Another week of high school football has passed, and the three Lexington County teams that were off Week Zero took the field for the first time.

Dutch Fork, Brookland-Cayce and Batesburg-Leesville all kicked off their 2025 campaigns at home, looking to start the season on a high note. It was mission accomplished for Dutch Fork and Batesburg-Leesville, but Brookland-Cayce struggled in its first game of the Louis Clyburn era.

Below are some of the most notable storylines from Week One of Lexington County high school football.

Blowouts rule night full of one-sided showings

There were not many close games in the county during Week One. Of the 13 Week One games, 10 were decided by at least three touchdowns.

Lexington County teams had mixed success in those games, going 6-5, with River Bluff and Brookland-Cayce playing each other. The Gators dominated that game behind a powerful defensive performance and a strong outing from running back Hayden Myers.

White Knoll defeated Sumter 28-6. After giving up a pick-six, the Timberwolves buckled down and scored 28 unanswered points to win. It was a solid rebound for the team after a 20-7 loss to Camden last week.

Swansea rolled over Denmark-Olar to improve to 2-0 this year. The Tigers overpowered their opponent on the ground, rushing for almost 300 yards. Six different players scored as the team went on to win 54-0.

The Tigers have had one of the best starts in the area this season, outscoring their competition 103-7.

Batesburg-Leesville opened its 2025 season with a 49-6 win over Wagener-Salley. Amadre Wooden found the endzone three times as the Panthers look to match their undefeated regular season from a year ago.

For Pelion, the Cory Helms era couldn’t have gotten off to a better start. The Panther entered Week One off a 35-0 win against Williston-Elko. The team took it a step further and beat Columbia 40-10 to improve to 2-0 for the first time since 2022.

Dutch Fork also opened the 2025 season with a 54-21 blowout win over Spartanburg.

Chapin, Lexington, Brookland-Cayce, Airport and Northside Christian were on the opposite side of a blowout, losing by a large margin. Lexington is the only one of those teams to have won in Week Zero. Brookland-Cayce did not play then. Northside Christian started its season the week before and is now 0-3.

3 Lexington County teams survive thrilling finishes

While most of the county saw blowouts, three local teams were engaged in thrilling contests that came down to the final few plays.

Irmo, Gilbert and American Leadership all won last Friday. Their combined average margin of victory was just 2.5 points.

The Yellow Jackets scored a go-ahead touchdown with 34 seconds left in the game to beat Byrnes 35-32. Drevon Dopson found Maleek Miller for the 13-yard score as Irmo drove over 75 yards in just over a minute.

Dopson finished the game 12-25 for 213 yards, two passing touchdowns and a rushing touchdown. Miller had 258 total yards and two touchdowns.

Gilbert struggled in its season-opening game against Lexington but had a solid response in its 29-28 win against Wilson. It took two overtimes, but the Indians held on to beat the Tigers by keeping them out of the endzone on a two-point try.

Gray Gunter scored three touchdowns in the win. His first came in the fourth quarter to tie the game. His second came in overtime, along with a two-point conversion to keep the game alive. His third came in the second overtime and gave Gilbert the score they needed to win.

One week after earning their first program win in history, American Leadership has earned another after surviving a game against Camden Military 15-14.

The Patriots played it risky late, scoring a touchdown with under a minute to go. Instead of kicking a game-tying extra point, American Leadership faked the kick and connected on a two-point conversion to win.

Leonard Pressley scored two touchdowns and the two-point conversion. American Leadership will look to improve to 3-0 with a win against Clear Dot Charter next week.

Dutch Fork picks up where it left off

The defending 5A Division I state champs kicked their season off with a triumphant win against Spartanburg.

Dutch Fork won 54-21. The team trailed 21-20 before scoring the game’s final 34 points to seal a blowout.

It was the 22nd win in a row for the Silver Foxes. Their last loss came in the 2023 regular season. The team is also looking for its fourth straight title.

The win over Spartanburg was impressive for many reasons. Not only did it set the tone for how the Silver Foxes want this year to go, but it also allowed new players to get real run in.

Kyle Henry and Isaac Shine excelled as the team’s lead backs. The pair combined for almost 200 yards rushing and four touchdowns.

Dutch Fork will be back on the field next week for another test against Ridge View.

Last week’s big performances

Alan Moore threw for five touchdowns in Pelion’s win over Columbia.

Caleb Renwick took an interception to the house for a pick-six in River Bluff’s shutout win against Brookland-Cayce.

Kyle Henry ran over 100 yards and scored two touchdowns for Dutch Fork in a win over Spartanburg.

Gray Gunter scored three touchdowns for Gilbert in a double-overtime thriller.

Week 1 scoreboard

A.C. Flora: 28, Chapin: 0

Dutch Fork: 54, Spartanburg: 21

Irmo: 35, Byrnes: 32

North Augusta: 31, Lexington: 3

River Bluff: 23, Brookland-Cayce: 0

White Knoll: 28, Sumter: 6

Aiken: 44, Airport: 0

Gilbert: 29, Wilson: 28

Swansea: 54, Denmark-Olar: 0

American Leadership: 15, Camden Military: 14

Batesburg-Leesville: 49, Wagener-Salley: 6

Pelion: 40, Columbia: 10

Wilson Hall: 49, Northside Christian: 12