A victory.

It’s all that stands between an all-Barnwell County rematch for the Class A Division II title a week from today in Orangeburg.

A win is all that stands between Blackville-Hilda moving a step closer to repeating as state champion and an eighth title for the school’s trophy case.

It’s all that stands between Williston-Elko’s first title appearance since 1999 and head coach Dwayne Garrick’s return to the place where his coaching career began as a South Carolina State assistant.

Standing in the way for both teams are daunting semifinal matchups on the road against first-time opponents. Blackville-Hilda (12-0) heads to Summerton to face top seed Scott’s Branch (9-3) in the Lower State final, while Williston-Elko (11-1) travels to the Upstate to meet Ware Shoals (8-4).

While the opponent is new, the venue of the Lower State finals is not for the Hawks. Playing in its seventh consecutive Class A Lower State final, Blackville-Hilda currently owns the Palmetto State’s longest winning streak at 16 games.

Scott’s Branch head coach Leonard Johnson is also no stranger, having previously led football programs at Allendale-Fairfax and Woodland. Over the past two seasons, Johnson has revived the Eagles’ program and has it poised to make its first finals appearance, led by running back Quinton Singleton (2,190 yards, 22 TDs)

“(Scott’s Branch) is a very big, physical team,” he added. “They are probably athletically as good as anybody we have played all year long. They are real physical up front. They have a good line, and their backs run hard. One person doesn’t bring them down, and I expect that we will be in the fight of our life.”

The Hawks counter with a defense which has allowed an average of seven points per game this season and is led offensively by senior Joe Thomas. Named to the S.C. Football Coaches Association’s All-Star Team, the Elite 11 running back needs just 74 yards to reach the 2,000-rushing-yard plateau for the season to go with 31 touchdowns.

A year after handing B-H its last loss -- a defeat Berry credited with inspiring his team to their state title run -- Garrick is looking for history to repeat itself for his team. The opposite is true for the Hornets, who three years ago lost to Calhoun County in the Class A Upper State finals at home.

Winners of seven straight, Ware Shoals used its Wing-T attack to wear down last year’s Class A Division II finalist Great Falls 31-21. As for W-E, it got touchdown runs from Kendric Salley, Dexter Staley and North-South All-Star Josh Epps to hold off host team Christ Church 21-14.

The winners of tonight’s Division II semifinals will meet Nov. 28 at 3 p.m. at Oliver C. Dawson Stadium.

Prep games on the radioWDOG (93.5 FM) -- Blackville-Hilda at Scott’s Branch 7:15 p.m.

WWBD (95.7 FM) -- Bamberg-Ehrhardt at Chesterfield 7:15 p.m. (The High School Scoreboard Show with Phil Kornblut will air immediately following the game or at 10:05 p.m.)

T&D Senior Sports Writer Thomas Grant Jr. can be reached by e-mail at tgrant@timesanddemocrat.com or by phone at 803-533-5547.

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