Staff Report
Photo by Myles Hickey (HHIHS Student Photojournalist)
We’re geared up for another exciting Friday night of high school football in the Lowco with a 13 games on the slate, and 11 of them are region matchups with playoff implications.
That includes the WHHI-TV Game of the Week, which is the Broad River Bowl in The Den, where the Bluffton Bobcats will look to get back on track after a two-game losing streak when they host the well-rested Beaufort Eagles, who are aiming for their third straight win.
The biggest matchup in Region 6-4A will be at The Nest, though, as the Hilton Head Seahawks look to carry the momentum from last week’s Bridge Bowl win into a showdown with defending region champion Bishop England, the No. 3 team in this week’s Class 4A rankings. You can stream that one live on Beaufort’s Own.
The other leg of the region round robin comes at May River, where the Sharks look to hold serve against struggling Colleton County.
We also have home games on tap at Hampton County, Hardeeville, John Paul II, Hilton Head Prep, Beaufort Academy, Patrick Henry, and Cross Schools, so it will be a great night to get out and support your local squad.
Join us LIVE on the Lowco Media Network around 9:30pm for Lowco Pigskin Live, rounding up all the scores and shouting out the stars of Week 6!
Beaufort (2-3, 0-0) at Bluffton (4-2, 0-1)
All-Time Series: Beaufort leads 9-6
Last Meeting: Bluffton W 42-35 (2024)
Streak: Bluffton won 1
Outlook: The Bobcats won a shootout at Beaufort a year ago to snap a five-game Eagles win streak in the series, and this looked like a mismatch a couple of weeks ago, but the Eagles have won two straight and are coming off a bye week. Meanwhile, the Bobcats limp in on a two-game losing streak, introducing a bit of intrigue. Trench play will be a huge factor, as Beaufort’s strong defensive front led by Chaz Brown aims to pressure Bluffton quarterback Aedan McCarthy and frustrate the Bobcats’ lethal passing game, a la BJ Payne’s gameplan last week. If the offensive line give McCarthy enough time, he should be able to pick apart the defense and utilize the array of weapons at his disposal, including former Beaufort star Amare Patterson. Beaufort’s offense was anemic early on but has flourished with Braydon Moyd-Smalls at quarterback. He will need to have his best game yet for the Eagles to keep this one competitive until the end.
Colleton Co. (1-4, 0-0) at May River (4-1, 0-0)
All-Time Series: May River leads 7-0
Last Meeting: May River W 42-6 (2024)
Streak: May River won 7
Outlook: The Sharks have won the seven all-time meetings by an average of 28.3 points with the closest finish a 37-26 May River win in the inaugural meeting in 2018, and this year’s matchup should bring more of the same. The Cougars have shown signs of brilliance on defense, but May River’s Slot-T ground game is a handful to contain, and Sean Mitchell is piling up yards and TDs on the ground. Colleton’s offensive attack hasn’t shown enough prowess to believe the Cougars can keep pace in The Tank.
Bishop England (5-0, 0-0) at Hilton Head (5-1, 1-0)
All-Time Series: Bishop England leads 1-0
Last Meeting: Bishop England W 21-7 (2024)
Streak: Bishop England won 1
Outlook: It’s too early to call this one a de facto region championship game in a region built on parity, but it’s safe to say tonight’s winner in The Nest will have the inside track after this battle of top-10 teams. The Seahawks debuted at No. 10 in the Class 4A rankings this week after another impressive performance in last week’s 38-28 Bridge Bowl win over Bluffton. Derrick Raniszewski has the offense hitting on all cylinders, but two-way standouts Thaddeus Czarnecki and Jayvin Risher along with defensive stalwarts Josh Bigger and Will Jimenez will have to be in top form again for Hilton Head to handle a balanced and dynamic Bishop England attack. This one could go down to the final whistle.
Battery Creek (2-4, 0-0) at North Charleston (4-1, 0-0)
All-Time Series: Battery Creek leads 10-7
Last Meeting: Battery Creek W 47-14 (2024)
Streak: Battery Creek won 1
Outlook: In recent years, this matchup has determined who makes the playoffs and who doesn’t in Region 6-3A, but an anomaly in the bracketing means all five region teams will qualify this year. The winner avoids a No. 1 seed in the first round, though, so the stakes are still high. The Dolphins had won seven straight against the Cougars before a 13-7 road loss in 2023, but they returned to their dominance in the series with a 47-14 rout a year ago. Having found a spark on offense and won two of their last three, the Dolphins are poised to control the Cougars again and improve their playoff seeding and first-round outlook.
Edisto (4-2, 0-0) at Hampton Co. (3-3, 0-0)
All-Time Series: Hampton Co. leads 2-0
Last Meeting: Hampton Co. W 44-12 (2024)
Streak: Hampton Co. won 2
Outlook: The Hurricanes have dominated the first two meetings in the series by a combined 86 points, but this will be the best Cougars team they have faced. Former Estill coaches Marcus Livingston and Roman Singleton have Edisto playing its best ball in years, but the Cougars are going to find a hungry team in Varnville for Senior Night. Jaylen Singletary and Tarell Grant should be able to do damage on the ground, and if Grant can hit some big plays in the passing game, the Canes could pull away and make it another lopsided win.
Bamberg-Ehrhardt (6-0, 0-0) at Hardeeville (1-5, 0-1)
All-Time Series: Bamberg-Ehrhardt leads 3-0
Last Meeting: Bamberg-Ehrhardt W 47-0 (2024)
Streak: Bamberg-Ehrhardt won 3
Outlook: The Hurricanes took a skeleton crew into last year’s meeting, and though they’ll be better equipped for the fight at home this time, it might not matter. The Red Raiders are a juggernaut and jumped into the No. 1 spot in the Class 1A rankings this week. Hardeeville plans to simplify on offense this week and try to control the ball and the clock in hopes of shortening the game and pulling off a monumental upset, but it will require near-perfect execution for the Canes to beat this battle-ready Bamberg squad.
Ridgeland (2-4, 1-0) at Denmark-Olar (1-5, 0-0)
All-Time Series: Ridgeland leads 1-0
Last Meeting: Ridgeland W 19-8 (2024)
Streak: Ridgeland won 1
Outlook: Neither of these teams looks much like the squads that met for the first time a year ago, when the Jaguars escaped with a hard-fought win at home. Ridgeland had to completely rebuild its offense and is finally finding a rhythm in the ground game with Bam Crawford after a sluggish start on that side of the ball, but the defense has been sensational. The Jags have scored seven touchdowns on defense or special teams in their back-to-back wins, and if they can continue to be stingy in the ground game, they’ll pick up a big road win and remain in position for the No. 2 seed from Region 4-1A.
First Baptist (1-5, 0-0) at John Paul II (2-3, 0-0)
All-Time Series: First Baptist leads 1-0
Last Meeting: First Baptist W 41-22 (2024)
Streak: First Baptist won 1
Outlook: This is the game JPII coach Shayne Milligan circled before the season as the one that would most indicate where the Golden Warriors stand, and Milligan’s team has done nothing but improve its chances of winning since then. JPII has already doubled last season’s win total behind a strong ground game led by bruiser Andrew Boyden, speedster Jadon Inabinett, and dual-threat quarterback Alan Wolf, and the Golden Warriors are fresh after an impromptu bye week due to wet field conditions in Moncks Corner. If JPII can limit any big plays on defense, it should pick up a huge region win at home.
HHCA (2-4) at Bulloch Academy (5-1)
All-Time Series: First meeting
Last Meeting: N/A
Streak: N/A
Outlook: The schedule has not been kind to Hilton Head Christian Academy, and the situation doesn’t improve much this week. After back-to-back lopsided losses to SCISA powers Hammond and Pinewood Prep, the Eagles jump over to Georgia for another tough test in their first-ever meeting with Bulloch Academy. HHCA’s offense goes through quarterback Reid McCollum, who has been frustrated by dominant defenses the last two games and will need to have a huge night — and get some help from a struggling HHCA defense — to get the Eagles back in the win column.
Pee Dee Academy (2-2, 0-0) at Hilton Head Prep (1-4, 0-1)
All-Time Series: Pee Dee leads 6-5
Last Meeting: Pee Dee W 42-15 (2024)
Streak: Pee Dee won 4
Outlook: The Dolphins had a five-game win streak against the Eagles during Ron Peduzzi’s tenure in Sea Pines, but Pee Dee has dominated the recent series. This isn’t the powerhouse Pee Dee squad of a few years back, but the Golden Eagles are still a formidable foe. HHP has played better of late and picked up its first win two weeks ago at Augusta Christian before having last week’s game at Dillon Christian postponed, so Wyatt Harmer and company hope the fresh legs will aid their upset bid under the Sea Pines sun.
Bethesda Academy (4-0) at Beaufort Academy (5-1)
All-Time Series: Tied 2-2
Last Meeting: Bethesda W 40-20 (2024)
Streak: Bethesda won 2
Outlook: Beaufort Academy coach Nic Shuford and Bethesda coach Antwain Turner have had a great rivalry dating to Shuford’s tenure at Thomas Heyward, with Turner holding a slim 6-5 advantage in the matchup, but it would seem Turner has one of his best teams yet in 2025. The Blazers have absolutely destroyed everyone in their path, scoring 47 or more points in all four of their games and pitching shutouts on defense in their last two contests. BA will need a huge game from Nych Underwood and Nic Shuford Jr., as well as its best defensive showing of the season, to keep pace in what could be a high-scoring affair at Merritt Field.
Thomas Heyward (0-3, 0-1) at Patrick Henry (1-4, 0-1)
All-Time Series: THA leads 18-2-1
Last Meeting: THA W 51-33 (2024)
Streak: THA won 10
Outlook: The once-annual rivalry was dormant from 1999 until PHA returned to 11-man football in 2022. The Rebels have won the three meetings since by an average of 20 points, but this appears to be the most evenly-matched clash in the modern era. THA’s schedule has been ravaged by cancellations — though the Rebels were able to add a home game against JPII on Oct. 17 — which has stunted the development of a young group of players being asked to contribute around Tony O’Banner and Josh Gibson, but O’Banner is still the best player on the field most games, and he is bound to break a few long runs. PHA’s paltry offense will have to come to life in a big way to outgun O’Banner and earn their first win over the Rebels since 1990.
The King’s Academy (3-2) at Cross Schools (0-5)
All-Time Series: TKA leads 5-0
Last Meeting: TKA W 33-0 (Aug. 15)
Streak: TKA won 5Outlook: The Stingrays have yet to score more than six points in five meetings against the Lions, and that will have to change for them to find the win column for the first time this season. The King’s Academy won 33-0 in the season opener, so Cross will have its work cut out this evening.