Football teams around Lexington County are preparing for their final two games of the regular season with a lot on the line. 

Many regions are still wide open, and a few Lexington County teams are in a position to contend for a title and earn a favorable seed in the playoffs. 

Last week saw nine games with 14 local teams in action. It was a slate full of blowouts and talent mismatches, but there were a few good games. 

Here are some of the biggest storylines from week 7 of Lexington County high school football.

Two games remain before playoffs begin

The postseason is quickly approaching and teams are looking to do whatever they can to secure the best advantage for themselves. 

Finishing near the top of the region standings is a big way to create that advantage. The better finish in the regular season, the higher the playoff seed. Higher seeds get more home games, which can be a huge advantage in the postseason. 

Six local teams are in contention to win a region title, and three of those began the week in the driver’s seat. 

Irmo and Dutch Fork are tied at the top of the 5A Region-4 standings. The Yellow Jackets and Silver Foxes played for the title last season, and could do so again this year. They will meet in the last game of the regular season. 

Gray Collegiate is still undefeated in 4A Region-4 games, proving the importance of its win over North Augusta earlier this year. The War Eagles hold a one game lead over the Yellow Jackets with games against Aiken and Gilbert left. 

Gilbert is a spot below North Augusta with two region losses. It is a long shot, but the Indians could win the region title if the cards fall its way. The team must win both of its final games, including against Gray, and the War Eagles have to lose both. 

Swansea and Batesburg-Leesville are a game back, looking up at their competition, but a path to the title is still open.

Other teams contending near the top of their region but are out of the title race include: White Knoll, Lexington, River Bluff and Brookland-Cayce. Those teams will look to avoid slipping lower and establish themselves in the top-half of the standings. 

Another week of lopsided results 

It was another week of blowouts on the field, with seven of the nine games being won by at least 10 points. 

Dutch Fork and Batesburg-Leesville were on the winning side of shutouts, while Pelion and American Leadership were on the opposite. 

The Silver Foxes scored 49 points and held Lexington scoreless to improve to (6-1) and (3-0) in region games. Dutch Fork shut out Chapin 50-0 two weeks earlier. 

Batesburg-Leesville and American Leadership faced off in a region matchup between two local teams. The Panthers got the best of the Patriots 63-0 to maintain their tie with Saluda for second in the standings. Batesburg and Saluda will play in the final week of the season. 

Saluda and Batesburg-Leesville sit behind Strom Thurmond, who just came off a 61-0 beatdown on Pelion. 

River Bluff, Gray and Gilbert all won big, despite not forcing a shutout. The Gators beat Chapin 33-7, the War Eagles knocked off South Aiken 44-7 and Gilbert beat Brookland-Cayce 30-19. 

Airport was on the losing side of a blowout, falling to North Augusta 56-7. 

Swansea falls while Irmo remains perfect

Only one undefeated team is left standing after Swansea’s 37-28 loss against Silver Bluff. That leaves Irmo, with its (8-0) record, as the only team without a loss this season. 

Swansea had an opportunity to join the Yellow Jackets but lost the game in the fourth quarter after a chain of mistakes struck. The Tigers went from tied at 28 to down nine with not enough momentum or time to recover.

The Tigers fell to (7-1) overall and (1-1) in region games. The team can still finish near the top of the standings but has tough matchups against Fox Creek and Newberry left on the schedule. 

Irmo stayed undefeated after securing a 14-3 win over White Knoll. It was a slow offensive game, but the Yellow Jackets defense held the Timberwolves without a touchdown to secure a crucial region win. 

With just two games to go, Irmo is tied with Dutch Fork for the lead in the region. Like last year, both teams are on a collision course to play each other for the region title in the final week of the season. 

Dutch Fork won that game last year. Both teams will have to win next week first to set those stakes. The Yellow Jackets will travel to Chapin, while Dutch Fork hosts River Bluff. 

Last week’s big performances 

Amadre Wooden ran for almost 250 yards and added three touchdowns for Batesburg-Leesville in a win versus American Leadership. 

Royce Williamson caught two touchdown passes in Gray Collegiate’s win against South Aiken. 

Jaxon Knotts threw for over 250 yards and had three total touchdowns in Dutch Fork’s win over Lexington. 

RJ Kearse hauled in two touchdown passes for Gilbert in the Indians' win against Brookland-Cayce. 

Week 9 games to watch 

Swansea vs. Fox Creek

American Leadership at Ninety Six

Lexington vs. White Knoll

Dutch Fork vs. River Bluff

Week 8 scoreboard

Dutch Fork: 49, Lexington: 0

Irmo: 14, White Knoll: 3

River Bluff: 33, Chapin: 7

North Augusta: 56, Airport: 7

Gilbert: 30, Brookland-Cayce: 19

Gray Collegiate: 44, South Aiken: 7

Silver Bluff: 37, Swansea: 28

Batesburg-Leesville: 63, American Leadership: 0

Strom Thurmond: 61, Pelion: 0