Another week of high school football has passed, and 13 of the 15 area teams were in action. 

The slate was diverse, with many teams playing a non-region school from a different classification. There was only one game that featured two Lexington County teams going head-to-head. 

Below are some of the top takeaways and storylines from the past week of local high school football. 

Blowouts rule the day

While it was a unique slate of games, many of them weren't very interesting. 

Of the 12 separate games last week, nine of them were decided by 20 or more points. 

The only close competitions were Chapin versus Aiken, White Knoll versus TL Hanna and Brookland-Cayce versus South Aiken. Chapin won by three, White Knoll lost by a point and Brookland-Cayce lost by 10. 

Lexington got its first win of the season thanks to a blowout victory over Swansea. The Wildcats took control early and never let up as they cruised to a 47-113 win. 

River Bluff also won big, downing Spring Valley 45-7. It was a solid response from the Gators offense after being shut out in last week’s game against Gray Collegiate. 

The team is now (2-1) this season, having scored at least 40 points in each of its wins. River Bluff has three more games to get through before jumping into the region slate. 

The Matthew Bennett era is off to a strong start in Pelion as the team shook off its week one loss against Airport and snagged its second straight win.  The Panthers defeated Ridge Spring-Monetta 56-26 to claim victory. 

Pelion will look to keep things rolling this week when the team hosts rival Swansea. 

Irmo bounces back

Irmo is another team that won their game in a blowout fashion. 

The Yellow Jackets beat Lower Richland 55-0 to improve to (2-1) this season. Irmo got things done on the ground and through the air as the team scored at ease. 

Irmo has responded well from its season-opening blunder against Rock Hill. Mistake after mistake cost Irmo that game. Now, they’re just not giving teams a chance to compete at all. 

While the offensive explosion has been impressive, 92 points in their past two games, the Yellow Jackets defense has been equally, if not more, noteworthy. 

The Yellow Jackets have completed shutouts in straight games. Opposing offenses haven’t just been kept out of the end zone, they’ve struggled even making it to the plus-side of the 50. 

Irmo was under a lot of pressure entering the season. The team is coming off back-to-back state title appearances and is a favorite to win the 4A trophy this season. 

The Yellow Jackets took a gut punch early, but they’ve shown their potential the past two weeks. The team will try to keep things going next week against Wilson. 

Irmo has just two more games before jumping into region play with a tough matchup against North Augusta. 

Dutch Fork and Northside stand strong

All three of the county’s final undefeated teams remained that way after last week. 

Only two were in action, as Gilbert had a bye week, but both Dutch Fork and Northside Christian looked locked in as they coasted to another win. 

The Silver Foxes took care of Spartanburg 56-14 to improve to (2-0) this season. The team was firing on all cylinders as Spartanburg was too overwhelmed to compete. 

Quarterback Jaxon Knotts accounted for three of the team’s touchdowns, two passing and one rushing. The defense also scored twice after forcing seven turnovers. 

Northside Christian is the first team to reach four wins this season, improving to (4-0) after a 62-10 win over Spartanburg Day. 

BJ Suits continues to be a weapon for the team, scoring four total touchdowns in the win. 

The Crusaders have now passed their win total from a year ago and still have six games to go. The schedule is about to ramp up for the team as four of the next six will be against region teams. 

Last week’s top performances 

Tai Phillips ran for three touchdowns in Irmo’s shutout win against Lower Richland. 

Anderson Stutts caught three touchdown passes as Chapin defeated Aiken. 

Brady Cottingham had two rushing touchdowns and a kickoff return score as Pelion beat Ridge Spring-Monetta. 

BJ Suits had four total touchdowns as Northside Christian remained undefeated. 

Darius Carter caught a touchdown and returned a kickoff for a score in River Bluff’s win over Spring Valley. 

This week’s games to watch 

Chapin vs. Airport

Pelion vs. Swansea

White Knoll vs. North Augusta 

Gilbert at South Aiken

River Bluff at Midland Valley

Lexington County scoreboard

Chapin: 24, Aiken: 21

Dutch Fork: 56, Spartanburg: 14

Lexington: 47, Swansea: 13

River Bluff: 45, Spring Valley: 7

TL Hanna: 28, White Knoll: 27

James Island: 49, Gray Collegiate: 20

Irmo: 55, Lower Richland: 0 

Keenan: 44, Airport: 12

South Aiken: 30, Brookland-Cayce: 20

Pelion: 56, Ridge Spring-Monetta: 26

Saluda: 48, Batesburg-Leesville: 28

Northside Christian: 62, Spartanburg Day: 10