Playoff schedules were announced on Saturday with some surprises and some second chances for many teams.
Under Class A Football Points System, the region champions are seeded first regardless of point totals, with the remaining teams seeded according to points. Points are assigned to a team based on their opponent’s class and whether their opponent had a winning record or a losing record. Each team can assign three non-class A games, with one school per classification. Teams also received points based on where they finished in their region, with the first place receiving 14 points, second receiving 11, third earning eight, and fourth earning five.
Lake View’s Wild Gators finished as the top seeded team in Class A Division II after taking second place in Region 8A. Lake View finished the regular season with a 7-3 record and went 4-1 in the region. Lake View finished as state runner-up last year for the sixth time in the school’s history, and the Wild Gators hold nine state championships.
But their first round opponent, Branchville, was a surprise. The Yellow Jackets finished the regular season with a 1-9 record and an 0-5 record in Region 5A. But despite an abysmal record, the team picked up valuable points against Saluda, who earned a postseason spot, and Academic Magnet, who finished with a winning record, to boost them into the postseason. It will be the first postseason for the Yellow Jackets since 1979 and only the second time in the school’s history that a team has made it to the playoffs.
In Friday’s other lower state Class A Division II matchups, Military magnet will be hosting Denmark-Olar, Scott’s Branch will be at Cross, and Bethune-Bowman will be at second seed Timmonsville. Timmonsville finished the regular season in Region 7A with an 8-2 record and second place in the region, and Cross finished 7-3 for third place in Region 6A. Denmark-Olar finished 4-6 and Military Magnet ended the regular season with a 3-7 record. But Bethune-Bowman, who finished 2-8, and Scott’s Branch, 0-10, were two more surprises in the lower state playoff bracket.
In the upper state, McCormick will host Dixie, Blackville-Hilda will host Wagener-Salley, Great Falls will be at Calhoun Falls, and Ridge Spring-Monetta will be at Hunter-Kinard-Tyler. McCormick and Wagener-Salley each finished with an 8-2 record. Hunter-Kinard-Tyler and Blackville-Hilda both went 6-4; Great Falls, Calhoun Falls, and Ridge Spring-Monetta were each 4-6, and the Dixie Hornets were 1-9.
Last year’s Division II champ, Christ Church, was the top seed in Class A Division I this year. They’ll be hosting CA Johnson. Johnsonville finished as the fourth seed in the Class A Division I lower state bracket and will host St. John’s. Carver’s Bay was the top seeded team and will host Hemingway, while Baptist Hill is scheduled to host Estill and Allendale-Fairfax will host Whale Branch.
In Class AA, Division I, the Dillon Wildcats were the number two seed and received a bye for the first round of the lower state playoffs, so they won’t be in action until Friday, November 9. Their opponent will be the winner of Friday’s game between Lake Marion and Garrett Academy. Lake Marion has a 5-5 record in the regular season, while Garrett went 4-6. The Wildcats are 9-1 heading into the second round.
Defending state champ Timberland was the number one seed and also received first round bye. The Wolves defeated Dillon 18-15 last year in the lower state championship before taking down Woodruff 133 for the state title. This season, Timberland finished 9-1 with a 6-0 record in Region 7AA. Timberland will take on the winner between Wade Hampton at Marion in the second round. Marion finished 2-8 and Wade Hampton finished 1-9.
Loris also earned a first round bye and will be taking on the winner of Friday’s game between Battery Creek and Waccamaw. Loris finished the regular season 7-3 while Battery Creek went 5-5 and Waccamaw went 3-7. Dillon defeated both Loris and Waccamaw during the regular season.
Lake City received a first round bye and will be taking on the winner of Ridgeland at Edisto, who both finished with 4-6 records. Lake City finished with a 3-7 record.
In the upper state bracket, Fairfield-Central, Cheraw, Central, and Columbia all received byes. Pelion will be hosting Crescent in the first round, Mid-Carolina will be at Pendleton, Eau Claire will be at Keenan, and Newberry will host Indian Land.
In Class AA Division II, Silver Bluff, Bamberg, Bishop England, and Lee Central all received lower state byes. Barnwell will host Academic Magnet on Friday, Woodland will host Calhoun County, Mullins will host Andrews, and Aynor will host Kingstree.
In the upper state, Chesnee, Blacksburg, Abbeville, and Buford all received byes. North Central will host Andrew Jackson, Liberty will be at Ninety-Six, Landrum will be at Saluda, and Chesterfield will host Batesburg-Leesville.
Visit us online at thedillonherald.com over the weekend for the latest local playoff updates!
