REGION I - 3A
For my money, I like the Seneca Bobcats in this region. The Bobcats are loaded with talent, have a new quarterback this season that can sling it, and are physical. They got a solid win over a pretty good 4A Greenville team this past week.
Daniel got a solid win behind good play of quarterback Andy McCall. They lost talent but are still a top contender in the upstaste.
BHP came out of the gates strong, better than I thought they would. They have a tough match this week with Westside so it will be interesting to measure them against the new and improved Rams.
Wren has gotten a lot of publicity in preseason but passing league season is over. yes, they put up big numbers against a very dismal Woodmont team. A lot of work to do on defense to challenge for the region.
West Oak and Palmetto are the next tear of teams, and will battle for the 5th and 6th spots while Walhalla and Pickens will drag the rear of this train.
THE WAY I SEE IT NOW: 1. Seneca 2. Daniel 3. BHP 4. Wren 5. West Oak 6. Palmetto 7. Walhalla 8. Pickens
REGION II 3A
The Greer Yellow Jackets got a win over Clinton this past week but I'm not sure that the Red Devils are a very good measuring stick right now, after getting ran over by AC Flora in week zero. That said, Greer is everyone's favorite here.
Emerald is the sleeper here. I like them as a team who could steal the region. They are strong on defense and looked strong against a good Ninety Six team this week.
Chapman struggled through their game with Chesnee this week but I have to think they will recover and be fine when region play stars. This team has some great athletes and are well coached and will be in the mix.
Blue Ridge will score points this year but two things concern me; one, they will give up a lot of points defensively and two, if their QB goes down, they are toast.
Southside should be able to be at least a fifth and possibly a fourth placer here. A good offense that can score points will make them tough to defend.
Look for Eastside with a struggling offense to battle with Berea and Travelers Rest for the remaining spots. None of those teams have the ability to stop opposing offenses.
THE WAY I SEE IT NOW: 1. Emerald 2. Greer 3. Chapman 4. Blue Ridge 5. Southside 6. Eastside 7. Travelers Rest 8. Berea
REGION III 3A
Lets face it, South Pointe is at the top and everyone else is battling for second place. The Stallions looked strong against Irmo in a 21-6 win over the 4A Jackets WITH a back up quarterback playings.
I like Broome in the second spot. They are an improved football team and play a physical brand of football.
I would have had Chester in this spot but they got their rear ends handed to them by Fairfield Central this past week and I just don't know what to make of that; it wasn't even a contest.
Union County is a team that will get better; they got a win over a struggling Gaffney team in week one but dropped a game to Newberry this past week. What concerns me is their soft defense.
Lancaster got a good win to opent the season. They have some good athletes on the roster, including two very good wide receivers. They did get the win over Andrew Jackson so I'm not extremely excited about it but it was a win.
Clinton is baffling; they have talent but they got hammered by AC Flora last week and then this week, dropped to Greer.
THE WAY I SEE IT NOW: 1. South Pointe 2. Broome 3. Union County 4. Chester 5. Clinton 6. Lancaster
REGION IV 3A
AC Flora is the team to beat in this region and they got a quality win this past week against a good Swansea team. Defensively they will be tough to challenge.
Chapin is 2-0 but neither of their opponents were powerhouses. This week, we'll get a better gauge against Swansea.
Dreher, like Chapin, is 2-0 but also like Chapin, has not been tested. This week, they have an Airport team that could pose their first real challenge.
Lower Richland is talented but they are 0-2 after dropping games to Spring Valley and Keenan. They will still be competitive in region play but will need their quarerback healthy.
Camden and Richland Northeast are the teams I see battling witih LR for the bottom three spots. I don't see any three of these teams finishing in the top three.
THE WAY I SEE IT NOW: 1. AC Flora 2. Chapin 3. Dreher 4. RNE 5. Lower Richland 6. Camden
REGION V 3A
Midland Valley is 0-1 but they gave North Augusta all they wanted for three quarters before the depth of the 4A team took over. MV has the most dangerous quarterback in the region.
Brookland-Cayce is 2-0 and dominated Airport this past week. This week will be a true test as they take on defending 2A Division II Champion Batesburg-Leesville. Strong defense is the Bearcats' MO.
Aiken Hornets are going to be good. They are huge up front on defense and have one of the more dangerous running backs in the region. The drop to 3A will be kind to them.
Airport looked very suspect defensively against BC. Without KD Jackson at quarterback there is no offensive production. They can recover but need to find a go to guy at receiver to give them another dimension.
Swansea moved the ball well at times this past week against a strong AC Flora team, but needs consistency; I think they will be ready by the time Region play starts.
Gilbert looked very mediocre against River Bluff this past week and have not looked dominating in any outing I've seen so far; they have spurts where they are really good but they also have times where they are really bad.
THE WAY I SEE IT NOW: 1. Midland Valley 2. Brookland-Cayce 3. Aiken 4. Airport 5. Swansea 6. Gilbert
REGION VI 3A
Hartsville is sitting at 2-0 and has scored 89 points in two games. The Red Foxes seem to be firing on all cylindars but this is a tough region.
Marlboro County got slammed by Richmond County, which was expected, and will struggle against Scottland County this week. But I'm not basing projections off of this tough out of reggion schedule. They will be fine when the smoke clears week 10.
Darlington is the sleeper team in this region. Coach Lampkin is loaded with athletes and play makers and this team could be a big time spoiler for everyone.
Manning seems to have had a good game against a weak Scott's Branch team this past week but they will need to prepare hard for region play.
Crestwood and Lakewood are the teams I look to end up at the bottom of the region. The coaching changes are going to effect these teams, I promise. Despite having the state's top senior running back, the Knights will probably finish 5th in this region.
REGION VII 3A
Myrtle Beach dominated West Brunswick (NC) this past week and Brandon Sinclair at running back is a man. They are the clear favorite in this region.
Second place in this region is going to be a battle. I look for Georgetwon and Wilson to battle it out for the spot. Each can score points and each plays better than average defense.
The next tier of teams is the question. Will North Myrtle Beach be able to adapt to the coaching change? What about St. James? Both under new head coaches and neither with the best defense in the world. Lake City needs to be more explosive on offense.
THE WAY I SEE IT NOW: 1. Myrtle Beach 2. Wilson 3. Georgetown 4. Lake City 5. North Myrtle Beachc 6. St. James
REGION VIII 3A
This will be a very competitive region; I look for Orangeburg-Wilkinson to be the team to beat as long as they do not self destruct; they are strong on both sides of the football.
Hanahan should be the region favorite but they have dropped two games and while they were in both of them, they should be much more dominating than they've shown.
Berkeley is 1-1 but they've given up 65 points in those two games. That lack of defense will not get them very far.
Hilton Head looks to be a team who could challenge this year, playing verty good defense and coming out of the gates strong on offense.
Beaufort will top RB Stall for the fifth spot in the region.
THE WAY I SEE IT RIGHT NOW: 1. Orangeburg-Wilkinson 2. Hilton Head 3. Hanahan 4. Berkeley 5. Beaufort 6. R.B. Stall