Week 9 High School Football Preview
Thomson-Burke County, Silver Bluff-Barnwell, Augusta Christian-Hammond are among the nine matchups with region championship implications.
Week 9 in high school football is packed with no fewer than 9 games that will impact the top spot in the standings from the 12 regions that we track. So with 3 weeks left in the regular season in South Carolina, and 4 weeks left in Georgia, teams are jockeying for position in the coming state playoffs. And this Friday night will be the most important game night of the season so far.
Here’s a look at the games we are tracking, the region standings that will be impacted by their results, and what are likely to be the key games in future weeks, based on what we currently know:
#7 Thomson’s home game against rival Burke County headlines the week, like it does every season when these two teams get together.
MeTV will be there to broadcast live and we’ll feature the game on the AugBball social media timelines. We’ll also have a full report from Thomson available on this newsletter before you wake up Saturday morning. Additionally, Hephzibah’s home game against Cross Creek will provide the Rebels with the opportunity to set up for a late season run at the Bulldogs and Bears during a difficult final three-week stretch.
Class 3A, Region 4 Standings
#7 Thomson (6-0, 3-0)
Burke County (4-1, 2-0)
Hephzibah (4-2, 2-0)
Harlem (4-3, 2-1)
Richmond (1-6, 0-3)
Cross Creek (1-6, 0-3)
Morgan County (1-5, 0-2)
Key Upcoming Games
10/22 -
#7 Thomson at Harlem
Hephzibah at Burke County
10/29 -
Harlem at Hephzibah
11/5 -
Hephzibah at #7 Thomson
Two of the Palmetto State’s top ranked class 2A teams will do battle when #3 Silver Bluff visits #5 Barnwell.
The Bulldogs have dominated every opponent in their path, regardless of record or ranking. #3 Silver Bluff will try to make sure #5 Barnwell’s coming showdown against Wade Hampton, which spent most of the season ranked in the top 10 before falling out of the rankings this week, will be a game for second place in the region.
SC Class 2A, Region 5 Standings
#3 Silver Bluff (6-0, 2-0)
#5 Barnwell (6-1, 1-0)
Wade Hampton (6-1, 1-1)
Pelion (2-4, 0-1)
Edisto (2-4, 0-2)
Key Upcoming Games
10/29 -
Wade Hampton at #5 Barnwell
Then there’s Augusta Christian’s home game against 4-time defending state champion Hammond.
Earlier this year, AC head coach Andy Stickel said his team had a bad taste in their mouth after last season’s 31-0 semifinal loss against Hammond. If the Lions can shock the state this Friday with a win over Hammond at home, they should be able to ensure that the soonest they will have to see the Columbia powerhouse again would be in the state championship game, if the two teams will both be fortunate to reach that point.
SCISA Class 3A Standings
Hammond (7-0)
Augusta Christian (6-1)
Trinity-Byrnes (6-1)
Laurence Manning (3-2)
And we can’t forget what will always be a bitter rivalry game between Lakeside and Evans.
The Panthers will try to ruin Evans’s quest for a third straight region title.
Class 6A, Region 3 Standings
Evans (5-1, 1-0)
Lakeside (2-4, 1-0)
Alcovy (1-4, 1-0)
Grovetown (1-5, 0-1)
Heritage (0-6, 0-2)
Rockdale (1-4, 0-2)
Key Upcoming Games
10/29 -
Grovetown at Lakeside
11/6 -
Evans at Alcovy
Greenbrier will head to Athens to take on Clark Central for the top spot in their class 5A region.
The Georgia High School Football Daily newsletter recently called it a 98% probability that Clarke Central would repeat as the region champion. But a Greenbrier offense featuring Brooks Pangle, Malik Leverett and Davin Driskell should never be counted out.
Class 5A, Region 8 Standings
Clarke Central (4-2, 2-0)
Greenbrier (3-3, 2-1)
Eastside (4-3, 2-2)
Walnut Grove (3-4, 2-2)
Jackson County (4-3, 2-2)
Loganville (3-4, 2-2)
Apalachee (1-5, 1-2)
Johnson (0-6, 0-4)
Laney and Westside will battle as the two Richmond County rivals angle for a top 2 spot.
Along with the games identified below in the season’s final three weeks, Friday’s Laney-Westside result will heavily impact which two teams will get to host a playoff game from this region.
Class 2A, Region 4 Standings
#8 Putnam County (7-0, 4-0)
Jefferson County (5-2, 4-0)
Westside (5-2, 4-1)
Laney (5-2, 3-1)
Oglethorpe (1-5, 1-2)
Josey (1-6, 0-3)
Butler (0-7, 0-5)
Glenn Hills (0-6, 0-5)
Key Upcoming Games
10/22 -
#8 Putnam County at Jefferson County
10/29 -
Jefferson County at Westside
11/5 -
Laney at Jefferson County
North Augusta will host South Aiken for the top spot.
SC Class 4A, Region 5 Standing
South Aiken (4-1, 1-0)
North Augusta (3-4, 1-0)
Airport (2-5, 1-1)
Aiken (1-6, 1-1)
Midland Valley (0-7, 0-2)
Strom Thurmond will aim to build even more momentum.
The Rebels knocked off #10 Brookland-Cayce last week. A win this Friday over Orangeburg-Wilkinson will not only avenge a loss from a season ago, but it would also set up a pivotal game the following Friday against #6 Gilbert.
SC Class 3A, Region 5 Standings
Strom Thurmond (4-1, 2-0)
#6 Gilbert (6-1, 2-0)
#10 Brookland-Cayce (4-2, 1-1)
Orangeburg-Wilkinson (3-4, 1-1)
Fox Creek (2-3, 0-2)
Swansea (0-5, 0-2)
Key Upcoming Games
10/22 -
Strom Thurmond at #6 Gilbert
The class 1A, region 3 race is crowded.
Five of this region’s 7 teams are only separated by one loss. Wagener-Salley’s game against Calhoun County this Friday will be an important one in starting to break that log jam.
SC Class 1A, Region 3 Standings
#7 Ridge Spring-Monetta (4-2, 2-1)
#10 Denmark-Olar (4-2, 2-1)
Calhoun County (3-4, 2-1)
Wagener-Salley (3-4, 2-1)
Blackville-Hilda (3-4, 2-2)
Williston-Elko (3-4, 1-2)
Hunter-Kinard-Tyler (1-6, 0-4)
Key Upcoming Games
10/22 -
#7 Ridge Spring-Monetta at Wagener-Salley
#10 Denmark-Olar at Blackville-Hilda
10/29 -
Blackville-Hilda at Wagener-Salley
Aquinas will finally open region play.
The Fighting Irish will host Savannah Country Day in the first of three region games during the season’s final four weeks. A playoff spot is guaranteed, but a proud Aquinas program will want to improve on last season’s 0-3 league record.
Aquinas’s Region Schedule
10/15 - Savannah Country Day at Aquinas
10/22 - Aquinas at Savannah Christian
11/5 - Calvary Day at Aquinas
Warren County will take on the Academy for Classical Education
A win for the Screaming Devils would set up a showdown against Georgia Military the following week for the top position in class 1A, region 7.