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BAXTER’S BLITZ
CLASS 5A
So, the rivalry between Irmo and
Dutch Fork continues to not be such a rivalry. While they may not like each
other very much, there is little resistance from the Yellow Jackets to the
Silver Foxes and that was displayed in a 47-7 drubbing. Irmo’s plan appeared to
be not let Jalin Hyatt beat them so they played double with a man over the top
all night. It worked. He only had one touchdown reception. Unfortunately for
Irmo, however, QB Ty Olenchuk has other targets and threw for 252yards and 4
TDs. I maintain, Dutch Fork will not lose this season.
Spring Valley got a quality win over
Brookland-Cayce (4A), 35-23 and seemed to find success in the new passing
scheme as quarterback DQ Smith threw for four touchdowns and 178 yards. The
Vikings have a strong defense and if the offense gets shored up, they will
compete for one of the top spots in Region 4-5A with Sumter and Blythewood.
River Bluff rolled over Pelion (3A)
in a not-a-surprise 35-23 win. Quarterback Jackson Stone continues to impress
with 106 yards passing and 3 TD passes. The Gators rolled up close to 400 yards
of offense against the Panthers.
Chapin got a 32-yards touchdown pass
from Roger Pedroni to Xavier Short to knock off Lugoff-Elgin, 32-28.
Lugoff-Elgin tried to steal the game but was unable to complete a long pass in
the end zone as time ran out. Chapin is 2-0 but I still think this team is
untested, having played Mid-Carolina in their first game and now struggling
against a down Lugoff-Elgin team.
White Knoll completely annihilated
Keenan (2A), 49-14 with QB Aveon Smith leading the way with 3 TD passes and a 4th
TD on the ground. He had over 200 yards of total offense.
Lexington lost to Gilbert (3A),
28-14 and were exposed in their lack of ability to make plays on offense. While
their ground game is strong, their passing game is non-existent. Gilbert QB Jy
Tolen had a big game for the Indians with four scores.
Blythewood knocked off
Fairfield-Central (3A) 35-21, playing without head Coach Jason Seidel. The
Bengals were able to find some offense tonight but I’m not sure if the
Griffins’ defense was a solid test.
CLASS 4A
AC Flora got solid play from
quarterback Wise Segars with two touchdown passes and a reception for a TD,
along with two defensive scores to knock off Columba, 48-0. The Falcons’
defense continues to impress me as what may be the best defense in the
Midlands.
Westwood to on track offensively to
beat a struggling Lower Richland team, 38-6. Quarterback Ahmon Green threw for
two scores in the win.
Airport edged Swansea 38-36 and I’m
not sure if this tells us more about Airport or Swansea. The Eagles appear to
be one of the better ground games in the Midlands and Swansea has played two
very tight contests in their three outings. WR Nanders Lawrence had two TD
receptions and one rushing TD to lead the Eagles. RB Bruce Staley rushed for 91
yards and a TD receptions.
Crestwood got a win over RNE, 43-30,
and I’m not sure if RNE will have another opportunity at a more evenly keeled
opponent this season.
CLASS 3A
I mentioned the Gilbert win over
Lexington in the 5A Blitz, but I’ll mention it again. The Indians win over
Lexington was a good statement for the program and this team is not going to
lose in region play.
Camden got the biggest win of the
night, heading to Hartsville and knocking off the Red Foxes. The Bulldogs got
150 yards out of running back Willis Lane and Jafari Peterson passed for 170
yards on 17 attempts.
CLASS 2A
Let’s start with the big one first.
Gray Collegiate continues to roll as they pummeled Dreher, 56-7. The War Eagles
got another 400 yards passing game from QB Hunter Helms and this team is
reading themselves for a run in Class 2A.
Saluda, my top team in the Midlands
2A, knocked off Mid-Carolina 49-21 and QB Noah Bell passed for 217 yards and 3
TDs in the win. The Tigers will compete for a top spot in that very tough
region.
Newberry got a solid 21-20 win over
a good Batesburg-Leesville team and were led on the ground by RB Ahmorae
Wilmore. I still like this Panther team to compete in their region for a no
lower than third finish.
Eau Claire took it on the chin from
a very impressive Wagener Salley team, 74-0.
CA Johnson knocked off Fox Creek,
34-27 in an exciting win for the Hornets. They can be dangerous when they throw
the football but they lack consistency on offense right now.
SCISA REPORT
I’m not sure what the bigger story
is: Hammond losing to Charlotte Country Day or Heathwood Hall upsetting
Cardinal Newman.
The Skyhawks dropped to 1-2 after
losing to the Charlotte team, 24-21. Jordan Burch scored twice for Hammond but
it wasn’t enough as the Bucs QB threw a dagger in the way of a 48 yards
touchdown pass to win the game.
Heathwood Hall knocked off a very
good Cardinal Newman team, 35-19 as QB Alex Lewis ran for two scores. RB Ronnie
Porter rushed three scores and the Highlanders appear to be turned around under
2nd year head coach Danny Lewis.
