As Thanksgiving approaches, three Chronicle Country teams remain in the hunt for state titles.

One team will get its shot at the championship this week in SCISA eight-man football.

W.W. King Academy will face two-time defending champion Holly Hill Academy at 4 p.m. Nov. 18 at Charleston Southern University. 

It’s the first title game for the Knights since 2016 when they lost to another eight-man dynasty Andrew Jackson Academy formerly coached by ex-Lexington head coach Allen Sitterle. 

The matchup is a rematch of the Oct. 7 game dominated by the Raiders 62-18. It’s also the lone loss this season for the Knights (10-1), while undefeated Holly Hill Academy (11-0) enters the game riding a 37-game winning streak.

“They’re good. They’re big,” W.W. King Academy head coach Zach Matthews said following the 22-18 win over Faith Christian. “I think we know a little bit more about ourselves right now than the first time we played Holly Hill. So, we’ve just got to go and have a good week of preparation and just go play the game.”

W.W. King Academy is seeking its first SCISA title since 2013. 

Over in the S.C. High School League, Dutch Fork and Gilbert head into third-round matchups. 

Like W.W. King Academy, it’s a post-season rematch in Class 5A for the Dutch Fork Silver Foxes (11-1) against Spartanburg (8-4). The two teams met in Week One Aug. 26 when Justin Welch’s 29-yard field goal as time expired gave Dutch Fork a 27-25 road win. Shrine Bowl running back Jarvis Green rushed for 306 yards and two touchdowns and Landon Danley rushed for two scores in the win. 

Vikings quarterback Raheim Jeter threw for 248 yards and three touchdowns in defeat.

Dutch Fork is 3-0 all-time against Spartanburg. The winner faces either defending champion Gaffney or J.F. Byrnes in the Upper State final.

In Class 3A, Gilbert (10-2) travels to Beaufort (10-1) for the first meeting between the two schools. The Indians, winners of seven straight games, are seeking to reach the Lower State final for the fourth time in school history.

Riding a 10-game winning streak, the Eagles are looking for a second straight trip to the state finals after finishing runner-up last year in Class 4A.

A win by the Indians also ties head coach Chad Leaphart with Marty Woolbright for most wins in school history. Leaphart currently stands at 67, although his primary focus is winning the game to continue the season.

“My main focus right now is getting these guys in the best position to win against Beaufort and a big game on Friday down there at their place,” Leaphart said. “Right now, it’s about winning this game this week so we can be playing Thanksgiving weekend which is our big goal for every high school team.” 

Second Round Gridiron Giants

Jarvis Green (Dutch Fork) – 307 total yards, three touchdowns

Aliam Appler (Dutch Fork) – 195 total yards, two rushing touchdowns 

Chandler Perry (Dutch Fork) – 10 tackles, sack 

Jaylen Hinton (Dutch Fork) – nine tackles, forced fumble

Alias Graham-Woodberry (Gilbert) – 142 rushing yards, two rushing touchdowns

Jaden Allen-Hendrix (Gilbert) – 129 rushing yards, two rushing touchdowns 

Chance Jennings (Gilbert) – two touchdowns (rushing, receiving) 

Brendon Boatwright (Gilbert) – 10 tackles 

Erick Tucker (Irmo) – three rushing touchdowns 

Taiden Mines (Lexington) – 295 total yards, two touchdowns

Ben Sauls (W.W. King Academy) – 177 total yards, two touchdowns

Colby Woodward (W.W. King Academy) – 15 tackles, interception, fumble recovery

By The Numbers

Dutch Fork has won 21 consecutive home playoff games. Since losing to Dorman in the second-round of the 2015 Class 4A playoffs, the Silver Foxes are 30-1 in the post-season. They have also defeated the Cavaliers three straight times in the playoffs. Under head coach Tom Knotts, Dutch Fork have post 11 seasons of 10 or more victories. Linebacker Jaylen Hinton has 115 tackles. Running back Jarvis Green has rushed for 1,658 yards and 26 touchdowns. He also had four receiving touchdowns and a kick return for a touchdown. 

Gilbert has won 10 or more games four times over head coach Chad Leaphart. Brendon Boatwright has 133 tackles on the season, followed by Jordan Smith (129), Caleb Strese (118) to go with six sacks and Jake Torbett (108).

W.W King Academy has won 10 games for the first time since 2016. 

Tough Homecoming

A pair of former Chronicle Country head coaches were on the losing end of second-round games. Dorman head coach Dustin Curtis, a former Lexington High School running back, lost to Dutch Fork. Manning head coach Reggie Kennedy, who previously served at Irmo, lost to Gilbert.