Yes, I know that Dutch Fork, who was and still is NO. 1 in our polls, ran away from a good Greenwood team. But the cause was helped by the Greenwood snap errors to the quarterback (probably 8 of 10 snaps were bad snaps) allowing the secondary to read and jump patters. So, as good as Dutch Fork is, and they do appear to be the best in the state, we don't have a single team in the Class 4A that I would go ahead and circle as the champion this early. Last season, we knew from the start that Northwestern was the cream of the crop and said so in the preseason; this year, not a team like that in the state. If I had to GUESS at the top two in each division right now I'd say Dutch Fork and Byrnes in Division I and Greenwood and Northwestern in Division II. But we also have to consider that Summerville looked good against Providence in the opener and York looked strong against Sumter. York is a team that has to be considered a contender for that Region III and a spoiler int he playoffs.
2. MONEY DOESN'T NECESSARILY BUY SUCCESS
We've all been impressed with the River Bluff High School facilities and the fact that they are truly the model of what ever high school athletics program would love to have in terms of facilities. They also have a large student population, one of the largest coaching staff's in the Class 4A and an impressive staff at that, and all of the cosmetics in terms of uniforms and equipment. But all of the "accessories" didn't help Saturday night as the Gators faced Westwood in the finale of the Battle at the Bluff as the Red Hawks ran away from the Gators in a 46-0 shut out. Granted, the Bluff's top player, junior quarterback Brandon Tillman, did not dress for the game due to an injury but I"m not sure he would have been good for 46 points or more.
3. REGION III-4A COULD BE WIDE OPEN
We predicted Northwestern's loss to Byrnes, so that was not a surprise, though the Trojans did play better in the second half than expected. That is an indication of good coaching from half-time adjustments to a game that was getting out of hand at one point. But the Trojans are down from last year's powerhouse team and some other teams really stepped up. Rock Hill shocked me Friday night by BLOWING OUT Blythewood in a 40-6 win. The Blythewood team had high expectations placed on them due to the number of talented players on that roster, but the Bearcats didn't buy into that and first year head coach Bubba Pittman had his team ready to play football. They were aggressive and physical and had Blythewood quarterback David Isreal running for his life all night. Then, York pulls a come from behind win out of their hat as they upend the 2013 4A Division I runner up Sumter Gamecocks 42-34. This York team is dangerous and the scary thing for Region III opponents is they will only get better as the season goes on. Fort Mill was also very impressive in their blow out of White Knoll, 49-21. Ed Susi's Yellow Jackets and their 17 returning starters put on a show for fans at the Battle at the Bluff, with senior running back Malik Long rushing for 128 yards and three scores. This Yellow Jacket team has to be looked at as being in the mix for one of the top spots for the region.
4. BROOKLAND-CAYCE BEARCATS ARE IMPROVED
Head Coach Rusty Charpia has the Bearcats improved as he heads into his fourth year at the helm. The Bearcats played a very good 2A Fairfield Central team to open up the new Bearcat Stadium and despite some miscues during the game, the Bearcats managed to beat the Griffins, 29-28 in double overtime. The fact that the Bearcats overcame some mistakes AND that they came from behind to get the win displays great improvement in the program.
5. SCOTT EARLEY DOESN'T ALWAYS YELL AT OFFICIALS
The "new" Westside Rams knocked off the Clover Blue Eagles in Head Coach Scott Earley's return to the sidelines 44-26. While Coach Earley was loud and passionate as he always is, there was not a single incident where he had any disagreements with the officials and neither was aware the other was there the entire game.
Note, not top prospect, but top player. I listed Colburn as the Preseason Offensive Player of the Year in this year's Athlon National HS Football magazine and he did not let me down Friday night, rushing for 146 yards and three touchdowns in the 45-19 win over previously NO. 3 Greenwood. There was debate as to whether Colburn would even play, having had a bruised shoulder earlier in the week. But he came in mid-1st quarter and went to work, doing the thing we expect him to do all season. He was on my list of the 20 Most Important Players In South Carolina for 2014 and you saw way in this game. Without him in the line up, a sputtering Greenwood team would have not only been in the game, but could probably have won the game.
7. THE OFFENSIVE LINE PLAY IS VITAL TO SUCCESS
Don't ever lessen the impact the big uglies have on the game. Greenwood proved against Dutch Fork that the snap is the most important element of any offensive play. The center to quarterback exchange in shotgun for the Eagles was in err about 8 out of 10 snaps during the game against Dutch Fork and was clearly a huge impact on the game. Not only did it throw off the timing of the passes and force quarteback CJ Jackson to take to foot to find receivers, but it also enabled two of the berst safties in the state to read and jump patterns while the Ealges quarterback tried to get a handle on the ball.
8. SPARTANBURG IS SUSPECT ON DEFENSE
As good as the Vikings are on offense with two of the Class of 2016's top players, the Vikings have a suspect defense. I began worrying about putting them too high in the polls during preseason scrimmages. They got taken to the wood shed by Dutch Fork who beat them on three long passes because the secondary was out of position. And Dutch Fork's passing game is not great. They continued to look questionable in the secondary during scrimmages. And then, a recruiting factory, East Christian Academy comes to town and the Vikings lose in overtime 58-56. I know ECA is a good program but there is little explaination why a team scores 56 points and still loses unless you point the finger at the defense. The need to get that corrected and they can be a major contender.
9. DORMAN CAVALIERS ARE BACK
Yes, it was Wade Hampton but the Dorman Cavs were impressive on both sides of the football on Friday night. They churned out 408 yards of total offense without their starting quarterback. Back up Jalen Fowler was 11 of 13 for 213 yards and 3 scores and hit six different receivers during the game; the defense held Wade Hampto to just 84 yards of total offense. Look for this team to be a contender in the region.
10. DAYTIME STARTS ON TURF IN AUGUST IS A BAD IDEA
While the first Battle at the Bluff was a great event, I think we learned that starting games prior to 7:00 on turf in August can be miserable for the players and anyone else on the field. I was on the field all three days for the event at the starting time and each day we started prior to 6:00 pm, it was sweltering on the field. Keep in mind, the temperature on turf is about 10 to 15 degrees higher so mid to late August games in South Carolina on turf can be like standing in an oven.