Week 2 Prep Football Preview Capsules
Aug. 24—Note: Friday night's previously-scheduled game between Wagener-Salley and Lewisville was canceled Wednesday night following an accident that resulted in the death of a Wagener-Salley teacher. The War Eagles (1-0) are scheduled to return to action next Friday at Lake Marion.
Strom Thurmond (1-0) at Midland Valley (1-0), 8 p.m.
Last time they played
Midland Valley defeated Strom Thurmond 29-23 on Aug. 26, 2022.
Keys to the game
Both teams started the season on the right foot by earning wins over Georgia schools. For Midland Valley, the win over Grovetown was the program's first season-opening victory since the Mustangs beat Keenan to kick off the 2007 campaign. They achieved that by pounding the ball in the run game, with Traevon Dunbar leading the way with a 267-yard, two-touchdown performance. As a team, the Mustangs rushed for 428 yards and four scores on 55 carries. That's the best way to help quarterbacks Preston Butler and Baylen Berendsen grow, so the Strom Thurmond defense will be looking to stop the run enough to force them into some uncomfortable passing situations. The Rebels did that last week against Laney, holding the Wildcats to 3-for-11 passing for 33 yards and a Tre Clarke interception. Laney's Carl Holmes rushed for 149 yards and two second-half scores, but the Rebels made him work for it on 39 carries.
Midland Valley's defense and special teams were opportunistic against Grovetown, with a Shawn Butler interception, a Dominic Morgan fumble return for a touchdown and a blocked extra point. The Mustangs will look for similar success against a Strom Thurmond offense that generated just 18 total rush yards on 15 carries a week ago — that must improve. Sophomore quarterback BriShaun Lee was an efficient 16-for-20 passing for 151 yards and three scores, two to Juju Stevens and one to Demarius Tolen. Class AA No. 8 Strom Thurmond's offense has playmakers all over, and they'll be looking to have a bigger night against Midland Valley — especially the ones who were there last year for the Mustangs' win that snapped the Rebels' 14-game win streak in the series.
Aiken (0-1) at Appling County (0-1)
Last time they played
Appling County defeated Aiken 42-7 on Aug. 26, 2022.
Keys to the game
Limiting mistakes should be high on Aiken's list of priorities this week after a series of miscues turned a close game last week against Lakeside into a 22-point loss. The Hornets committed three turnovers, including a couple late as Lakeside scored 20 consecutive points as an 11-point lead near the midway point of the third quarter ballooned to 31. That soured some of the good things the Hornets were able to accomplish, particularly the long passing touchdowns from Luke Jones to Cam'ron Frazier and Tyreke Clark. Georgia Class AA opponent Appling County intercepted a pass and recovered a fumble — the Pirates forced six, with Demarcus Snow accounting for four by himself — in last week's three-point loss to Ware County, Georgia's top-ranked Class AAAAA team.
Appling County committed its fair share of mistakes last week, so should that happen again the Hornets will have opportunities to take advantage. The Pirates turned the ball over four times and committed 14 penalties to hurt their chances of winning. RJ Boyd ran the ball well last week, gaining 128 yards and scoring a touchdown on only nine carries. Lakeside had a lot of success running it against Aiken, so the Hornets' young front seven will have to make improvements in that department.
North Augusta (1-0) at Dorman (0-1), 8 p.m.
Last time they played
Dorman defeated North Augusta 42-28 on Aug. 26, 2022.
Keys to the game
North Augusta played North Augusta defense last week to make Richard Bush a winner in his first game as the Yellow Jackets' head coach. North Augusta allowed a lone touchdown to Evans and made a goal-line stand in the closing seconds to preserve the victory, a good start to the season for a program that has taken great pride in its defense. The Jackets will need another strong performance against Dorman, a Class AAAAA powerhouse that may be stinging after last week's 34-21 loss to Greenville.
The Cavaliers struggled offensively, with the Greenville defense racking up 10 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, two interceptions, a fumble recovery and a blocked punt. They would do well this week to avoid North Augusta's Noah Wyatt, who last week intercepted a pass and forced three fumbles. North Augusta had some success running the ball last week, and the Jackets will look for more against a Dorman defense that was burned for 190 yards rushing and 202 passing by Greenville's explosive offense.
South Aiken (0-1) at Lexington (1-0), 8 p.m.
Last time they played
Lexington defeated South Aiken 63-56 on Aug. 26, 2022.
Keys to the game
The T-Breds will be looking for improvements on the offensive line and defensively after opening the season with a hard-fought 34-31 loss to Silver Bluff. Head coach Chris Hamilton has challenged his offensive linemen to step up, as last week they didn't live up to the South Aiken standard. The run game wasn't at its best, as a stout Silver Bluff front seven held the T-Breds below 100 yards on the ground. Part of that was due to running back Jevon Edwards playing hurt, but quarterback Terrence Smith did his best to make up for that by passing for 294 yards and two touchdowns.
The defense struggled at times, and a couple of lengthy Silver Bluff drives kept them on the field for extended stretches. The Bulldogs rushed for 285 yards and passed for 170, averaging nearly 10 yards per play. The T-Breds know they can't have that happen again, especially against a dangerous Lexington offense led by quarterback Taiden Mines. Mines was named the Offensive MVP of Class AAAAA No. 8 Lexington's 17-7 win over West Florence last week, so he'll have the T-Breds' full attention Friday.
Lakewood (0-1) at Fox Creek (0-1)
Last time they played
Lakewood defeated Fox Creek 30-0 on Aug. 26, 2022.
Keys to the game
This is a chance for someone to go home happy after both teams suffered lopsided defeats last week against state championship contenders. Fox Creek's run defense had a tough time with the option run game of St. Joseph's Catholic School, as the Class A No. 5 Knights accumulated 349 yards on 33 carries and only attempted four passes. Fox Creek will look to tighten things up defensively, and the Predators will need to get off to a better start after allowing touchdowns on the first three possessions to quickly ball behind 21-0. The Predators were stopped in the backfield 11 times by St. Joseph's, so they'll look to give their young skill players better chances to be successful.
They'll look to do that against a Lakewood team that was bashed by Class AAAAA No. 6 Sumter last week, as the Gamecocks rushed for 155 yards and passed for 255 in a 53-8 victory. Sumter averaged 8.5 yards per play, and the defense was even more impressive in allowing Lakewood to gain only 24 rushing yards without an offensive touchdown. The Gators' lone score came on a kickoff return for a touchdown, which the Predators will look to eliminate with their veteran specialists.
Silver Bluff (1-0) at Socastee (1-0)
Last time they played
Socastee defeated Silver Bluff 21-0 on Aug. 26, 2022.
Keys to the game
Silver Bluff is looking to clean some things up defensively after lapses in the secondary led to a 294-yard passing night last Friday by South Aiken's Terrence Smith. Socastee could give the Bulldogs another test in that department, as the Braves' aerial attack generated nearly 75% of their total offensive output in a 6-0 win over North Myrtle Beach. The player to watch for Socastee appears to be receiver Joshua Brown, who had six catches for 156 yards and a touchdown. The run game, however, accounted for just 74 yards on 33 carries, and Silver Bluff brings to the table one of the most talented front sevens in the state.
The Bulldogs' offense matched the defense's physicality last week, led by Joenathan Peeples' patience and power combining for a 145-yard night night. Mickenzie Atterberry was efficient as a passer and explosive as a runner, and some of the Bulldogs' speedy youngsters got a chance to show a little of what they can do. That could be a difference-maker against a Socastee defense that hung a 0 on the scoreboard last week — and against the Bulldogs last season.
Ridge Spring-Monetta (0-1) at Saluda (1-0), 8 p.m.
Last time they played
Saluda defeated Ridge Spring-Monetta 34-7 on Aug. 26, 2022.
Keys to the game
Ridge Spring-Monetta's defense will have to do a better job of avoiding giving up the big play, albeit against a different kind of offense. Last week it was the explosive passing game of Augusta Christian that generated some long touchdowns in a 34-18 victory over the Trojans. This week, it's Saluda's run game that can pile up the points in a hurry. The Tigers, ranked No. 10 in Class AA, crushed Mid-Carolina in last week's opener, and they did it with a variety of backs averaging nearly a first down per carry. It's not just the run, though — Drew Arant went 12-for-16 passing for 172 yards, too.
The Trojans showed they have plenty of big-play potential, too, as the senior duo of quarterback James Bosket and wide receiver Tykeem Martin had a huge night against Augusta Christian. Bosket went 22-for-38 passing for 348 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions. Martin was on the receiving end of all three of those scores, and for the night he totaled 202 yards on 11 receptions. That's a proven big-play duo Saluda will have to account for, which only gets more difficult as Jkrayh Taylor and DeAnte Hopkins get involved.
Williston-Elko (0-1) at Edisto (0-1), 8 p.m.
Last time they played
Edisto defeated Williston-Elko 12-6 on Aug. 26, 2022.
Keys to the game
Williston-Elko will be looking to get things going offensively after being held to 20 total yards in last week's loss to Barnwell. The Blue Devils' power run game was defended well by the Warhorses, who also didn't let themselves get beat over the top by any deep passes. Williston-Elko will look to get that run game established against an Edisto team that was blown out last week by Class A No. 1 Bamberg-Ehrhardt. The Cougars allowed two touchdown passes and four touchdown runs last week.
Like Williston-Elko, Edisto's offense also couldn't find the end zone last week — the Cougars' lone score came on a kickoff return for a touchdown by Khamanti Kennedy. Edisto went just 1-for-7 passing for 12 yards and an interception, rushed for only 18 yards on 23 attempts and lost two fumbles against a physical, punishing Bamberg-Ehrhardt defense. Williston-Elko will turn to its aggressive, 11-hats-to-the-football style of defense to try and achieve similar results.
