All the 2022 schedules for HS football teams in York, Chester and Lancaster counties

Does the road to the 2022 Class 4A football state championship run through Rock Hill?

Guess we’ll soon see.

The 2022 high school football spring season began this week, signaling that the real high school football season isn’t that far away.

Nearly every program in The Herald’s coverage area has finalized its 2022 regular season schedule, and there’s a lot to digest:

▪ In Class 5A, Nation Ford opens its season against Indian Land — a matchup that has turned into appointment viewership the last two years. The Falcons then open Region 3-5A play against Clover and end their season against cross town rival Fort Mill.

Speaking of Clover: The Blue Eagles have a bye Week 0 before playing Northwestern to open their season. They then go on to play a whole bunch of familiar non-region foes — including archrival York and Dorman and Boiling Springs — before seeking revenge against Rock Hill in their regular season finale.

▪ Thanks to the South Carolina High School League’s realignment in December 2021, some of the best teams in 4A football will be packed into a region that features teams only from York and Lancaster counties.

What exactly should you look out for? Northwestern, a 5A contender last year that’s now in 4A, opens its season against original rival Rock Hill. The Trojans then meet their other city rival and reigning 4A state champion South Pointe in their penultimate contest — which, like the old days, might signal a state championship preview in Rock Hill.

York takes on three 5A teams in its non-region slate before running through the conference-of-no-remorse that is Region 3-4A. Indian Land, Catawba Ridge and Lancaster each have challenging (and potentially entertaining) non-region slates, too.

▪ In 3A, Chester very well might be playing the toughest schedule in 3A high school football. The Cyclones begin the year against one 5A team and three 4A teams — including the always-loaded South Pointe Stallions and Catawba Ridge Copperheads. Their non-region slate also includes archrival Fairfield Central, which got bumped down to 2A in December’s realignment.

▪ In 2A, Andrew Jackson opens with a bye for a second consecutive year and then plays a schedule that might feel familiar. Its non-region slate features Chester County’s Lewisville, and its region season is punctuated by rival North Central Oct. 21 and Lancaster County foe Buford Oct. 28.

▪ In 1A, Great Falls plays a different non-region slate than the one it did in 2021. (The only non-region team it’ll see for a second consecutive time is Whitmire.) And of course, the Red Devils have a tough region slate that includes archrival Lewisville, which hired a new coach earlier this year.

Without any further ado: Below is a one-stop shop to see all the high school football schedules for teams in York, Chester and Lancaster counties. Asterisks indicate region contests.

Class 5A

Clover: Aug. 19 BYE — Aug. 26 vs. Northwestern — Sept. 2 at Hillcrest — Sept. 9 at York — Sept. 16 vs. Dorman — Sept. 23 vs. Boiling Springs — Sept. 30 vs. Nation Ford* — Oct. 7 at Spring Valley* — Oct. 14 at Blythewood* — Oct. 21 at Fort Mill* — Oct. 28 vs. Rock Hill*

Fort Mill: Aug. 19 vs. Catawba Ridge — Aug. 26 vs. Chester — Sept. 2 BYE — Sept. 9 at Indian Land — Sept. 16 at Lugoff-Elgin — Sept. 23 vs. York — Sept. 30 at Blythewood* — Oct. 7 at Rock Hill* — Oct. 14 Spring Valley (Homecoming)* — Oct. 21 Clover (Senior Night)* — Oct. 28 at Nation Ford*

Nation Ford: Aug. 19 vs. Indian Land — Aug. 26 at York — Sept. 2 at Catawba Ridge — Sept. 9 vs. Northwestern — Sept. 16 at G.W. Danville (VA) — Sept. 23 BYE — Sept. 30 at Clover* — Oct. 7 vs. Blythewood* — Oct. 14 vs. Rock Hill* — Oct. 21 at Spring Valley* — Oct. 28 vs. Fort Mill*

Rock Hill: Aug. 19 at Northwestern — Aug. 26 vs. South Pointe — Sept. 2 at Lancaster — Sept. 9 vs. Lower Richland — Sept. 16 at York — Sept. 23 BYE — Sept. 30 at Spring Valley* — Oct. 7 vs. Fort Mill (Homecoming)* — Oct. 14 at Nation Ford* — Oct. 21 vs. Blythewood (Senior Night)*

Class 4A

Catawba Ridge: Aug. 19 at Fort Mill — Aug. 26 vs. Charlotte Latin — Sept. 2 vs. Nation Ford — Sept. 9 vs. West Cabarrus — Sept. 16 vs. Chester — Sept. 23 BYE — Sept. 30 at South Pointe* — Oct. 7 vs. York* — Oct. 14 vs. Lancaster* — Oct. 21 at Indian Land* — Oct. 28 at Northwestern*

Indian Land: Aug. 19 at Nation Ford — Aug. 26 vs. Timberland — Sept. 2 at Palisades — Sept. 9 at St. Joseph’s — Sept. 16 vs. Fort Mill — Sept. 23 vs. Parkwood — Sept. 30 at York* — Oct. 7 vs. Northwestern* — Oct. 14 at South Pointe* — Oct. 21 vs. Catawba Ridge* — Oct. 28 at Lancaster*

Lancaster: Aug. 19 at Chester — Aug. 26 vs. Irmo — Sept. 2 at Rock Hill — Sept. 9 vs. Fairfield Central — Sept. 16 BYE — Sept. 23 at White Knoll — Sept. 30 vs. Northwestern* — Oct. 7 vs. South Pointe* — Oct. 14 at Catawba Ridge* — Oct. 21 vs. York* — Oct. 28 vs. Indian Land*

Northwestern: Aug. 19 vs. Rock Hill — Aug. 26 at Clover — Sept. 2 vs. Brooklyn-Cayce — Sept. 9 at Nation Ford — Sept. 16 vs. Gaffney — Sept. 23 BYE — Sept. 30 vs. Lancaster* — Oct. 7 at Indian Land* — Oct. 14 vs. York* — Oct. 21 at South Pointe* — Oct. 28 vs. Catawba Ridge*

South Pointe: Aug. 19 vs. Gaffney — Aug. 26 at Rock Hill — Sept. 2 vs. Mallard Creek — Sept. 9 at Chester — Sept. 16 at South Florence — Sept. 23 BYE — Sept. 30 vs. Catawba Ridge* — Oct. 7 at Lancaster* — Oct. 14 vs. Indian Land* — Oct. 21 vs. Northwestern* — Oct. 28 at York*

York: Aug. 18 at Belton Honea Path (Thursday night) — Aug. 26 Nation Ford — Sept. 2 at Union County — Sept. 9 vs. Clover — Sept. 16 vs. Rock Hill — Sept. 23 at Fort Mill — Sept. 30 vs. Indian Land (Homecoming)* — Oct. 7 at Catawba Ridge* — Oct. 14 at Northwestern* — Oct. 21 at Lancaster* — Oct. 28 vs. South Pointe (Senior Night)*

Class 3A

Chester: Aug. 19 vs. Lancaster — Aug. 26 at Fort Mill — Sept. 2 at Fairfield Central — Sept. 9 vs. South Pointe — Sept. 16 at Catawba Ridge — Sept. 23 vs. Batesburg-Leesville — Sept. 30 vs. Woodruff* — Oct. 7 at Union* — Oct. 14 at Emerald* — Oct. 21 vs. Clinton* — Oct. 28 BYE

Class 2A

Andrew Jackson: Aug. 19 BYE — Aug. 26 vs. Fairfield Central — Sept. 2 vs. Crestwood — Sept. 9 at Lamar — Sept. 16 vs. Lakewood — Sept. 23 at Lewisville — Sept. 30 vs. Cheraw* — Oct. 7 at Chesterfield* — Oct. 14 at Central Pageland* — Oct. 21 vs. North Central* — Oct. 28 at Buford*

Class 1A

Great Falls: Aug. 18 vs. Heathwood Hall (Thursday night) — Aug. 26 at Lee Central — Sept. 2 at Scott’s Branch — Sept. 9 vs. Columbia — Sept. 16 at Hickory — Sept. 23 vs. NHLA (Metro) — Sept. 30 vs. Whitmire* — Oct. 7 at CA Johnson* — Oct. 14 at Lewisville* — Oct. 21 vs. McBee* — Oct. 28 BYE

Lewisville: Aug. 19 at East Clarendon — Aug. 26 vs. Wagener-Salley — Sept. 2 vs. Chesterfield — Sept. 9 at Blacksburg — Sept. 16 at Ridge Spring Monetta — Sept. 23 vs. Andrew Jackson — Sept. 30 vs. CA Johnson* — Oct. 7 BYE — Oct. 14 vs. Great Falls* — Oct. 21 at Whitmire* — Oct. 28 at McBee*

Note: These are the football schedules that were provided to The Herald by the online publication date. Some area teams are still having their schedules finalized for the 2022 season.

This story was originally published May 6, 2022 at 6:00 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.