Predictions for the best Greenville area games in Week 2

Another week… more predictions.

Wade Hampton snapped a losing streak that dated back to my freshman year of college, JL Mann is 2-0 for the first time since the first round of the Obama administration, and Carolina beat West-Oak to give Chris Glover, who he was an assistant on 2011’s The Great Carolina Team, his first win as head football coach.

Do you feel old already?

That’s not to mention Greer was beaten 62-14 by Hillcrest. The Rams are a team with a passing game that resembles that of the “Big Show on the Turf” Rams teams with Kurt Warner.

OK, maybe that’s hyperbole.

BETTER PERFORMANCE: Bennett Judy’s 456 passing yards tops Greenville’s Top Week 1 Football Players

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Vote here for Week 1 Greenville News High School Football Athlete of the Week

SUMMARY OF WEEK 1: Greenville Area High School Football Recap, Week 1: Mann is 2-0, Hillcrest outpoints Greer

HILLCREST RECORDS BREAKER: How Bennett Judy, Avery McFadden and Hillcrest Football made history by winning at Greer

But enough. It’s time for this week’s predictions of the top eight high school football games in the area. In the year, I am 13-7 (7-5 Week 0, 6-2 Week 1) and will pick eight games each week for the rest of the season. (Twelve games were chosen in week 0 and eight in week 1).

Note: All historical figures courtesy of the South Carolina High School Football History website: www.ghsfha.org/w/Special:SCHSFHS.

Powdersville at Mauldin

History: First meeting of all time. Powdersville opened its doors in 2011.

The chose: Mauldin

Why: In slight chagrin, I’m choosing Mauldin over the heralded Powdersville team that’s filled with players from all over the state and top-tier recruits…maybe he’s talking me out of it. But Mauldin’s offensive line experience and running game behind Kelvin Johnson will carry the Mavericks to victory. Mavericks win a close game to make it 2-0.

Berea in Carolina

History: Berea leads the series 19-17. They have played twice in each of the last two seasons. Berea has won eight of the last nine meetings.

The chose: berea

Why: The Trojans have some momentum and Landrum took care of Berea last week. The Bulldogs have a quarterback and some promising defensive players, but Carolina will play inspired behind coach Chris Glover. It will be close, but Berea gets his first victory this season.

Blue Crest in Greer

History: An impressive local rivalry that hasn’t been played since 2019. The Yellow Jackets have won 18 of 20 in the series. Blue Ridge’s victories came in 2013 and 2007.

The chose: green

Why: Greer’s defense might have trouble containing Tigers quarterback Tucker Massey in the open field: His 294 rushing yards leads all county quarterbacks through two games. But I’m sticking with Greer’s talent and winning tradition over Blue Ridge, which is 2-0.

Byrnes at Greenville

History: He hasn’t played since 1991. Byrnes has won all four games. Red Raiders coach Greg Porter is 0-3 as head coach against Byrnes, and all three came during his tenure at Hillcrest.

The selection: Byrnes

Why: Byrnes’ defense is loaded: Armoni Weaver in the corner is a great matchup for Tyler Brown or Mazeo Bennett. The Rebels’ linebackers are also great. If Greenville is going to win, the running game needs to get going, but quarterback Jordan Sink has quickly proven to be a formidable starter. Byrnes wins this one, but only by one score.

Clover at Hillcrest

History: These two programs have never met. Brian Lane (Clover HC) and Anthony Frate have never trained against any program or each other.

The selection: hill crest

Why: Anyone who watched Hillcrest on Friday knows how extraordinarily good the connection between Avery McFadden and Judy Bennett is. That duo will keep Hillcrest in any game, and a deep, complete team makes the Rams the best team in the county. Hillcrest will win easily.

J.L. Mann in Woodruff

History: These two programs and trainers have never met.

The chose: J L Mann

Why: Woodruff isn’t a bad team: JL Mann is just playing with supreme confidence. The Patriots showed they can win when the offense isn’t rolling in a 14-7 victory against Riverside. So give me Mann, who hasn’t been 3-0 since 2011.

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Riverside at Woodmont

History: First meeting since 2015. The Warriors have won 10 of 17 all-time meetings. The first meeting came in 1982, which Riverside won 10-8.

The chose: Bank

Why: The Warriors had a rough week last week against Mann. Woodmont isn’t bad; a 53-34 win at Walhalla is proof of that. The Wildcats will have a hard time containing Cayden Cosby, Riverside’s underrated speed receiver.

South Side Christian in Abbeville

History: Southside Christian is 0-5 against Abbeville. The last meeting was in 2019 and Abbeville won 14-10.

The chose: abbeville

Why: This is a battle between Class A and Class AA heavyweights. With Abbeville looking against a strong Powdersville team, I’ll take the Panthers to send SCS off to an 0-3 start.

Contact Joe Dandron with reviews, stats, story ideas and more about high school athletics by email at [email protected] and by phone at 864-415-6213.