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STATEWIDE GAMES THAT MATTER TO THE
MIDLANDS TEAMS
DORMAN AT SPARTANBURG – 5A
Region 2 positioning is never easy as these teams beat the heck out of each
other in regular season. Right now, the Vikings of Spartanburg are 2-3, with
losses to Nation Ford, Lawrenceville (GA) and Byrnes. The Byrnes game is the
one that is key because that puts the Vikings a game back from Byrne in Region 2
Standings. With Byrnes win over Gaffney last week, the Rebels have a solid grip
on the top spot in this region. Dorman is 5-0 and though they don’t have a
quality win to their credit, they have completely dominated every opponent, outscoring
them 231-28.
This game is important because the
loser will more than likely fight for the 3rd spot in this region
with Gaffney, who is already a game back behind Byrnes.
So why is that important to the
Midlands teams? Because the Region 4 winner, probably Sumter, will more than
likely see the 3rd place team from Region 2 in the second round of
the playoffs. If Byrnes continues to play like they are playing, then it could
very well be the winner of this game or Gaffney that the Gamecocks see in the 2nd
round.
SUMMERVILLE AT ASHLEY RIDGE –
Region 8 teams are playing for 2nd place in my opinion. Fort Dorchester
is going to win it. That means the positioning for 2nd and 3rd
is going to come down to a couple of teams. I don’t think West Ashley nor Stall
are going to challenge for that so it will be the winner and loser of this game
that finishes 2nd and 3rd in my opinion.
Summerville is 4-2 with a loss to
Wando, which was a surprise to me, and an
overtime loss to a good Berkeley team. Ashley Ridge is 2-3 with losses to
Wando, Berkeley and Cane Bay. They’ve been outscored by their opponents 115-98
so their offense is not nearly as explosive as it has been in the past couple
of seasons.
Why is this game important to the
Midlands? Because the Region 5 No. 2 is going to get the No. 3 team in this
region. That is going to be the loser of this game, in my opinion.
Unfortunately for the No. 2 team from Region 4, they will open the playoffs on
the road at Fort Dorchester, who I think wins this region easily and gets that
No. 1 spot.
NATION FORD AT CLOVER – The Region
3 is going to be competitive this season but I think at the top is going to be
Clover and Rock Hill. Clover is 5-0 and have overpowered every opponent, giving
up just 49 points this season. Nation Ford got a surprising win over
Spartanburg early in the year but they have yet to beat anyone with a winning
record.
This game is important because
Region 4 No. 2, which could be Blythewood, Spring Valley or Lugoff-Elgin at
this point, will face off with the No. 3 from this region. In my opinion, it
looks like it will be Nation Ford. Obviously, Northwestern could get a win over
Nation Ford and become the third team still.
Also, the No. 3 team from Region 4
will face off with the No. 2 from this region. So at this point, just my
prediction, that would be Rock Hill, assuming Clover goes unbeaten and gets the
top spot.
Currently, there is too much smoke
to be cleared in the 4A and 3A classifications to have games that matter. I think
at this point Gilbert is at least a 3rd round playoff team in 3A and
it would look like they will face May River in that round if both teams do what
I think they will do.
Camden, also in 3A, assuming they
finish second in the region to Chester, would have a winnable game against a
Region 3 opponent in round one before seeing Chapman in Round 2. In my opinion,
Chapman is the best 3A team in the state.
In 4A, I think AC Flora is going to
win their region and the No. 1 from Region 4 drops to the lower state bracket
and will face off with an at large team from lower state. The second round
match up would probably be against the No. 2 team from Region 5. That could
actually end up being a Midlands team like Brookland-Cayce or Airport. Should the
Falcons get by that, they will face Myrtle Beach in the third round.
