Can Lancaster surprise South Pointe (again)? Football picks, storylines for Week 2.
For a moment, it looked like Lancaster was on the verge of an upset.
The Bruins were up, 21-8, in the second quarter of their 2019 matchup against South Pointe — marching up and down the field as if the wind was the only resistance for then-junior quarterback Sean Truesdale and then-sophomore running back Juelz Hood.
Although South Pointe put together a strong second half, outlasting a Lancaster team that was deplete with energy in the game’s final minutes, the Stallions haven’t forgotten about that game.
South Pointe head coach DeVonte Holloman and his staff, who are preparing for their home game against Lancaster on Friday night, wouldn’t let them.
“We actually watched the game versus them last year yesterday,” Holloman told The Herald Wednesday night. “As much as we’re trying to forget last season, showing the film was the best thing for us as a team. They realized why the coaches aren’t letting up or slacking off this week.”
Much of this coming Friday night will be the same as last season’s matchup: Lancaster is South Pointe’s homecoming game. And although the Bruins have bolstered their roster with double the amount of players they had in the program last season — they’ll still be outnumbered by the Stallions.
But much is different, too. This game is Lancaster’s 2020 season opener. The team is fresh, and the team’s leaders have prepared for this game all summer.
“I just remember in the first half, coming out and playing good, dominant ball,” Truesdale told The Herald before the 2020 season. “And then in the second half, we didn’t come out and keep the same energy up. We lost at the end of the day. And stats don’t matter when we lose.”
Football schedule for teams in York, Chester, Lancaster counties
Here’s a summary of storylines for high school football teams in The Herald’s coverage area. All games are scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m. on Friday.
Sports reporter Alex Zietlow went 8-3 in last week’s picks.
Northwestern (1-0, 1-0) at Blythewood (1-0, 0-0): The Trojans, who haven’t played Blythewood in over a decade, exploded on offense in an important region win against Ridge View on Sept. 25. A win this week puts Northwestern in the region title hunt, and further affirms the sentiment that this Northwestern team has put its two-win 2019 season behind it.
Zietlow prediction: Northwestern wins.
Listen: FM 94.3
Sumter (1-0, 0-0) at Rock Hill (0-1, 0-1): Rock Hill fell to Sumter in a close season-opener last season — one that featured heroics from senior Tylik Edwards and others. The Bearcats also dropped a close, turnover-ridden region game to Spring Valley on Sept. 25. Its matchup with Sumter will be a measuring stick and a potential wake-up call for this young Rock Hill team.
Zietlow prediction: Rock Hill wins.
Listen: FM 100.1/AM 1340
Clover (0-1, 0-0) at Fort Mill (0-1, 0-1): Both Clover and Fort Mill lost in their opening weeks of play. Clover mounted an impressive comeback that included an onside kick recovery but fell to Wren, a state title defender. Fort Mill fell to rival Nation Ford. The Blue Eagles scored 45 points and punctuated a perfect regular season when they met the Yellow Jackets last season.
Zietlow prediction: Clover wins.
Listen: FM 104.1
Nation Ford (1-0, 1-0) at Boiling Springs (0-1, 0-1): Nation Ford opened with a big region win last week. A road win over Boiling Springs would bring three positives for the Falcons. 1. They’d be 2-0 in the region early in the season and in the region title hunt; 2. they’d show they are capable of winning on the road; and 3. they’d be thrust into the driver’s seat for second place in the region, behind league-favorite Gaffney.
Zietlow prediction: Nation Ford wins.
Listen: WRHI.com.
York (1-0, 1-0) at Catawba Ridge (0-1, 0-1): Catawba Ridge’s introduction into 4A football, after its loss to South Pointe, continues with a matchup against another traditional 4A giant, York, which defeated Indian Land in its season opener. This game has playoff and region title implications, yes — but it also is an early chance to see how far the two programs, led by two coaches in second years at their respective schools, have come since 2019.
Zietlow prediction: York wins.
Watch/listen: Comporium Channel 103
Indian Land (0-1, 0-1) at Mid-Carolina (0-1, 0-1): The Warriors are playing a non-region contest against Mid-Carolina, a team that made a talented Chester team sweat for four quarters last Thursday.
Zietlow prediction: Indian Land wins.
Chester (1-0, 1-0) at Keenan (0-1, 0-1): The Cyclones opened with a region win last week over Mid-Carolina. Their run-first offensive scheme led by quarterback Zan Dunham and Darius Head — who were described as “loads to take down in the fourth quarter” by their coach postgame last Thursday — will tire out some teams in 2020.
Zietlow prediction: Chester wins.
Listen: WRBK FM 90.3
Great Falls (0-1, 0-1) at CA Johnson (1-0, 1-0): The Red Devils dropped their region opener to 1A powerhouse Lamar last week, but had some bright spots, which included the emergence of 3A/2A/1A offensive player of the week sophomore Xavier Brown. That said, CA Johnson is no slouch — the team defeated Lewisville by a touchdown last Thursday.
Zietlow prediction: CA Johnson wins.
Andrew Jackson (1-0, 1-0) at North Central (1-0): Andrew Jackson began its season with a 15-8 win over Central, and the team made history in doing so: Sept. 25 marked the first Volunteer win in Pageland since 1982, and the second straight win over Central since wins in 1981 and 1982. This weekend, the Volunteers travel to archrival North Central.
Zietlow prediction: Andrew Jackson wins.
Lancaster (0-0, 0-0) at South Pointe (1-0, 1-0)
Listen: FM 107.1
Zietlow prediction: South Pointe wins.
Sam Copeland contributed reporting.
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