Dorman takes on No. 1 AAAA team in state for second straigh week. This time it's Irmo

         Sumter – The Dorman High School football team is coming off of a 24-16 victory over Gaffney, then ranked No. 1 in the High School Sports Report AAAA poll.

So what’s next for the Cavaliers, who are ranked fourth in the HSSR AAAAA poll? The No. 1 AAAA team in the state.

     It’s déjà vu, all over again.

     DHS will be playing host to Irmo, which moved to the top of AAAA. Dorman comes into the game with a 3-0 record while the Yellow Jackets are 3-1.

     Cavaliers head coach Jake Morris doesn’t expect any sort of letdown from his team.

“I like where we’re at,” said Morris, who is in his fourth season as head coach of his alma mater. “We’re getting a test with the schedule, and it will be that way the rest of the season. I don’t worry about us having a drop-off. I think we’re in a good spot.”

     DHS certainly is with Nick Means taking handoffs. The running back has rushed for 412 yards this season, including posting 187 and a touchdown on 15 carries against Gaffney. He now has 44 carries and five TDs.

     Carter Nash had 170 yards and two scores on 31 carries entering the Gaffney contest, while Ja’Bez Thomas had 125 yards and two touchdowns.

     Morris said he isn’t surprised with DHS’ fast start, which includes a 40-30 victory over Hillcrest and a 35-21 triumph over AAAAA No.7 Byrnes.

“I think we’re right where I thought we’d be,” Morris said. “We’ve been building this the last two years (going 8-4 and 10-3). We knew this was a talented group, so everything we’ve done the last two years is to build toward this.

“I don’t think we’ve put four quarters together yet. I think we’re starting to figure some things out. I’m pleased where we are, but by no means satisfied.”

Irmo was the state runner-up in AAAAA Division II to Northwestern the past two seasons before moving to AAAA with the South Carolina High School League reclassification.

The Jacket offense is led by senior running back Tai Phillips, who is committed to Alabama. Phillips, who transferred to Irmo this season from Fayetteville, North Carolina, has rushed for over 100 yards in each of the last two games.

The Yellow Jackets have a talented roster with eight college commitments. That includes two other Power 4 conference commitments – offensive lineman Nate Carson with South Carolina and defensive lineman Jaiden Bryant with Miami.

Northwestern (2-1) at Berkeley (4-0)

Berkeley passed a major test last week in impressive fashion, coming away with a 29-3 victory over Summerville to improve to 4-0. If the Stags, ranked fifth in AAAAA, are to make it to 5-0 it will face an even greater test.

They will be playing host to AAAAA No. 6 Northwestern, which won the AAAAA Division II state title each of the past two seasons. The Trojans are 2-1.

Northwestern head coach Page Wofford believes his team will be in for a battle.

“Berkeley is very impressive,” Wofford said. “They are extremely well-coached. Their athleticism is outstanding and they really play hard. We will have to play well to compete with them.”

Senior quarterback Henry Rivers leads the Stags. He has completed 60 of 94 passes for 888 yards and 10 touchdowns while rushing for a team high 318 yards and three scores on 39 carries. Senior Malik Callen is the leading pass catcher with 14 for 229 yards and three touchdowns. Rivers has scoring passes to five different teammates.

Junior Bryson McGee has rushed for 233 yards and two touchdowns, while senior LJ Washington has 183 yards and four TDs.

Wofford is hoping the best is yet to come for Northwestern. It has a lot of new pieces this season after having a massive graduation class.

“We have played well at times,” he said. “We would like to be more consistent in all phases of the game. Graduating almost 30 seniors is nothing new to our program, but when it happens there is always an adjustment period that is hard to replicate until the season actually starts.”

Leading the way for the Trojans is senior quarterback Xavier Means. He has completed 39 of 62 passes for 484 yards and five scores while rushing for 185 yards and two touchdowns on 30 carries.

“Xavier is an excellent football player,” Wofford said of the East Carolina commitment. “He is a talented player who knows our offense and has come to understand what we are trying to do on the field.”

His top target is senior Malik Ratliff with 12 catches for 191 yards and three touchdowns. The leading rusher is senior Daylen Shankle with 214 yards and two TDs on 30 carries.

     Summerville (2-2) at James Island (3-0)

          How a team performs against Summerville is normally a measuring stick for AAAAA schools in the Lowcountry. Berkeley showed it was a pretty good team last week with its victory over the Green Wave.  

     James Island is another undefeated team that will get to show how it stands against SHS on Friday. The Trojans are 3-0 and ranked third in the AAAAA poll. Summerville is 2-2 and tied for 10^th in AAAAA.

     JI can run and throw the football. It is averaging 199.7 rushing yards and 307 passing yards per game while scoring over 41 points.

     Senior quarterback Brady Dantzler completed 40 of 64 passes for 921 yards and 11 touchdowns against just two interceptions. Junior Raphael Puiu has 15 catches for 448 yards and three touchdowns, while junior Charlie Schrecker has nine catches for 182 yards and one TD.

     Leading the way for the Wave defense is junior linebacker MJ Respass. He had 32 tackles entering the Berkeley contest. Outside linebacker Jaylen Pryor and defensive end Demarcus King led in tackles for loss with four, while King and defensive tackle David Hall both had two sacks.

Lugoff-Elgin (3-0) at South Aiken (4-0)

     I’d like a quick show of hands of anyone who thought this would be a showdown of unbeatens when they saw Lugoff-Elgin traveling to South Aiken.

     Yeah, me neither.

     Yet here we are, L-E sitting 3-0 and ranked fourth in AAAA. The Thoroughbreds are 4-0 and ranked fifth.

     The Demons depend on the legs of senior running back Tiyon Fanning. He is averaging 179.0 yards a game with 537 yards and eight touchdowns on 50 carries.

     Junior QB Zach Williams has completed 29 of 48 passes for 383 and two TDs. His top target is senior Eric Richardson with eight catches for 158 yards and two scores.

     SA has a more balanced attack, averaging 221.0 rushing yards and 140.8 passing yards.

     Senior Drelyn Brown has rushed for 477 yards and eight scores on 50 carries. Junior quarterback Tommy Burns III has completed 43 of 58 passes for 556 yards and nine TDs.

     Senior Kyson McLeod is the top pass catcher with 17 for 237 yards and five touchdowns. Junior Blake Goodman has 12 receptions for 223 yards and three TDs.

     Lamar (3-1) at Lee Central (4-0)

     Seeing that Lamar played for the Class A state title last season and had a lot of returning players, a 3-1 start doesn’t necessarily come as a surprise. The Silver Foxes will be opening their Region 5-Class A schedule this week against an undefeated team in 4-0 Lee Central. That may come as a surprise to many.

     The Stallions have already matched their win total from a year ago when they went 4-7. LC has been dominant, outscoring its foes 137-19.

     Lee Central, which is ranked second in the HSSR Class A Division II poll compared to fourth for LHS, relies upon its running game. It is averaging 299.3 yards a game and has only thrown the ball 14 times.

     Leading the way is Zion Hannibal with 406 yards and eight touchdowns on 45 carries. Quarterback Jalin Williams has 289 yards and four scores on 25 attempts, Jadin Burton has 202 yards and two scores on 18 carries, and Nyjay Smith has 184 yards on 15 totes.

     Lamar’s lone loss was by a 19-14 count to AAA Darlington in the season opener. It has outscored its foes 128-25 in the three wins.

     The Foxes are averaging 215 rushing yards a contest. They are led by senior Zaquez Dargan with 337 yards and three scores on 47 carries. Junior quarterback Jaylen Morris has 167 yards and four TDs on 30 carries, and senior Torin Carroway has 118 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries.

     Morris has completed 26 of 59 passes for 348 yards and six scores against just one interception. Junior Mont Williams, a 6-foot-7-inch, 192-pound wide receiver, has 10 catches for 235 yards and four TDs.

     Byrnes (2-1) at Spartanburg (1-2)

     Do you remember me telling you all a story about a region named 2 – AAAA, that is – last week? This game between 2-1 Byrnes and 1-2 Spartanburg is another one of those renewals.

     This game will feature two of the top running backs in South Carolina. David “Tre” Segarra of Byrnes is rated as the top running back in the state by HSSR and is its No. 3 overall recruit. He is committed to Louisiana State.

     The Vikings’ Trenton Lynch is the No. 31 overall prospect and is committed to Rutgers. He ran for 290 yards and three touchdowns on 22 carries in the 24-20, season-opening loss to Gaffney.

     Northwood (3-1) at Ben Lippen (4-0)

     Northwood Academy is the defending SCISA AAAA state champion. The 3-1 Chargers have plenty of competition as they try to repeat, one of them being 4-0 Ben Lippen.

     NA is ranked third in the HSSR AAAA poll while the Falcons are ranked fourth.

     After getting whipped 60-28 by defending SCISA AA state champion Bethesda Academy, Northwood has reeled off three straight wins.

     Leading the way is senior quarterback Kevin Johnson. He’s connected on 61 of 107 passes for 919 yards and 13 TDs. His top target is senior Drew Wolfe with 24 catches for 505 yards and nine scores. Senior Scott Geisel had 19 catches for 199 yards and a touchdown.

     The running game is led by senior Michael Polite, who is averaging 127.8 yards a game. He has 511 yards and six TDs on 96 carries.

A pair of juniors in Graham Bokinsky and Ashton Chapman are splitting time at quarterback for BL. Bokinsky has completed 29 of 43 passes for 569 yards and four TDs, while Chapman has completed 29 of 44 for 326 yards and four scores.

     Junior Jimmale Smith has 25 catches for 401 yards and three touchdowns, while senior Michael Traymun has 23 catches for 302 yards and four TDs.

     Senior Jonathan Eckert is the leading rusher with 331 yards and foru scores on 38 carries. Freshman James Wilson has 215 yards and three scores on 32 carries.

     Pinewood Prep (4-0) at Hilton Head Christian (4-0)

     These are two teams that could play a major role in deciding both the SCISA AAAA and AAA state titles. Both are undefeated and each is ranked second in their respective classes, Pinewood Prep in AAAA and Hilton Head Christian Academy in AAA.

     Pinewood, which is 4-0, is the defending AAA state champion, but is now at AAAA following reclassification. The Panthers are averaging 53.5 points, 341.3 passing yards and 179.8 rushing yards.

     Senior quarterback Silas Brawner has completed 69 of 99 passes for 1,365 yards and 18 touchdowns against one INT. He has four receivers in double figures in catches – senior Tre Green (20 catches, 399 yards, four TDs), senior Lavoris Lucas (14-426-9), senior Heyward Moore (14-244-4) and sophomore Colten Fuller (11-135-0).

     Senior Grayson Salego is the leading rusher with 299 yards and five scores on 40 carries. Sophomore Jeremy Kendall has 232 yards and four touchdowns on 34 carries.

     The Eagles are coming off of a 42-16 win over Calhoun Academy. HHCA is led by senior quarterback Kres Langhals. He has completed 50 of 72 passes for 980 yards and 13 touchdowns while rushing for 254 yards and three TDs on 45 carries.

     Langhal’s top targets are senior Jackson Richardson and Joseph Houpt. Richardson has 19 catches for 406 yards, and Houpt has 14 catches for 298 yards. Both have five touchdown catches.

     Junior defensive end Hayne Burden is the defensive leader with 32 tackles, seven tackles for a loss and two sacks.