SC high school football championship guide: How to watch, ticket info, predictions
A guide to this week’s South Carolina High School League football state championship games, being held Thursday, Friday and Saturday at Benedict College’s Charlie W. Johnson Stadium in Columbia.
The schedule
- 7 pm Thursday, Class 4A: Beaufort vs. South Pointe
- 2 pm Friday, Class 3A: Camden vs. Daniel
- 7 pm Friday, Class 2A: Silver Bluff vs. Gray Collegiate
- Noon Saturday, Class A: Bamberg-Ehrhardt vs. Southside Christian
- 5 pm Saturday, Class 5A: Dutch Fork vs. Gaffney
The games, our predictions
▪ Class 4A: Beaufort (12-2) vs. South Pointe (12-1), 7 p.m. Thursday
Game notes: Second championship appearance for Beaufort since desegregation. The Eagles lost to Clover in the 2007 championship. South Pointe is making its eighth championship appearance and first since 2017. The Stallions have won six state championships including four in a row from 2014-17. South Pointe coach DeVonte Holloman played on the Stallions 2008 championship team. Holloman was head coach at Beaufort in 2018 and hired current Beaufort coach Bryce Lybrand as an assistant coach. Lybrand was a freshman on Greenwood’s 2000 championship team.
Top players: Beaufort quarterback Tyler Haley has accounted for 3,091 yards of offense and 25 touchdowns. Amariee Morris had four touchdowns for Beaufort in the lower state championship last week. ... South Pointe quarterback Zaveion McCrorey has thrown for 2,635 yards and 31 total touchdowns. Receiver Waymond Jenerette has 80 catches for 1,248 yards and 15 touchdowns.
Bezjak’s prediction: South Pointe
▪ Class 3A: Camden (11-2) vs. Daniel (13-0), 2 p.m. Friday
Game notes: Rematch of last year’s state championship game, won by Daniel 52-31. First time since Hartsville and South Pointe in 2016-17 that same two teams have played each other in consecutive championship games. Camden is making its 16th championship appearance and has won seven titles. Daniel is looking for its seventh championship.
Top players: Camden defense is giving up 11.9 points a game featuring junior defensive lineman Xzavier McLeod, the top ranked prospect in South Carolina for 2023. Camden’s Grayson White is the third QB used this year; he started the season on the defensive line. ... Daniel QB Trent Pearman was the 2020 S.C. Gatorade Player of Year and has thrown for 3,497 yards and 41 touchdowns. Clay Swinney, the son of Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney, is fourth on the team in catches with 34 receptions for 400 yards and six touchdowns. Jahiem Lawson leads Daniel with 11 sacks.
Bezjak’s prediction: Daniel
▪ Class 2A: Gray Collegiate (13-1) vs. Silver Bluff (11-0), 7 p.m. Friday
Game notes: First state championship appearance for Gray Collegiate, whose first season was in 2014. Silver Bluff is making its eighth championship appearance and has won five state titles. Silver Bluff coach DeAngelo Bryant won two state titles in 2000-01 as a player at his alma mater. This will be Gray’s third matchup against a state finalist from this year. Gray defeated Class 3A finalist Camden and lost to 5A finalist Gaffney.
Top players: Gray Collegiate running back KZ Adams leads the state with 3,035 yards rushing and has 39 total touchdowns. Zach Glenn leads Gray with 137 tackles. ... Silver Bluff sophomore running back Travon Dunbar has 1,833 rushing yards and 29 total touchdowns, one shy of school single-season TD record. QB Maleik Williams has broken the school single-season records for passing yards, completion percentage, passing efficiency. All those records were held by head coach DeAngelo Bryant.
Bezjak’s prediction: Gray Collegiate
▪ Class A: Southside Christian (13-0) vs. Bamberg-Ehrhardt (14-0), noon Saturday
Game notes: Southside Christian is the defending Class A champion and looking for its third state title in school history. Southside enters the game with a 21-game winning streak. B-E is making its first championship appearance since 2017.
Top players: Isaiah Johnson took over QB duties late in the season for Bamberg-Ehrhardt because of injury. B-E will rotate running backs with Nick Folk, Quincy Bias and Quentin Banks all getting carries. ... Southside Christian’s Jacorey Martin has thrown for 1,504 yards and 22 TDs. Defensive lineman Michael Kennedy is team’s top defensive player.
Bezjak’s prediction: Southside Christian
▪ Class 5A: Dutch Fork (12-0) vs. Gaffney (14-0), 5 p.m. Saturday
Game notes: Rematch of the 2012 Class 4A Division I championship won by Gaffney. Dutch Fork is making its ninth championship appearance and looking for its sixth-straight Class 5A title. Dutch Fork coach Tom Knotts is going for his 14th state championship, seventh in South Carolina. He also won seven titles in North Carolina. Gaffney is making its 23rd title appearance and has won 16 state championships, most in state history. (The school claims a 17th title. From the 1930s to late 1960s, champions were voted on by the SCHSL and The Associated Press. Most years both organizations voted on the same team. In 1961, the SCHSL voted Greenwood as the state champion, while the AP voted Gaffney as champs.)
Top players: Dutch Fork running back Jarvis Green has rushed for 1,464 yards, 32 touchdowns and caught 25 passes for 376 yards and four scores. DF receiver Antonio Williams has 68 catches for 1,414 yards, 13 touchdowns and also has three punt returns for TDs and one kickoff. ... Gaffney has a pair of 1,000-yard rushers in Tyler Smith and Ken Littllejohn.
Bezjak’s prediction: Dutch Fork
Tickets, directions, how to watch championship games
▪ THE ADDRESS: Benedict College’s Charlie W. Johnson Stadium is at 1920 Two Notch Road in Columbia.
▪ TICKETS: $15, can be purchased at gofan.co or through each of the schools before game day. No tickets will be sold on site. Stadium will be cleared after each game. Must have a ticket for each game. No re-entry is allowed.
▪ PARKING: Parking is $10 per car, cash only. Trailers pulled behind vehicles are an additional $10. Tailgating will be allowed.
▪ TV: All five games will be carried on Sinclair Broadcasting stations across South Carolina. Affiliates are WMYA (My40 Asheville-Greenville), WACH (57.2/1250/Columbia), WCIV (MyTV Charleston) and WWMB (CW21, Florence/Myrtle Beach). In Columbia, the Dutch Fork-Gaffney game will also air on regular WACH 57.
▪ INTERNET: All five games will be streamed on www.nfhsnetwork. A $10.00 paid subscription is required but is good for the whole month.
▪ RADIO: The South Pointe-Beaufort game will be on WRHI 100.1 FM in Rock Hill, on the state’s mobile app and online at www.wrhi.com
The Camden-Daniel game will be carried on KOOL 102.7 FM and streamed online on the station’s App and at https://onlineradiobox.com/us/wpubfm/
The Dutch Fork-Gaffney game will be broadcast on WZZQ 104.3 FM in the Spartanburg/Gaffney area and online at wzzqradio.com
COVID vaccinations: Football fans coming to watch this weekend will have the opportunity to receive a Covid-19 vaccine shot. Benedict College and the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control will be offering free Covid-19 vaccinations at Charlie W. Johnson Stadium on Dec. 2-4.
This story was originally published November 30, 2021 at 11:29 AM with the headline "SC high school football championship guide: How to watch, ticket info, predictions."
