Football 411: Stat Monsters, game previews, Hawgs, everything to know before Week 5
Click on the links below to jump to a particular section of The Herald’s Week 5 high school football preview:
What was the best play from Week 4? Vote
Who were Week 4 Hawgs of the Week?
Stat Monsters, through five weeks of high school football
Bret McCormick and Jimmy Wallace talk high school football ahead of Week 5:
York (0-3) at Fort Mill (1-4)
Last week: York’s game was postponed; Fort Mill beat Lugoff-Elgin 41-21
Last meeting: York won 28-21 (2017)
Key players: Y - LB Cam Steele, OL Lane Towery, RB Stephen Oglesby, DE/LB Robert Dalton. FM - WR/DB Tearance Darby, LB Brandon Jennings, WR/DB Xavier Easterlin, WR/CB Ben Kellam.
Need to know: Fort Mill has a little momentum headed into its final non-region home game. Sebastian Lach continues to run the ball extremely well, a testament to good blocking in front of him and his ability to finish plays with bursts of speed. Yellow Jackets coach Rob McNeely appears to be finding some playmakers on the perimeter, too, which will help keep pressure off Lach. York needs to find some perimeter playmakers too; the Cougar offense has scored 30 in three games and has turned the ball over continually.
READ: Here’s how Fort Mill put a first check in the 2018 season win column
Northwestern (0-4) at Dutch Fork (3-0)
Last week: Northwestern’s game was postponed; Dutch Fork’s game was postponed
Key players: N - DB D’Arthur Ratchford, DL John Odom, WR Jamaar Moore, RB Antonio Heath. DF - WR Jalin Hyatt (FBS recruit), QB Tyler Olenchuk, OT Kameren Stewart (Coastal Carolina commit), LB Lawson Danley.
Need to know: What is Dutch Fork’s strength? Well, everything. The offense gets much of the attention and deservedly so. The Silver Foxes will likely have a pair of 1,000-yard rushers in Ron Hoff and Jonathan Hall, and the team averages over 10 yards per carry. They’ve got a very large offensive line, which will be a problem for Northwestern, which lacks size up front on both sides of the ball. A quick glance at the two teams’ MaxPreps rosters reveals Dutch Fork has 16 players 6-foot-2 or taller (Northwestern has four) and 20 players that weigh 220 pounds or more (the Trojans have five).
Lugoff-Elgin (0-5) at Rock Hill (2-2)
Last week: Lugoff-Elgin lost to Fort Mill 41-21; Rock Hill’s game was postponed
Key players: LE - LB Eli McGee, LB Jasper Tucker, DL Ethan Hix. RH - QB Hayden Jackson, OL Tyrek Banks, TE Tavin Jackson, DL D’Rece McMullen.
Need to know: Rock Hill would love some positive movement headed into region play next week, and the 0-5 Demons may be able to offer that. Lugoff-Elgin struggled big-time with turnovers last week against Fort Mill, and that’s something Rock Hill’s defense is getting more of lately. Bearcat coach Bubba Pittman said before the season he wanted his promising junior safety, Anthony Jackson, to turn pass break-ups into interceptions this season, and he’s done that so far with three picks in four contests.
South Pointe (3-1) at Indian Land (2-3)
Last week: South Pointe beat Greenville 28-27; Indian Land lost to Nation Ford 28-0
Key players: SP - DL Rontarius Aldridge, OL Tyrone Jackson, OL Jackson Chappell, ATH Marice Whitlock. IL - DB/LB Dorian Williams (Coastal Carolina commit), DB A.J. Jefferson.
Need to know: Indian Land has hit the skids since its big win over York, with the Warriors unable to figure out their offensive troubles so far. That’s bad news against South Pointe, which is improving offensively, and still pretty stingy on defense. Senior Marice Whitlock has been an unheralded standout so far for the Stallions, scoring a 40-plus-yard touchdown seemingly every game. Another good development for South Pointe last week was receiver Ty Good, quiet so far in 2018, catching seven passes, including two touchdowns.
Irmo (2-2) at Clover (4-1)
Last week: Irmo was idle; Clover beat Ashbrook 40-18
Key players: I - RB Kendrell Flowers (Wake Forest commit), LB Julius Land, OL Will Davis. C - WR Zion Robbins, ATH Nygle Biggers, DB Ryan Jones, OL Clint Sexton.
Need to know: Irmo is 0-2 against 5A competition this season. The Yellow Jackets will be Clover’s second opponent from South Carolina this season. If Clover continues its improved defensive play against Irmo, Brian Lane’s team could enter Region 3-5A play next week with a 5-1 record. Clover has four of the area’s top 14 receivers, one of its best running backs (David Hall) and strong QB play from Gabe Carroll. The Irmo games gives the Blue Eagles one more rehearsal before the really serious games begin the following week.
READ: Clover linebacker epitomizes defensive Blue Eagles’ improvement
Carolina Pride (2-2) at Chester (5-0)
Last week: Carolina Pride was idle; Chester beat Lancaster 41-20
Last meeting: Chester won 50-0 (2017)
Key players: CP - JR. QB Wanyae Freeman, DE/LB Deonte James, LB Denzel Orr. C - DB/LB Ly’Terrence Mills, OL Keith Boyd, QB Zan Dunham, RB Stan Mills.
Need to know: Carolina Pride scored 58 points against Lewisville two weeks ago, but will be hard pressed to repeat that against Chester. The Cyclones are rolling right now, and there is little reason to believe they want lean on the same recipe for success that has them 5-0, when they play at home Friday night.
Lewisville (0-4) at Central (2-2)
Last week: Lewisville was idle; Central’s game was postponed
Key players: L - OL Wesley Williamson, QB Christian Yoder, RB/LB Martez Moore. C - RB J.R. Reid, QB Curtis Chapman, LB Xavier Clyburn, RB Sebastian Richardson.
Need to know: Lewisville’s tough Region 4-2A slate begins Friday night in Pageland, against Central, one of the most traditionally successful high school football programs in South Carolina history. Central dropped its first two games of the season, to Broome and 1A powerhouse Lamar, but scored 78 points combined in its last two games, wins over Forest Hills (N.C.) and Cheraw.
Ware Shoals (0-5) at Great Falls (2-2)
Last week: Ware Shoals lost to Camden Military 30-28; Great Falls’ game was postponed
Last meeting: Ware Shoals won 20-6 (2017)
Key players: WS - QB Ben Webb, RB Keaton Weaver, DL Christian Walker. GF - WR Kelton Talford, LB/FB Da’Shawn Johnson, DB Quay Bowser, OL/DL Dustin Smith.
Need to know: Ware Shoals has allowed at least 40 points in four of its five losses. The Purple Hornets have a nice-sized back in Keaton Weaver, but a Greenwood Index-Journal indicated he’s fighting through an MCL injury. Great Falls broke a 19-game losing streak earlier this season and the Red Devils could enter region play with a winning record if they get by Ware Shoals Friday and Camden Military next week.
Plays of the week took a hiatus last Wednesday because of Hurricane Florence’s disruption of the high school football schedule, but it’s important to note that Indian Land’s Dorian Williams won the plays of the week voting from Week 2, grabbing 63 percent of the vote for his juggling sideline interception against York.
Check out the top plays from Week 4 and vote below (or here if you’re on a mobile device):
4A, 5A schools
Bartley Leonard, Fort Mill - Fort Mill’s center graded 92 percent overall during the Yellow Jackets’ 41-21 win over Lugoff-Elgin. Leonard had a pancake and a knockdown block and finished the game with 98 percent snap accuracy. The senior is a very strong student that loves to hunt and fish and would one day love to own a business. Fort Mill offensive line coach Shon Kendall said Leonard’s consistency is critical for Fort Mill’s offense. “This consistency is often taken for granted because it’s not flashy or glorious,” Kendall added.
1A, 2A, 3A schools
Montez Hall, Chester - the Cyclones’ senior center graded 87 percent during the their win over Lancaster, producing five knockdown blocks in a 41-20 victory. Hall was on the varsity squad as a freshman, but didn’t appear in a single game, but unexpectedly won the starting center job as a sophomore. He hasn’t relinquished the spot in the three years since. Hall has a 3.2 GPA and plans to study carpentry at a technical school.
READ: Former Fort Mill QB Rogan Wells led Valdosta State to a big Division II football upset
This story was originally published September 20, 2018 at 3:44 PM.