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Dutch Fork won again, this time over a very good Creekside (Ga) team in Atlanta. But while it was a victory for the Foxes, I think they were exposed offensively, something I’ve been talking about a couple of weeks. This team is completely one dimensional right now and being bailed out of games by their defense. They ground game is solid with a strong offensive line, but it will only take a good defensive effort from a good team to prevent that from doing damage. They need to recover from this sooner than later. This week they take on a 1-2 North Augusta team and should be fine but if they have not gotten their passing game back in two weeks, they face St Frances (Md), a football powerhouse school who is unbeaten,, lost just three games in the past five seasons and has beaten IMG for the last two years.
Lexington got a win over Stratford but it was not pretty and they really didn’t pull away until late, capturing a 28-14 victory. They have enough offensive fire power to keep score with anyone and while the defense did play better this week, the secondary was really not tested. The concern for me is when they do face a team that can game plan against their offense, they could be in trouble. I don’t think they will win many games this year because of their defense. Thankfully for them, the defense has done enough to allow the offense to win games but there are vulnerabilities there. If they face a strong passing team, it could be trouble. They have Blythewood at home this week and the Bengals’ defensive front will test the Wildcats in the trenches.
Sumter got a win over a weakened Goose Creek team this past week and did so with good play from their quarterback, Pete Merchent, who is having a good season. This team has not proven to be explosive on offense yet and that is a concern for later when they get to region play. The defense is playing well, particularly in the secondary, which will come in handy as they face a 800 yards passer this week with Crestwood.
River Bluff got a good win over an Irmo team, but the Jackets were without their starting quarterback so it’s hard to use the game as a measuring stick. The Gators played well in all phases of the game and quarterback Parker Murray tossed three scores in the win. One thing that perplexes me about this team is that they have one of the best football athletes in the state at WR in sophomore Stephen Collier but he’s not getting targets. He had three targets against Irmo and honestly, I’d be targeting him 12 to 15 times a game. This week they travel to South Aiken and get tested by one of the best running quarterbacks in the state in junior Terrance Smith. The South Aiken defense is not strong, however, and htis could be a great game for the offense.
White Knoll got to 3-0 with a win over Colleton County and did it, again, with balanced offense. Sophomore quarterback Landon Sharpe continues to get better each week and this Timberwolves defense is playing very well. This week, they travel to Westwood and it could be a massacre against the struggling Red Hawks.
Chapin got a win over Spring Valley this past week in a 28-10 game and the defense played strong. Offensively, they got good production out of their young quarterback and Nolan Beerman is handling the king’s share of the ground game on offense. I’m not sold on this team being a strong region contender yet, as they still lack the ability to make explosive plays on offense. This week, they take on a Newberry team that should go down as a win for the Eagles.
Blythewood has quietly gone 2-1, getting a win over a struggling Westwood team and flexed their muscles on defense. They are playing strong on that side of the football and their offense is being led by a ground game featuring a couple of pretty good running backs. I don’t think they are extremely efficient in the passing game, but they are getting better there. This week, their defense will get a challenge by the most explosive offense in the Midlands with Lexington.
Spring Valley lost their second game to fall to 1-2. They were beaten by a Chapin team that, quite honestly, is not an extremely dangerous team. The Vikings had -5 yards rushing and just 109 yards passing in this game. Their offense is completely non-existent, With barely 400 total yards for the season. They won’t fare much better against the Ridge View Defense this week, though their defense may be able to keep them in the game. This is going to be a long season for the Vikings.
IMPACT PLAYERS
DB Landon Danley, Dutch Fork
LB Chandler Perry, Dutch Fork
LB Jaylen Hinton, Dutch Fork
QB Taiden Mines, Lexington
WR Jerrod Mewborn, Lexington
LB Christian Sexton, Lexington
QB Pete Merchent, Sumter
RB Kam Fortune, Sumter
QB Parker Murray, River Bluff
LB Conner Clamp,River Bluff
QB Landon Sharpe, White Knoll
LB Marcus Domenech, White Knoll
RB Nolan Beerman, Chapin
QB Brady Albro, Chapin
DL Edward Robinson, Blythewood
RB Kinson Holland, Blythewood
LB David Wilson, Spring Valley
WR Kai Inge, Spring Valley
