All five Greer-area football teams got one last scrimmage on Friday night before the regular season begins next week. Here’s a brief recap of each team’s performance:
Greer 14, Shelby (NC) 14
Greer put up a more than respectable showing against perennial NC powerhouse Shelby.
The Jackets held a 14-7 lead late after Calvin McCoy recovered a muffed punt at the Shelby 12-yard line. McCoy, Greer’s starting running back, then punched it in from six yards out just a few plays later.
Shelby connected on a 79-yard touchdown pass on the following drive, however, to tie the game back up at 14.
Greer missed a 26-yard field goal with just seconds left in the game that would have given the Jackets the win.
Byrnes vs. Greenville
The Rebels hosted the Red Raiders at Byrnes Freshman Academy on Friday night, and from the opening snap, the Byrnes defense proved it was ready to play.
The Byrnes defensive line consistently got penetration all night, preventing the Red Raiders from gaining any momentum in the run game. Senior defensive end Justice Hopkins was in the backfield wreaking havoc all scrimmage long.
“This defense, man, they just don’t break,” said head coach Reggie Shaw. “How many turnovers did we have tonight? Five? It was incredible.”
Linebacker Jonathan Montgomery was responsible for three of those. Montgomery put on a show, coming up with two interceptions and a hit-stick tackle at the goal line to force a turnover on downs.
“He’s a ball magnet. He really is,” said Shaw. “He plays extremely intelligently; he just always knows where to be.”
“I studied a lot of film on Greenville,” said Montgomery. “I wanted to be prepared for what they were going to do.”
Riverside 21, Chapman 14
At the McDonald’s Kickoff Classic, Riverside handled host Chapman relatively easily with the Panthers scoring a late touchdown to make the scoreline closer.
Riverside head coach Matt Rochester left feeling proud of his team’s performance.
“They’re a bunch of fighters, that’s for sure,” said Rochester. “I’m proud of the way we fought. Still need to try and clean up the penalties."
Keyon Knowles, Somad Eaddy, and Connor Sobowelski each caught touchdown passes from Riverside QB Gideon Merhib. Merhib didn't turn the ball over and had just three incompletions on the night.
“Our play was really good for the most part, but there are a few things we can still stand to get fixed," said Rochester. "Special teams were a lot better tonight, too.”
Eastside vs. Irmo
Eastside’s jamboree contest vs. Irmo at Chapin High School was cut short due to weather, but head coach Andre Woolcock was able to make a few observations before the scrimmage was called.
“We have work to do in order to reach our full potential,” said Woolcock. “I thought [quarterback] Peyton Schrader showed good command of the offense even though we didn’t have many possessions, and I thought [linebacker/safety] Cayden Workman showed that he is becoming the vocal leader for our defense.”
Blue Ridge vs. Southside Christian, West Henderson (NC), and Walhalla
The Tigers got good work in against three quality opponents, as Blue Ridge hosted a four-team scrimmage on Friday night.
Blue Ridge head coach John Boggs was thrilled with his team’s performance and the quality of the scrimmages.
“I thought everyone got better tonight. I saw a lot of improvement tonight from our first scrimmage,” said Boggs. “We’re starting to see a little separation between kids competing for starting spots.”
Boggs was specific in his praise for players all across the field.
“I thought Hudson Poirier, Hunter Johnson, and Aiden Crump stood out on defense,” said Boggs. “Gavin Forrester is showing huge strides for us as a passer to add to his run threat. Mitchell Bobbitt and Jakorey Dodd were great on offense as well.”
Boggs also added that Brylon McCoy, Marquiel Thorpe, and Braylon Edwards had good nights for the Tigers on both sides of the ball.
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