The first round of high school football playoffs has concluded and seven of the 13 Lexington County teams to qualify are still in contention for a championship. 

Irmo and Dutch Fork will begin their postseason play this week after earning a first-round bye last week. The teams are two of the favorites to bring home a state championship in the 5A Division I and II playoff brackets. 

Dutch Fork is seeking its eighth 5A championship in nine years. The Silver Foxes have won every 5A state championship since the classification came to South Carolina, except for in 2021 when the team lost to Gaffney in the title game. 

This Friday, Dutch Fork will host Boiling Springs. The Bulldogs advanced to the second round after beating Dorman 32-0. 

The Yellow Jackets will play a familiar foe to start its playoff journey. Region rival Chapin will make the trip to Irmo for a rematch. When the two teams met earlier in the region season, Irmo got the better of Chapin, winning 55-21.

Irmo is seeking its second-ever football state championship and its first since 1980. The Yellow Jackets are looking to achieve this in their first year in 5A after making it to the semi-final last season in 4A. 

Chapin earned its rematch after surviving a late comeback attempt in the first round by Goose Creek. The Eagles led 17-0 at halftime but got outscored in the second 16-0. Goose Creek ended the game 10 yards from the endzone but ran out of time to take the lead. 

Four other teams picked up wins last week. River Bluff defeated Mauldin 36-6, White Knoll beat Lugoff-Elgin 42-18, Gilbert beat Lower Richland 41-20 and Batesburg-Leesville beat Columbia 42-6. 

River Bluff easily took care of Mauldin behind a big performance from sophomore quarterback Brayden Moore and tight end Stephen Collier. The Gators continue to impress this season and improved their record to 9-2. The two lone losses came against Irmo and Dutch Fork. 

This week the Gators will travel to Rock Hill for a Thursday night game. This matchup will also be a rematch as the two teams met early in the non-region season. River Bluff hosted Rock Hill in August and won 48-34. The team will look to replicate those results but this time, in enemy territory. 

White Knoll won a confidence-boosting matchup against Lugoff-Elgin. The Timberwolves rushed for over 400 yards in the win. The team is attempting to shake off a rocky region season and make it back to a state title game after finishing second place to Dutch Fork last season. 

The Timberwolves will be on the road this week traveling to Myrtle Beach. The Seahawks are 6-4 this season and went 4-1 in region games. Should White Knoll win that game, the team will be on the road against either Berkely or Westwood. 

Gilbert punched its ticket to the second round with a commanding win over Lower Richland. Quarterback Cooper James threw for three touchdowns and over 200 yards. Chandler Guthrie led the team in receiving with 111 yards and three touchdowns. In the second round, Gilbert will travel to Bishop England. 

Batesburg-Leesville remained undefeated and easily knocked off Columbia. The Panthers are in the midst of one of their best seasons in program history and are looking to win its eighth football title and first since 2013.

Next week the Panthers will host Andrew Jackson.

Lexington, Airport, Brookland-Cayce, Swansea, Pelion and Northside Christian all concluded their seasons last week with a loss. 

Northside advanced to the SCISA 3A semifinal match but lost to Pinewood Prep 35-21. The Crusaders finished the year with a program-record 10 wins. The team finishes the year 10-2 and one game away from competing for its first football championship.

Swansea’s rebound year concluded with a loss on the road against Waccamaw. The Tigers made the postseason in 2024 after going winless in 2023. Swansea finished with its best record in a decade, going 7-4. 

Lexington lost on the road against Byrnes 32-11. The Wildcats finished the year 5-6 to go under .500 for just the second time in 11 seasons. 

Brookland-Cayce lost to perennial contender South Florence 56-20. The Bearcats overcame a winless region season and finished above .500 in conference to make the postseason. 

Airport and Pelion end the season with identical 2-9 records. The Eagles lost to their region’s winner, North Augusta, 56-0. The Panthers also lost 56-0, falling to Clinton.

This week’s slate of games will be big as the skill gap between teams lessens as each round passes. At least one Lexington County team will be eliminated from title contention and others will need to continue their momentum to move past some tough opponents. Out of the six matchups, three teams will be at home and four will be on the road. 

Last Week’s Big Performances

Cooper James threw three touchdowns as Gilbert defeated Lower Richland in the 4A playoffs. 

Amadre Wooden rushed for 176 yards and two touchdowns in Batesburg-Leesville’s first-round playoff win.

Shaq Montgomery ran for two touchdowns to help While Knoll advanced past Lugoff-Elgin. 

Brayden Moore threw for over 240 yards and added two touchdowns in River Bluff’s win over Mauldin. 

Round 1 Area Scoreboard 

Chapin: 17, Goose Creek: 16

Byrnes: 32, Lexington: 11

River Bluff: 36, Mauldin: 6

White Knoll: 42, Lugoff-Elgin: 18

North Augusta: 56, Airport: 0

South Florence: 56, Brookland-Cayce: 20

Gilbert:41, Lower Richland: 20

Waccamaw: 43, Swansea: 23

Batesburg-Leesville: 42, Columbia: 6

Clinton: 56, Pelion: 0

Pinewood Prep: 35, Northside Christian: 21 (SCISA 3A semifinal game)

Playoff Round 2 Schedule

Dutch Fork vs. Boiling Springs

Irmo vs. Chapin

River Bluff at Rock Hill

White Knoll at Myrtle Beach

Gilbert at Bishop England

Batesburg-Leesville vs. Andrew Jackson