Week 2 Catawba River Region Games To Watch

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The non-region schedule rolls on as Week 2 features some intriguing matchup with two early rivalry showdowns after teams picked up impressive wins last week. A Lowcountry team will make the long trip to the Catawba River Region to play a team that made some serious noise with a huge road win. Two teams will compete in a Saturday contest that will draw some eyes across the state as one looks to bounce back and the other looks to build momentum.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Let's jump into the four matchups you'll want to keep your eye on:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>ASHLEY RIDGE (0-1) AT ROCK HILL (1-0)</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Bearcats open the 2026 home schedule with a Swamp Foxes team that is coming off a 48-21 loss last week to Westside. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1036782' first='Jagger' last='Spivey'] </strong>and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1819721' first='Josiah' last='Mitchell'] </strong>are two leaders at receiver. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1819720' first='Mario' last='Pringle'] </strong>is the guy to watch on defense as he can quickly disrupt what an offense wants to do and attack the line of scrimmage when the ball is snapped along with <strong>TJ Aiken </strong>at the linebacker spots.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>How does Rock Hill handle success after coming off <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/08/rock-hills-defense-comes-up-clutch-in-opening-win-over-irmo/">an impressive 24-21 win against Irmo last week</a>? The Bearcats had a stifling defense with the play of <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1615102' first='Jay'Sean' last='Culp'] </strong>and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1818158' first='Tristan' last='Nelson'] </strong>and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1809198' first='Jasiah' last='Lewis'] </strong>on the defensive line. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1823452' first='Donovan' last='Franklin'] </strong>had a key interception last week to seal the win in the fourth quarter. The offense was efficient as <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1816896' first='Jonah' last='Young'] </strong>(pictured above) threw two touchdowns, one to <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1818213' first='Devan' last='Erby']</strong> who ran hard throughout the night and the other to <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1822769' first='Jalen' last='Culp']</strong> who is a speedster on the outside. Keep an eye on <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1816894' first='Myles' last='Brooks'] </strong>and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1088328' first='Nigel' last='Lightner'] </strong>as well on both sides of the ball.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>CATAWBA RIDGE (1-0) AT FORT MILL (1-0)</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The first leg of the Fort Mill rivalry in 2026 will take place at Bob Jones Stadium on Friday night, with both teams still looking to find their footing after opening the season with wins last week. The Yellow Jackets have <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1266099' first='Broden' last='Mitcheson'] </strong>in the backfield, who had a 70-yard touchdown reception out of the backfield in a 28-7 win over Clover. How will <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2075873' first='Harper' last='Love'] </strong>handle his second start? Love will have weapons around him, including receiver <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1820446' first='Jameson' last='Terrell']</strong>, who caught a touchdown last week. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1816378' first='Terrell' last='Robinson']</strong> is a threat in the slot as well. The Jackets will have to deal with defensive linemen <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1603727' first='Alex' last='Johnson']</strong> who is tough to block at the point of attack. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1821552' first='Will' last='Gambrill'] </strong>looked solid in his first full start, tossing two touchdowns to <strong>Landon McCauley </strong>in the Copperheads' 28-6 win over Blythewood last week. His brother <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1603804' first='Colten' last='McCauley'] </strong>will be a guy to watch as well. We expect <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1647568' first='Boston' last='Halpin'] </strong>will get another healthy dose of action this week after carrying the ball 21 times for 47 yards in last week's win.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>YORK (1-0) AT LANCASTER (1-0)</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of the oldest rivalries in the state will write another chapter on Friday night. York shut out Westwood 26-0 to open the 2026 season. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='379090' first='Ryan' last='Brochu'] </strong>will get his second start at quarterback for the Cougars and will likely look to <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1881803' first='Ta'Mir' last='Thrower'] </strong>at receiver who is their deep threat. Keep an eye on <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1818071' first='Imon' last='Mitchell'] </strong>at running back. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1824661' first='TJ' last='Bratton'] </strong>will be big at the H-back spot with his size and ability to create matchup problems. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1819733' first='Jah'Maud' last='Moore'] </strong>is a sure tackler at the linebacker spot for the Cougars. We'll also be interested to watch <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1819735' first='Bennet' last='Reeder'] </strong>at defensive back and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1822268' first='Xavier' last='McCoy'] </strong>on the defensive line. Lancaster got things off to an impressive start as well with a 49-21 win over Chester and will be looking to build on it with the play of quarterback <strong>Zy'Quarius Clinton </strong>who connected with <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1817498' first='Jamarrion' last='Patton'] </strong>for a 47-yard touchdown reception. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1876769' first='Shakeem' last='Witherspoon'] </strong>is a threat in the quick passing game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>NORTHWESTERN (0-1, No. 2 Class 5A) VS. INDIAN LAND (1-0, No. 2 Class 4A)</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>NOTE: Game will be a 4pm kickoff on Saturday at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte – purchase tickets </em></strong><a href="https://www.ticketmaster.com/event/2D00646DC129488C?utm_source=landing_page&amp;utm_medium=web&amp;utm_campaign=stadium-keeppoundingclassic-2026&amp;_gl=1*e6xrkt*_gcl_au*NDA4NTM4MTcyLjE3ODcxMDMyMzk.*_ga*NjYzMzQ2MzA3LjE3ODcxMDMyMzk.*_ga_NWGQCL21T0*czE3ODcxMDMyMzgkbzEkZzAkdDE3ODcxMDMyMzgkajYwJGwwJGgw&amp;_ga=2.114499524.219550472.1787103239-663346307.1787103239&amp;persistUserId=tm57b03ae6d369e185"><strong><em>here</em></strong></a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Keep Pounding High School Classic on Saturday in Charlotte will feature two Catawba River Region teams that are loaded with talent on both sides of the ball. For Northwestern, they are coming off a tough 15-10 loss to open the 2026 season against Hough in a game where the offensive line allowed 11 sacks. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='232624' first='Xavier' last='Means'] </strong>had the Trojans' lone touchdown on a 75-yard run in the first quarter. Building cohesion with guys like <strong>James Aghenebit</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1820781' first='Beau' last='Chumley'] </strong>will be key. The Trojans' defense kept them in the game as <strong>Alex Hingle </strong>forced a fumble and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1301735' first='Dash' last='Holley'] </strong>blocked a kick to go along with five total tackles. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1271263' first='KJ' last='Burg'] </strong>made his presence felt with six total tackles and one pass breakup. <strong>Khalil Williamson </strong>also made his presence felt on special teams with a blocked kick. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1823343' first='Malik' last='Darby'] </strong>had five tackles and a fumble recovery as the Trojans front seven was active.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Warriors are coming off a 49-0 win over Harding at home. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1467825' first='Matt' last='Kucia'] </strong>went 15-for-20 for 229 yards and five touchdowns. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1822507' first='Kenneth' last='Wilson'] </strong>was the lead receiver with five receptions for 65 yards and two of Kucia's passing touchdowns. Guys to watch at the receiver position include <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1819399' first='Isaiah' last='Thomas'] </strong>(2 receptions, 50 yards and a touchdown), <strong>Marty Conner </strong>(3 receptions, 46 yards and a touchdown) and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2044503' first='Maxwell' last='Curry'] </strong>(4 receptions, 43 yards and a touchdown).</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->