Rock Hill football among area teams to watch in SCHSL second-round playoff games
The Rock Hill Bearcats are somewhere they haven’t been since 2018 — the second round of the playoffs.
In what wasn’t a competitive game from the opening kick, the Bearcats (7-4) cruised past Spring Valley (2-9) 47-0 in the first round of the SCHSL playoffs setting up a trip to Duncan for a second round clash with James F. Byrnes (7-3), which had a bye for the first round.
Bearcats coach Leon Boulware said the team is excited to be through to the second round, but that isn’t enough for his squad.
“We’re excited for the opportunity to go up to Duncan,” Boulware said. “I started looking back at it and I actually played against them in high school. They are going to play hard, and they are coached very well. They have probably one of the best running backs in the state of South Carolina. So, we are definitely looking forward to throwing everything we have at them.”
Boulware is referring to Byrnes running back Tre Segarra, who averages 139.1 yards per game on the ground and has 14 total touchdowns on the season. The Rebels average 33.7 points per game compared to the Bearcats 25.2, and it will take one of the best defensive performances of the year for Rock Hill to advance.
This season, the Bearcats have now matched their highest win total since 2019 and look to match their 2018 win total with a victory on Friday. For Boulware, this is why he took the job, to get Rock Hill back to where they were capable, and he is doing so in his first year at the helm.
“Our team hashtag this year has been ‘Earn it,’” Boulware said. “They know that every day they have to come in and work. Not just work but work hard to earn and accomplish everything we set out to do. That’s in the weight room, in the team meeting room and on the practice field. They know what the expectations are. They know the standard at this point and they understand if they aren’t giving it 100%, Coach Boulware will turn the clocks off and restart practice. They’ve done a good job of making sure to do what is expected of them.”
Rock Hill played two quarterbacks this year until senior Jason Horton went out with an injury. Sophomore Jonah Young has stepped in and filled the void well. Boulware says that both players know how to command the locker room and attributes a lot of the success to them helping transform the Bearcats into a player-led team.
“Jason was the starter at the beginning of the year,” Boulware said. “He got hurt and just came back last week. Jonah stepped up big time and did exactly what we as a staff asked of him. They both demand the respect of the locker room when they walk into it. So, when either quarterback is on the field, the production doesn’t change. That is exciting knowing we have two quarterbacks that can get the job done on any given Friday.”
Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. Friday in the second round of the SCHSL 5A Division I playoffs.
Rock Hill-area teams in second-round SCHSL playoffs
5A Division II
No. 1 Northwestern vs. No. 8 Catawba Ridge, 7:30 p.m. Friday: Two region foes will get a rematch in the second round. When the two teams met in late September, Northwestern exploded for 56 points against a solid Copperheads defense which is usually pretty stingy. That loss started a four-game losing streak for Catawba Ridge, However, the Copperheads have won their past two games against Clover and Fort Mill, the latter in the postseason’s first round. All signs would point to the Trojans — who had a first-round bye — moving on unless the Copperheads are able to generate enough offense to keep up with Northwestern’s high-powered offense.
No. 3 Indian Land vs. No. 6 Hillcrest, 7:30 p.m. Friday: The Warriors, like their region foe and top-seed Northwestern, had a bye in the first round. They will welcome Hillcrest to town after the Rams beat Riverside in their playoff opener. This game could come down to the last possession and which quarterback has the ball in their hands then. Matt Kucia (Indian Land) and Jackson Free (Hillcrest) are both averaging just over 200 yards passing per game. Kucia has 18 passing touchdowns and Free has 22.
4A
No. 1 South Pointe vs. No. 9 Emerald, 7:30 p.m. Friday: The South Pointe Stallions have been the best team in the upper state, if not the entire state of South Carolina all season. They showed that in the first round dismantling Beaufort 63-13. They get a second-round bout with Emerald from Greenwood. The Vikings are 6-5 and beat region foe Fountain Inn in the first round. Emerald is in for its tallest task of the season facing South Pointe’s defense, led by J’Zavien Currence who is Mr. Do-it-all for the Stallions and plays quarterback and safety.
2A
Region 4 No. 1 Andrew Jackson vs. Region 3 No. 2 Fairfield Central, 7:30 p.m. Friday: The Volunteers had no trouble in the first round winning 34-15 over Ninety-Six. Quarterback Logan Neal was 15-for-17 passing for 212 yards and two touchdowns. Bell cow tailback J’Von Kelly ran just nine times for 108 yards and a score. This week, they welcome Fairfield Central (8-3), a 35-0 winner against the Volunteers in the regular season. A lot has changed for both teams since that Sep. 26 contest, but the Volunteers will need a new game plan if they hope to get past the Griffins this time.
Etc.
In the opening round, York fell to A.C. Flora 49-14 in the first round in 4A. ... Lancaster fell to Seneca 28-21 in the first round in 4A. ... Nation Ford fell to Greenville 42-35 in 5A Division II.