Teams around Lexington County kicked off their 2024 football seasons last Friday, with many winning to start the season 1-0.

13 teams were in action last week, playing in 12 different contests. Eight local teams picked up wins with some in blowout fashion.

Lexington and Gilbert met in the only week zero game to feature two local schools. The Wildcats made easy work of the Indians, winning 24-0.

Irmo also picked up a blowout win, defeating Oceanside 35-7. Quarterback A.J. Brand finished with almost 300 total yards and four touchdowns on the ground and through the air to lead his team to victory.

Three different receivers caught a touchdown in the win for Irmo. Maleek Miller had a breakout game, catching five balls for 111 yards and a touchdown. Joey Albritton and Kyle Mitchell each caught one pass, both of which were touchdowns.

Gray Collegiate kicked off its first season of 4A play with a nail-biting 17-14 win against 5A James Island. It was also the first win in the De’Angelo Bryant era.

Bryant’s War Eagles had a balanced offensive attack, recording 167 yards in the air and 110 on the ground. Running back B.J. Montgomery scored both of the team’s touchdowns while taking most of the carries.

But it was the War Eagles run defense that had the biggest performance of the night. Gray held James Island to 19 yards on 16 total carries. The longest run of the night was seven yards and nobody scored a touchdown.

White Knoll also played in a close contest against Camden last Saturday. Both the Timberwolves and Bulldogs finished runner-up in their classification’s state championship games. White Knoll finished second in 5A, while Camden finished second in 3A.

This season, Camden moved to 4A and got an early test against the second-best team in all of 5A last year. The game lived up to its hype and came down to the wire.

White Knoll’s Tiyon Fanning scored the game-winning touchdown with 1:40 left in the game. He powered through from four yards out to break a 14-14 draw.

Camden struck first as White Knoll’s offense started the game out of sync. As the contest progressed, the Timberwolves got more comfortable and scored their first points to even the score in the second quarter.

Quarterback Landon Sharpe threw for two touchdowns and did a good job extending play out of the pocket. He finished with 119 passing yards and 60 rushing.

White Knoll’s win on the weekend capped a strong opening week for the teams in 5A Region 4. All five teams in action won, and the one team that sat out week zero was defending state champions Dutch Fork.

Chapin defeated Catawba Ridge 47-37 behind a monster performance from quarterback Brady Albro. He passed for over 300 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Eagles to victory in the first game under new head coach Ryan Cole.

River Bluff beat Rock Hill in a close high-scoring contest. The Gators scored in all types of ways, through the air, on the ground, on defense and even on a kick return. River Bluff’s defense forced five interceptions in an all-around exciting game that the Gators won 48-34.

Northside Chrisitan is the only area team to improve to 2-0 since SCISA football started a week prior. The Crusaders defeated Calhoun Academy after scoring four touchdowns on the ground.

Swansea also picked up a win in Willie Fox’s first game as head coach. The win snapped a 16-game losing streak that dates back to 2022. Dante Caldwell scored three touchdowns as the Tigers went on to beat Mid-Carolina 27-20.

Airport, Gilbert, Pelion and American Leadership Academy are the only teams that did not start their season with a win. Gilbert lost the game against Lexington, Airport fell 34-13 against May River, Pelion lost to Williston-Elko 27-6 and American Leadership Academy lost to Providence Athletic Club 60-0.

Those four teams will look to bounce back this week, except Airport who is on a bye. Dutch Fork, Batesburg-Leesville and Brookland-Cayce will begin their seasons this week as well.

Big Performances

Brady Albro threw for 301 yards and four touchdowns in Chapin’s win over Catawba Ridge.

Dante Caldwell scored three touchdowns to give Swansea its first win in almost two seasons.

A.J. Brand finished with 295 yards and four total touchdowns in Irmo’s win against Oceanside.

Aaron Griffin returned three kicks for 139 yards, including a 99-yard touchdown run on the game’s opening kick.

Week 0 Area Scoreboard

Chapin 47, Catawba Ridge 37

Irmo 35, Oceanside Collegiate 7

Lexington 24, Gilbert 0

River Bluff 41, Rock Hill 34

White Knoll 21, Camden 14

May River 34, Airport 13

Gray Collegiate 17, James Island 14

Swansea 27, Mid-Carolina 20

Williston-Elko 27, Pelion 6

Providence Athletic Club 60, American Leadership Academy 0

Northside Christian 33, Calhoun Academy 26

Week 1 games to watch

Dutch Fork at Spartanburg

White Knoll vs. Sumter

Chapin vs. AC Flora

River Bluff vs. Brookland-Cayce