Week 6 Prep Football Preview Capsules Strom Thurmond (3-1) at North Augusta (3-2)
Last time they played
Strom Thurmond defeated North Augusta 13-7 on Sept. 23, 2022.
Keys to the game
Both teams wrap up challenging non-region schedules with this local rivalry game that always delivers. For North Augusta, it’s one more opportunity to compete in a high-level matchup before beginning its defense of the Region 4-AAAA championship. Ditto for Strom Thurmond, the reigning Region 3-AA champ. North Augusta has seen continued growth from its newcomers on offense despite a daunting schedule, and the offensive line will face another tough test this week against a strong Strom Thurmond defense. Dual-threat quarterback Corey Tillman had another 100-yard rushing game last week against Dutch Fork, running back Michael Doe has impressed week after week, and all-purpose threat Beans Hunt had 163 all-purpose yards and continued his strong start to the season. On the defensive side, North Augusta will have to be able to stop Strom Thurmond’s pass-heavy attack. Senior quarterback Quan Edmond is completing 72.5% of his passes this season, and he and Tennessee commit Braylon Staley (28 catches, 377 yards, four touchdowns) have developed a lot of chemistry. Demarius Tolen and Jay Sewell are other big-time targets, but the Rebels will need to get the run game going, too, against a North Augusta defensive front led by Bryce Tillman and Deondre Baskett.
Silver Bluff (3-1) at Barnwell (3-2)
Last time they played
Barnwell defeated Silver Bluff 42-19 on Sept. 23, 2022.
Keys to the game
The key in this game will be to minimize mistakes and not get caught up trying to do too much in one of the state’s best local rivalries. For Silver Bluff, that means getting back to basics – and that’s something the Bulldogs did really well in last week’s 49-0 win over Orangeburg-Wilkinson. The Bulldogs dialed things back a bit offensively, and the execution was much smoother than it was in their loss to Midland Valley prior to their bye week. The same goes for the defense, which had its pride dented a bit by a Midland Valley offensive line that pushed them around them a bit. The Bulldogs’ defense got back on track and dominated Orangeburg-Wilkinson, and now they turn their attention to a Barnwell offense that has shown it has the ability to produce big plays. The Warhorses, though, can’t afford to make the same early mistakes they did last week against Aiken. That led to a quick 12-0 deficit, which they overcame to score 26 consecutive points to get settled. The offensive line will have to be ready to go from the opening snap, as any of the Bulldogs’ trio of All-State defenders can take over the game. Barnwell’s offense goes as quarterback Cameron Austin does, so the Warhorses’ linemen will have to keep him as stress-free as possible.
Blackville-Hilda (4-1, 1-0 Region 4-A) at Wagener-Salley (3-1, 0-1 Region 4-A)
Last time they played
Wagener-Salley defeated Blackville-Hilda 27-7 on Sept. 23, 2022.
Keys to the game
This is a big Region 4-A match-up for both teams, and Wagener-Salley comes into Friday night needing a win after last week’s loss to Hunter-Kinard-Tyler to begin league play. That game got out of hand quickly for the War Eagles, who trailed 44-0 in the first quarter. Turnovers contributed to a lot of that, so the War Eagles will have to take better care of the football this week against a tough Blackville-Hilda defense. Wagener-Salley’s defense was a bright spot the week before in a 30-13 win over Swansea, but the offense did the defense no favors as the game snowballed. That’s not a good recipe for a power-run offense, so the War Eagles will have to get back to that physicality on both sides of the ball to keep this game at the tempo they prefer. On the flip side, Blackville-Hilda will try to counter that with a defense that has answered the call over and over so far this season. The Fighting Hawks can move the ball in a variety of ways, and the most effective has been with Jaquel Holman running it. Holman had another big night last week against Denmark-Olar, rushing for 162 yards and three scores, and Tamari Daniels averaged 18 yards a touch with a score. The War Eagles’ defense will have to be ready for a physical challenge, and they also can’t let the Hawks’ big-play threats get behind them.
Ridge Spring-Monetta (0-4) at Williston-Elko (0-4, 0-1 Region 4-A)
Last time they played
Ridge Spring-Monetta defeated Williston-Elko 38-0 on Sept. 23, 2022.
Keys to the game
A long-overdue first win of the season awaits one of these Region 4-A rivals. Ridge Spring-Monetta last week wrapped up one of Class A’s most difficult non-region schedules, during which the Trojans were outscored 216-48. The last of those was last week’s 71-0 loss to No. 1 Lewisville, which held the Trojans’ offense in check. Williston-Elko was also shut out last week, falling 62-0 to No. 3 Calhoun County. The Blue Devils haven’t been able to get much going in the run game so far this season, but there have been some bright spots throwing the football. The Trojans will have to be ready for a bounce-back performance defending the pass after Lewisville’s Ian Grissom threw for 326 yards and five touchdowns this week. The same can be said for Williston-Elko’s pass defense, which gave up 163 yards and a pair of scores on just five completions by Calhoun County. Look for both teams to catch their breath a little bit, get settled and then get working toward an all-important region win.
Swansea (0-4) at Midland Valley (5-0)
Last time they played
Midland Valley defeated Swansea 48-0 on Sept. 23, 2022.
Keys to the game
For Midland Valley, this is the final non-region tune-up with a bye next week and then the Mustangs’ 4-AAAA opener at Airport on Oct. 6. Midland Valley continues to pass every physical and mental test that comes up, and by now the Mustangs have proven they’re not getting caught up in the “best start in school history” mark they’ve continued to add to since reaching it two weeks ago. Region play is another animal altogether, of course, and this week could be a good opportunity to get some valuable second-half reps for some of the more inexperienced players on Midland Valley’s senior-heavy roster. Swansea gave up nearly 500 rushing yards last week against C.A. Johnson, including 397 and five scores on 23 carries by Caleb Pearson, which does not bode well for the Tigers against a Midland Valley offense that routinely racks up 300-plus yards on the ground.
Clinton (4-1) at South Aiken (0-5)
Last time they played
Clinton defeated South Aiken 54-28 on Sept. 23, 2022.
Keys to the game
This week is all about getting back to basics for a South Aiken team that got pushed around by White Knoll, which exploded for a 37-point second quarter last week in a 67-6 win. A few highlight clips from White Knoll players tell a lot about what went wrong for the T-Breds – defenders reaching out to grab ball carriers rather than wrapping them up for tackles and offensive linemen simply not getting enough of a push to give quarterback Terrence Smith and running back Jevon Edwards any room to operate. Those two things can’t happen if the T-Breds want to win football games, and this is their last chance to do that before region play begins next week with a trip to North Augusta. White Knoll’s DJ Dingle and Tiyon Fanning combined to rush for 172 yards and four touchdowns on only 19 carries, and Landon Sharpe went 13-for-18 passing for 227 yards and two scores. Class AAA No. 6 Clinton has a balanced, powerful offense, and the Red Devils may be playing a little angry after suffering their first loss of the season last week to Class AAA No. 5 Chapman when a last-second two-point conversion attempt fell incomplete.
