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Heading into Week Seven of the 2019 high school football season, we still have six teams in the Midlands who remain unbeaten. Here is a look at those teams, their path and how far I think they can go.
DUTCH FORK – The Silver Foxes are 5-0-1 and the only blemish on the record was a tie game that was called before it ended due to weather. Region play begins for the Foxes next week as they take on Chapin, who lost a close one to AC Flora on Friday. After that, they see River Bluff, also unbeaten at this point, Lexington (5-1) and White Knoll (5-0) in that order. I don’t think they get a challenge from any of those teams and finish the season unbeaten with a 9-0-1 regular season record.
The will get the No. 1 seed in the lower state and will more than likely be playing on the road in the semi-finals to face Fort Dorchester, the best team after them in the lower state.
I’ll go ahead and tell you, this team will win the state championship. My prediction is they face Byrnes in the finals and they beat them by two touchdowns.
SUMTER – The Gamecocks are rolling at 5-0, having had one game cancelled due to weather. This team is absolutely loaded with division 1 prospects in the next three classes. They are playing very well on offense and have allowed just 37 points in five games, most of that in the end of games with the back ups in. They begin region play with Lugoff-Elgin (2-4) next week, followed by Blythewood (4-2), Spring Valley (2-3) and Irmo (2-4) in that order.
They are going to win the region and get a No. 1 seed and face off with a team like Hanna, Laurens or Greenwood (4th from Region 1) in the first round. In Round two, they will see either Gaffney or Dorman. If they make it to the semi-finals, look for a showdown with Byrnes.
I think this team is very capable of getting to the title game but my prediction is that they loose out In the semi-finals to Byrnes IF they get by the 2nd round game. The 2nd round game will be tougher than the third round game.
WHITE KNOLL – The Timberwolves are 5-0 and if we dissect their schedule I cannot point to a single team that I can say was a challenge, outside of Brookland-Cayce. There is little doubt that quarterback Aveon Smith is a special player and can take control of a game but I am more concerned about the Timberwolves defense than their offense. They have allowed 96 points, which is fourth in the region in points allowed, and that has to change to get through region. They will face Lexington (5-1) next week, followed by Chapin (3-2), Spring Valley in a non-region game, River Bluff (6-0) and Dutch Fork (5-0-1).
I think the Timberwolves have a good chance at competing for the second spot in this region. I’m not comfortable making a prediction on them until I see them against Lexington next week. Whether they finish 2, 3 or 4, they are going to find a difficult road in the playoffs if they don’t get their defense tight. You cannot allow 20 points per game in the post season and win.
RIVER BLUFF – The Gators are 6-0 and got a quality win over one of the top three teams in lower state 3A Gilbert on Friday. That game showed a lot about this Gator team. For one, they must get better at defending the edge and space in the flats because Gilbert torched them in those areas. Their ground game is as good as any out there and the combo of Brandon Walker and Riley Myers is one of the best two combo’s I’ve seen this season in the state. They really need to develop a passing game, even if it’s just a short game. They have a week off this week and then are on the road against Dutch Fork (5-0-1), followed by Chapin (3-2), White Knoll (5-0) and the rival game against Lexington (5-1) to wrap things up.
I think this team finishes second in the region behind Dutch Fork. That would put them against probably Ashley Ridge in the first round. A third place finish in the region would put them facing Fort Dorchester in the first round and that would not be good. Assuming they are 2nd, after Ashley Ridge, they would more than likely see a Carolina Forest or West Florence in the 2nd round.
I think this team has to finish 2nd in the region to get past the 2nd round of the playoffs. If they do, they could have a date with Berkeley in the third round and if they get to the semi-finals, look for a rematch with Dutch Fork.
AC FLORA – The Falcons are flying high at 5-0 and are coming off of a quality win over a good 5A Chapin team. This team is getting better on offense each week as QB Wise Segars continues to develop. I believe this is one of the top defensive fronts in the state and that is going to take them far. This week they face Crestwood (2-2), followed by Lakewood (2-3), Orangeburg-Wilkinson (4-1), Lower Richland (1-4) and Dreher (1-4). I don’t see a challenge from anyone in this region and the Falcons should win the crown.
They will get a No. 1 seed in the lower state and end up taking on an At-Large team, which should be a win for them. In round 2, they will see the No. 2 from Region 5, which could be Brookland-Cayce, Airport or South Aiken. If they make it to the third round, they will face Myrtle Beach and that will, more than likely, be the end of the road for them.
CAMDEN – The Bulldogs are 6-0 and have outscored their opponents 211 to 124. They are solid on offense but I think they are a little too soft on the defensive side of the ball. The strong ground game will get them far but they need to be wary of Chester’s offense in two weeks. This coming week, they face Fairfield Central (2-4), followed by Chester (5-1), Indian Land (3-4) and Keenan (3-3).
I think this team has a chance to win the region but it will take a defensive effort to beat Chester in two weeks. The Cyclones have given up just 88 points in 6 games and 43 of those were in a loss to 5A Rock Hill. So they have basically given up just 9 points per game in the other five games. They average 37 points per game. This is going to be a showdown.
I think the Bulldogs finish 2nd to Chester in the region. If they do, that is going to put them against a team like Newberry, Union County or Woodruff in the first round. Finishing 2nd will not be good because if they DO manage to get by the first round game, they will face Chapman in the 2nd round.
I predict this team finishes 2nd to Chester and faces Chapman in round two and that will be the end of the road.
