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Takeaways from Week 7, where do I begin. I guess I’ll start with the game I was at, River Bluff at White Knoll. The White Knoll football team is as good as I thought they were. they were the more physical team on the field and probably should have won the game. But the turnovers killed them. A fumble and two interceptions against a lot of teams will put you in a hole. A fumble and two intercceptions against a good football team like River Bluff will cost you the ball game. This team has committed eleven turnovers this season. These last three cost them a game. River Bluff, on the other hand, played a good ball game and took the opportunities when given to them. QB Parker Murray was efficient, completing 12 of 17 for 89 yards, throwing the ball when it needed to be thrown. RB Cooper Johns contnues to slash defenses, rushing for 218 yards and 2 touchdowns. If you take the 80 yards run out of the equation, Johns still averaged 4.9 yards per carry, which is fantastic. Defensively, three takeaways was the difference in this game.
While I was at the River Bluff/White Knoll game, I wathced the Lexingotn v Chapin game on the Chapin network. It was a dominating performance by the Wildcats and were it not for the win hampering passing opportunities, it probably would have been even worse loss for Chapin. The Eagles simply cannot move the football offensively. they lined up in what they call the “hammer” package, a jumbo backfield leading a “wildcat” runner and had some success. Problematically, however, when you get a five yard penalty or one tackle for loss against you, that package is not sufficient. Defensively, they played well at times. Lexington RB Jonah Norris still rushed for 180 yards had 57 yards receiving. Lexington LB Christian Sexton played animal ball and turned in the best LB performance I’ve seen this season. He got his hat to the ball quickly and did so with bad intentions. 4.5 tackles for loss and a big hit sack were among his 15 tackles on the night. I’m not convinced Lexington is a shoe in for the 2nd place in this region. The White Knoll team could challenge if they stop turning the ball over and River Bluff is a legit concern.
Spring Valley found 400+ yards of ground game against Rock Hill. Two weeks ago, Robin Bacon decided to move Zion Fuller from defensive back to running back and the kid has rushed for close to 400 yards in two weeks. Last night, he rushed for 287 yards and 3 touchdowns in the win over Rock Hill and he gives the Vikings a legit threat on the offensive side of the football – something they have not had this season.
Gilbert clobbered Lower Richland and did it with the running back two-step. Alias Graham-Woodberry and Jaden Allen-Hendrix each rushed for 180 yards and 5 touchdowns between them. Lower Richland’s offense is atrocious. When they throw the football, they are clearly targetting a specific target, whether he is open or not. It is costing them in each game. The running game can be good with a very good running back but thei game plan/schematics are not condusive to success and if that doesn’t change, they will win just two region games this season.
Dreher got a win over Swansea and congratulations to these kids in the Blue Devil program. That said, their offense is not good and thankfully, Swansea’s is not either. Dreher scored on an interception and blocked punt, not offense. That game potentially put Swansea in the celllar to stay in region play.
Richland Northeast got a big win over Irmo in region play and did it with a huge game from QB Will Wilson. The sophomore had 169 yards rushing and 2 scores and was 9 of 13 for 117 yards passing and another score. That win makes things very interesting in this region. No. 2 for the region is still within reach for anyone but I don’t see anyone challenging AC Flora. But this win by RNE puts them in the possibility seat for a playoff spot.
The Gray Collegiate vs Columbia game. I really don’t want to comment on the game as much as I do the situation that Columbia is in right now. The Caps had 22 or 23 kids dressed last night. This is a 2A school plaing with
a group equivelant to a 1A school. I’m not sure what has happened at Columbia High School but it’s sad to see. This was once a thriving program and in the days of Coach Charlie Mac and then Kemper Amick, it was a proud football program and community. But it has eroded into a barely competitive, barely able to field enough tot play type of program and I really don’t know why. I understand they’ve lost some kids to other schools. I understand their enrollment is down. I hate to see what is happening there happen to those kids. Those 22 boys practice hard and play hard. I see a couple of their kids who are good enough to play on just about any other team inthe Midlands. I don’t know where I’m going with this takeaway but as a guy who has covered high school football for close to 30 years in this state, it’s just sad to see happen.
That’s all I got on takeaways. Enjoy the hurricane weather…cook some comfort food and watch some movies. Most of all, be safe.
