There can only be one.

After six weeks of football, only Calhoun County and Bamberg-Ehrhardt remain as The T&D Region’s lone undefeated teams. Friday night in St. Matthews, it’s the “Last Team Standing” as the Saints and Red Raiders renew acquaintances in what is the second straight matchup involving undefeated Region 5-A teams.

Calhoun County held off Allendale-Fairfax 27-20 in last week’s matchup of unbeatens, while Bamberg-Ehrhardt rolled past Military Magnet. A Saints’ win would give them a leg up on defending their region title, while a B-E victory could make for an even more interesting final month of the regular season.

The last time these two teams met in St. Matthews, the Red Raiders avenged a 27-point loss to the Saints with a stunning 40-34 playoff win. Eleven months have passed since that meeting and once again both teams find themselves playing a contest with high stakes.

Meanwhile, the number of winless teams has also dropped to two as Lake Marion picked up a dramatic 19-15 win over Edisto. Ironically, the region with the area’s lone undefeated teams is also home to The T&D Region’s two winless teams in Branchville and Denmark-Olar.

Should either team go winless the next three Fridays, a Oct. 23 matchup in Denmark will guarantee that one team will remain standing without a victory.

And now, a breakdown as to how teams and players stand in this week’s Thursday Morning Quarterback:

Teams of the Week

S.C. High School League — Lake Marion

After eight consecutive losses dating back to last season, the Gators had something to chomp at with a 19-15 victory over Edisto. The next goal for Lake Marion is to carry over the momentum to Region 8-AAA play and earn their playoff berth.

SCISA  — Jefferson Davis Academy

The Raiders have won three of their last four games and are averaging 37.2 points per game in establishing themselves as a contender for the SCISA 8-man title. A crucial test comes in two weeks against front-runner Wardlaw Academy.

Players of the Week

S.C. High School League — Chris Jenkins (Lake Marion)

The sophomore quarterback had a strong game in a loss to O-W with 211 total yards and two touchdowns. Against Lake Marion, he orchestrated a game-winning 99-yard scoring drive in the final two minutes to cap a 329-passing yard, three touchdown performance. He also rushed for 63 yards in the Gators’ first win.

SCISA — Nic Jamison (Jefferson Davis Academy)

The junior running back continues to be the backbone of the Raiders’ offense, rushing for 261 yards and two touchdowns in the win.

Week Five Gridiron Giants

Tyrone Fairey (Bethune-Bowman) — 19 carries, 110 rushing yards

Desmond Armstrong (Blackville-Hilda) — 19 carries, 154 rushing yards, two TDs

Dante Stewart (Calhoun County) — 140 rushing yards, TD

Brandon Thomas (Calhoun County) — 122 rushing yards, two TDs

Darrian Williams (Calhoun County) — 10 tackles

Montaurus Gleaton (Hunter-Kinard-Tyler) — 30-39 passing, 455 yards, five TDs

Schawn Jamison (Hunter-Kinard-Tyler) — nine catches, 210 yards, two TDs

D’Twane Fulmer (Hunter-Kinard-Tyler) — nine catches, 160 yards, two TDs

William Bond (Hunter-Kinard-Tyler) — 12 tackles, five for loss, sack

Raquan Robinson (Hunter-Kinard-Tyler) — 10 tackles, two for loss

Tyshawn Washington (Lake Marion) — 13 tackles

Marquis Bailey (Lake Marion) — 10 tackles

By the numbers

Branchville owns the T&D Region’s longest losing streak at 32, dating back to the 1991 season. Denmark-Olar has the second-longest losing streak at six ... Calhoun County owns the T&D Region’s longest regular-season winning streak at 23 games ... Bamberg-Ehrhardt has won 28 consecutive non-region games dating back to the 2004 season ... Dorchester Academy head coach Stanley Gruber owns the most victories by a T&D Region head football coach with 292 ... Last Friday’s win over Denmark-Olar gave Bethune-Bowman an 8-7 lead in the series ... Bamberg-Ehrhardt owns a 14-2 advantage in its series against Calhoun County ... Hunter-Kinard-Tyler has lost 23 of the last 24 meetings against Williston-Elko, the last victory coming during the 2002 season ... North is 3-0 lifetime against Fox Creek ... Edisto has been outscored 114-38 in their four defeats ... Orangeburg-Wilkinson allowed 184 yards and three touchdowns in the first half to Irmo All-Star running back Mustafa Greene in a 56-20 loss ... Hunter-Kinard-Tyler is 4-1 for the first time since the 1995 season. It finished the season with a 5-5 mark.

TMQ T&D Region Rankings

S.C. High School League Top 5

1 (tie) Bamberg-Ehrhardt

Calhoun County

3. Hunter-Kinard-Tyler

4. Blackville-Hilda

5. Bethune-Bowman

SCISA TOP 3

1. Dorchester Academy

2. Calhoun Academy

3. Holly Hill Academy

Quotables

“I told them the only place that success comes before work is in the dictionary, It doesn’t get any easier from here.” — Denmark-Olar head coach Butch Jacobs following a 12-6 loss to Bethune-Bowman. The Vikings face the next two weeks ranked teams Allendale-Fairfax and Calhoun County.

 

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