HS football: Clover-Rock Hill clash, South Pointe fights to stay unbeaten, Week 5 picks
Need a refresher for what’s on the line as a new week of high school football kicks off on Friday night? We got you covered.
Here’s your Week 5 high school football preview — a one-stop shop for Friday night’s football schedule, game-by-game story lines, sports editor Alex Zietlow predictions and more.
Story lines, picks for Rock Hill-area football
Rock Hill (0-3, 0-0) at Clover (1-2, 0-0). The last time these two teams played was in 2019 — a game that saw the Blue Eagles win 35-10 en route to their first region championship since 2006. Rock Hill needs this one: The Bearcats, fresh off a tough loss to York last week, are now on a 10-game losing streak dating back to 2019. Clover is coming off of two weeks without playing due to COVID protocols.
Listen: FM 107.1
Zietlow’s prediction: Clover wins.
Northwestern (4-1, 0-0) at River Bluff (2-2, 0-0). Northwestern, simply put, is on a roll. What else is there to say? You know about their four-game winning streak. You know about their potent but unselfish receiving corps and their playmaking defense. You know about their multi-dimensional quarterback in Will Mattison, too — who’s notched 22 total touchdowns in five games (17 passing, five rushing). On Friday night, the Trojans travel to River Bluff in what will be their last contest before region play begins.
Listen: FM 100.1/AM 1340
Zietlow’s prediction: Northwestern wins.
Andrew Jackson (3-1, 0-0) at Indian Land (3-0, 0-0). Remember this one? This matchup between two Lancaster County teams hasn’t been renewed since 2015 — back when Indian Land (now 4A) was a 2A school. AJ is still competing in 2A, but the game should be entertaining nonetheless: Both are riding three-game winning streaks, and both are averaging over 34 points a game.
Listen: Comporium Channel 103
Zietlow’s prediction: Indian Land wins.
Harding (2-3, 0-0) at Nation Ford (1-3, 0-0). Nation Ford will want to get ready for region play with a win this week against an up-and-down Charlotte team in Harding, which is coming off a big loss at the hands of Olympic last Friday. The Falcons are talented, what with playmakers like Jerrick Foster (WR) and Carson Black (QB) and others — they’re just still searching for a complete, four-quarter performance. This week presents a compelling opportunity to course-correct.
Listen: WRHI.com
Zietlow’s prediction: Nation Ford wins.
Spring Valley (2-2, 0-0) at South Pointe (3-0, 0-0). Can South Pointe stay hungry and humble after the team’s emotional win over 4A power South Florence that took three overtimes? Guess we’ll see. The Stallions are at home again on Friday and take on Spring Valley, a team that received votes in this week’s 5A high school football media poll. (South Pointe, of course, already defeated Northwestern, which is the favorite to leap Spring Valley and take the Region 4-5A championship this year.)
Listen: FM 94.3
Zietlow’s prediction: South Pointe wins.
York (2-1, 0-0) at Westwood (1-2, 0-0). The Cougars didn’t play a perfect game last week in their big win over Rock Hill — it was one riddled with penalties that, at times, extended Rock Hill drives — but the win nevertheless is a highlight in head coach Dean Boyd’s young but impactful stint as coach in his hometown. This week, York is playing Westwood, a squad that has only won one game (which came last week) but is undeniably athletic and is formidable against the run (which isn’t ideal news for York) and is playing its first home game this year. Should be a good one.
Zietlow’s prediction: York wins.
White Knoll (1-3, 0-0) at Lancaster (1-1, 0-0). Lancaster plays at home for the second straight week and is coming off a shutout, confidence-boosting win over Central of Pageland. The Bruins’ opponent poses no guarantees, though: White Knoll is a 5A school with a convincing win over 3A Orangeburg-Wilkinson to its name this year.
Listen: FM 104.1
Zietlow’s prediction: Lancaster wins.
Keenan (3-1, 0-1) at Chester (2-3, 0-1). Chester’s contest last week against Lower Richland was a wild one — not unlike the one in 2020, which delivered Chester a playoff spot — but it ended in a region loss. The Cyclones will now take on Keenan at home, which earlier this season fell to region foe and Chester nemesis Fairfield Central by a crazy score of 67-66. Get the popcorn ready.
Listen: FM 90.3
Zietlow’s prediction: Chester wins.
CA Johnson (1-2, 0-0) at Great Falls (4-1, 0-1). It’s time for a reset: After their 56-16 loss to Lamar to open region play — which snapped a four-game winning streak — the Red Devils will hope to regroup against region foe CA Johnson at home. A win this week could go a long way in the region position battle, which could ultimately determine Great Falls’ postseason fate.
Zietlow’s prediction: Great Falls wins.
Legion Collegiate (0-3, 0-0) at Hemingway (0-1, 0-0). Legion Collegiate has been shut out three times in as many games this season, but the Lancers have gone scoreless against some of the best teams in North Carolina (e.g. Charlotte Latin, Charlotte Christian) and South Carolina (e.g. Gray Academy). They have a chance to notch an early win this week against 1A Hemingway, whose only game this season was a loss to Great Falls.
Zietlow’s prediction: Legion Collegiate wins.
Tri-County Players of Week 4
The Tri-County Coaches Association voted for its Players of the Week in Week 4 on Tuesday. View the award recipients below. The Herald facilitated the vote, like it does each week.
5A
Offensive Player: Michael Threatt, Fort Mill, 25 carries for 129 yards and 2 TDs; Offensive Lineman: Riley Morris, Northwestern, 91% grade, allowed no sacks, 1 knockdown block; Defensive Player: Miller Shouse, Fort Mill, 17 total tackles, 9 solo tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 6 QB hurries; Defensive Lineman: Jahdonnist Morrison, Northwestern, 8 tackles; Special Teams Player: Nate Sullivan, Northwestern, graded 100% on kickoff, kick return and field goal teams.
4A
Offensive Player: Ayden Davis, York, 18 rushes for 155 yards and 2 TDs, 1 of 7 for 32 yards passing; Offensive Lineman: AC McMoore, South Pointe, 92% grade, 5 pancakes; Defensive Player: MeKayle Burris, York, 10 total tackles, 1 sack, 2 pass breakups, 1 interception returned 35 yards; Defensive Lineman: Tenarrious Rhinehart, South Pointe, 8 tackles, 4 pressures, 2 sacks, 1 tackle for loss; Special Teams Player: Johnny Zatarain, Lancaster, 4-4 on PATs, kicked 2 punts inside the 5-yard line.
3A, 2A, 1A
Offensive Player: Hammond Wrenn, Andrew Jackson, 11 carries for 63 yards and 1 TD, 11-16 for 162 yards passing for 2 TDs and 1 interception; Offensive Lineman: Ethan Shipp, Andrew Jackson, 86% grade, 1 pancake block; Defensive Player: Antonio Hopkins, Chester, 16 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 1 QB pressure, 1 forced fumble; Defensive Lineman: Gabe Clyburn, Andrew Jackson, 5 tackles, 1 tackle for loss; Special Teams Player: Blake Brice, Andrew Jackson, 1 touchback on a kickoff, 1-1 on field goals from 33 yards out, 2-2 on PATs.
Sam Copeland contributed to this report.
This story was originally published September 23, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
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