Week 7 Preview: York and Lancaster Counties

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The high school football regular season is halfway over as region play is in full swing. This week, there's a wide assortment a matchups that feature dynamic receivers who are trying to aid their teams to a .500 record, two teams who will try to run the ball on each other and a matchup with combined records of 1-11 who desperately need a win.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>York (4-2 overall, 0-1 region) at Catawba Ridge (6-0 overall, 1-0 region)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In the two losses for York, they haven't finished the game well but they've been in every game. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='208367' first='Ayden' last='Davis'] </strong>and <strong>Javarus Gutherie </strong>are two key components for the Cougars run first offense. On defense, keep an eye on <strong>Jonathan Tobias </strong>and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='998716' first='Dalton' last='Russell'], </strong>who had an interception last week.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Catawba Ridge is on a roll following an upset win over South Pointe. <strong>Tyler Fikis </strong>is one of the more talented quarterbacks in the area, and he can sling the ball around in the quick passing game. But <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='262619' first='Tyler' last='Jones'] </strong>may be the straw that stirs the drink with his power running game. <strong>Jordan Gilliam </strong>had the game winning interception and <strong>Sheldon Crawford </strong>is one to watch on the defensive front that will look to get after Davis.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Clover (3-3 overall, 1-0 region) at Spring Valley (3-3 overall, 1-0 region)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This is an important region contest because the winner not only gets to a .500 record, but more importantly, they get off to a 2-0 start in the region. For Clover, <strong>Jaylon Hoover </strong>and <strong>Dion Brown </strong>have been a dynamic duo. Be careful not to get too tied up with them because <strong>DeMarco Evans </strong>can hurt you in the run game. <strong>Cooper Zohner </strong>will look to be in the backfield often against a run heavy offense for Spring Valley.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>You can expect <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='146359' first='Evan' last='Javis'] </strong>to have an impact on both sides of the ball for Spring Valley and we'll have to see who can step up at quarterback.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Fort Mill (0-6 overall, 0-1 region) at Rock Hill (1-5 overall, 0-1 region)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Both teams have struggled in 2022, but one team is going to walk away with a win on Friday night. Rock Hill has talent, especially offensively with <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='139293' first='Matthew' last='Wilson'] </strong>and <strong>Brandon Watson </strong>in the run game. Can they find a consistent downfield threat with <strong>Demaryion Pichardo </strong>and <strong>Jamond Carothers?&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Fort Mill has been shut out in the last two games against Blythewood and York. Can they find any rhythm with <strong>Isaiah Haynes </strong>and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='421255' first='Jason' last='Moran']? </strong>And can they get a stop with the aid of <strong>TJ Vanstocken </strong>and <strong>Braylon Thomas?</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Northwestern (5-1 overall, 1-0 region) at Indian Land (5-1 overall, 1-0 region)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Northwestern bounced back in a big way with a 58-16 win over Lancaster. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='241044' first='Finley' last='Polk'], </strong>who was one of our players that we highlighted in our Midseason Film Review, is shining as a young sophomore. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='265222' first='Turbo' last='Richard'] </strong>ran for 210 yards and colleges are continuing to take note. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='146372' first='Elijah' last='Caldwell'] </strong>had 6 catches for 108 yards and 2 TDs and he will be tough to defend.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><a href="https://prepredzone.com/2022/09/what-we-saw-indian-land-surges-late-to-defeat-york/">Indian Land won a tight one last week against York in a total team effort.</a> <strong>Myles Stinson </strong>and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='340396' first='Jaxon' last='Scheidt'] </strong>are legit run threats while <strong>Wilkenson Mondisor </strong>can make tackles in the holes. Can they milk the clock and keep the ball out of the explosive Northwestern offense? Whichever team can make tackles will likely come out as the winner in this one.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>South Pointe (4-2 overall, 0-1 region) at Lancaster (3-3 overall, 0-1 region)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This is a must win for the Stallions on Friday night if they want to keep their hopes of winning the region. Coming in losers of two straight, the Stallions scored just 7 points on offense last week in a loss to Catawba Ridge. Can <strong>Malachi Marshall,</strong> <strong>Demari Kendrick</strong> and<strong> Caleb Sims </strong>help kick start the offense?&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Look for Lancaster to run the ball early and often with <strong>Mikel McCollum, </strong>who ran for 157 yards and two touchdowns last week in a loss to Northwestern along with <strong>Jaron Stevenson. </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Blythewood (4-2 overall, 1-0 region at Nation Ford (1-5 overall, 0-1 region)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Blythewood blanked Fort Mill last week and <strong>Edward Robinson </strong>and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1157756' first='Zarion' last='Williams'] </strong>are part of the reason why, but we'll see what they can do against the trio <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='91150' first='Carson' last='Black'], [player_tooltip player_id='1575429' first='Josh' last='Ameo'] </strong>and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='154863' first='Jeremiah' last='Hailstock'] </strong>this week.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Bengals will look to be balanced in the run and pass offensively with <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='440461' first='Harrison' last='Collins'], Josh Gary </strong>and <strong>Kinson Holland.</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->