Predicting the South Carolina 5-A Division 1 second round

See who High School on SI thinks will earn a spot in the second round

Can Boiling Springs upset top-seeded Dutch Fork in Class AAAAA Upper State Division 1? Read our prediction below. / Boiling Springs Athletics Instagram

The South Carolina High School made a major change when it broke Class AAAAA into two divisions for the state playoffs.

It’s almost like adding a sixth classification.

Two state champions from Class AAAAA will be crowned and they both could come from the town of Irmo, a suburb of Columbia. Dutch Fork, the two-time reigning Class AAAAA state champion, is the top seed in Division I Upper State and Irmo is No. 1 in the Division 2 Upper State.

The top four seeds in the Upper State and Lower State in each division got byes in the first round of the playoffs, which was last Friday.

They’re all going to be in action Friday. Let’s see how they stack up, starting today with Division 1.

Class AAAAA Upper State Division 1

No. 9 Boiling Springs (7-3) at No. 1 Dutch Fork (9-0)

It’s hard to go against the dynasty that is Dutch Fork. The two-time reigning Class AAAAA state champions are loaded on both sides of the ball. Quarterback Ethan Offing, running back Maurice Anderson and Boykin Bickley lead a proficient offense.

On the defensive side, West Virginia commit Elgin Sessions and South Carolina commit Josh Smith anchor a defense that has recorded five shutouts. 

Boiling Springs is coming off a 32-0 rout of Dorman in the first round. Boiling Springs has a big-play receiver Kyle Patterson, who has 33 catches for 724 yards and 14 touchdowns.

WINNER: Dutch Fork

No. 5 River Bluff (9-2) at No. 4 Rock Hill (5-5)

Normally, the home team has a better record but seeding is based on region standings in South Carolina. River Bluff handled Mauldin 36-6 in the first round.

These teams faced each other in the regular season opener, with River Bluff prevailing 48-34. Both teams had over 400 yards total offense.

Hayden Myers has 1,214 yards and 10 touchdowns for River Bluff.

WINNER: River Bluff

No. 6 Clover (8-3) at No.3 J.L. Mann (8-2)

Clover edged Blythewood 31-28 in the first round. J.L. Mann won its last four regular season games by lopsided scores. The Patriots have a standout running back in Ladainian Martin, who has 1,067 yards and 15 touchdowns. Linebacker Wyatt Ward has 111 tackles and cornerback Joshua Lee has 4 interceptions.

WINNER: J.L. Mann

No. 7 James F. Byrnes (5-5) at No. 2 Spartanburg (7-2)

This is another rematch and Spartanburg won the first one in a 58-14 rout less than a month ago. Byrnes is coming off a resounding 32-11 win over Lexington in the first round but it’s difficult to foresee things changing very much in such a short period of time.

WINNER: Spartanburg.

Class AAAAA Lower State Division 1

No. 9 Fort Dorchester (6-5) at No. 1 Summerville (10-0)

They played in the last game of the regular season and Summerville romped to a 50-21 victory. The Green Wave are loaded with quarterback Jaden Cummings (2,062 yards, 20 TDs, 1 INT), running back Jayven Williams (1,380 yards, 17 TDs) and wide receiver Jaiden Kelly-Murray (61 catches, 885 yards, 9 TDs, 4 TDs rushing).

Fort Dorchester is led by running back Ryan Campbell, who has 1,185 yards and 14 touchdowns.

WINNER: Summerville

No. 5 Ridge View (7-4) at No. 4 Cane Bay (3-7)

Here’s another quirk where the visiting team has a better record. Cane Bay won its last three games after an 0-7 start to grab a top seed and a first-round bye. 

Ridge View pummeled Spring Valley 55-14 in the first round. The Blazers have an emerging star in sophomore quarterback Tre Howard, who has thrown for 2,004 yards and 18 touchdowns.

WINNER: Ridge View

No. 6 James Island (9-2) at No. 2 Carolina Forest (6-3-1)

Both teams come in with a hot hand. James Island smothered Wando 24-2 in the first round. The Trojans have won four in a row. 

Carolina Forest made a clean sweep of its region after a 1-3-1 start. The Panthers have one of the state’s best running backs in Jaryn Fox, who has 1,507 yards and 18 touchdowns. Fox has sprinter’s speed. He was clocked at 21.25 mph in one game.

This is a good matchup.

WINNER: Carolina Forest

No. 7 Ashley Ridge (8-3) at No. 2 Sumter (10-0)

This may be one of the better second-round games in any classification and it pairs two teams with contrasting styles.

Ashley Ridge, which whipped Ashley Ridge 51-13 in the first round, features a powerful aerial assault. Junior quarterback Taylor Kalisz has thrown for 3,386 yards and 32 touchdowns. Wide receiver Jaiden Deweese has 86 catches for 1,278 yards and 16 touchdowns. But the Swamp Foxes can run, too. Running back Jayden Acosta has 1,429 yards and 18 touchdowns.

Sumter will try to pound you with its ground game. The Gamecocks have two 1,000-yard rushers. Kameron Fortune has 1,139 yards and 17 touchdowns. John Peeples has 1,010 yards and 22 touchdowns.

Don’t let Ashley Ridge’s record fool you. The Swamp Foxes lost 49-48 to No. 1 seed and own a 45-35 win over No. 2 seed Carolina Forest. 

On the other hand, they yielded 270 yards rushing to Amor Scott in a 30-20 loss to No. 6 James Island.

This one could go either way.

WINNER: Sumter