With two weeks in the books, football season is in full swing.

Last week, we saw many blowouts. Chapin won by 63, Gilbert won by 28, Lexington won 32 and River Bluff won by 49. But we also had a few thrillers, with Northside Christian edging Greenwood Christian in overtime by one, and Gray Collegiate and Crestwood scoring all of the points in the War Eagles’ wild 62-60 win.

This week’s slate will have some tight, intriguing contests. I combed through the upcoming schedule and found five games involving Chronicle Country teams that you should keep an eye on going into the third week of the season.

River Bluff (2-0) at Irmo (2-0)

This is the only game on the slate that involves two Lexington County teams and the only match-up in Chronicle Country that features two unbeatens.

It’ll be a classic clash of strengths. River Bluff’s defensive front led by the Chronicle male Athlete of the Week Alonzo Singleton and Reece Lawrence have been a terror for opposing offenses over the past two games, holding their first two opponents to 13 and seven points respectively.

The Gators have completely snuffed out their opponent’s running game this season, giving up only 26 net yards rushing after two full games.

They’ll get their biggest test of the season when they travel to Irmo to play one of the most exciting offenses in South Carolina. The Yellow Jackets put up 49 points in a win at Chapin to start the season and hung 56 on Lancaster. Quarterback A.J. Brand is getting it done with his legs as well as his arms.

So far this season, he’s thrown eight touchdowns and ran for two more including 100 yards on only three carries against Lancaster. Running back Jaden Allen-Hendrix ran for 253 yards in the season opener and for the season, has three rushing scores and two receiving scores. Transfer wide receiver Donovan Murph has fit in seamlessly in this offense and is coming off an eight-catch, 94 yards performance.

Irmo scores a ton of points, River Bluff has kept other teams from scoring a lot of points. Something will have to give when these teams play on Sept. 1 to remain undefeated.

Northside Christian (2-0) vs Orangeburg Prep (0-1)

If close, exciting football is something you’re into, the Crusaders just might be your team.

They won their season opener a 45-42 win over First Baptist thanks to a late score from Sam Burks. Then they went on the road and won an overtime thriller against Greenwood Christian 18-17.

In the Greenwood Christian game, head coach Dean Howell did what I encourage every coach to do in overtime: go for the win.

After Greenwood scored, the Crusaders converted a 4th and 20 for a touchdown after Jefferson McCallum threw a touchdown pass to Gavin Ford. The Crusaders went for two and handed the ball off to Matt Diaz who punched one into the end zone to win.

This week, they play Orangeburg Prep at home. Last year, they won a close 41-36 game at Orangeburg Prep which ultimately helped them secure second place in their region. The implications will be the same Sept. 1 and I expect another close, exciting game for the Crusaders in their home opener.

Gray Collegiate (2-0) at Hammond (1-1)

The War Eagles score points. All of the points, it seems like. They followed up their 49-point performance against Christ Church with a 62-point performance against Crestwood in a two-point win.

There are a ton of fun offenses in this county and Adam Holmes’ bunch is as good as it gets. Whether it’s BJ Montgomery running for almost 300 yards in the season opener or Jamarious Lockett receiving for 250 yards and four touchdowns against Crestwood, there is an abundance of firepower.

What makes this game more of a must-watch is the fact that, well, we might not see a lot of Gray Collegiate this year due to the threat of their region opponents refusing to play them and the South Carolina High School Sports League ruling to not enforce the fines that would come with doing so.

With the exciting offense and the few chances people have to see this team play, their game at 1-1 Hammond becomes a very intriguing option for someone looking to catch a game Friday night.

Pelion (1-1) at Eau Claire (0-1)

The Pelion Panthers are coming off a tough loss to Columbia on the road and find themselves in a position that no team wants to be in: playing a team with nothing to lose.

That’s putting it nicely for a team like Eau Claire. They’ve lost 26 straight games and have only won once since the start of the 2019 season. It’s the kind of game that scares some coaches because of the possibility that they overlook their opponent.

Pelion head coach Dann Holland’s biggest concern coming into the season was tackling. They did well enough to hold Bethune-Bowman to only eight points but surrendered 48 to Columbia the following week.

Holland will need his team focused and not overlooking the next opponent if they want to avoid making history the wrong way by becoming the first team the Shamrocks have beaten in four years.

Dutch Fork (0-2) vs Hough (NC) (1-1)

It feels odd typing (0-2) next to Dutch Fork. The Silver Foxes are the crown jewel of 5A football in the state of South Carolina, but a tough schedule mixed with injuries on offense have them winless after the first two games for the first time in eight seasons.

The schedule doesn’t get any easier with Hough coming down from North Carolina. With the offense struggling to score in the 17-6 loss to Spartanburg, Dutch Fork will need several players to step up and help the defense to avoid slipping to 0-3.

A win, however, can turn the season around. Head coach Tom Knotts told the Chronicle after the last loss, “We’re going to right this ship one way or another.”

If there’s a coach in South Carolina that you can trust to turn things around after a disappointing start to the season, it’s Knotts. A loss wouldn’t necessarily make or break the season, but a win against a quality Hough team would go a long way in getting things turned around.