Week 2 Preview: York & Lancaster Counties
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This weekend kicks off major Power 5 college football, but Friday night will provide some intriguing matchups on the high school gridiron involving York and Lancaster County teams that will give them a measuring stick of where they are so…
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Continue ReadingThis weekend kicks off major Power 5 college football, but Friday night will provide some intriguing matchups on the high school gridiron involving York and Lancaster County teams that will give them a measuring stick of where they are so far as we’ve got some Charlotte area schools going up against local teams.
Some teams are rolling as non-region play heats up and other teams could use a win to build their confidence. Here’s what you need to know:
Nation Ford (0-2) at No. 8 4A Catawba Ridge (2-0)
Carson Black Carson Black 6'3" | 190 lbs | QB Nation Ford | 2023 State SC has the arm to get it to his receivers, but his receivers will need to catch the football, if they’re going to have any chance against an active Catawba Ridge defense of Brody Teismale and Ira Mister. Expect the Falcons to lean heavily on Jeremiah Hailstock and Ben Wakefield Ben Wakefield 6'5" | 225 lbs | TE Nation Ford | 2024 State SC at tight end in the pass game.
For Catawba Ridge, they cracked this week’s statewide media Top 10 and you can expect them to run the ball heavily with Tyler Jones Tyler Jones 5'11" | 225 lbs | RB Catawba Ridge | 2023 State SC . It will be interesting to see if Tyler Fikis will take the majority of the snaps or if Nate Thomas will have a chance to see some action as the game progresses, like we saw in the season opener against Fort Mill.
Mallard Creek (1-1) at No. 1 4A South Pointe (2-0)
South Pointe has won so far in 2022 with an aggressive defense, led by DJ Barksdale II DJ Barksdale II 5'10" | 175 lbs | DB South Pointe | 2023 State SC and A.J. Miller, who has been wreaking havoc for opposing offenses. For the Stallions’ offense, everything starts with quarterback Malachi Marshall, who threw for 150+ yards in only two halves of football. Can Marshall continue to gel with Khyre Rawlinson Khyre Rawlinson 5'5" | 135 lbs | WR South Pointe | 2023 State SC and Demari Kendrick this week?
Mallard Creek has been a power since the second year of the school’s existence and Friday should be a good test for them. The timing and accuracy of quarterback Justin Wheeler will be key on Friday evening. Jaidan Lee and Tshokote Shosola are two guys you’ll want to keep your eye on as speedsters on the outside. Linebacker Michael Short is an ECU commit who will provide a challenge for the Stallion offense.
Clover (0-1) at No. 3 5A Hillcrest (1-0)
While Clover fell in last week’s opener against Northwestern, it built their confidence to let them know they can compete in a challenging non-region schedule, and it continues on the road with a tough trip down I-85 to the Upstate. Joe Boyd Joe Boyd 6'2" | 195 lbs | QB Clover | 2023 State SC is the straw that stirs the drink for the Blue Eagles, along with Dion Brown at receiver. Keep an eye on Cooper Zoehner on the defensive line.
Bennett Judy Bennett Judy 6'3" | 195 lbs | QB Hillcrest | 2023 State SC threw for a school record 456 yards in a rout over Greer last Friday night. His counterpart, Avery McFadden Avery McFadden 5'10" | 175 lbs | WR Hillcrest | 2024 State SC was essentially a cheat code with 241 yards and 3 touchdowns. That’ll be tough to defend. Richard Hollingsworth will be a guy to watch on the defensive line.
No. 10 4A Indian Land (2-0) at Palisades (Charlotte, NC) (1-1)
We asked Indian Land coach Adam Hastings after last week’s game against Timberland about Myles Stinson and his impact on both sides of the ball and you can expect that to continue on Friday. Jaxen Schiedt was a guy that we noticed is an effective game manager and won’t put his team in danger.
Palisades is a newer school in the Charlotte area that is trying to continue to grow in the young season.
Rock Hill (0-2) at Lancaster (1-1)
Things have gotten off to a rough start for the Bearcats as they were shut out in a shortened game against South Pointe due to the wet bulb humidity rule. Matthew Wilson Matthew Wilson 6'1" | 200 lbs | QB Rock Hill | 2024 State SC showed his ability to make plays on the run in the read option game. The question is who will step up around him at receiver? And can they make enough plays on defense?
Lancaster took a tough loss to Irmo last week where penalties proved costly. Whichever team can cut down on the mistakes will likely come out as the winner.
York (1-0) at Union County (1-0)
The Cougars made quick work of Nation Ford to kick off the 2022 season thanks to a healthy dose of the run game. We expect Javarus Gutherie and Ayden Davis Ayden Davis 6'0" | 170 lbs | QB York | 2024 State SC to play a huge role in that again this week. The defense was opportunistic as they forced five turnovers in the contest as well. That’s a recipe that will win you a lot of games.
They’ll have to take it on the road and win against a tough Union County team, who defeated Newberry 30-14 last week.
Brookland-Cayce (1-1) at No. 2 4A Northwestern (2-0)
Brookland-Cayce bounced back from a tough opening loss to Byrnes last week in their defeat of Airport, 31-20. Cayce features one of the top quarterbacks in our PRZ Rankings, Tanner Staton Tanner Staton 6'2" | 205 lbs | QB Brookland-Cayce | 2023 State SC . Naahzeikial Mays Naahzeikial Mays 5'9" | 175 lbs | RB Brookland-Cayce | 2023 State SC will line up at running back and wide receiver and they’ll need to be in sync against the Trojans.
Finley Polk Finley Polk 6'2" | 185 lbs | QB Northwestern | 2025 State SC has impressed in his first two starts and has managed the game well. Expect more Turbo Richard Turbo Richard 5'10" | 205 lbs | RB Northwestern | 2024 State SC in the run game, who made a game changing play against Clover to seal the game. This will also be a good test for the Trojans defense, particularly on the defensive line with a guy like Jeremiah McDowell.
BYE WEEK: Fort Mill