Thursday Morning Quarterback: 4 Local Teams Still Undefeated

Posted 9/22/22

After five weeks, the number “4” is prominent in Chronicle Country high school football.

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Thursday Morning Quarterback: 4 Local Teams Still Undefeated

Posted

After five weeks, the number “4” is prominent in Chronicle Country high school football.

It represents the number of local teams who remain without a loss. Three of the four – Dutch Fork, River Bluff and White Knoll – are 5-0 and are among four teams from Region 5-5A ranked in the latest South Carolina Prep Football poll for the second consecutive week.

The top-ranked Silver Foxes have outscored the opposition 113-41 in their last two games without starting quarterback Aliam Appler and running back Jarvis Green. They’ve also managed to extend their regular season winning streak to 43 games and road win streak to 39.

After four road games to open the season, Dutch Fork will finally play its home opener Sept. 23. It’s also a marquee matchup as St. Frances Academy, ranked third nationally by USA Today, pays a visit to Irmo for the first time.

The Baltimore, Md. school has won 11 consecutive games dating back to last season. In the Panthers’ 34-17 win over Venice on Sept. 15, a game that aired nationally on ESPN2, the backfield duo of Durell Robinson and DeJuan Williams were the centerpiece of a rushing attack that produced over 300 yards and three touchdowns.

River Bluff also faces a tough task on the road. The Gators pay a visit to 4-0 ranked Dorman, now led by first-year head coach and Lexington High School alumnus Dustin Curtis.

It’s the start of a second-half schedule in which the current combined record of River Bluff’s five opponents is 22-3.

An equally challenging gauntlet awaits White Knoll. Starting with this week’s home matchup with Lancaster, the Timberwolves’ final five opponents have a combined current record of 20-4.

TEAM OF THE WEEK – W.W. King Academy

The fourth undefeated team in Chronicle Country, the Knights are off to their best start since the 2016 season. They have outscored their four opponents 190-56.

WEEK FOUR GRIDIRON GIANTS

Kyle Chavis (Airport) – 253 passing yards, four touchdowns

Apollos Cook (Airport) – five receptions, 158 yards, touchdown

Kendall Stroman (Airport) – five receptions, 90 yards, three touchdowns

L.J. Williams (Batesburg-Leesville) – 101 rushing yards

Korey Williams (Batesburg-Leesville) – 75 rushing yards, two touchdowns

Naahzeikial Mays (Brookland-Cayce) - 212 rushing yards, three touchdowns

Brady Albro (Chapin) – 320 passing yards, two touchdowns

Adam Bass (Chapin) – 10 tackles

Maurice McQuire (Dutch Fork) – 190 rushing yards

Jon Hunt (Dutch Fork) – 122 passing yards, touchdown

Isaiah Felder (Dutch Fork) – five receptions, 105 yards, touchdown

Tyler Jones (Dutch Fork) – 11 tackles

Jaylen Hinton (Dutch Fork) – 10 tackles

Jake Tolbert (Gilbert) – 14 tackles

Alias Graham-Woodberry (Gilbert) – 130 rushing yards

Jaden Allen-Hendrix (Gilbert) – 82 rushing yards, two touchdowns

Riley Staton (Gray Collegiate) – four touchdown passes

Taiden Mines (Lexington) – 182 yards, two touchdowns

Jonah Norris (Lexington) – 152 rushing yards, three touchdowns

Cooper Johns (River Bluff) – 189 rushing yards, three touchdowns

Gray Herring (River Bluff) – 70 rushing yards, two touchdowns

Jesse Ross (White Knoll) – 158 rushing yards, two touchdowns

Tyler Stoudenmire (White Knoll) – 10 tackles

Ben Sauls (W.W. King Academy) – 117 rushing yards, two touchdowns

TOP CHRONICLE COUNTRY PERFORMANCES IN COLLEGE

RB Kendrell Flowers (Irmo) of South Carolina State – He was named the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference’s Offensive Player of the Week after rushing for 153 yards and two touchdowns in the win over Bethune-Cookman on Sept. 10.

WR Jalin Hyatt (Dutch Fork) of Tennessee – He had five receptions for 166 yards and two touchdowns against Akron.

WR Antonio Williams (Dutch Fork) of Clemson – He had a team-high 57 receiving yards and his first collegiate touchdown catch against Louisiana Tech.

S Nick Emmanwori (Irmo) of South Carolina – He had a team-high 14 tackles against top-ranked and defending national champion Georgia.

QB Aveon Smith (White Knoll) of Miami (Ohio) – He threw for 116 yards and two touchdowns against Cincinnati.

BY THE NUMBERS

Dutch Fork linebacker Jaylen Hinton has 54 tackles. Teammate John Buetow has eight sacks…Gilbert’s Alias Graham-Woodberry has rushed for 10 touchdowns and backfield mate Jaden Allen-Hendrix has rushed for 673 yards…Prior to the 33-21 loss to Brookland-Cayce, Chapin had allowed a total of 34 points in its first four games. The win snapped a five-game losing streak in the series and was the first for the Bearcats since 2013…White Knoll will look to open 6-0 for the first time in school history. It had achieved the feat twice under former head coach Dean Howell, now at Northside Christian Academy…Airport is one of three Chronicle Country teams who have either matched or surpassed their win total from the previous season. The others are Batesburg-Leesville and River Bluff. Pelion can be the fourth with a win over Ninety-Six.

QUOTABLE

“I’ve been dealing by getting into film study a little bit more with Coach Gray and watching the film maybe like every day after practice, you know. So just understanding the scheme and trying to do my part on the defense as best I can.” – University of South Carolina safety Nick Emmanwori of Irmo on getting his first two starts in SEC games and battling injuries on the defense. He currently leads the Gamecocks with 28 tackles in three games.

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