CSRA Week 9 Games to Watch

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It's a must-win Week 9 in the Central Savannah River Area.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>OK, so they're pretty much all must-wins once we get this far into October, with region races taking shape and every result shifting the playoff picture, but this week in particular is full on must-wins in the zone.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Region titles can become a step closer to being captured with a win. So, too, can a home playoff game, or even a playoff spot in general. Of course, the flip side of that is a loss can dash title hopes, or the prospects of opening the postseason at home, or of making it at all.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Needless to say, there's a lot we're keeping an eye on in the CSRA this week. Here's a quick peek at why.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>HUNTER-KINARD-TYLER (2-4, 1-0) AT BARNWELL (3-4, 0-1), THURSDAY</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Speaking of region title hopes, Hunter-Kinard-Tyler's are very much alive in the Region IV-A chase, while Barnwell needs to pick up a victory to keep from having to look up at everyone else in the league race. Hunter-Kinard-Tyler picked up a statement win over Calhoun County two weeks ago, then had last week off to rest up for the stretch run. The Trojans leaned on a couple of their usual suspects to post that victory, and we expect them both to be front and center this week. [player_tooltip player_id='1816586' first='Jermaine' last='Derricott II'] had 190 yards of total offense and a touchdown, and [player_tooltip player_id='1811059' first='De'Nyrion' last='Cave'] had 11 tackles (four for loss), three QB hurries and 1.5 sacks from the heart of the defensive line. Speaking of usual suspects, Hunter-Kinard-Tyler knows it will have its hands full with Barnwell's [player_tooltip player_id='1822357' first='Torye' last='Pickens'] from start to finish. Pickens ran for 136 yards and a touchdown in last week's loss to Wagener-Salley, and for the season he's up to 740 yards and six scores on the ground. <strong>Josiah Gibson</strong> passed for 135 yards last week but was also picked off three times, so he and the Warhorses will have to take better care of the football in this one. A player carrying momentum into this one is Barnwell's <strong>Zavion Snelling</strong> following a breakout performance last week with four catches for 87 yards and nine total tackles on defense.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>SOUTH AIKEN (5-2, 1-1) AT NORTH AUGUSTA (6-1, 2-0)</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There are still landmines lurking in Region V-4A, and North Augusta is too much of a been-there, done-that kind of program to get too high on itself, but the Yellow Jackets are in a good spot alone atop the region after out-slugging Irmo a couple of weeks ago. North Augusta can put itself in a great spot with a win here. Ditto for South Aiken, which can put itself back in the region title picture if it can knock off its longtime county rival for the first time since 2021, which is also when the T-Breds last wore a region crown. The defense is always the focal point for North Augusta, and that won't change this week. The Jackets haven't allowed more than 21 points in a game this season, and against Irmo they sent waves of defenders, from [player_tooltip player_id='1536398' first='Simeon' last='Jones'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1839899' first='Dez' last='Davis'] up front, to [player_tooltip player_id='1811107' first='Javon' last='Ryans'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1827476' first='Jordan' last='Scott'] at linebacker, and from [player_tooltip player_id='2209663' first='Dallas' last='Williams'] to [player_tooltip player_id='1827482' first='Deante' last='Darden'] in the secondary. That group will now turn its attention to a South Aiken offense that has gotten much more dynamic since adding multi-time All-State running back [player_tooltip player_id='1654810' first='Drelyn' last='Brown'] (pictured), who has 667 yards and 10 touchdowns on 85 carries. That has taken plenty of pressure off of quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1704301' first='Tommy' last='Burns'] (819 yards, 11 touchdowns, five interceptions) as has the emergence of <strong>Blake Goodman</strong> alongside [player_tooltip player_id='1036785' first='Kyson' last='McLeod'] at wide receiver. The T-Breds faced a stiff test defensively in last week's loss to Irmo, and they know things don't get any easier this week.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>IRMO (4-3, 1-1) AT MIDLAND VALLEY (4-3, 1-1)</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Another week, another huge offensive performance for Midland Valley. The Mustangs racked up 496 yards of total offense on only 29 plays in last week's win over Fox Creek, and after scoring 55 points they're now averaging 43.4 per night. As such, Irmo knows it will have to contend with quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='644030' first='Xavier' last='Geter'] (1,732 passing yards and 18 touchdowns, 606 rushing yards and 12 more scores), running back [player_tooltip player_id='1615063' first='Preston' last='Smith'] (769 rushing yards and nine touchdowns) and receivers like [player_tooltip player_id='1010338' first='Cameron' last='Gleaton'] (542 yards, six touchdowns), [player_tooltip player_id='1821370' first='Kaleb' last='Hester'] (422 yards, four touchdowns), [player_tooltip player_id='1825509' first='Lyric' last='Robinson'] (239 yards, two touchdowns) and more. The flip side of that, though, is that Midland Valley gave up 31 points to Fox Creek and has allowed 30 or more points in six of seven games played to this point. Alabama commit [player_tooltip player_id='1675598' first='Tai' last='Phillips'] is out for the rest of the season due to injury, but Irmo still has no shortage of talent and productivity on offense. [player_tooltip player_id='1856841' first='Britton' last='Davis'] is a true dual threat at quarterback, and he has plenty of reason to believe his defense will get stops to put the ball back in his hands. [player_tooltip player_id='1172366' first='Tyrone' last='Jennings'] has six sacks, [player_tooltip player_id='755914' first='Jaiden' last='Bryant'] and <strong>Teddy Waymyers</strong> each have five, and [player_tooltip player_id='1604012' first='Jamar' last='Grissett'] has a couple of interceptions. They'll look to add to those totals in this one as the Jackets look to bolster their postseason outlook.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>AIKEN (4-3, 1-1) AT FOX CREEK (1-6, 0-2)</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Four of the six teams in Region V-4A sit at 1-1. One is guaranteed to be 1-2 by the end of the Friday night, and the others don't want to fall into that same boat. As such, this is very much a must-win for Aiken, and it was already a must-win for Fox Creek. The Predators, newcomers to Class 4A, have been outscored 90-31 in their two losses, but if nothing else last week they got to see what it looks like when some things go right. [player_tooltip player_id='1818518' first='Julian' last='Abro'] threw for a couple of touchdowns, [player_tooltip player_id='1824044' first='Bryson' last='Crawford'] (187 yards and a touchdown) had yet another productive night running the football, <strong>Armani Jones</strong> made a toe-tapping touchdown in the back of the end zone, [player_tooltip player_id='1818523' first='Blake' last='Wiggins'] scored on a blocked punt, and the Predators were very much in the game until the later stages of the third quarter. They'll have to be ready to exceed that against a rested Aiken team coming off a bye week. [player_tooltip player_id='1820316' first='Tanner' last='Padgett'] is a completion or two away from 1,500 yards for the season, and the receiver trio of [player_tooltip player_id='1614255' first='Allen' last='Cummings'] (372 yards, two touchdowns), [player_tooltip player_id='1840740' first='Stephan' last='Pope'] (493 yards, three touchdowns) and [player_tooltip player_id='1840715' first='Tarrant' last='McKenzie'] (440 yards, six touchdowns) should give the Fox Creek secondary its money's worth. Add in touchdown machine [player_tooltip player_id='1530765' first='Darius' last='Walker'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1840730' first='Michael' last='Francis'] at running back, and the Aiken offense should feel good about its chances. Tackle-for-loss kings [player_tooltip player_id='1840755' first='Malik' last='Cuyler'] (16), [player_tooltip player_id='1467819' first='Brandon' last='Poston'] (14) and [player_tooltip player_id='1840750' first='Jayden' last='Merriweather'] (13) are all having productive seasons, and they're all chasing sophomore linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='2424147' first='Zi'Yon' last='East'] (17) in that stat category.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>EDISTO (1-6, 1-1) AT DENMARK-OLAR (4-3, 1-1), SATURDAY</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This is a big matchup to remain in the top half of the Region VI-A race, which is currently led by Bamberg-Ehrhardt and Scott's Branch at 2-0 with Branchville and Bethune-Bowman tied at 0-2. That leaves Edisto and Denmark-Olar right in the middle, and both come into this week feeling a different way about how they got here. Edisto picked up its first win of the season last week over Branchville, while Denmark-Olar fell to Scott's Branch. Edisto should expect a steady diet of [player_tooltip player_id='1824848' first='Nyheem' last='Brimfield'] on both sides of the ball. Denmark-Olar's junior quarterback has 543 yards rushing and seven touchdowns, and from his linebacker position he has a whopping 27 tackles for loss and six sacks. [player_tooltip player_id='1817630' first='Travine' last='Felder'] (263 yards, five touchdowns) and <strong>Jamari McMillan</strong> (390 yards, six touchdowns) are also credible threats to run the football, and the duo of [player_tooltip player_id='1821778' first='Dilan' last='Hammonds'] (18 tackles for loss, 11 sacks) and [player_tooltip player_id='1817626' first='Cornelius' last='Hammond'] (11 tackles for loss, two sacks) are a handful on defense. Edisto's [player_tooltip player_id='1825243' first='Jorden' last='Lee'] has the potential to be a matchup nightmare at both wide receiver and outside linebacker with a long 6-foot-1, 176-pound frame, and he has good help at both spots in the form of [player_tooltip player_id='1820279' first='Ryder' last='Bingham'] at linebacker and <strong>Carson Shuler</strong> at receiver, and <strong>Ahmari Felder</strong> can make things happen from any spot on the defensive line, at middle linebacker and even at tight end.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->