It’s the final week of the high school football regular season in Lexington County, and plenty of teams still have a lot on the line. 

Last week was a very consequential one, with 14 area teams playing in 10 separate games. Four of those matchups featured a local head-to-head, and many others also had region standing stakes attached. 

Gilbert versus Swansea was one of the games with the most on the line. Both teams entered the matchup tied for second in the region standings, and a win would create some separation. 

The Indians got the victory, beating the Tigers 43-14. Gilbert jumped ahead early by building a 21-8 halftime lead. 

Swansea had its chances, reaching the red zone three times but only scoring the eight points. 

Gilbert expanded its lead in the second half, while Swansea was able to add just six more points the rest of the way. 

Lexington and Chapin also played a crucial contest. With the 31-24 win, the Wildcats stay in the fight for second place in the 5A Region 4 standings. 

Chapin jumped ahead early, but Lexington clawed its way back in the second half to force overtime.   

Easton Crocker finished things off in the extra period by punching his way into the end zone to score the game-winning touchdown.   

River Bluff and White Knoll played another local head-to-head game. While White Knoll doesn’t have much left to play for, it was a must-win for River Bluff. The team is also in the race for second place in 5A Region 4. 

The Gators easily took care of business and downed the Timberwolves 49-6, setting up a winner-takes-all game against the Wildcats this week. 

River Bluff and Lexington will play for second place and the right to get a guaranteed home playoff game. 

Other notable games last week with region implications included: Gray Collegiate’s loss against Ridge View, Irmo’s win over Aiken, Brookland-Cayce’s win over Airport and Northside Christian's loss against Florence Christian. 

Postseason positions still on the line

The final playoff picture will be decided this week as many games will decide where Lexington County teams place in the postseason. 

Two local teams already clinched their region titles. 

Dutch Fork wrapped things up two weeks ago and is still undefeated this season at 8-0. The Silver Foxes are playing White Knoll this week and can still improve their overall RPI with a win. 

RPI determines how all the playoff teams are seeded beyond their placement in the region standings. 

Batesburg-Leesville also locked things up by beating Whitmire 63-6 to improve to 4-0 in the region. The Panthers are now 5-4 this season, overcoming an 0-4 start to the year. 

While another team could tie Batesburg-Leesville if the Panthers lose their season finale, the Panthers already beat that team, giving them the tiebreaker. 

No other teams are able to win a region title, but some can still improve their spot and better their postseason odds. 

Lexington and River Bluff will play for second place in 5A Region 4. The loser will finish third. Chapin is locked into fourth place and White Knoll will finish last. All four teams are looking up at Dutch Fork. 

Gilbert, Brookland-Cayce and Swansea enter this week in second, third and fourth in their 3A region standings. The Indians secured their second-place finish after getting wins over the Bearcats and Tigers earlier this season. 

Brookland-Cayce and Swansea are tied and will play this week. Winner gets third place, and the loser takes fourth. Airport is last in the conference, sitting without a region win. For the Eagles to get one, they’d have to upset first-place Camden this week. 

Elsewhere, Gray Collegiate is locked into third place in its 5A conference. Irmo is staying in second in its 4A region, and Pelion and American Leadership will play to avoid last place in their 2A conference. 

After all the games are played this week, postseason brackets will be finalized and posted early next week. 

The first round of playoff games will kick off next Friday. 

Last week’s top performances 

Britton Davis threw six touchdown passes in Irmo’s win over Aiken. 

Terrance Cook finished with six total touchdowns in Batesburg-Leesville’s win against Whitmire. 

Easton Crocker scored the game-winning touchdown for Lexington in a clash against Chapin.   

Kendall Wright had four total touchdowns as Gilbert beat region rival Swansea. 

This week’s games to watch

Pelion vs. American Leadership (Thursday)

Lexington vs. River Bluff

Swansea vs. Brookland-Cayce

Northside Christian at Wilson Hall 

Lexington County scoreboard

Lexington: 31, Chapin: 24 (OT)

River Bluff: 49, White Knoll: 6

Ridge View: 57, Gray Collegiate: 28

Irmo: 52, Aiken: 0

Brookland-Cayce: 40, Airport: 28

Gilbert: 43, Swansea: 14

Orangeburg-Wilkinson: 49, American Leadership: 7

Silver Bluff: 30, Pelion: 20

Batesburg-Leesville: 63, Whitmire: 6

Florence Christian: 27,  Northside Christian: 20