James Island is the last unbeaten area team standing, and the Trojans will try to keep that perfect run alive Friday night when they head to West Florence.
At 8-0, James Island has already locked up the Region 5-AAAAA title after rolling past Ashley Ridge 63-14 last week. Now the Trojans step out of region play in the penultimate week of the high school football season, with a road game against West Florence, which comes in at 4-4.
The rest of the area schedule is packed with games carrying plenty of local interest, including Lucy Beckham’s home matchup with Bluffton and Berkeley’s trip to Cane Bay. Lucy Beckham, now 5-3, will host Bluffton at 4-4 in a game set to air on 98.9-FM, with the High School Football Scoreboard Show to follow after the game ends. Berkeley, sitting at 7-1, will be on the road against Cane Bay, and that one will be carried live on 106.1-FM and streamed on wtuaradio.com.
Burke remains the area’s only winless team at 0-8, and the Bulldogs will get another chance to break through when they host St. John’s, which is 1-7.
Friday’s schedule also includes Beaufort Academy at Dorchester Academy, Calhoun Academy at Colleton Prep, Colleton County at Hilton Head Island, Cross at Baptist Hill, Georgetown at Bishop England, Hilton Head Christian at First Baptist, Northwood Academy at Porter-Gaud, Oceanside Collegiate at North Charleston, Philip Simmons at Timberland, Pinewood Prep at Laurence Manning, Socastee at Goose Creek, St. John’s Christian at Williamsburg Academy, Stratford at Fort Dorchester, Summerville at Stall, Wando at Carolina Forest, West Ashley at Ashley Ridge and Woodland at Academic Magnet.
In Other News...
Clemson's ACC Hopes Could Come Down To A Messy Finish
Clemsons path back to the ACC title game is still very much alive, but the route is starting to look crowded and a little unpredictable. At 4-2 overall and 2-1 in league play, the Tigers have enough time to climb, yet the margin for error is shrinking as the conference race moves into the stretch run. The remaining slate includes Virginia Tech, Florida State, Syracuse, Georgia Tech, Duke and South Carolina, a mix that could leave Clemson sorting through a lot of different tiebreaker scenarios before the standings settle.
The leagues new 2026 tiebreaker policy only adds another layer to the uncertainty, putting more emphasis on head-to-head results and overall body of work while still leaving room for subjective judgment from officials in certain tie situations. For Clemson, that means the final answer may not come neatly from the scoreboard alone. It could take a messy finish, with several results around the ACC playing as big a role as anything the Tigers do themselves. [Read more 🡒]
Shane Beamer Knows Tennessee's Biggest Week 8 Problem For South Carolina
Shane Beamer is already planning for the uncertainty Tennessee is bringing to Columbia this week. With Josh Heupel still not naming a starter, South Carolina has to get ready for both sophomore George MacIntyre and freshman Faizon Brandon as the Gamecocks prepare to host the No. 11 Volunteers on Oct. 24, just days after their upset win over Florida.
Beamer pointed back to South Carolinas 2022 upset of Tennessee as a reminder that the Gamecocks have already handled this matchup in a big moment, but he also made clear the challenge is different now. Preparing for two quarterbacks means more than a standard game plan, and against a Tennessee team ranked in the top 15, South Carolinas defensive staff has to cover all the bases before kickoff. [Read more 🡒]
South Carolina Opens The Season With A Target Fans Will Love
The preseason chatter around womens college basketball has already settled on a familiar spot at the top. The Associated Press put South Carolina No. 1 in its opening top 25, giving the Gamecocks the early bulls-eye that comes with being the program everyone else is chasing. It is a strong sign that, once again, expectations around Dawn Staleys team will be measured in nothing less than a championship pursuit.
Around the rest of the poll, the Big Ten set the pace with nine teams in the top 25, while the SEC followed with seven, a reminder of how crowded the national picture already looks. UCLA, the defending national champion, opened at No. 11 as it begins its title defense, but the spotlight at the very top belongs to South Carolina for now, and the real question is how long it can stay there once the season starts. [Read more 🡒]