot
Meanwhile in Georgia, No. 9 Putnam County will visit the Brickyard where No. 6 Thomson will have a chance to all but wrap up the No. 1 seed in their class 2A region. But if Putnam County comes out on top, the War Eagles will likely need to beat Laney the following week, or the top playoff seed in region 4 could be decided by a three-way tie breaker.
The four teams at the top of region 8 in class 1A (Division II) will all face off as well. Lincoln County can take a vice grip on the top spot with a win at home against Greene County. Both teams bring a 2-0 region record to the affair. Meanwhile right off of Highland Avenue, Aquinas and Washington-Wilkes will square off as both teams attempt to improve to 2-1 in region play. If Lincoln County tops Greene County, the Red Devils should be on their way to a No. 1 seed heading into the final two weeks of the season. A loss in Lincolnton by the home team would give the winner of the Aquinas-Washington-Wilkes game a chance to force a three-way tie at the top. Lincoln County is ranked in the top 10 in every media poll except the one we use here from the Georgia High School Football Daily Newsletter. The Red Devils put themselves in position for their first region title since 2012 during the last two weeks with wins over then ranked Washington-Wilkes and Aquinas.
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Back in South Carolina, Midland Valley will invade the Stomping Grounds as the Mustangs can set up a chance to win the class 4A, region 4 championship outright with a win Friday and another one next week at North Augusta. But the defending region champion South Aiken Thoroughbreds have something to play for as well because they still have a chance to force a tie at the top with a couple wins and some help from their region foes. Finally, Wagener-Salley will host Denmark-Olar with every incentive to win and force a class 1A, region 4 championship game scenario against No.7 Calhoun County the following week.
Those are just Friday’s games that will directly impact the race for first place in a given region. But there are at least that many more games that will impact the wider playoff seeding picture. Remember, each region will send four teams to the state playoffs. And the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds will host at least one playoff game. Here are the region standings and the games scheduled for this Friday so you can follow the race to the postseason:
Class 6A, Region 2
Effingham County (4-0), Brunswick (3-0), Glynn Academy (2-2), South Effingham (1-2), Lakeside (1-2), Evans (1-2), Grovetown (0-4)
This Week:
Lakeside at Grovetown – Thursday
Evans at Glynn Academy
No. 9 Brunswick at South Effingham
Class 5A, Region 1
Ware County (2-0), Coffee (2-0), Statesboro (1-1), Jenkins (1-1), Greenbrier (0-2), Bradwell Institute (0-2)
This Friday:
Greenbrier at No. 1 Ware County
Class 4A, Region 6
Benedictine (2-0), Wayne County (2-0), Burke County (1-1), New Hampstead (1-1), Southeast Bulloch (1-2), Islands (0-3)
No.6 Burke County is off this week before key upcoming games against New Hampstead (Oct. 27) and No.9 Wayne County (Oct. 31).
South Carolina Class 4A, Region 4
North Augusta (2-0), Midland Valley (2-0), South Aiken (1-1), Aiken (1-2), Airport (0-3)
This Friday:
Airport at North Augusta
Midland Valley at South Aiken
Lexington at Aiken (non-region)
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Class 3A, Region 6
Harlem (3-0), Morgan County (3-0), Hephzibah (1-2), Richmond Academy (1-2), Salem (1-2), Cross Creek (0-3)
This entire region is off this week. Pivotal remaining games include Harlem at Morgan County (Nov. 4) and Hephzibah at Richmond (Oct. 28).
Class 2A, Region 4
Thomson (4-0), Putnam County (4-0), Laney (3-1), Washington County (2-2), Westside (1-3), Butler (1-3), Josey (1-4), Glenn Hills (1-4)
This Friday:
No. 9 Putnam County at No. 6 Thomson
Laney at Westside
Washington County at Butler
Therrell at Josey – Saturday Homecoming (non-region)
South Carolina Class 2A, Region 3
Strom Thurmond (3-0), Silver Bluff (3-0), Saluda (1-2), Batesburg Leesville (1-2), Fox Creek (1-2), Pelion (0-3)
This Friday:
No.7 Strom Thurmond at Silver Bluff
Fox Creek at No. 8 Saluda
Pelion at Batesburg-Leesville
Class 1A (Division II), Region 8
Lincoln County (2-0), Greene County (2-0), Aquinas (1-1), Washington-Wilkes (1-1), Warren County (0-2), Towns County (0-2)
This Friday:
Greene County at Lincoln County
Washington-Wilkes at Aquinas
Warren County at Towns County
South Carolina Class 1A, Region 4
Calhoun County (4-0), Wagener-Salley (4-0), Denmark-Olar (3-1), Ridge Spring-Monetta (2-2), Blackville-Hilda (1-4), Hunter-Kinard-Tyler (1-4), Williston-Elko (0-4)
This Friday:
Denmark-Olar at Wagener-Salley
Ridge Spring-Monetta at No.7 Calhoun County
Blackville-Hilda at Williston-Elko
Class 1A (Division I), Region 2
Swainsboro (2-0), Dublin (1-0), Bleckley County (1-1), East Laurens (0-1), Jefferson County (0-2)
This Friday:
Jefferson County at No.10 Dublin
East Laurens at Bleckley County
South Carolina Independent School Association (SCISA)*
*The independents determine playoff seeding by the rankings generated by MaxPreps and other entities
Augusta Christian (2-6) at Ben Lippen – Friday
Georgia Independent Athletic Association (GIAA)
This Thursday:
Memorial Day (1-5) at Thomas Jefferson (7-0) – Class 1A
Augusta Prep (3-4) at Briarwood (5-3) – Class 2A
This Friday:
Gatewood (3-4) at Edmund Burke (4-3)
One Season Turns Into Another
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The 2022-23 Augusta University men’s basketball team held its first official practice last Saturday, a speedy seven months after coming 40 minutes away from winning a Division II national championship in Evansville, Ind. last season.
The link is especially strong between this year’s unit and the historic squad that set a school record for wins while becoming the champion of the Peach Belt Conference, the Southeast Region and winner of 20 consecutive games before finally falling short on the final day of the season. That’s because during a time when transferring is so common that a college roster is more likely to completely turn over from one season to the next, Augusta’s core is almost unanimously back for a final year together under the leadership of 19-year head coach Dip Metress, who has won 73% of his games at Augusta.
Among the veteran laden group of returnees, the literal “center” of attention, of course, is 7’1” Tyshaun Crawford, who proved during last season’s semifinal win over Indiana (PA) that he is the nation’s most dominant force by scoring 25 points on 12 of 12 shooting and snagging 14 rebounds. Last season Crawford earned almost every available high honor, such as the Peach Belt Conference Co-Player of the Year, the Peach Belt Conference Tournament MVP, the Southeast Regional Tournament MVP, and being named an NCAA Elite Eight All Tournament Team member.
Crawford is a fifth-year senior who returns alongside three fellow Jaguar seniors who have led Augusta to the kind of sustained success not witnessed since the 2007-2011 period in which Metress’s Jaguars made three consecutive trips to the Elite Eight. Tyree Myers, the school’s all-time assist leader, Miguel Arnold, first in the record books for three pointers made, and Darren Lucas-White, who is 29 points away from joining his three senior mates in the thousand-point club, were all on the floor as freshmen when Augusta clinched a Peach Belt Conference Tournament championship in 2019. In the three full seasons that Myers, Arnold and Lucas-White have played together, Augusta has made three NCAA tournament appearances, winning seven of nine “big dance” games in the process. During that stretch the Jaguars have won two PBC regular season championships and two conference tournament championships to go with last season’s Southeast Regional Tournament championship and national runner up finish.
Arnold and Myers combined to give Augusta’s fans the most memorable moment in area basketball history last March:
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The campaign has already begun to “pack Christenberry Fieldhouse” for the home opener against Fayetteville State on Sunday, Nov. 20 at 4 p.m. That will be the first time the Jaguars take the floor at home since Arnold’s shot heard ’round the small college basketball world. It will also be the day when the new Clint L. Bryant Court will be presented to the community to honor the school’s former athletic, who retired in June after serving for thirty-four years, including the first nine while also coaching men’s basketball.
Chad Cook is a sports columnist who is known on the field and court as AugBball. Follow him on Instagram @AugBBall
