Week 7 brings us closer to regional play and one step closer to the SCHSL football season playoffs. This season has been a wild ride for some teams, with some teams completely rebuilding and others fighting for a shot at a regional championship.
This week, Hillcrest, Greenville and Greer all won comfortably. Riverside had an unforgettable comeback and every private school in the area had victories.
Greer 55, East Side 7: LaDainnian Martin rushed for 132 yards and Chris Hall rushed for 121 for Greer (2-6, 1-1 Region 2-AAAA). Josh Runion passed for 294 yards and five TDs. Chase Byrd caught six passes for 67 yards and a touchdown, Brock Diggins had three receptions for 53 yards and a touchdown. Naheim Lee had two catches for 61 yards and a touchdown. Kalvin Banks led the Eastside (2-5, 0-1) with 50 yards on 17 carries. Paul Cobin was 10-21 passing for 77 yards and a touchdown. Noah Hunnicut caught six passes for 19 yards. Eli Clint had a touchdown reception. Alston McGee had four tackles and an interception.
GREER-EAST:Greer QB Josh Runion stayed sharp, then reaped the rewards in a big win against Eastside
WEEK 7 UP STATE:High school football scores, live updates in Upstate SC
BETTER PERFORMANCE:Devan Ortega Headlines Week 7 of Greenville Area’s Top High School Football Players
SCORES STATEWIDE:Greer QB Josh Runion stayed sharp, then reaped the rewards in a big win against Eastside
Wren 54, south side 7: Wren (2-5, 2-0 Region 2-AAA) continued his dominance over Southside (3-4, 1-1). The Hurricanes haven’t lost to the Southside since the late 2000s.
South Side Christian 49, Calhoun Falls 6: Southside Christian (3-3, 2-0 Region 1-A) is rolling now after an 0-3 start to the year. Calhoun Falls Charter (0-7, 0-3) is now 0-9 all-time against SCS.
Greenville 85, Berea 0: The Red Raiders led 71-0 at the half. Greenville (4-3, 2-0 Region 1-AAAA) has now won four straight and looks like one of the best teams in AAAA. Berea is now 1-6 overall and 0-2 in regional play.
Broome 49, Blue Ridge 28: Broome and Blue Ridge were tied 21-21 at the half before the Centurions outscored the Tigers 28-7 in the second half. Blue Ridge (3-4, 0-1 Region 3-AAA) has now lost four of its last five games.
Dorman 13, Mauldin 12: Mauldin held his own against one of the best teams in the state. The Mavericks (1-6, 0-2 Region 1-AAAAA) have now lost six in a row. Devan Ortega rushed for 250 yards and a touchdown for Mauldin, while quarterback Emory Watson was 12 of 23 for 87 yards but was sacked three times. Aaron Bowens had four catches for 48 yards. Aiden Hanus kicked two field goals.
TL Hanna 48, JL Mann 42 (2OT): Mann hadn’t beaten TL Hanna since 1971 and the Patriots (5-3, 1-1 Region 1-AAAAA) gave the Yellow Jackets all they could handle in a double-overtime loss. Ethan Anderson threw for 270 yards for Mann. Na’Cyus Morrison rushed 20 times for 71 yards, OJ Jones rushed 11 times for nearly 50 yards and scored twice on the ground. Landyn James, Tripp O’Neill and Mikel McClellan caught touchdown passes.
Hillcrest 63, Woodmont 20: Bennett Judy threw for more than 200 yards and a pair of touchdowns for Hillcrest (7-0, 1-0 Region 1-AAAAA). The Rams led 35-14 at halftime. Logan Coldren had three total touchdowns. Owen Smith and Nick Dance threw passes for Hillcrest. Four different players scored rushing touchdowns for Hillcrest. Tristan Berry completed 5 of 12 passes for 45 yards for Woodmont (3-5, 0-2). Trae Broughton rushed over 20 times and scored twice on the ground and Jalen Tate also had a rushing touchdown.
Powdersville 55, Fountain Inn 14: Fountain Inn is now 0-7 and 0-2 in Region 2-AAA in its inaugural season as a new high school. Powdersville improved to 6-1 and 2-0 in Region 2-AAA play.
Riverside 17, Laurens 14: Riverside trailed 14-0 early in the quarter, but scored an unanswered 17 to complete the comeback and beat Laurens for the first time. After scoring two rushing touchdowns, the Warriors intercepted a Laurens pass and kicked a 35-yard field goal to take the lead with 59 seconds left in the game. Laurens (2-6, 1-1 Region 2-AAAA) quarterback Nick Fowler was 13-of-21 passing for 103 yards and two touchdowns. Cayson Elledge, a football player from Davidson, had five catches for 31 yards and a touchdown. Jay Pulley caught a six-yard touchdown. Rob Sanders threw for 90 yards and rushed for 90 yards for Riverside (3-5, 2-0).
St. Joseph Catholic Church 58, Dixie 7: St. Joseph’s Catholic improved to 7-1 on the year and 3-0 in Region 1-A with a big win over Dixie.
Rest Travelers 35, Carolina 3: Travelers Rest (4-4, 1-1 Region 3-AAA) returned to the win column, due in large part to the connection between quarterback Caleb Mills and wide receiver Drew McKibben. Mills completed 11 of 13 passes for 157 yards and three touchdown passes — all three were caught by McKibben, who finished with five receptions for 59 yards and all three touchdowns. Xavier Donaldson carried the ball 16 times for 81 yards and a touchdown. Ji Wiggins had four carries for 43 yards and a touchdown. Carolina (2-6, 0-2) has already lost four in a row.
Church of Christ 36, Ware Shoals 0: Christ Church is rolling and the Cavaliers (6-1, 3-0 Region 1-A) got 67 rushing yards and three touchdowns from running back Dashun Reeder. Quarterback Woods Windham passed for 261 yards and two touchdown passes. On the receiving end of those touchdown passes were Jackson Repp and BJ Atkins. Luke Baumhofer had three catches for a team-high 93 yards.
Joe Dandron covers high school sports for The Greenville News.