Dillon Christian, Byrnes highlight full schedule of meaningful games

Fans of high school football in the Pee Dee are going to have a tough time figuring out which game to attend this Friday.

The final week of the regular season shapes up to be a dream sequence from which no true fan would want to wake up.

Several games across the area have playoff implications. Five will be played with region championships on the line.

Dillon Christian and The Byrnes Schools highlight the madness when the two teams square off at Byrnes for the SCISA Region 1-A title in the Morning News Game of the Week.

“We’re thankful for the opportunity to play for a region title,” Dillon Christian coach Kelly Williamson said. “I’m pretty sure Byrnes feels the same way about it, as does every other school that’s playing for
a region title.”

“It’s especially exciting for us,” The Byrnes Schools coach Jared Amell said. “They haven’t played important games at Byrnes the last few years, and the kids are excited.

“All you can ask for is for your kids to play meaningful games at the end of the year.”

A study of contrasts
No two teams have won games in more diametrically different ways this season than the Warriors and Trojans.

Dillon Christian (9-1 overall, 5-0 SCISA Region 1-A) has rolled over opponents all season with a stout running attack from several formations led by running back Ray Thomas and all-purpose back Kyle Johnson.

Thomas and Johnson combined for 298 yards rushing and three touchdowns in a 42-0 beating of Laurens Academy last Friday. Johnson also caught a 61-yard scoring pass.

The Warriors throw the football effectively as well. Senior quarterback Steven Johnson has found Kyle Johnson and wideout Jamel Williams for huge gains and touchdowns all season.

“We’re gonna run the football. We’re gonna run Ray and Kyle right at (the Trojans) if we can,” Williamson said. “But we’re a balanced team, and we try to spread the ball around.”

“(Dillon Christian) has three players who can hurt you, and nobody’s stopped all three in one game,” Amell said. “Thomas is lightning fast. Williams has made big plays in the passing game, and (Kyle) Johnson’s made plays at both quarterback and wide receiver.”

On the other hand, Byrnes (7-2, 5-0) is an aerial circus, and Lee Schurlknight is its ringmaster. In a 35-10 win over Williamsburg Academy last Friday, the senior signal-caller passed for 402 yards and three TDs in the first half before sitting out the second half.

Schurlknight has a cadre of receivers, including Barrett Goodson, Shaquille Bacote, Clay Dickson and Justin Robinson.

“Nobody’s come within 30 points of (Dillon Christian) yet this season,” Amell said. “We’re going to see what we can do, but no matter what, both teams will open the first round of the (SCISA Class A) playoffs at home.”

“We’ve got a great defense, and they’ve got a great passing game,” Williamson said. “They’ve got a lot of great athletes, and we’ve got a tough task at hand.”

Amell, however, said his squad isn’t a one-dimensional passing team.

“We will still run a five-wide receiver set (against the Warriors), but we’ll take what the defense gives us,” said Amell, whose Trojans have won six straight games. “With Schurlknight back there and our receivers, we’re confident we can move the football.”

No matter the outcome, Amell added he is proud of what his Trojans have accomplished.

“When you talk to any coach who takes over a program, the third year is the one where you hope everything comes together,” he said. “This is my third year, and the kids have gotten into the system that we put in.”

Other games with region titles on the line:

Camden at Marlboro Co.
The only guarantee one can make when Camden rolls into McAlpine Stadium to face Marlboro County is that the Bulldogs will win.

The Bulldogs face the Bulldogs with the Region 6-3A title on the line, but Marlboro County (9-0 overall, 4-0 in region) won both meetings with Camden last season, including a 35-28 win in the third round of the Class 3A playoffs.

“(Camden’s) probably even more motivated because we beat them twice last year,” Marlboro coach Dean Boyd said. “They’re sky-high for this game.”

“Marlboro County has a great coach and great players. They have no weaknesses offensively or defensively,” Camden coach Jimmy Neal said. “We’ve made a lot of strides. We’ve improved since early in the season.

“We’ve got a lot of young players who have improved for us.”

For Neal and his team to pull off the upset at McAlpine, they will need huge performances from quarterback Josh Council and running back Savonn Wingate. Sustaining offensive drives could go a long way in keeping Marlboro’s high-powered offense off the field.

Said Neal, “Josh and Savonn have to have good games against a defense that has several shutouts this season.”

“(Council’s) a very good player. He throws the ball very well, especially on the run,” Boyd said. “We need to keep him in the pocket.”

Offensively for Marlboro, Elliot Alford needs to bounce back from an erratic passing performance against a motivated Wilson team. The senior fired three scoring passes but also tossed three interceptions.

Alford did rush for 113 yards in the 21-14 win over the Tigers, an added dimension that concerns Neal.

“He took the game over (against Wilson), just like he did in the two games against us,” said Neal, whose squad is 7-2 overall, 4-0 in region play. “He’s a playmaker and he does a great job. He’s a major concern for us.”

“He hasn’t done that all year,” Boyd said of Alford. “He tried to make some things happen that he shouldn’t have, but he found a way to get the job done.”

Cheraw at Dillon
The Braves head into Dillon on a roll, winning six straight games after an 0-3 start. A road win over the defending Class 2A state champions will hand Cheraw its sixth consecutive region title.

“We’re in the best mood we’ve been in all year,” said Cheraw coach Johnny White, whose Braves are 6-3 overall and 4-0 in Region 8-2A. “The winner of this game gets home field advantage throughout the (Class 2A) playoffs.”

“We’ve gotta play sound football and not make mistakes,” Dillon coach Jackie Hayes said. “(The Braves) have improved a lot since the start of the season, but so have we.”

Hayes has not had a lot of success against White in his coaching career. Hayes is just 2-4 against White all-time, including a 24-7 loss to Cheraw at Meiklejohn Field last year.

Hayes, however, said his past failures against the Braves have no bearing on the task at hand — winning the region title.

“Our goal is to win the game. I’m not concerned with the personal records,” said Hayes, whose Wildcats are 7-2 overall and 4-0 in region competition. “(White) just had better players than we did four times.

“We’re gonna be a little undersized (against Cheraw). We’ve gotta get ready and play hard.”

White has given his players added motivation by giving them a history lesson. The Braves have never beaten the Wildcats at Dillon Memorial Stadium, and White hopes his squad can come away with a win in hostile territory.

“Dillon’s a tough place to play and the biggest reason is that they’re always good,” he said. “We can’t get caught up in the pressure of the game. We have to play loose and confident.

“Our kids like to be challenged, and I brought up something that hasn’t been done before. I wanted to give the kids even more motivation to play this ball game.”

Lake View at Hemingway
The objective for Hemingway (8-1 overall, 5-0 Region 8-A) is simple — beat Lake View and win the outright region crown.

It’s better than the alternative. A loss for the second straight year to the Wild Gators could set up a three-way tie for first place — and a Pandora’s Box of possibilities.

Neither team is worried about those possibilities, however.

“Biggest thing we’re worried about is winning the ballgame,” Lake View coach Daryl King said. “We’ll let that other stuff take care of itself after the game.”

“We’re going to have to play solid defense and special teams,” said Tigers coach Ken Cribb, whose team lost 28-0 to Lake View last season. “On offense, we have to keep from making the big mistake and take what they give us.

“We have to avoid turnovers and penalties. (The Wild Gators) are good enough. They don’t need any help from us.”

King said he and his team are worried about scoring points against a Hemingway defense that has left opponents battered and bruised. But Lake View will continue to play power football.

“Hemingway has an excellent team. Their defense has given up 39 points in nine games,” said King, whose team rolls into the game 7-2 overall and 4-1 in region action. “We have to play one of our best ballgames of the year to get a win.

“We’re gonna play our style of football and see what happens. But we’re not gonna change what we do.”

Chesterfield at McBee
The Rams (9-0 overall, 5-0 Region 3-A) have smoked every opponent that’s taken the field against them, outscoring those teams by an average of 45-2.

On paper, McBee (8-1, 4-1) is just another victim as the two-time defending Class A Division I champions cruise to another region title. Panthers coach Jimmy Sowell and his team will try to keep Chesterfield’s high-scoring offense off the field with their powerful rushing attack.

“The key for us is to make them go three and out and not control the clock,” Rams coach Steve Taneyhill said. “(McBee’s) game plan will be to hold the ball as long as they can so our offense gets as few chances as possible.”

Taneyhill has turned a program once known as schedule fodder into one of the most dangerous teams in the state. With stars like quarterback Seth Truesdale, running back Derrick McQueen and wideouts Jonathon Murvin and Sergio Johnson, Chesterfield is a confident team heading into Friday’s matchup against a Panther team that has had two weeks to prepare for them.

“We are definitely a confident bunch, and we hold ourselves to a high standard so success breeds success,” Taneyhill said. “These players understand what it means to be a Ram football player now.

“The last four teams have all had two weeks to prepare for us, and that didn’t work out real well for them.”