Ready for football? York, Chester, Lancaster county high schools set 2021 schedules

The 2020 season somehow packed 10-plus weeks worth of emotion and drama and glory into a seven-week regular season and truncated playoff. The feat was a special one — a reminder that kids are still resilient and that football in South Carolina is still king.

But I’m not afraid to say it: Thank goodness we won’t have to do that again.

The 2021 season is still months away, but high school football teams in The Herald’s coverage area have released their schedules, and there’s a lot to digest:

▪ In Class 5A, Clover gets the ambitious slate it wanted last season. The Blue Eagles open against 5A powerhouse Dorman on the road before hosting archrival York and 2020 Upper State finalist Northwestern. And that’s all before the team plays 4A state power South Pointe and embarks on a difficult region season — one that includes home games against Gaffney and rival Fort Mill, as well as a Nation Ford contest on the road.

Northwestern, much like in the pre-COVID times, will open its season against city rival South Pointe on the Saturday of the football season’s opening weekend. It’ll then close its season against “original” rival Rock Hill.

▪ In 4A, Catawba Ridge will have a chance to build upon the special, Upper-State-finalist mark it set in 2020: The Copperheads open their season against town foes Fort Mill and Nation Ford before getting a chance to avenge their only regular-season loss in 2020 when they play South Pointe.

The South Pointe Stallions themselves will have their hands full in 2021. After playing Northwestern and Rock Hill in the first two weeks, they’ll travel north of the Carolinas border to Mallard Creek in Charlotte. They’ll then face off with Indian Land and Lancaster before closing the regular season against region foe York — a rematch of a close 2020 game that ultimately stuffed York’s postseason chances last year.

▪ In 3A, Chester is proving once again that it isn’t afraid of anyone. The Cyclones, only three years removed from their 2018 state championship, play two 4A schools — Catawba Ridge and South Pointe — and a 5A school in its non-region season before playing four straight region games and ending on a bye (a Chester coach Victor Floyd trademark).

▪ In 2A, Andrew Jackson will renew a Lancaster County rivalry with Indian Land before hoping to put together a region record that’ll send them to the playoffs for a fourth-straight year.

▪ In 1A, Lewisville hopes to build off a special 2020 season, one that saw the team win four of its last five. The team will also seek redemption this year against CA Johnson and Lamar. Great Falls opens the season against Whitmire and plays its archrival Lewisville on Oct. 15.

▪ And finally, in the NCISAA, Legion Collegiate begins a new era when it plays teams in the Charlotte area, including its season opener against powerhouse Providence Day. The Lancers voluntarily broke away from the South Carolina High School League and joined the NCISAA earlier this month. The Lancers are still searching for places to play their home football games this season.

Check out the full football schedules of the high schools in York County, Chester County and Lancaster County — all in one place — below.

5A football schedules

CLOVER

Aug. 20 at Dorman

Aug. 27 York

Sept. 3 Northwestern

Sept. 10 at South Pointe

Sept. 17 at Spartanburg

Sept. 24 Rock Hill

Oct. 1 BYE

Oct. 8 Fort Mill

Oct. 15 at Boiling Springs

Oct. 22 Gaffney

Oct. 29 at Nation Ford

***

FORT MILL

Aug. 20 at Catawba Ridge

Aug. 27 at Chester

Sept. 3 Indian Land

Sept. 10 Lancaster

Sept. 17 Lugoff-Elgin

Sept. 24 at York

Oct. 1 Nation Ford

Oct. 8 at Clover

Oct. 15 BYE

Oct. 22 Boiling Springs

Oct. 29 at Gaffney

***

NATION FORD

Aug. 20 at Indian Land

Aug. 27 Catawba Ridge

Sept. 3 River Bluff

Sept. 10 at Northwestern

Sept. 17 George Washington Danville (VA)

Sept. 24 BYE

Oct. 1 at Fort Mill

Oct. 8 Boiling Springs

Oct. 15 at Gaffney

Oct. 22 Aiken

Oct. 29 Clover

***

NORTHWESTERN

Aug. 21 South Pointe (Saturday)

Aug. 27 Indian Land

Sept. 3 at Clover

Sept. 10 Nation Ford

Sept. 17 at Greenville

Sept. 24 at River Bluff

Oct. 1 Ridge View

Oct. 8 Blythewood

Oct. 15 at Spring Valley

Oct. 22 BYE

Oct. 29 at Rock Hill

***

ROCK HILL

Aug. 20 Greenville

Aug. 27 at South Pointe

Sept. 3 Gaffney

Sept. 10 at Indian Land

Sept. 17 York

Sept. 24 at Clover

Oct. 1 at Spring Valley

Oct. 8 BYE

Oct. 15 Blythewood

Oct. 22 at Ridge View

Oct. 29 Northwestern

4A football schedules

CATAWBA RIDGE

Aug. 20 Fort Mill

Aug. 27 at Nation Ford

Sept. 3 Carolina Bearcats

Sept. 10 at West Cabarrus

Sept. 17 at South Mecklenburg

Sept. 24 Chester (Homecoming)

Oct. 1 South Pointe

Oct. 8 at York

Oct. 15 at Lancaster

Oct. 22 Indian Land (Senior Night)

Oct. 29 BYE

***

INDIAN LAND

Aug. 20 Nation Ford

Aug. 27 at Northwestern

Sept. 3 at Fort Mill

Sept. 10 Rock Hill

Sept. 17 at Lakewood

Sept. 24 Andrew Jackson

Oct. 1 York

Oct. 8 BYE

Oct. 15 at South Pointe

Oct. 22 at Catawba Ridge

Oct. 29 Lancaster

***

LANCASTER

Aug. 20 Crestwood

Aug. 27 at Fairfield Central

Sept. 3 Chester

Sept. 10 at Fort Mill

Sept. 17 Central Pageland

Sept. 24 White Knoll

Oct. 1 BYE

Oct. 8 South Pointe

Oct. 15 Catawba Ridge

Oct. 22 at York

Oct. 29 at Indian Land

***

SOUTH POINTE

Aug. 21 at Northwestern (Saturday)

Aug. 27 Rock Hill

Sept. 3 at Mallard Creek

Sept. 10 Clover

Sept. 17 at Chester

Sept. 24 Spring Valley

Oct. 1 at Catawba Ridge

Oct. 8 at Lancaster

Oct. 15 Indian Land

Oct. 22 BYE

Oct. 29 York

***

YORK

Aug. 20 Mauldin

Aug. 27 at Clover

Sept. 3 at Westwood

Sept. 10 Union County

Sept. 17 at Rock Hill

Sept. 24 Fort Mill

Oct. 1 at Indian Land

Oct. 8 Catawba Ridge

Oct. 15 BYE/TBD

Oct. 22 Lancaster

Oct. 29 at South Pointe

3A football

CHESTER

Aug. 20 at Union County

Aug. 27 Fort Mill

Sept. 3 at Lancaster

Sept. 10 Woodruff

Sept. 17 South Pointe

Sept. 24 at Catawba Ridge

Oct. 1 at Mid-Carolina

Oct. 8 Keenan

Oct. 15 at Lower Richland

Oct. 22 Fairfield Central

Oct. 29 BYE

2A football

ANDREW JACKSON

Aug. 20 BYE

Aug. 27 Latta

Sept. 3 Mullins

Sept. 11 at Battery Creek

Sept. 17 Gray Collegiate

Sept. 24 at Indian Land

Oct. 1 Central Pageland

Oct. 8 North Central (Homecoming)

Oct. 15 at Cheraw

Oct. 22 at Chesterfield

Oct. 29 Buford (Senior Night)

1A football

GREAT FALLS

Aug. 20 at Whitmire

Aug. 27 Eau Claire

Sept. 3 at Timmonsville

Sept. 10 at East Clarendon

Sept. 17 Camden Military Academy

Sept. 24 Chesterfield

Oct. 1 at Lamar

Oct. 8 CA Johnson

Oct. 15 Lewisville

Oct. 22 at McBee

Oct. 29 BYE

***

LEWISVILLE

Aug. 20 at East Clarendon

Aug. 27 at Wagener-Salley

Sept. 3 Buford

Sept. 10 New Hope

Sept. 17 Eau Claire

Sept. 24 Whitmire

Oct. 1 at C.A. Johnson

Oct. 8 BYE

Oct. 15 at Great Falls

Oct. 22 Lamar

Oct. 29 McBee (Senior Night)

NCISAA

LEGION COLLEGIATE

Aug. 20 at Providence Day

Aug. 27 at Cabarrus Warriors

Sept. 3 Gray Collegiate at TBD

Sept. 10 at Charlotte Christian

Sept. 17 at Charlotte Latin

Sept. 24 Hemingway at TBD

Oct. 1 Chesnee at TBD

Oct. 8 New Hope at TBD

Oct. 15 St. Joseph’s at TBD

Oct. 22 Landrum at TBD

Oct. 29 Blacksburg at TBD

This story was originally published May 20, 2021 at 7:00 AM.

Alex Zietlow

The Herald

Alex Zietlow writes about sports and the ways in which they intersect with life in York, Chester and Lancaster counties for The Herald, where he has been an editor and reporter since August 2019. Zietlow has won nine S.C. Press Association awards in his career, including First Place finishes in Feature Writing, Sports Enterprise Writing and Education Beat Reporting. He also received two Top-10 awards in the 2021 APSE writing contest and was nominated for the 2022 U.S. Basketball Writers Association’s Rising Star award for his coverage of the Winthrop men’s basketball team.