Prep football season returns with Thursday pair of games
Aug. 16—Barnwell at Williston-Elko
Last time they played
Barnwell defeated Williston-Elko 47-6 on Aug. 18, 2022.
Keys to the game
For Barnwell, the defense has to be prepared for a run-heavy attack from Williston-Elko's three-back offense. That means power run after power run, with the occasional counter play mixed in to catch the defense off guard. The key, though, will be for the defense to not get sucked in to where the Blue Devils are able to hit a deep pass over the top for a big gain. That means the Warhorses' defenders need to trust their keys to make sure they're where they need to be.
Barnwell's offense will create some different challenges for Williston-Elko's defense. The Warhorses want to be balanced and push the tempo, and quarterback Cameron Austin has a lot of weapons at his disposal. He's been given the green light to run the offense, and the coaching staff has put a lot of trust in him to make the right reads and react appropriately. The Warhorses intend to force the Blue Devils to defend them from sideline to sideline and goal line to goal line, so the Blue Devils' defenders will have to be sharp in order to shorten drives and limit the time they spend on the field.
Augusta Christian at Ridge Spring-Monetta
Last time they played
Augusta Christian defeated Ridge Spring-Monetta 28-7 on Aug. 18, 2022.
Keys to the game
The Jay Brannon era at Ridge Spring-Monetta begins at home against Augusta Christian, a SCISA Class AAAA opponent. Brannon said the intent of the team's challenging non-region schedule (with additional games against longtime Class AA rivals Saluda and Batesburg-Leesville and Class A power Lewisville) is to get prepared for the treacherous Region 4-A slate. The Lions took last year's meeting, holding the Trojans to 183 rushing yards on 41 attempts and 5-for-8 passing for 29 yards with an interception. That was game one as the starting QB for James Bosket, though, and he's shown significant growth after taking over the starting job. He's got plenty of weapons at the skill positions this year like DeAnte Hopkins, Tykeem Martin and Jkrayh Taylor, and the Trojans will be looking to develop some rhythm early. The defense will face a tough test against a balanced ACS offense that generated 399 yards (210 rushing, 189 passing) in a preseason win over Edmund Burke Academy.
