Who’s got who? Rock Hill-area prep football schedule, game-by-game picks in Week 7
Northwestern looks to extend its six-game winning streak to seven. Clover hopes to start its region season with a win. Chester faces a rival. Catawba Ridge and York face off in what will be a Region 3-4A game with postseason implications.
There’s more, too.
Here’s your Week 7 football preview — complete with a full Friday night football schedule of all teams in the Tri-County, game-by-game story lines and predictions from Herald sports editor Alex Zietlow.
Schedule, how to listen, Zietlow predictions
Blythewood (3-2, 0-0) at Northwestern (6-1, 1-0). Northwestern is at home again after routing Ridge View last week, a game that saw 103 yards rushing by running back Turbo Richards, six touchdown passes by quarterback Will Mattison and at one point 45 unanswered Trojan points. (On the year, Northwestern is averaging 377.6 yards per game.) Blythewood opens its region season on Friday night looking for only its second win over a 5A opponent this year.
Listen: FM 100.1/ AM 1340
Zietlow’s prediction: Northwestern wins.
Catawba Ridge (3-3, 0-1) at York (4-1, 1-0). York is one of the scrappiest, win-however-you-can 4-1 teams in South Carolina. Just look at the wins in the Cougars’ schedule: a high-scoring victory over Union County, an imperfect grind of a win over Rock Hill, a low-scoring road win over Westwood and an old-fashioned struggle against Indian Land last week that saw no second-half Cougar points. York is hosting Catawba Ridge, a group that was 1-yard away from taking a late fourth-quarter lead against South Pointe last week. This Region 3-4A game could prove meaningful in the end-of-season region standings and thus the state playoffs. (South Pointe, York, Indian Land and Catawba Ridge — all playoff-worthy teams — are fighting for three playoff spots.)
Listen: FM 107.1
Zietlow’s prediction: Catawba Ridge wins.
Boiling Springs (0-6, 0-1) at Nation Ford (3-3, 1-0). Nation Ford is coming off a big win over archrival Fort Mill last week. They were impressive on both sides of the ball — and even on special teams, thanks to return man playmaker Jerrick Foster. Boiling Springs has yet to win a game and has been shut out three times already this year.
Listen: Comporium Channel 103
Zietlow’s prediction: Nation Ford wins.
Fort Mill (1-4, 0-1) at Clover (1-3, 0-0). Clover gets back in action after being on a bye last week. The Blue Eagles have lost three in a row after their huge win over Dorman to start the season, and they open their region season against Fort Mill, who lost to Nation Ford last week. (The last time these two teams played was in 2020, when Clover used a surprising onside kick to change the game’s tides and ultimately win a close one.)
Listen: FM 94.3
Zietlow’s prediction: Clover wins.
South Pointe (4-1, 1-0) at Lancaster (2-1, 0-0). South Pointe visits Lancaster after opening the region with a momentous win over Catawba Ridge last week. The Stallions still have some issues to address that’s holding them back from being as good as they could be — like, for example, allowing nine sacks in back-to-back weeks — but they’ve been able to cover up those issues with a stout defense and an explosive offense. They face Lancaster in the Bruins’ first region game of 2021.
Listen: FM 104.1
Zietlow’s prediction: South Pointe wins.
Fairfield Central (4-2, 1-1) at Chester (3-3, 1-1). This one will be fun. Fairfield Central and Chester are rivals, and both have already lost to Lower Richland, the current front-runner for the Region 4-3A crown. (Chester’s loss to LR was close; Fairfield Central got blown out.) A win Friday will go a long way in securing the Cyclones the No. 2 spot in the region — but a win is no guarantee against FCHS, a program that always seems to play its best football against Chester. (Even in Chester’s state championship season in 2018, the 2-9 team from Winnsboro played the Cyclones closer than anyone expected. As former Herald sports editor Bret McCormick so aptly put it in 2018: “If Chester’s football program is marking its growth like a child, then Fairfield Central is the wall where the Cyclones draw a little line each year.”) Buckle in.
Listen: FM 90.3
Zietlow’s prediction: Chester wins.
North Central (2-3, 0-1) at Andrew Jackson (4-2, 1-0). Andrew Jackson looks to make it two in a row in the region this week. The Volunteers are well-acquainted with their archrivals and must be ready for North Central’s potent offense, which put up 50 points in a loss to Chesterfield last week.
Zietlow’s prediction: Andrew Jackson wins.
Great Falls (5-2, 1-2) at McBee (0-4, 0-1). This is a big game for Great Falls. A win would give the Red Devils a 2-2 mark in the region and thus deliver them control of the tiebreaker with Lewisville and McBee. In other words, it would cement their spot in the 1A playoffs. This is Great Falls’ last region game of 2021.
Zietlow’s prediction: Great Falls wins.
Thursday night: Lamar (3-2, 2-0) at Lewisville (3-3, 0-1). On Thursday night, Lewisville will have to find a way to beat Lamar. That’s always a tall task — Lamar’s success in the 1A ranks is stuff of legend — but this year seems especially so: After all, several weeks ago, Lamar crushed Great Falls, a team that beat Lewisville last week. A Lion loss could put their postseason hopes in early danger.
Zietlow’s prediction: Lamar wins.
(Read The Herald’s Thursday night coverage: Lewisville loses 4th-straight to Lamar, but 1A SC football playoffs still within reach.)
As of Thursday morning, Rock Hill, Legion Collegiate and Indian Land have open weeks.
Players of Week 6
The Tri-County Coaches Association voted for its Players of the Week on Tuesday. View the award recipients below. The Herald facilitated the vote among the area coaches, like it does each week.
5A
Offensive Player: Will Mattison, Northwestern, 16 of 22 for 239 yards and 6 TDs passing; Offensive Lineman: Jordan Knox, Northwestern, 91% grade, 3 knockdowns; Defensive Player: Jackson Sims, Nation Ford, 16 tackles, 2 TFL, 1 QBH; Defensive Lineman: Isaac McLellan, Northwestern, 8 tackles, 3 TFL; Special Teams Player: Kanoah Vinesett, Northwestern, 7-7 on extra points, broke an S.C. record for most consecutive extra points made, 1-1 on field goals, 7 touchbacks.
4A
Offensive Player: Demari Kendrick, South Pointe, 7 catches, 110 yards, 1 TD; Defensive Player: Evan Hamilton, Catawba Ridge, 6 tackles, 2 sacks, 2 TFL, 2 forced fumbles; Defensive Lineman: CJ Brown, Catawba Ridge, 4 tackles, 2 sacks; Special Teams Player: Zy Brown, York, 85-yard kickoff return for a TD, averaged 60 yards per return.
3A, 2A, 1A
Offensive Player: Foxx Moore, Great Falls, 10 rushes for 104 yards and a TD, 3 receptions for 57 yards, 1-1 passing for 27 yards and a TD; Offensive Lineman: Hayden Williams, Andrew Jackson, 80% grade, 3 pancakes; Defensive Player: Payton Hornsby, Andrew Jackson, 13 tackles, 2 TFL; Defensive Lineman: Derick Anthony, Andrew Jackson, 5 tackles, 3 TFL, 2 sacks; Special Teams Player: Blake Brice, Andrew Jackson, 4-4 PATs, averaged 30 yards per punt with 2 downed inside the 20-yard line.
Sam Copeland contributed to this report.
This story was originally published October 7, 2021 at 8:00 AM.
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