When was the last time South Pointe football was an underdog? Week 6 picks, storylines
One of the many odd aspects of the 2020 high school football season was that teams played their region schedules first.
It was done out of necessity, of course. It was a way to prioritize the region games — the ones that ultimately affect the South Carolina playoff picture — and provide make-up game opportunities if some games needed to be postponed due to COVID-19. (Take Rock Hill versus Blythewood and Spring Valley versus Northwestern for examples.)
But it has nonetheless made the penultimate week of the regular season feel different, at least when it comes to games in The Herald’s coverage area: The region games, instead of being rivalry matchups or contests for region championships, are relatively inconsequential. And the area’s four non-region games — besides one, perhaps — have clear favorites in each of them.
The one in question? South Pointe and Dutch Fork.
The Stallions go into their home matchup with South Carolina’s top-ranked team in 5A, Dutch Fork, as an underdog — a position they haven’t been in since arguably 2012, when they played York that year. South Pointe, of course, then won four straight state championships in the next four seasons and were upset in their only losses in 2018 and 2019.
Head coach DeVonte Holloman told The Herald this week that his team has enjoyed “being the hunters instead of the hunted.”
“It’s just a different mindset,” Holloman said Thursday morning. “I think any team is easier to hunt than having that target on your back.”
The Stallions will be outsized on the offensive and defensive lines. But their big-play ability makes them a compelling candidate to knock off the top-ranked Silver Foxes — a group that is looking for their fifth straight 5A state championship and is led by legendary coach Tom Knotts.
Here are other high school football storylines in York County, Chester County and Lancaster County this week.
Full Friday (and Thursday) football schedule
Rock Hill and Blythewood play on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. All other games kick off at 7:30 p.m. Friday unless otherwise noted.
Sports reporter Alex Zietlow went 6-1 last week in his picks. He’s now 20-7 on the season.
Rock Hill (0-4, 0-3) at Blythewood (2-2, 1-2): Both Blythewood and Rock Hill are out of the playoff picture — a result of the aforementioned oddity of the 2020 season. It’s not healthy or fair to play the game of “What if?” in sports, but indulge in it with me here: What if the Bearcats had one less fumble against Spring Valley and one more score against Ridge View? (Those two region losses were decided by a cumulative eight points.) What if Rock Hill had played Blythewood when the team was first slated to, back on Oct. 9? Would that have resulted in a win and shifted the team’s spirits and outlook for the rest of the season? (Versions of “What if?” questions like this would’ve abounded in a normal year, but still.)
Zietlow’s prediction: Blythewood wins.
Listen: FM 100.1/AM 1340
East Clarendon (1-4, 1-3) at Lewisville (2-2, 2-2): Lewisville can move above the break-even mark with a victory in this non-region contest. The Lions are still searching for their second win on the field: Their win last week came as a result of a forfeit after McBee couldn’t play due to COVID-19 issues. That said, if the only Lewisville win on the football field comes in a win against archrival Great Falls, its fanbase will still probably consider it a successful season.
Zietlow’s prediction: Lewisville wins.
Spring Valley (1-3, 1-2) at Northwestern (4-0, 3-0): The Trojans have already locked up the region title and are looking to keep their undefeated season intact. This is a rescheduled contest from Oct. 9. Perhaps Northwestern’s more telling barometer is the other game going on in Rock Hill on Friday night: If South Pointe — a team the Trojans defeated a few weeks ago — can hang tough with Dutch Fork, that could boost the playoff expectations for Northwestern.
Zietlow’s prediction: Northwestern wins.
Listen: FM 94.3
Catawba Ridge (4-1, 3-1) at Fort Mill (0-4, 0-3): Catawba Ridge is already in the playoffs, and Fort Mill has been eliminated. Although these two teams didn’t play in Catawba Ridge’s inaugural season last year, it’s still a rivalry game by proximity. The Copperheads have won four straight — their only loss coming in Week 1 against South Pointe.
Zietlow’s prediction: Catawba Ridge wins.
Listen: FM 104.1
Indian Land (2-3, 1-3) at Nation Ford (2-2, 1-2): This’ll be a good non-region rivalry game between two teams that are less than 10 miles apart. Pride is at stake.
Zietlow’s prediction: Nation Ford wins.
Listen: FM 107.1
Legion Collegiate (2-2, 2-2) at Great Falls (1-4, 1-3): Legion Collegiate looks to make it three wins in a row after a tough start, and Great Falls looks to build on head coach DeMarcus Simons’ first season.
Zietlow’s prediction: Legion Collegiate wins.
Listen: Cable Channel 103
Chesterfield (0-3) at Andrew Jackson (1-1): The Andrew Jackson football team was out for two weeks due to its own COVID-19 issues. The team was then supposed to play on Monday against Buford, but that contest was foiled, too, due to COVID complications on Buford’s end. The Volunteers just need to get on the field — and then they need to win out to make the playoffs.
Dutch Fork (5-0, 4-0) at South Pointe (4-1, 4-0)
Zietlow’s prediction: Dutch Fork wins.
Listen: FM 100.1/AM 1340
Sam Copeland contributed reporting.
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