It’s not been surprising in past years to have plenty of drama in region play heading into the final week of the regular season.

The 2022 season will not break from that tradition, however, there are some exceptions. Most of the teams who were previously in Region 4-4A are now in Region 5 and instead of the drama surrounding who will win the region; it’s about who will make the playoffs and who won’t.

Heading into Week 10 there is a four-way tie for third place between Irmo, Westwood, Lugoff-Elgin, and Richland Northeast.

All four teams sport a 1-3 region record and, as luck would have it, face one another to present a clear playoff path for each team.

Richland Northeast hosts Westwood; while Irmo hosts Lugoff Elgin.

Richland Northeast, 2-7 overall, won its region opener against Irmo before dropping the next three.

Westwood, 2-7 overall, started its region slate off 1-1, following a loss to A.C. Flora and a win over Lugoff-Elgin. However, losses to Ridge View and Irmo have the Redhawks fighting for their playoff lives.

“The guys are excited about the opportunity,” Westwood head coach Kevin O’Connell said. “We could have helped ourselves out last week but didn’t get that done. The guys are excited about playing after this week. We know what is in store, though. Richland Northeast is a tough team.”

“We want to have a good week of practice and get ready to make a run at the playoffs,” Richland Northeast head coach Walt Wilson said.

It is an interesting matchup between two teams that have struggled at times on both sides of the ball.

Richland Northeast’s offense, averaging 21.1 points per game, has shown flashes of moving the ball and putting up points, including 34 against Ridge View on October 21. However, the Cavaliers have also scored 20 or fewer points five times.

The offense is led by quarterback Will Wilson who has had a solid year both on the ground and through the air, throwing for 1,509 yards and rushing for 552 yards. Zackary Watkins has been Wilson’s favorite target in the passing game, accounting for 667 passing yards.

“We are an interesting team,” Wilson said. “We have to start better and finish. In last week’s game we didn’t score in the first quarter, but we scored 14 in the second quarter. We didn’t score in the third but put up 20 in the fourth quarter. You figure that one out. What that is telling me is that we are attacking when we are behind instead of attacking from the start. That’s something we have to work on. We need to come out more aggressive.”

There is an opportunity for the Cavaliers to have success against a Westwood defense that is giving up an average of 37.8 points per game.

On the other side of the ball, the Westwood offense is averaging 14.1 points per game and is coming off its second consecutive game where it didn’t score.

The Westwood attack begins with quarterback Dylon O’Neal, who has completed 93-of-153 passes for 1,117 yards and nine touchdowns.

Noah Jennings has been his favorite target with 36 catches for 641 yards and seven touchdowns, but he didn’t record one last week against Irmo.

Jayden Harrison is the second leading receiver with 24 catches for 183 yards and one touchdown. He’s also the team’s leading rusher with 654 yards and five touchdowns on 102 carries.

The Redhawks go against a Richland Northeast defense giving up an average of 31.7 points per game.

“I put everything on the defense,” Wilson said. “I’m old school. If they don’t score, we can’t lose. We need to play good defensively to give ourselves a chance.”

The keys to the game for Westwood are not beating themselves and limiting mistakes.

For the Cavaliers, Wilson said they can’t turn the ball over, need to be efficient on offense, and play to their capabilities.

If Richland Northeast and Irmo both win, the Cavaliers would secure a No. 3 seed. Should Richland Northeast and Lugoff-Elgin win, the Cavaliers will secure a No. 4 seed.

If Westwood and Irmo win, the Redhawks would get a No. 4 seed. If Westwood and Lugoff-Elgin win, the Redhawks will get a No. 3 seed.

Irmo, 5-4 overall, will try to make it two wins in a row when it hosts Lugoff-Elgin, 4-5 overall. The Yellow Jackets lost their first three region games before earning a 42-0 win over Westwood on October 21.

Lugoff-Elgin started the season with losses to Ridge View and Westwood before knocking off Richland Northeast. A loss to A.C. Flora a week ago has put them squarely in this four-way tie.

“We’ve always been pretty confident,” Irmo head coach Aaron Brand said. “We’ve let some things get away from us this year. We know a lot of that was because of our youth. At this point in the year everybody is a little older. When you’ve played nine games and have that experience under your belt, everybody has moved up a class. We don’t consider ourselves young anymore. We just consider ourselves ready for the next opponent. We know if we win we’re in. We haven’t talked anything about that. It’s the most important game because it’s the next game.”

For the season, the Yellow Jackets are averaging 24.8 points per game. Irmo’s offense is led by quarterback A.J. Brand, who has completed 79-of-122 passes for 1,305 yards and 13 touchdowns.

His favorite target has been Telvin Smith who has 33 catches for 508 yards and four touchdowns.

Brand has also been dangerous with his feet, rushing for 392 yards and seven touchdowns on 42 carries.

Running back Anton Jones Jr. has seen his playing time increase while Erick Tucker has been sidelined with an injury.

Irmo will be facing a Demon defense that is giving up an average of 30.1 points per game.

On the other side of the ball, the Irmo defense, which is giving up an average of 21 points per game, including two shutouts, goes against a Lugoff-Elgin offense averaging 18.4 points per game.

The keys to the game for the Yellow Jackets are for Brand and Smith to continue to play well and for the defense to stop the Lugoff-Elgin rushing attack.

Should Irmo and Richland Northeast win, the Yellow Jackets will get the No. 4 seed. If Irmo and Westwood win, the Yellow Jackets get the No. 3 seed.

It all sets up for a lot of excitement, a lot of drama, and a lot of potential.

“It would be an important step for us to make the playoffs,” Brand said. “It would be another stepping stone. It’s been a while since we’ve made three playoffs in a row. We’re just trying to achieve our goals.”

“It would be a good thing for our program,” Wilson said. “Right now we are trying to find our way. We are trying to build a program. Two consecutive playoff berths would be a good start. It would be huge. It is a huge opportunity for us. To have a season with all its ups and downs and still have a chance is good.”

“Making the playoffs for us would be important going forward,” O’Connell said. ” We have a lot of young guys who’ll be returning next year, so the experience would be huge. Anytime you can have success it helps in building a program. It helps for the kids to see the fruits of their labor. It would be big for them in this first year to see what we can do.”

October 27, 2022 | Columbia Star, The (SC)
Author/Byline: Josh Cruse; joshc@thecolumbiastar.com | Section: Article