It was a packed week of football in Lexington County, as teams scrambled for wins to improve their postseason positions. 

With just two weeks of regular season left, many region championships are still up for grabs, and teams from Lexington County are in contention. This week’s games will feature a few of the top teams going head-to-head and will be big in determining the final standings.

Batesburg-Leesville defeated Pelion last week to remain undefeated this year. The Panthers will play in their biggest game of the season this week when they travel to play unbeaten Saluda, with first place in the region on the line. 

Saluda is fresh off a win over defending region champions, Strom Thurmond. Like the Panthers, Saluda has had many blowout victories. 

This meeting between the two top-ranked teams in the 2A classification could determine who is crowned region champions. If Batesburg-Leesville wants to win the region, the team must win this game. Should the Panthers accomplish that, they will end the season against Strom Thurmond in control of their own destiny. 

Swansea is also in a similar position as Batesburg-Leesville. With a win over Fox Creek, the Tigers moved to second in the 3A Region 4 standings, looking up at Newberry. 

This week Swansea and Newberry will meet in a game that will be huge in determining the final standings. If Swansea wins, the team would jump to first place ahead of the final week. But if the Tigers lose, they could fall in the standings. 

Last week was consequential for the 4A Region 4 standings. Teams participated in two games last week as they try to makeup all of their missed games from Hurricane Helene. 

Gray Collegiate picked up two wins to advance to 5-0 in region and remain in a first-place tie with North Augusta. The War Eagles defeated Brookland-Cayce 49-7 early in the week before beating Aiken 55-0. 

It is the War Eagles' first year in 4A play after jumping from 2A. The team is already showing it can compete with larger schools as they are in a position to win the region with a few games to go. 

Gray and North Augusta will meet in the final week of the season in a game that will decide the region champion. Even if both teams lose this week, they are two games ahead of third place, guaranteeing the winner would be region champions. The War Eagles play Gilbert this week.

 Gilbert is not in a position to win the region, but the Indians can better their placement in the standings and the playoffs. The Indians split its two contests last week, losing to South Aiken in a close game before bouncing back with a big win over Airport. 

The Indians will host Gray collegiate this week before ending the regular season with a trip to Aiken. Adding more wins will help the team separate itself from the rest of the teams in the middle of the pack. 

It was a tough outing for Brookland-Cayce and Airport, who went a combined 0-4 in games last week. The Bearcats have played one more game than most of its region companions, meaning the team will end its season this week against Airport. 

Airport is 1-4 in region games entering this week. Last week, the team lost to Midland-Valley 49-7 and Gilbert 31-18. 

The game between Brookland-Cayce and Airport could be an opportunity for the Eagles to move ahead of some of the basement dwellers in the region standings. It could also help the Bearcats move up and better its odds for the playoffs. 

The six Lexington County teams that make up 5A Region 4 return to the field this week after being on a bye last week. No teams are locked into their place in the region standings and all can move up or down with two games left. 

Dutch Fork and Irmo are the two favorites to win the region. The teams are undefeated and play each other in the last week of the season. This week, the Dutch Fork travels to River Bluff, and Irmo hosts Chapin. 

Dominant would be an understatement when talking about Dutch Fork this season. The Silver Foxes have blown out every opponent this season and forced shutouts in five of their seven games. 

Irmo has an explosive offense led by one of the most exciting players in the entire state. Led by quarterback A.J. Brand, the Yellow Jackets are 8-0 and contending for a title in their first season playing in one of the toughest regions in the 5A classification. 

Behind Irmo and Dutch Fork, River Bluff is looking to end the year strong and lock up third place in the region. The Gators will have a big hurdle to overcome this week against Dutch Fork, but an upset in that game could be huge. The team will play Lexington in the last week of the season, who are currently fourth in the conference. 

Chapin and White Knoll are the only winless teams in the region. The two teams won’t meet until the final week of the season with Chapin traveling to Irmo and White Knoll hosting Lexington this week. 

In SCISA play, Northside Christian will conclude its season this week with a game against Camden Military. The Crusaders are locked into second place in the region, behind undefeated Wilson Hall and above a 1-2 Trinity Collegiate team. 

Northside has had a strong season, sitting at 8-1 overall, but its one loss came against Wilson Hall. With the SCISA playoffs on the horizon, finishing the season on a high note will be big for momentum. 

Big Performances

Tanner Watkins had three total touchdowns to help Batesburg-Leesville beat Pelion and stay undefeated. 

B.J. Montgomery ran for over 150 yards and scored a touchdown in Gray's win over Brookland-Cayce.

Jake Jeffrey recorded a pick-six as Northside Christian improved to 8-1 with a win over Florence Christian.

Week 9 Area Scoreboard 

Gray Collegiate: 49, Brookland-Cayce: 7 (Tuesday)

Midland Valley: 49, Airport: 7 (Tuesday)

South Aiken: 35, Gilbert: 28 (Tuesday)

North Augusta: 56, Brookland-Cayce: 28 (Saturday)

Gray Collegiate: 55, Aiken: 0 (Saturday)

Gilbert: 31, Airport: 18 (Saturday)

Swansea: 21, Fox Creek: 7

Batesburg-Leesville: 48, Pelion: 0

Ninety-Six: 56, American Leadership: 0

Northside Christian: 34, Florence Christian: 7

Week 10 Games to Watch

Batesburg-Leesville at Saluda

Swansea vs. Newberry

River Bluff vs. Dutch Fork

Pelion vs. American Leadership