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| Remedee Leaphart - Ridge Spring-Monetta |
If you, like I, come from the Georgia side of the huge Central Savannah River Area, you might have not yet discovered the treasure that is the South Carolina High School League's class 1A, region 3 scene, which in the two seasons since I happened upon it has been headlined by four teams that seem to do almost weekly battle, while continuously populating the state's top 10 rankings, and figuring into every round of the post season. These are the teams in focus, their current statewide ranking, their finish in the 2019 state playoffs and their school enrollment figures:
Blackville-Hilda
Current Ranking - #5
2019 season playoff finish - Class 1A quarter-finalist
School enrollment - 186
Wagener-Salley
Current Ranking - #8
2019 season playoff finish - Class 1A semi-finalist
School enrollment - 270
Ridge Spring-Monetta
Current Ranking - #9
2019 season playoff finish - Class 1A Runner-up
School enrollment - 249
Williston-Elko
Current Ranking - NR
2019 season playoff finish - Class 1A first round exit
School enrollment - 259
"The Toughest Region in Class A"
Brian Smith, the second year head coach for #9 Ridge Spring-Monetta, took the time during a busy week preparing for this Friday's homecoming showdown against #5 Blackville-Hilda to describe what it's like to play in such a competitive region, and what's unique about small town football:
"We believe that our region is the toughest in 1A football in SC. Last year we finished third in our region but second in the state," Smith explained. "We defeated the first and second place teams in the playoffs. There are no easy victories or cupcakes in our region. Yes, every week feels like a playoff game and has huge playoff implications. These small town environments are what make high school football great. Playing tough games each week in hostile environments adds to the excitement every time we take the field."
October's "Region Tournament"
Because of this season's coronavirus induced 7 game SCHSL regular season schedule, and because only two teams (it's usually four) from each region will qualify for the state playoffs, when this month is over every Friday night in October will have featured essentially a must-win game between two of the four teams mentioned above. That six game slate, which is currently half-completed, reminds me of the region tournaments that exist in the Georgia high school basketball scene. Here's a run down of the league's standings, a look at where things are headed, and a review of what has already transpired:
Class 1A, Region 4 Standings
Blackville-Hilda (3-0)
Wagener-Salley (2-1)
Williston-Elko (2-1)
Ridge Spring-Monetta (1-1)
Hunter-Kinard Tyler (1-2); Denmark-Olar (0-2); Calhoun County (0-2); North (0-0)
In addition to this Friday's showdown between Blackville-Hilda and Ridge Spring Monetta, which will be played at RSM, we can look forward to RSM hosting Wagener-Salley (a rematch of last season's state playoff semifinal game) on October 23rd, and a game between Blackville-Hilda and Williston-Elko, in Williston, on October 30.
Video: Ridge Spring Monetta's dynamic junior quarterback Remedee Leaphart and receiver Bret Smith:
If the first three games in this "tournament" taught us anything, it should be that there is no way to predict how the next three will go. Here's a review of what has happened so far, along with a sampling of the exciting players and action this region can be counted on to display:
From October 2nd -
#5 Blackville-Hilda 42, #8 Wagener-Salley 0
This result was a shocker when it was posted. Wagener-Salley dominated the regular season last year. The surprise was one of three unexpected results in the first half of the October round robin.
Also from October 2nd
Williston Elko 32, #9 Ridge Spring-Monetta 6
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| AJ Chandler - Williston-Elko |
The Blue Devils, led by first year head coach Richard Bush, made their presence known with a beat down on the road of last season's state playoff runner up. Williston-Elko was led in the statistical categories by a quartet of playmakers, three of whom excelled on both sides of the ball, which is the rule, not the exception, in class 1A ball:
AJ Chandler
(Senior) WR/DB - 4 receptions, 111 yards and 2 touchdowns; 1 interception
Javier Rudolph
(Sr) QB/FS - 10-11 passing for 164 yards and 2 touchdowns; 18 carries for 72 yards and 2 TDs; 1 pass break up
DeShawn Singleton
(Jr) RB - 20 carries for 106 yards; 3 receptions for 31 yards
Bryce Washington
(Jr) WR/CB - 2 interceptions; 3 receptions for 22 yards
Along with a pair of Wagener-Salley stalwarts whom I'll detail further down, Chandler, who has committed to Howard University, would deserve to be featured on anybody's "All CSRA Team." Here he is skying high for a catch before pulling it down and sprinting to the end zone in Williston-Elko's win at RSM:
From October 9th
Wagener-Salley 50, Williston-Elko 33
Wagener-Salley's road win was only surprising because of the prior week's region results. In an email interview Tuesday, fifth year head coach Willie Fox provided feedback for what led to the resurgence of the War Eagles in last week's win:
"The biggest factor in us being able to get a win over Williston-Elko after getting beaten so badly against Blackville-Hilda was the resiliency of our kids," Fox explained. "A lot of things went badly in the Blackville-Hilda game, and honestly, we did not respond well as a team. We talked all week at practice after the game about how we needed to be prepared for a dog fight against Williston-Elko and that is exactly what happened. Our kids responded well and were able to show the fight needed all night to get a victory over a good football team."
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| Elijah Davis (7) - Wagener-Salley |
Three War Eagles posted eye popping statistics in the process:
Cameron Davis
(So) RB - 15 Carries for 220 Yards, 3 TDs and a 2 Point Conversion
AJ Swedenburg
(Sr) WR/CB - 3 receptions for 110 Yards and 2 touchdowns; 2 carries for 43 yards and a TD:
Because of plays like these, Swedenburg was probably the most exciting player I watched last season:
Elijah Davis
(Sr) LB/DE - 12 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, and 1 forced fumble; also played every play on offense to help pave the way for 427 yards rushing
Davis, listed by 247 Sports as a 6-4 and 259 pound defensive end, might be the CSRA's most highly recruited player. That site reports he has received scholarship offers from 9 Division I schools, including South Carolina and West Virginia. Coach Fox confirmed to me that last Friday was Davis's first game at the middle linebacker position. I was particularly impressed by his footwork in being able to keep smaller and faster rushers in front of him before moving in for a sure handed tackle:
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