2025 Weekend of Champions Staff Picks

Some 17 weeks after the 2025 regular season kicked off with high hopes abound, we're down to the final 12 teams still alive for an SCHSL state championship.    The six games will take place Friday and Saturday at South Carolina State's Oliver C. Dawson Stadium in Orangeburg and will be broadcast around the state on these local stations.    <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>WACH.2 ROAR Columbia</li>   <li>WCIV MyTV Charleston</li>   <li>WWMB CW 21 Myrtle Beach</li>   <li>WMYA My40 Greenville-Spartanburg</li>   <li>WCCB CW Charlotte</li> </ul>   As far as what will happen once the games begin, the Prep RedZone South Carolina crew has some predictions. Below you'll find our staff pick for each game, as well as commentary backing up how we see it unfolding. Below the individual breakdowns, we'll even give you a look at which direction each individual member of the staff went with his respective picks.   Editor's Note: On three games, the six current members of the PRZ SC staff split their picks down the middle. To assist us, we called in Drew Wright - who spent the last two seasons with us before accepting an outside media position in November - to break the ties.   CLASS 3A   Belton-Honea Path (14-0) vs. Oceanside Collegiate (12-2)   When: 12:06 p.m. Friday   Staff pick: Oceanside Collegiate (3-3, Wright tiebreaker)   Why the Landsharks will win: "It's hard to argue against Oceanside Collegiate in this rematch from last year's title game with BHP. The Landsharks have one of the most explosive offenses in the state and are more than battle-tested. They lost to Irmo (Class 5A, Division II finalist) by seven points and they defeated Dutch Fork (Class 5A, Division I finalists). [player_tooltip player_id='1094944' first='Aiden' last='Manavian'] [player_tooltip player_id='1592182' first='Terence' last='Johnson'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1823853' first='Anthony' last='Williams'] will hoist the championship trophy for the third consecutive year." - Chris Dearing   CLASS A   Lamar (12-2) vs. Bamberg-Ehrhardt (14-0)   When: 4:06 p.m. Friday   Staff pick: Bamberg-Ehrhardt (3-3, Wright tiebreaker)   Why the Red Raiders will win: "We have a couple of teams that haven't been in the state finals in a few years but Brian McMillan gives Bamberg-Ehrhardt fans reason for plenty of hope on Friday. The junior has made the transition from wide receiver to quarterback a seamless one. He has thrown for 3,820 yards, rushed for an additional 853 and accounted for 66 total touchdowns. And just for good measure, he has five interceptions for a defense allowing just over seven points per game." - Chris Dearing   CLASS 5A, DIVISION II   Northwestern (12-1) vs. Irmo (12-1)   When: 7:36 p.m. Friday   Staff pick: Northwestern (5-1)   Why the Trojans will win: "It's the second straight state title appearance for Northwestern, led by first year starter [player_tooltip player_id='232624' first='Xavier' last='Means'] who is an effective dual threat quarterback (1179 yards rushing and 2686 yards passing). They have a workhorse in the backfield with [player_tooltip player_id='1823340' first='Nigel' last='Smith'] (1130 yards rushing) along with Shrine Bowl selection [player_tooltip player_id='1267334' first='Kameron' last='Vance'] (943 yards receiving and 11 touchdowns) that makes it a challenge for defenses to key in on an offense that averages 48.6 points per game. Linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='1149051' first='Kamerin' last='McFadden'] (70.5 total tackles), Texas A&M commit [player_tooltip player_id='1267200' first='Tamarion' last='Watkins'] (56.5 total tackles) and [player_tooltip player_id='1820778' first='Jeremiah' last='Cannon'] (47 total tackles) have led a defense that has seen talented offenses early in the year and in the playoffs. Outside of their September loss to South Pointe, this Trojans team has passed every test thrown their way, and they will make history with back-to-back titles for the first time in school history." - Brandon Stockdale   CLASS 4A   South Pointe (13-1) vs. South Florence (13-1)   When: 12:06 p.m. Saturday   Staff pick: South Pointe (5-1)   Why the Stallions will win: "After facing a challenging non-region slate with games against Charlotte powers Hough, West Charlotte and the annual cross-town rivalry matchup with Northwestern, South Pointe went to AC Flora and faced a 12-0 deficit and came back to win the game 35-12. And they haven't looked back since. [player_tooltip player_id='1819627' first='J'Zavien' last='Currence'] has been the do-it-all weapon for the Stallions (2764 yards passing, 24 touchdowns, 1497 yards rushing and 18 touchdowns along with 81 tackles on defense). The Stallions want to be physical and run the ball with [player_tooltip player_id='1165128' first='RJ' last='Brown'] who has 1025 yards rushing and 20 touchdowns. Combine that with a defense led by [player_tooltip player_id='1271263' first='KJ' last='Burg'] with 150 total tackles and 27 for a loss and [player_tooltip player_id='1594865' first='Brysen' last='Ginn'] with 93 tackles and 29 tackles for loss and a stout defensive front with guys like [player_tooltip player_id='284136' first='Miles' last='Wilson'] that has pitched five shutouts, including two in the playoffs, the Stallions will take home their first title since 2021." - Brandon Stockdale   CLASS 2A   Strom Thurmond (12-2) vs. Hampton County (11-3)   When: 4:06 p.m. Saturday   Staff pick: Hampton County (3-3, Wright Tiebreaker)   Why the Hurricanes will win: "State championship teams typically hang their hat on offensive balance, so it's tempting to dismiss Hampton County as kind of a one-trick pony. But hear us out: it's a heck of a trick. Led by [player_tooltip player_id='1165165' first='Jaylen' last='Singletary'] and his nearly 2,500-yard rushing season, the Hurricanes have rushed for more than 4,000 as a team, and have 5,000 yards of total offense. The Rebels are very, very good, but in their losses they've had a little trouble stopping the run. Hampton County has enough balance to keep a defense honest, and enough discipline in their power-run scheme to stay with the game plan." - Jed Blackwell   CLASS 5A, DIVISION I   Summerville (12-2) vs. Dutch Fork (11-1)   When: 7:36 p.m. Saturday   Staff pick: Dutch Fork (unanimous)   Why the Silver Foxes will win: "What's that old Ric Flair classic? To be the man, you've gotta beat the man? Well, Dutch Fork is the established champion, and to pick against them on this stage, we'd have to see it. [player_tooltip player_id='1823705' first='Jaxon' last='Knotts'] is proving the program is a year ahead of schedule at QB, and that still hasn't mattered. They've played two of the top defenses in the Upper State (and in general) in the past two playoff rounds, and have still found a way to come out on top. And while Summerville is the most explosive offense the Foxes will have played in a while, Dutch Fork thrives on creating defensive havoc up front with [player_tooltip player_id='1592529' first='Julian' last='Walker'] and [player_tooltip player_id='409882' first='Jaden' last='Wuerth'] and has cashed in. And at the end of the day, it's all about the intangibles - mindset, poise, and comfort within the situation. All of those signs point to Dutch Fork." - Jed Blackwell   INDIVIDUAL STAFF PICKS   <figure class="wp-block-table"><table class="has-fixed-layout"><tbody><tr><td></td><td>Jed Blackwell</td><td>Brandon Stockdale</td><td>Scott Keeler</td><td>Rixon Lane</td><td>Chris Dearing</td><td>Ian Guerin</td></tr><tr><td>Belton-Honea Path vs. Oceanside Collegiate</td><td>Belton-Honea Path</td><td>Belton-Honea Path</td><td>Belton-Honea Path</td><td>Oceanside Collegiate</td><td>Oceanside Collegiate</td><td>Oceanside Collegiate</td></tr><tr><td>Lamar vs. Bamberg-Ehrhardt</td><td>Lamar</td><td>Bamberg-Ehrhardt</td><td>Lamar</td><td>Lamar</td><td>Bamberg-Ehrhardt</td><td>Bamberg-Ehrhardt</td></tr><tr><td>Northwestern vs. Irmo</td><td>Northwestern</td><td>Northwestern</td><td>Northwestern</td><td>Irmo</td><td>Northwestern</td><td>Northwestern</td></tr><tr><td>South Pointe vs. South Florence</td><td>South Pointe</td><td>South Pointe</td><td>South Pointe</td><td>South Pointe</td><td>South Pointe</td><td>South Florence</td></tr><tr><td>Strom Thurmond vs. Hampton County</td><td>Hampton County</td><td>Strom Thurmond</td><td>Strom Thurmond</td><td>Strom Thurmond</td><td>Hampton County</td><td>Hampton County</td></tr><tr><td>Summerville vs. Dutch Fork</td><td>Duch Fork</td><td>Dutch Fork</td><td>Dutch Fork</td><td>Dutch Fork</td><td>Dutch Fork</td><td>Dutch Fork</td></tr></tbody></table></figure>

Some 17 weeks after the 2025 regular season kicked off with high hopes abound, we're down to the final 12 teams still alive for an SCHSL state championship.