We made it. High school football season is here again. While we had hoped for a more normal season, whatever that means these days, it looks like we’re in store for another fall of waiting for the other shoe to drop, and two of the nine games originally on the Week Zero slate in the Lowco have already been wiped off the board by COVID-19 quarantines.
Nonetheless, we have seven games on the local schedule tonight, including our first Lowco-on-Lowco matchup of the season in the Sea Pines matinee, a border battle that will air live as the WSAV Blitz Game of the Week, and a number of intriguing non-region tests.
We can’t be everywhere at once, so if you’re out at a game and feel so inclined, please drop score updates (and scoring plays, if you’re up to it) in the ScoreStream app. It will help all the Lowco football fanatics keep up with the action and help us when we sit down at the end of a long night to recap every local game.
Kickoff awaits — at last — so here’s your LowcoSports Week Zero primer.
John Paul II at Hilton Head Prep, 5 p.m.
There’s nothing better than a fun Lowco-on-Lowco battle, and we’ll have a very intriguing one in the opening week of the season in Sea Pines. It will be a clash of familiar rivals, but both Hilton Head Prep and John Paul II will debut new faces at quarterback.
For the second straight year at HHP, a senior will take over for his first full season under center. Tristan Bonomo replaces Harrison Green and will look to make use of his stellar mobility while serving as an effective game manager. He’ll have a new complement of weapons as well. The Dolphins lost their two star-studded playmakers in Tommy Stauffer and Carson King, but the latter’s replacement might be even better. Transfer Jake Rodney-Brown has shined as a versatile athlete at the Marist School in Atlanta, and the senior transfer should be a prominent component of this year’s offense alongside a quick and athletic Loncelle Daley. It could be a difficult task for the Golden Warriors to find an answer on defense after losing reliable lineman Hayden Jennings and linebacker Austin McIntosh, but Michael Carbone will have an opportunity to impress and become a leader of the young unit.
John Paul II will also look a lot different on offense, as Chris Myers prepares to start sophomore Christian Tilton at quarterback. He learned the offense behind the talented Jeremiah Young in 2020 and has the potential to pick up right where last year’s star left off. The Golden Warriors will have a speedy backfield this season, as junior Jackson Ogden will be joined by Tony Hill, who should provide some explosiveness and open up several possibilities in the playbook. Tilton will look to get the ball in the hands of athletic senior Mark Knight to help ignite a talented option offense that should be able to consistently move the chains.
The Dolphins should provide a challenge on the defensive side with the dangerous Rodney-Brown at linebacker and Daley lurking at defensive end. The secondary has the potential to take a big step up this season with the additions of transfers AJ Barger and Sean Graham, but there are several questions of depth and talent on the line.
We’ll learn a lot from both teams on Friday night, and we wouldn’t be surprised to see it come down to the wire just like last year. It’s a non-region game between two region opponents, but both squads would love to kickstart their season with a big victory over a Lowco rival. — Wes Kerr
PREDICTION
Justin Jarrett: John Paul II 27, Hilton Head Prep 21
Wes Kerr: Hilton Head Prep 35, John Paul II 28
Richmond Hill at Beaufort, 7:30 p.m.
The atmosphere should be electric at Beaufort High on Friday night as the Eagles welcome a solid Richmond Hill squad for the WSAV Blitz Game of the Week.
It’s great to have interstate contests back this season, and this one has the potential to be a classic. Senior quarterback Tyler Haley will lead a high-powered Beaufort offense that will be difficult to stop for any opposition in 2021. Kacy Fields and McCleod Reichel have developed into a pair of reliable wideouts and will be the focal points of the passing game after losing deep threat Marcus Goodwater. The dynamic passing attack is complemented by senior running back Amariee Morris who will look to get solid blocking from an offensive line with a tough test against stellar Wildcat defensive end Zach McGowan.
But the vast majority of Richmond Hill’s starters on defense last year have graduated, opening the door for Beaufort’s offense to dominate against an inexperienced group. Wildcat signal-caller Ty Goldrick will provide a challenge for Beaufort’s star-studded defensive line led by the beastly Eamon Smalls. Goldrick doesn’t have the best mobility, so putting pressure on a strong offensive line anchored by Alex Workman and Christian Hubbard could make it difficult for the new Richmond Hill starter. This should be a fantastic season opener, and an opportunity for the Eagles to cement themselves in the top tier in Class 4A. — Wes Kerr
PREDICTION
JJ: Beaufort 31, Richmond Hill 27
WK: Beaufort 35, Richmond Hill 30
Orangeburg-Wilkinson at May River, 7:30 p.m.
After tragedy struck at Orangeburg-Wilkinson in the form of three students being injured in a drive-by shooting at the school earlier this week, the Sharks will open at home following a change of venue for Friday’s non-region matchup.
May River is likely to be met by an emotional and motivated Bruins squad that has enough talent to make things difficult for a Sharks team looking to fill some key holes on both sides of the ball. Quarterback Garvin Douglas takes the reins of an offense that has been helmed by the dynamic Ahmad Green for the past four years, and the Sharks have to replace hard-hitting linebacker Eli Hall on defense, as well as a number of outstanding offensive linemen lost to graduation.
The Bruins are coming off a solid 5-2 campaign in which their only defeats came against quality opponents in Gilbert and Brookland-Cayce, and they’re entering their fourth season under coach Kevin Crosby, who previously had success at Bamberg-Ehrhardt. O-W boasts good size on the defensive front, including tackles Ricardo Sprinkle and Shikeith Gates, and the Bruins have plenty of speed on offense, including quarterback Maurice Livingston and receivers Donovan Chapple and Jordon Perry, as well as a solid back in Joqwan Guinyard.
May River has a pair of outstanding running backs returning with Cam Scott and Jaiden Jones, who will be joined in the backfield by Battery Creek transfer Jaeon Allen, so the Sharks hope they can make the most of the running room provided by an offensive line that is inexperienced and undersized but technically sound.
The Sharks have experienced playmakers at every level of the defense with DL Caleb Tkaczyk, LB Kade Carpenter, and DB Darrion Perry, but they graduated a ton of talent on that side of the ball and will need to cultivate more depth early in the season. If the defensive unit and the offensive line can pass this test, it will be a great sign that May River is prepared to maintain its presence near the top of Region 7-4A. — Justin Jarrett
PREDICTION
JJ: Orangeburg-Wilkinson 27, May River 21
WK: May River 30, Orangeburg-Wilkinson 24
Estill at Ridgeland-Hardeeville, 7:30 p.m.
For the first time since 2019, the Jaguars are on the prowl. The Rodney Barr era begins with a rivalry game against Estill at Hardeeville’s Richard Gray Stadium, where the Jaguars will play their season opener before moving to Hardeeville-Ridgeland Middle School for the remainder of their home games while their new stadium project is completed.
It figures to be a difficult debut season for Barr, who inherits a program light on experience and depth after sitting out last season amid the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. With that said, the Gators also have faced a difficult stretch in recent years, including a 1-5 campaign a year ago in which they were shut out three times.
Ridgeland-Hardeeville has enough playmakers on both sides of the ball to make things difficult for Estill, and with both teams hurt by dwindling numbers on the roster, neither should gain a big edge late in the game as fatigue sets in. Hamid Brown and Maurice Brown are impressive athletes who can generate big plays on offense, and the Jaguars have plenty of talented, if untested, players ready to contribute on defense.
Getting off to a quick start and avoiding turnovers will be key to taking control of the game and getting the Rodney Barr era started on a winning note. — Justin Jarrett
PREDICTION
JJ: Ridgeland-Hardeeville 16, Estill 14
WK: Ridgeland-Hardeeville 24, Estill 14
Bluffton at South Florence, 7:30 p.m.
After an abbreviated winless campaign a year ago, the Bluffton Bobcats are eager to get back on the field and show off a talented array of players at the skill positions as they seek to return to the playoff picture in a crowded Region 7-4A, and it begins with a tough road test at South Florence on Friday.
The Bruins haven’t had a winning season since 2014 and are coming off a 2-6 campaign, but they do boast an outstanding quarterback in Virginia commit LaNorris Sellers, the Florence Morning News Preseason Player of the Year who passed for 1,042 yards and seven TDs and rushed for 374 yards and 10 scores a year ago. What they don’t have is a proven offensive line, so the Bobcats hope defensive end DJ Aiken and the rest of the front seven can wreak havoc in the backfield and contain the Bruins’ playmakers, including Simmons and track star Tyae McWhite, the state champion in the 110-meter hurdles this spring.
The teams hooked up in a 7-on-7 matchup this summer and South Florence edged Bluffton by a touchdown, but Bobcats coach John Houpt feels his young team has made big strides since then. The Bobcats hope to use their speed and size at wide receiver — most notably standout Jaylin Linder and speedster Camaurion Simmons — to create mismatches and exploit some holes in the Bruins’ defense.
It’s a good non-region measuring stick for the Bobcats, who would like nothing more to earn their first win since 2019 and get this bounce-back season off to a strong start. — Justin Jarrett
PREDICTION
JJ: South Florence 28, Bluffton 20
WK: South Florence 30, Bluffton 16
Hilton Head Christian at The King’s Academy, 7:30 p.m.
The defending SCISA 2A champions will open their title defense on the road Friday night, but the makeup of the group that takes the field against The King’s Academy will look a little different.
With do-it-all star JP Peduzzi lost to graduation, it will be up to the Eagles’ sensational senior quarterback Jace Blackshear to lead a young tandem of backs and receivers, though he will have some help from the addition of former Ridgeland-Hardeeville running back Joseph Robinson, who has earned the nickname “Speedy” honestly.
It’s the perfect opener for a team looking to establish its rhythm and fill some holes on both sides. Despite some questions on the offensive line to begin the season, Blackshear should have his way navigating through a Knights squad that went winless in 2020. Ron Peduzzi will hope to see his inexperienced defense make some strides after losing several reliable pieces in the trenches as the Eagles prepare for the more difficult portion of their schedule. — Wes Kerr
PREDICTION
JJ: Hilton Head Christian 35, King’s Academy 14
WK: Hilton Head Christian 42, King’s Academy 20
Calhoun County at Whale Branch, 8 p.m.
After one season in its renovated stadium, Whale Branch remains undefeated on its new (artificial) home turf, and the Warriors will try to maintain that perfection when they open with visiting Calhoun County on Friday.
It’s a tough non-region test for a Whale Branch team that begins the season ranked No. 4 in Class 1A in the S.C. Prep Media Poll but also has plenty of question marks as it looks to replace a number of key players lost to graduation.
The Warriors should be able to move the ball on the ground with a strong crew of backs lining up behind new starting quarterback Kai Jenkins and hulking offensive tackle Xavier Chaplin, but longtime coach Jerry Hatcher has some concerns about his defense — particularly his inexperienced defensive ends — and how it will perform against a dangerous Saints squad.
Whale Branch is experienced at linebacker and returns several talented defensive backs, and they’ll have to be on top of their game to contain speedy Calhoun County star Andre’ Staley Jr., who is a dangerous runner who can also make big plays in the passing game coming out of the backfield. The Warriors will need to contain the edges and stay at home to defend the counter to keep the Saints at bay, and they’ll need the likes of Joseph Hicks, Mason Griffin, and Clifton Major to keep the chains moving on offense and control the clock.
This one won’t be easy, but if the Warriors take care of the ball, they should stay perfect on their new home field. — Justin Jarrett
PREDICTION
JJ: Whale Branch 26, Calhoun County 20
WK: Whale Branch 28, Calhoun County 20