Published: Friday, Nov. 06, 2009 / Updated: Friday, Nov. 06, 2009 12:45 AM

Playoffs, region battles and fighting for a win

Here's what we know.

Regardless of what happens tonight in the two big football games, Gaffney, Northwestern, Rock Hill and South Pointe will make the Class AAAA playoffs that start next Friday.

Two of those four are going to get No. 1 seeds for finishing region champs. The other two will be No. 2 seeds. The key to that is only the top in each region get seeded, and they also get a first-round home game.

The others, 14 in each of the two Class AAAA divisions, are bracketed based on points earned against their opponents.

For folks in this part of the country, it couldn't get much better.

Tonight at District Three Stadium, Rock Hill is seeking to take away the Region 4-AAAA title South Pointe won last year on its way to winning the Class AAAA Division II state championship.

The Bearcats are 10-0, ranked No. 2 in the state in the McClatchy Prep Writers poll and are No. 20 nationally by USA Today.

Down Interstate 85 at the Reservation, Northwestern plays Gaffney for the Region 3-AAAA title. This game is very interesting. Northwestern struggled early and started the season 0-4. Gaffney was smashed early by state powers Byrnes and Dorman and got strong criticism on message boards.

Fans of both teams should have remembered the tradition at both schools and never stop believing.

When the playoffs start, Rock Hill and Gaffney are in Division I for the 16 schools with the state's largest enrollment. Northwestern and South Pointe are in Division II, and the Stallions beat the Trojans in last-year's state championship game.

There is a lot of speculating as to how the brackets will line up, but depending on several outside factors, South Pointe and Northwestern could be matched in the first round if South Pointe wins and Northwestern loses. Rock Hill and Gaffney will have a lot to say about that prediction.

YORK AT CLOVER: Clover appears to be a lock for third in Region 3-AAA, but if York pulls off the upset, they would tie for third with 2-3 records and the Cougars could make the playoffs. Clover has owned York in recent years.

If Clover wins, the Blue Eagles are in because the top three in each of the eight regions make it. One region gets four, and the other teams are filled in on points.

SPRING VALLEY AT LANCASTER: Lancaster has a good shot at qualifying with a victory tonight as an at-large team. The Bruins have struggled at times but made the final four in Division II last season. Spring Valley has struggled mightily all season.

NATION FORD AT FORT MILL: The rivalry is getting stronger each year, but the teams have been unable to stick with the top squads they play.

This is a bragging-rights game in that each team will finish its season tonight. Here's a nugget: Fort Mill was 0-10 when the two schools from the same township played last year. Fort Mill won on the final night for its only victory. The Yellow Jackets are 0-10 again this season.

Chester (Class AAA), Lewisville and Great Falls (Class A) and Westminster Catawba open the playoffs tonight.

GREER AT CHESTER : A lot of eyes will be on Chester. The Cyclones have played and lost in the last two state championship games and slipped only once this season while going 9-1.

That game ended up being the Region 4-AAA clincher for Fairfield Central. Chester played most of it without quarterback Tony McNeal after he tore his ACL early.

McNeal is putting off surgery and playing with a protective brace. He returned last week and came off the bench in the Cyclones' win over Lower Richland. Expect him to start and see plenty of action if the game is close.

LEWISVILLE AT CHESTERFIELD: The Lions turned around the disastrous start and made the playoffs on the last night of the regular season. Just making it there is an honor, but it could turn into a nightmare for the Lions.

They have a road game against Chesterfield, 10-0, No. 1 in Class A and winners of the last two Class A Division I state championships. The Lions know how to fight — tonight they must find a way to beat Godzilla.

GREAT FALLS AT WILLISTON-ELKO: See Lewisville above but change the names. Well, almost. Williston-Elko is No. 2, is 10-0 and has been playing well the second half of the season. Like Lewisville, the Red Devils must slay the giant to move on.

HICKORY GROVE AT WESTMINSTER CATAWBA: Talk about moving on, that's just what Westminster Catawba has been doing this season. Games of 200-plus rushing are coming like water rolling down a mountain.

The Indians beat Hickory Grove in the regular season and it's said beating a good team twice is tough. In this case, maybe not.