High school football is back in Lexington County, following an action-filled Week Zero slate of football.

Twelve local teams took the field for the first time this season. Some teams had successful endeavors, while others got a better understanding of what they need to keep working on.

Below are some of the most notable storylines from Week Zero of local high school football.

Weather shakes schedules during opening week

Rain and lightning played a role in the opening week of football. Many games in the area were rescheduled from Friday night to Thursday night due to projected storms.

Teams took the field a day early, but storms also came through then, forcing a few games to pause mid-game.

Lexington and White Knoll were two teams in the Midlands who moved their game to Thursday and had to stop mid-contest because of lightning. These games were pushed to Friday and resumed from where they left off.

Pelion and Swansea moved their games to Thursday but were able to finish before any delays.

Gray Collegiate’s game was delayed until Monday.

Friday night saw some light rain, but no severe storms disrupted any Lexington County teams.

American Leadership Academy earns program’s 1st win

There were a lot of firsts for the Patriots last week.

In the first game of the 2025 season, first-year head coach Kemper Amick led his team to their first win in program history.

American Leadership is in its second season of varsity football and went winless in 2024. One of the team’s biggest goals entering this season was capturing that first win, and it only took one game.

The Patriots dominated Thornwell in a 43-6 win. The team scored six touchdowns on offense and shut Thornwell down on defense to coast to a win.

ALA leaned on the run game and had five different players score a rushing touchdown. The team finished with 266 total yards of offense, with 244 coming on the ground.

New area head coaches have mixed results in debuts

Lexington County’s newest head coaches had a group of mixed results to start their stints. Coaches went 3-2 in their debut games during week 0, with some winning big, some losing big and others playing in close contests.

Stewart Young won his debut at Lexington as the Wildcats beat Gilbert 23-7. Young came to Lexington after over 20 years spent on the sidelines at Saluda.

Former Cardinal Newman head coach Cory Helms led Pelion to a 35-0 rout over Williston-Elko in his first game with the Panthers. Helms is trying to turn around a Pelion team that has not had a winning season in five years.

New American Leadership coach Kemper Amick captured his first win with the Patriots thanks to their blowout against Thornwell.

Airport lost big to May River in Chris Napier’s first game, and River Bluff lost to Rock Hill 31-18 in Perry Parks’ debut.

5A-Region 4 goes 2-3 in Week Zero slate

5A-Region 4 was one of the most talented conferences in South Carolina last season. The six teams went a combined 36-5 against teams from the rest of the state, including in the playoffs.

There was a lot of shuffling in the region during the offseason with the addition of new coaches and the departure of key players, but many of the teams entered the season optimistic.

Friday night gave us a first look at five of the teams, and the results were up-and-down.

Lexington and Irmo picked up wins on the road, while Chapin, River Bluff and White Knoll all lost. Dutch Fork took the week off.

The Wildcats defeated Gilbert and Irmo survived a thriller against Oceanside 35-28.

White Knoll fell at home to Camden 20-7, Chapin was shutout by Catawba Ridge 30-0 and River Bluff lost to Rock Hill.

All five teams will play next week, as well as Dutch Fork, which opens its season at home against Spartanburg.

It’s another one of the few opportunities everyone gets to play before beating on each other in the region season.

Last week’s big performances

Jai Chuniesingh had six catches for 103 yards and two touchdowns in Pelion’s win over Williston-Elko.

Jamar Grissett had two interceptions and five tackles for Irmo against Oceanside.

Cam Morris had forced a fumble and had 10 tackles, including four for a loss, in Lexington’s game against Gilbert.

Jackson Sherriff scored two touchdowns for American Leadership in a win over Thornwell.

Week 0 scoreboard

Lexington: 23, Gilbert: 7
Rock Hill: 31, River Bluff: 18
Camden: 20, White Knoll: 7
Irmo: 35, Oceanside: 28
Catawba Ridge: 30, Chapin: 0
James Island: 24, Gray Collegiate: 8
May River: 37, Airport: 8
Swansea: 49, Mid-Carolina: 7
Pelion: 35, Williston-Elko: 0
American Leadership Academy: 43, Thornwell: 6
Calhoun Academy: 35, Northside Christian: 6