Week 7 shook up the South Carolina high school football landscape in a hurry.
Dorman took its first loss of the season, Boiling Springs pulled off a comeback for the ages in overtime, and South Pointe stormed back from a 13-point hole to stay unbeaten in region play. Berkeley also delivered one of the night’s loudest statements, knocking off Carolina Forest to snap the Panthers’ long region streak and climb into a share of first place in Region 6-5A.
At the top of the scoreboard, No. 2 Northwestern handled No.
3 Dorman 35-19 in a matchup between two of the state’s top three teams. Shrine Bowl quarterback Xavier Means did the damage for the Trojans, accounting for four touchdowns.
He threw two scoring passes to Malik Ratliff and ran for two more, helping Northwestern stay in control against a Dorman team that had not lost before Friday.
South Pointe needed a different kind of rally, but the result was just as eye-catching. Down 20-7 to No.
6 Indian Land, the No. 10 Stallions ripped off 28 straight points and finished with a 35-20 win.
Quarterback Braylon Fredrick fueled the turnaround with three consecutive touchdown passes.
Boiling Springs turned Friday’s biggest escape act into an overtime upset. The No.
21 Bulldogs trailed No. 7 Rock Hill 23-10 in the fourth quarter, then scored 13 unanswered points to force overtime.
They punched in the go-ahead touchdown in the extra period, and an interception on Rock Hill’s possession ended it. The win came one week after Boiling Springs was beaten badly by Northwestern.
Berkeley’s 36-24 win over No. 18 Carolina Forest carried major region implications.
The Stags ended the Panthers’ 17-game region winning streak and moved into a tie for first in Region 6-5A. Quarterback Henry Rivers accounted for three touchdowns, including two in the fourth quarter, and Brandon McGee added a 90-yard kickoff return touchdown.
Dutch Fork kept rolling as well, extending its winning streak to 17 games. The four-time defending Class 5A champs were held without an offensive touchdown in the first half for the first time since the 2023 state championship game against White Knoll, but quarterback Jaxon Knotts eventually found Corey Miller for two touchdown passes. The defense did the rest, limiting Chapin to 178 total yards.
James Island stayed perfect at 7-0 and earned its second straight shutout. The Trojans have now outscored their last three opponents 157-7, and this is the second time in four years they’ve opened a season with seven consecutive wins.
Quarterback Corey Taylor was sharp, completing all nine of his passes for 220 yards and two touchdowns while also scoring on the ground. Running back Amire White added 108 yards, and Gaffney finished with 231 rushing yards.
Elsewhere, Westside rolled behind quarterback Bear Woods, who went 11 of 15 for 216 yards and four touchdowns. Corday Freeman chipped in 105 rushing yards.
Daniel blanked Seneca for the first time since 2016, with Kingsten Bibb scoring on both a catch and a run. Byrnes got past Mauldin behind two touchdown passes from Gideon Merhib, and Nehemiah Beasley added a defensive score with a 32-yard interception return.
T.L. Hanna closed strong, scoring 28 unanswered fourth-quarter points after leading 29-26 through three quarters. Amarion Rice and Esiason Carroll each scored two rushing touchdowns, and the Yellow Jackets finished with seven rushing scores.
Strom Thurmond remained unbeaten and stretched its winning streak to 18 games with another dominant showing. A.J. Hillary completed seven of eight passes for 110 yards and four touchdowns, and Zy Rouse added two rushing touchdowns in the shutout.
Lugoff-Elgin snapped a nine-year skid against A.C. Flora by finishing strong in the fourth quarter. The game was scoreless through three periods before Tiyon Fanning and Zach Williams each found the end zone to seal the win.
Hanahan kept its offense humming as well. Quarterback Tripp Gallus threw five touchdown passes and went over 2,000 passing yards for the season. He now has 25 touchdown passes on the year.
Fort Mill also came away with a win, with running back Broden Mitcheson scoring two rushing touchdowns in a victory over Spartanburg. The loss dropped Spartanburg to four defeats in its past five games.
South Florence made it six straight wins and scored 51 points for the second week in a row. The Bruins have averaged 47 points per game during the streak. Quarterback Connor Owings connected with Jack Hughes on a 40-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter to break a 30-30 tie, and the Bruins held on from there.
Wren added another quality win to its résumé, beating Emerald 37-30 in a matchup of ranked teams. Jo Jo Mosley started the scoring with two touchdowns before leaving in the second quarter with an injury, and Muntu Brown stepped in with two second-half touchdowns. A late interception sealed it for Wren.
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Shane Beamer Pressure Puts South Carolina's Locker Room To The Test
South Carolinas recent slide has turned up the heat on Shane Beamer, with three straight losses and a pair of blown leads at home feeding the growing frustration around the program. The results have invited plenty of criticism, but inside the locker room, several players made it clear they are not running from the head coach or the staff as the Gamecocks try to steady themselves.
During a media session, those players stressed their support for Beamer and his coaches while focusing on what comes next. The message from within the team was less about explaining the struggles and more about sticking together, improving, and finding a way through a rough stretch that has tested both the record and the resolve of the group. [Read more 🡒]
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South Carolina Just Delivered The Response Shane Beamer Needed Most
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LaNorris Sellers was at the center of it, throwing four touchdown passes as South Carolina pulled away. For Beamer, the celebration was about more than one upset on the road. It was the kind of program win that can change the tone around a season, especially after a stretch where answers were hard to find. [Read more 🡒]