Capsule previews for Friday’s high school games
WHALE BRANCH AT BEAUFORT
KICKOFF: 7:30 p.m.
RECORDS: Whale Branch 1-1; Beaufort 2-1.
LAST WEEK: Whale Branch beat May River 41-7; Beaufort lost to Bluffton 35-14.
LAST YEAR: Beaufort 23, Whale Branch 13.
EXTRA POINTS: The contest is Beaufort’s home opener, while Whale Branch is still waiting to play its first game on its own turf. The Warriors get their chance next week. ... Beaufort has won each of the previous two meetings, though last year’s 23-13 outcome kept things interesting until the end. ... Whale Branch RB Irvin Mulligan scored two of the Warriors’ six TDs in last week’s victory over May River. ... Beaufort LB Tim Clark had a pick-six and two fumble recoveries in last week’s loss to Bluffton.
MAY RIVER AT HILTON HEAD
KICKOFF: 7:30 p.m.
RECORDS: May River 0-3; Hilton Head 2-0.
LAST WEEK: May River lost to Whale Branch 41-7; Hilton Head beat Battery Creek 48-3.
LAST YEAR: First meeting.
EXTRA POINTS: After coming up with five takeaways in their season opener, turnovers have bitten the Sharks hard in the past two weeks. May River has seen two interceptions run back for TDs, along with a fumble recover and a scoop-and-score on a blocked punt. ... Seahawks QB Collin Kaiser has thrown three TD passes in each of their first two games, including a pair of strikes of longer than 50 yards vs. Battery Creek. ... It’s Hall of Fame Night at Seahawks Stadium, with seven new members to be inducted.
NEW HAMPSTEAD AT BLUFFTON
KICKOFF: 7:30 p.m.
RECORDS: New Hampstead 1-2; Bluffton 3-0.
LAST WEEK: New Hampstead defeated Savannah Islands 39-14; Bluffton beat Beaufort 35-14.
LAST YEAR: First meeting.
EXTRA POINTS: Jermaine Patterson already has 7 TDs for the Bobcats this season, tallying five on the ground as a read-opening QB and two on long catch-and-runs. ... Four of the past five scores allowed by Bluffton have come after a Bobcats turnover gave their opponent a short field. The other came directly on a Beaufort interception return. ... New Hampstead went 7-3 last year before seeing its coach hired away — by USC Beaufort, where Bernard Gaither is the Sand Sharks’ new track coach.
RIDGELAND-HARDEEVILLE AT LAKE MARION
KICKOFF: 7:30 p.m.
RECORDS: Ridgeland-Hardeeville 2-1; Lake Marion 0-3.
LAST WEEK: Ridgeland-Hardeeville lost to Allendale-Fairfax 16-0; Lake Marion lost to Woodland 33-24.
LAST YEAR: First meeting.
EXTRA POINTS: The Jaguars had their chances offensively last week with four drives into Allendale-Fairfax territory, but couldn’t dial up a scoring play despite two trips into the red zone. ... RHHS also had a TD called back when Devontay Dopson’s punt return was flagged for a block in the back. ... Lake Marion is playing its first home game after a tough start that included Brookland-Cayce — ranked No.3 in Class 3A — and Class 4A Orangeburg-Wilkinson.
JOHN PAUL II AT HILTON HEAD PREP
KICKOFF: 5 p.m.
RECORDS: John Paul II 0-3; Hilton Head Prep 0-2.
LAST WEEK: John Paul II lost to Palmetto Christian 47-6; Hilton Head Prep was idle.
LAST YEAR: First meeting.
EXTRA POINTS: The contest offers John Paul II coach Kevin Wald’s first visit back to Prep since leaving to take over the Golden Warriors last spring. Wald won 26 games in four years with the Dolphins, the last two ending in SCISA playoff berths. ... RB Rashad Battiste has rushed for 329 yards in just two games, accounting for nearly 60 percent of JP2’s offense despite missing a loss to St. Andrew’s. ... The Dolphins could find themselves without both of their banged-up starting halfbacks in Rodney Sturgis and Mac Orie.
FIRST BAPTIST AT HILTON HEAD CHRISTIAN
KICKOFF: 7 p.m.
RECORDS: First Baptist 2-1; Hilton Head Christian 1-1.
LAST WEEK: First Baptist lost to Pinewood Prep 21-0; Hilton Head Christian was idle.
LAST YEAR: First Baptist 38, Hilton Head Christian 13.
EXTRA POINTS: The Eagles come back from a well-timed, no-storm-drama open date to begin a run of three home games in their next four outings. ... Despite being held to just 88 yards in a loss to First Presbyterian, RB Zachariah Doe is still averaging 161 yards through two games for HHCA. ... James Bartholomew has accounted for 358 all-purpose yards, with 187 coming on returns. ... Last year’s victory by First Baptist snapped a nine-game HHCA winning streak in the series.
THOMAS HEYWARD AT BETHESDA ACADEMY
KICKOFF: 7:30 p.m.
RECORDS: Thomas Heyward 1-1; Bethesda Academy 0-3.
LAST WEEK: THA’s game vs. St. Andrew’s was canceled; Bethesda Academy beat Northwood Academy 29-0.
LAST YEAR: Bethesda Academy 47, Thomas Heyward 38.
EXTRA POINTS: The Rebels return after an unscheduled open date when their game became a victim of Tropical Storm Hermine. That game will not be rescheduled. ... QB Logan Thomas has accounted for 503 yards of total offense in two games, including 271 on the ground. All three of his TDs, though, have been of the passing variety. ... Bethesda Academy is playing on extremely short rest, having been forced to wait until Tuesday to make up their storm-delayed game against Northwood Academy.
HOLLY HILL AT BEAUFORT ACADEMY
KICKOFF: 7:30 p.m.
RECORDS: Holly Hill 2-0; Beaufort Academy 0-2.
LAST WEEK: Holly Hill beat Clarendon Hall 38-8; Beaufort Academy’s game vs. Patrick Henry was canceled.
LAST YEAR: Did not play. Their only previous meeting came in 2008, when Holly Hill won 42-7.
EXTRA POINTS: The Eagles also had an impromptu weekend off, unsuccessful in their efforts to keep their game against Patrick Henry last weekend. ... BA’s last action came two weeks ago in a 38-36 loss to Clarendon Hall, ending with a last-gasp pass intercepted on the game’s final play. ... RB/LB Jalen Moon proved a big addition after missing the opener, rushing for 65 yards and anchoring the middle of the defense. ... Holly Hill was a playoff team in 11-man football last year before dropping to the 8-man ranks.
This story was originally published September 8, 2016 at 7:01 PM with the headline "Capsule previews for Friday’s high school games."