Class AAAA-Big 16 outlook

Photo by Joe L. Hughes II

Dorman's Raymond Smith hopes to again lead the Cavaliers to the promised land in 2011. However, getting past rival Byrnes could be quite the task in Class AAAA's Big 16 ranks, which could be as hotly contested as it has been in recent years.

Arguably, no other title is more coveted in South Carolina high school athletics than the Big 16 football championship.
Three out of the past four years, however, the hardware has found a home in Duncan on the Byrnes High School campus, including last season when the Rebels disposed of cross-county rival Dorman 34-14 in the state championship game. It was the program’s 10th state title overall.
Last season was supposed to be a rebuilding year for Byrnes, replacing several Division I talents such as South Carolina star running back Marcus Lattimore and Rutgers signal caller Chas Dodd. At least through the end of the regular season another championship seemed in doubt, head coach Chris Miller’s squad losing three games -- the most it had lost since 2007-- equaling its total from the preceding two seasons.
Keyed by the hard running of Shakeem Wharton and a steady defense which gathered itself at the right time, Byrnes easily defeated Mauldin before impressive wins at Dutch Fork and against Lexington en route to the final.
Wanting to gain a measure of revenge from its loss to Dorman in the 2009 final, the Rebels jumped quickly on their rivals and seized control of the game and the crown, winning 34-14.
Byrnes is again in a familiar role to begin the 2011 season, favored to repeat as Class AAAA Big 16 champion. Returning the likes of Wharton, speedy wide receiver Akia Booker and many pieces of a quick, disciplined defense including “Doc“ Dillard and Jamal Johnson, one should expect the squad to make another deep run in the playoffs.
Inexperience at quarterback could derail such aspirations however, the high octane offense of the Rebels expected to start sophomore signal caller Shuler Bentley. Byrnes last great quarterback, Dodd, first led the squad as a sophomore, part of a unit which won two state titles.
Bentley, his half brother, could become the next to be fitted for a ring.
Among those at the head of the line hoping to dethrone Byrnes again is Dorman, returning running back Raymond Smith, who rushed for 2,000+ yards last season, in addition to Patrick DeStefano, the state’s top offensive lineman. One has to wonder whether the squad can overcome the amount of talent it lost last year, including Clemson signee wide receiver Charone Peake.
Gaffney is also expected to make a run this year at adding to its state record total of 16 championships. Though losing veteran signal caller DeEdward Burris, a talented core returns, including highly sought after wideout Quinshad Davis. The Indians are expected to be as stout as they have been in several years on defense, keyed in the middle by linebacker Savon Dukes.
Dutch Fork, which lost to the Rebels 31-14 last November in the Class AAAA Big 16 quarterfinals, should make strides in head coach Tom Knotts’ second season on the job. The Region IV-AAAA champions return quite a talent at running back in Brandon Quattlebaum, who rushed for more than 1,400 yards last season, and is expected to shoulder the load again in 2011 for the Silver Foxes.
No one needs to be introduced to Lexington’s Shaq Roland. However, the X-Factor in the Wildcats’ potential to make a run at a state title lies with Kevin Miller, whose tough running was instrumental in the squad to the Region V-AAAA title last season.
Lexington made its deepest run in the state playoffs in 2010 since Demetrius Summers roamed the gridiron at the school, and is looking to take that final step this year.
Don't be surprised if Summerville rebounds and contends for a title this season following a disappointing 2010 according to its lofty standards.

FAVORITE: Byrnes
CONTENDERS: Dorman, Gaffney, Dutch Fork, Lexington, Summerville
LOOK OUT FOR: Spartanburg - The Vikings come into 2011 with its most talented squad in years, particularly at the quarterback position. Look for the squad to make quite a bit of noise in Region III-AAAA this season.

A Week 13 whip around the Palmetto State

Photo by Joe L. Hughes II

Rushing for more than 200 yards in his team's Class AAAA Division I second round match-up with Fort Dorchester, junior running back Raymond Smith was a big reason Dorman's offense was able to kick things into high gear last Friday night.

It’s all depends on who you ask.
According to Gaffney fans, it was bad officiating and missed opportunities. In the eyes of those backing Irmo, it was the product of a good defensive effort.
No matter the combination of those ingredients, the Yellow Jackets were happy it fell in their favor, escaping W.C. Hawkins Stadium Friday night with a 12-7 victory.
Irmo’s Kevin Baxter returned an interception in the end zone off of Indians’quarterback DeEdward Burris 70 yards the first play of the fourth quarter, setting up the game’s deciding score, a 2-yard run by Dawan Scott.
The Yellow Jacket running back would wind up with 167 yards and two touchdowns on the night. With the win, his team advances to the Class AAAA Division I semifinals against defending state champion Dorman.
“Our kids made plays when they had to,” said Irmo head coach Bob Hanna to The State (S.C.). “We gave up some yards, but when it came time to play, we found a way to get it done.”
The Indians seemingly moved the ball at will against their Midlands contemporaries, spending much of the night inside Yellow Jackets territory. However, with the exception of a DeEdward Burris connection with wide receiver Quinshad Davis in the first quarter, that is where Gaffney drives would die, the result of mental errors in the form of three turnovers, several penalties and a number of dropped passes.
“When you come on somebody else’s home field and they are 10-2, you have to play better than them. We just didn’t make the big plays when we needed them,” said Gaffney head coach Dan Jones.
“We made some mistakes, dropped some passes, made some bad decisions. We just didn’t execute,” he said.
Meanwhile, Dorman put on arguably its most impressive performance of the season, disposing of Fort Dorchester 49-28. Raymond Smith ran for 241 yards and three touchdowns, including a 94-yard romp in the game’s final stanza.
Not to be outdone, Clemson commitment Charone Peake also had a big night, hit pay dirt three times in the contest, twice on throws from Cavaliers quarterback Nelson Hughes and another by way of a punt return.

A Sleeping Giant Awakens
Class AAAA powerhouse Byrnes may be down a bit this year … but they are definitely not out.
Junior running back Shakeem Wharton was quite the dual threat for the Rebels, racking up 170 total yards and three touchdowns in the team’s 31-14 Class AAAA Division I playoff win at Dutch Fork.
The performance was quite the statement for Byrnes, perceived as a bit vulnerable after a squad laden with stars was decimated by graduation. Yet it stands 48 minutes from another appearance in the state title game.
In the Lowcountry however, a thorough beating was being given to one of the state’s most recognizable figures in high school football. Summerville’s John McKissick, the nation’s all-time leader in coaching wins at the high school level, could only describe it as the worst beating any team has given his Green Wave on the field named after him.
Lexington delivered a whipping Summerville fans are sure to remember for some time, dismantling the traditional power from the Lowcountry 45-14.
Wildcats’ running back K.J. Miller toted the pigskin 31 times for 230 yards and three touchdowns, while his teammates on defense held Summerville star to a total of 152 yards and a meaningless touchdown late in a contest seemingly never in doubt.
In the “Lower 32” tournament better known to most as Class AAAA Division II, things went as expected with each of the top four seeds advanced, setting up a (4) Northwestern - (1) Goose Creek and (3) North Augusta- (2) Greenwood state semifinal round.
North Augusta was the only one of the four to struggle on the night, erasing an early deficit and surviving a late flurry from T.L. Hanna , 28-21.

"Thriller"
When they say enjoy every moment, do so; you never know when it will be taken from you.
Belton-Honea Path could not have believed the end was near after pulling ahead 28-27 with 1:18 left to go against Fairfield Central, thinking it had delivered the final salvo in the wild Class AAA Upper State semifinal contest.
The Griffins had other ideas, turning out the lights on the Bears and their undefeated 2010 campaign with a 35-28 heart-stopping win in the state’s upcountry.
Shaquille Young hauled in a pass from Fairfield Central quarterback Danny Miller with 25 seconds left to snare victory from defeat. The miraculous 34-yard grab, caught between two Belton-Honea Path defenders and also tipped twice, earned the Griffins a rematch with region rival South Pointe in the Upper State title game, the Stallions humbling Greenville 50-7.
South Pointe dealt Fairfield Central its lone defeat in 2010, winning 17-7 in Winnsboro last month.
Lower State juggernaut Myrtle Beach put an end to Berkeley’s playoff winning streak, taking care of the Stags 42-28. Seahawks quarterback Everett Golson passed for 381 yards and four touchdowns in the game, eliminating Berkeley, last year’s winners of the Class AAAA-Division II crown.
Myrtle Beach wants a Class AAA crown of its own, however, and will earn at least the right to do so with a win in the Lower State title game Friday against Bluffton, a 40-35 winner at Hartsville.

Thrice as Nice
Things seem to come in threes.
For Strom Thurmond and Timberland, the third time did not wind up being the charm, both falling to familiar opponents for the third consecutive year.
Meanwhile, Central (Pageland) and Dillon remained on a collision course to meet in the Class AA title game, the Eagles advancing past Strom Thurmond 35-30; while the Wildcats moved on with an impressive 31-14 win over previously undefeated Timberland.
Dillon again advances to the Lower State title game where it will host Manning, a 30-20 winner over region rival Lake City.
The Monarchs again did a good job in limiting Panthers’ star running back Shon Carson, who though gaining 137 yards and scored the 100th touchdown of his prep football career, Manning won the rushing battle as it was able to churn out 205 yards of its own on the ground -- 120 of which were contributed by Marcos Pearson -- wearing out an active Lake City defense.
Central faces a familiar foe for a second straight week, this time in the form of Woodruff, which earned a hard fought 37-30 victory over Columbia.
In Class A on the other hand, Scott’s Branch and Williston-Elko again earned the right to meet each other with a state title hanging in the balance.
Christ Church gave the Blue Devils all they could handle in the Class A Division I Upper State final, drawing to within six points after being down three touchdowns early on in the contest. However, Williston-Elko’s wishbone attack chewed valuable clock time and the Cavaliers’ final heave fell into the arms of an opposing defender, giving W-E the 27-21 win.
Scott’s Branch fell behind early, but it was only a minor setback between it and the program’s third consecutive date with the Blue Devils, defeating Hardeeville 36-20.
Might as well call it a grudge match, the teams splitting the last two Class A Division II championship games. The game is Friday at 3 p.m. at Benedict University Stadium in Columbia.
In Class A Division I play, a Randon Sandifer 22-yard field goal as time expired gave Bamberg-Ehrhardt a Lower State title, defeating Hemingway 17-14. It will face Abbeville for a championship Friday at noon in Columbia, the Panthers getting past Lamar 20-12 in a highly contested Upper State final.

Palmetto State Roundup
Class AAAA Division 2 Second Round
Goose Creek 49, Easley 0
Greenwood 35, South Florence 7
North Augusta 28, T.L. Hanna 21
Northwestern 49, Ashley Ridge 35

Class AAAA Division 1
Second Round
Irmo 12, Gaffney 7
James F. Byrnes 31, Dutch Fork 14
Lexington 35, Summerville 14
Dorman 49, Fort Dorchester 28

Upper State Class AAA
Third Round
Fairfield Central 35, Belton-Honea Path 28
South Pointe 50, Greenville 7

Lower State Class AAA
Third Round
Bluffton 40, Hartsville 35
Myrtle Beach 42, Berkeley 28

Upper State Class AA
Third Round
Central 35, Strom Thurmond 30
Woodruff 37, Columbia 30

Lower State Class AA
Third Round
Dillon 31, Timberland 14
Manning 30, Lake City 20
Upper State Class A Division I Semifinal
Abbeville 20, Lamar 12

Lower State Class A Division I
Semifinal
Bamberg-Ehrhardt 17, Hemingway 14

Upper State Class A Division II
Semifinal
Williston-Elko 27, Christ Church Episcopal 21

Lower State Class A Division II
Semifinal
Scott's Branch 36, Hardeeville 20

Top performances around South Carolina - Week 3

Photo by Joe L. Hughes II

Dorman's Raymond Smith put the Cavaliers on his back in their 35-28 victory over Greenwood.

Chase Hames, Blacksburg: The Wildcats’ senior rusher ran wild against Latta, accounting for 364 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground in his team’s 64-36 victory. He also threw a touchdown pass to his younger brother, Nick.
Raymond Smith, Dorman: After a fumble in the first half, the Cavalier ball carrier racked up 139 yards on 28 carries and a touchdown in his team’s 35-28 victory over Greenwood. He also had four receptions for 42 yards and another score on the night.
De’Angelo Henderson, Summerville: Henderson rushed for 286 yards on 35 attempts Friday night, reaching the end zone five times in the Green Wave’s 64-57 triple overtime loss at Goose Creek. It was his third consecutive game putting up big numbers, accumulating 289 all-purpose yards (160 rushing and 118 receiving) in a 17-14 win over Berkeley and 259 rushing yards and five scores in a 50-26 win over Conway.
Shaq Roland, Lexington: Roland accounted for seven touchdowns in the Wildcats’ 56-28 win over Spring Valley. The Vikings had no answer for him on the night –by ground or air – racking up a total of 301 yards in those departments. He also threw a touchdown pass, ran for a 2-point conversion and passed for a 2-point conversion.
Quinn Backus, Greenwood: The Eagles’ linebacker intercepted two passes in his team’s 35-28 loss at Dorman, returning both thefts for scores (84 and 11 yards).