Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Week 2 of HS football in the Lowcountry

Week 2 of high school football in the Lowcountry proves to be one which is very interesting. Week 1 had many good games. Ashley Ridge and Goose Creek was supposed to be a barn-burner: instead Goose Creek blew out the Ridge by 4 TDs in a game that was over midway through the 2nd quarter.

Cane Bay was favored against Summerville in their first game as a 4A opponent. Over 6,000 packed their stadium and saw their team defeat the Green Wave 10-3. Bishop England had the upset of the week, beating 4A West Ashley 30-14. They look to be the class of 2A, with athletes all over the place.

Fort Dorchester showed something, having to go on a delay on Saturday night, but still beating Carolina Forest 41-21. James Island came back from a 14-6 deficit on the road to defeat St. John's 33-14, and Timberland pulled out a win against Hanahan.

It was a very interesting week of games. Week 2 might not have the depth of Week 1, but many good games will be played throughout the Lowcountry.

My top 5:

5) Sumter at Stratford. One of the best teams in the Lowcountry, Stratford, plays an intersectional game against a good team from the Midlands, Sumter. It will be a good game, but Stratford should have an edge.

4) West Ashley at James Island (Thursday): This week's televised game is a neighborhood rivalry. West Ashley and James Island have battled it out for what is now the 13th time. Almost all of these games have been very competitive. West Ashley had a tough loss last week, losing to Bishop England, who will probably be the class of 2A football this year.

James Island had a bounce back win against St. John's. Being on local television should add more fuel to the fire of this rivalry. This will be a very competitive game.

3) Wando at Ashley Ridge: 2-0 Wando faces a tough test on the road against a valiant Ashley Ridge team who got blown out last week against what might be the class of the state, Goose Creek. Wando barely got by James Island before shutting out Beaufort.

These two non-region opponents played a very close game last year, with Wando winning 17-13 and the Wando students storming Ashley Ridge's field. This one should be a wild game with these two foes, who don't like each other.

2) Bishop England at Hanahan. This is truly a neighborhood rivalry. BE is on Daniel Island: Hanahan is the public high school on Daniel Island. These two teams battle it out in almost every sport; football is no exception. Hanahan moved up to 3A this year, so they will have a tougher region, but this will be a really good game to watch.

BE showed me a lot in last week's game. They have a capable leader in Nick Theos; and they are very good at special teams. Beating a 4A team by 16 points is always an accomplishment. Hanahan should have defeated Timberland last week, but had a fumble recovery for a TD go against them. They showed a lot in St. Stephen. This will be a good one.

1) Cane Bay at Fort Dorchester: This is the game of the week, by a narrower margin than last week. These two teams are on the rise. Both are 1-0. Fort Dorchester had to deal with a weather delay of their game, but still went into Carolina Forest, almost 2:30 away and won 41-21. Cane Bay had 6,000 against Summerville, and came out with a 10-3 win. Football observers weren't surprised, but most of the general public was.

This showed the rest of the Lowcountry that they are a force in 4A. Friday is a big night for Fort Dorchester. They will finally be unveiling their new jumbotron, which puts many colleges to shame. Fort D is a very young team, but they always find a way with coach Steve LaPrad to win games. Cane Bay has a lot of athletes, so this game will be very exciting. It should be a toss-up to see who wins.

This week has lots of other interesting games, including Berkeley at Summerville, Goose Creek at Colleton County and many others. We hope to see everyone at these games. Support your local team.


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