It’s hard to believe we are already on the cusp of the high school football playoffs. The regular season seems to have breezed by in record time, bringing us to the final week of the regular season.
The Week 9 slate continued to separate the contenders from the pack, as Beaufort High took charge in Region 7-4A, May River and Wade Hampton kept rolling toward their region title showdown this week, and Hilton Head Christian Academy and Hilton Head Prep held serve to ensure their cross-island clash will have region title implications.
We learned more about who has the potential to play deep into November, and who is gasping for air in the playoff picture.
Here are Five Things I Think I Know presented by Coligny after Week 9:
• Nobody wants to play Beaufort High right now.
Actually, some people probably *think* they want to play the Eagles, but they are mistaken. The Beaufort team that has won its last three games is not the same one that started 0-5 — and even that 0-5 start is misleading because of the quality of competition the Eagles faced. The way this team is playing right now — gashing people on the ground with the option attack and playing tough defense — the Eagles are built for playoff football and will be a tough out.
• (Almost) anything can still happen in Region 7-4A.
With the exception of Bluffton earning the No. 1 seed, every other possible seeding scenario is still on the table in the four-team Region 7-4A, as near as I can tell. Beaufort is the only team in total control, as the Eagles can win the region outright with a win at Colleton County, but the Cougars can still earn a share of the region title with a win, as can Hilton Head High with a win and a Beaufort loss, and if we end up with a three-way tie, we’ll have to call in the mathematicians to sort out the seeding. Keep an eye on our live scoreboard powered by Scorestream on Friday night to see how it all shakes out.
• May River is mad.
Wake up call received. The Sharks bounced back from their first regular season loss since 2017 to absolutely dominate an improving Battery Creek team on Friday. The consensus around May River’s program seemed to be that a non-region loss to Beaufort High wasn’t necessarily a bad thing in the big picture, but the Sharks clearly were pretty salty about missing out on a second consecutive perfect regular season, because they showed a renewed focus. Ahmad Green was as impressive as ever, and Donovan Ling has emerged as the team’s most consistent running back, especially with Melik Frost jumping over to help cover a couple of key injuries on defense. If the Sharks carry that same chip on their shoulder Friday against Wade Hampton, they’ll be tough to beat.
• The cross-island clash is going to be a blast.
Hilton Head Christian Academy has been rolling all year long, and now Hilton Head Prep is hitting its stride, setting up an exciting clash with the region title on the line. The Dolphins stunned the Eagles last year and shook up the playoff seeding, so HHCA will be on high alert to avoid another upset. You’ll have two outstanding senior quarterbacks going head-to-head with HHCA’s Hayden Shinn and HHP’s Stone McDonald, and with so much on the line in a rivalry game, both teams will leave it all on the field.
• We are blessed with some special football coaches around here.
I say this with 100 percent certainty — I would be thrilled for my son to play for any one of the 12 varsity high school football coaches in Beaufort and Jasper counties. I truly believe every one of them is dedicated to developing not just football players, but young men who are positive contributors to society. That’s why you will never find me advocating for schools to make a coaching change based on wins and losses. Anyone reading this obviously cares deeply about high school sports, and everyone prefers winning to losing, but there are a lot more important things for coaches to focus on, and most (if not all) of this area’s coaches have their priorities in order. Even if their seasons end Friday, they’ll still be involved in their players’ lives on Monday. And that’s something we shouldn’t take for granted.