Another week of the high school football season is in the rearview mirror, and while there weren’t any terribly surprising outcomes, a few of the scores were eyebrow-raising.
Thomas Heyward had an easier time with Pee Dee Academy than one might have expected (winning 42-23), May River took longer to pull away than usual in a 31-6 win over Colleton County, Hilton Head High and Hilton Head Christian both won big in games that were expected to be closer, and Hilton Head Prep gave Orangeburg Prep all it wanted — third-string quarterback and all.
We still have a long way to go until the playoffs, but things are starting to come into focus. Here are Five Things I Think I Know after Week 4:
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1. Thomas Heyward is ripe to repeat. The Rebels might face tougher opponents than Pee Dee Academy this season, but not many, and they dominated the Eagles on Friday. THA’s offensive line blew the Eagles off the ball in the first half, and both JR Patterson and John Clark Tilton were hitting the hole hard. Peyton Bennett has proven to be much more than just a game manager at quarterback and has a bevy of talented receivers. The Rebels have a bit of work to do to sure some things up on defense, but the talent is there to keep rolling all the way to a second straight SCISA 1A title.
2. May River’s schedule might hurt in the playoffs. It’s easy to understand how it happened, but the lack of strength in the Sharks’ schedule — both the region and non-region slates — could come back to haunt May River in the postseason. When you’re in the middle of your program’s second-ever season, and you’re getting your doors beat off every Friday, it’s hard to gauge the optimal schedule to play in years 3 and 4.
3. Beaufort High and Bluffton’s schedules might help in the playoffs. The records don’t look pretty for the Eagles and Bobcats, but they’ve faced the kind of top-level competition that will benefit them in region play and beyond. But it might get worse before it gets better, because the Bobcats host Class 5A No. 7 Sumter and the Eagles welcome a tough Blythewood team on Friday.
4. The cross-island clash is going to be fun. Even though it’s still six weeks away, it’s not too early to get excited about Hilton Head Christian Academy hosting Hilton Head Prep on Nov. 1. The Eagles have a high-flying offense that is putting up big numbers, while the Dolphins’ defense has been pretty stout. HHCA is clearly ahead of HHP at this point, but if Dolphins’ quarterback Stone McDonald returns from injury, it will close the gap a good bit. And when rivals get together, anything can happen.
5. The Region 7-4A champion will be … Hahahaha, just kidding. I won’t even pretend to think I know what’s going to happen in that region. Bluffton and Hilton Head High have shown signs of brilliance, but also inconsistency, Beaufort High has played a brutal schedule, and Colleton County has plenty of talent but hasn’t been able to produce results yet. This race seems just as wide-open as it did in early-August.