High school football was in full force last week as every Lexington County team was competing. 

A little bit of rain and lightning affected some games, but most started as scheduled and concluded on time. 

Teams are currently progressing through the non-region portion of the schedule. These games don’t have many playoff implications, but are still important in getting teams prepared for conference competition. 

Over the next few weeks, primary players will begin to emerge, and rotations will be locked down as region play begins. The higher a team places in the region, the better seed they receive in the playoffs. 

Before looking ahead to next week’s games, take a moment to check out some of the three biggest storylines from this past slate. 

All 15 teams take the field

It’s rare that every football team in the county is playing in the same week, but it tends to happen early in the season. 

This past week was one of two in which all 15 teams are in action. The next will be during the week of Oct. 2. 

With so many games going on at once, there were a number of interesting matchups worth talking about. 

After being promoted to 5A, Gray Collegiate tested itself against another local school in the state’s highest classification. River Bluff hosted the War Eagles for the first-ever meeting between the two schools in football. 

The War Eagles dominated and shut out the Gators, winning 27-0. Gray recovered from its week one loss to North Carolina’s Chambers and is now (1-1) this season. 

Defending champions Dutch Fork opened the season with a win over Ridge View in one of the few area games affected by the weather. 

The Silver Foxes had a big lead when the game was first delayed in the second quarter. After attempting to wait it out, the game was postponed and then called altogether, with Dutch Fork being awarded a 35-13 win. 

Some other notable games from last week include Chapin’s big win over Brookland-Cayce, Irmo’s bounce-back victory over Spring Valley and American Leadership’s shutout versus Camden Military. 

Overall, the local teams went (8-7).   

Pair of first-year coaches get wins

Two of Lexington County’s first-year coaches got their first wins at their new program last week. 

In 5A, Chapin’s Cory Helms picked up a win, beating Brookland-Cayce 45-22. It was the first win for the Eagles since the 2024 season, and they did it in dominant fashion. 

Chapin was up 35-0 by halftime and never relented, expanding the lead in the second. 

Helms previous school, Pelion, also earned its first win of the season under its new head coach Matthew Bennett. 

The Panthers lost their week one contest against Airport but had a solid response and beat Barnwell 17-7. Pelion scored offensive and defensive touchdowns in the win, making it a whole team effort. 

3 teams remain unbeaten 

Through two weeks of the season, only three Lexington County teams have avoided a loss. 

Dutch Fork is (1-0) thanks to its win over Ridge View in the season-opener. 

Gilbert is (2-0) after a pair of wins over Nations Ford and A.C. Flora. The Indians won both games by a combined score of 45-28. 

The team is one of the first in the area to have a bye and will have two weeks to prepare for its next game on Sept. 11 against South Aiken. All three of Gilbert’s first three games are on the road. 

Northside Christian is the third undefeated team still standing in Lexington County. The Crusaders have played the most games and come into this week (3-0). 

The team has looked good in each of its wins, scoring 21, 55 and 37 points in wins against Greenwood Christian, Thornwell and Thomas Sumter Academy. 

Northside’s win over Thomas Sumter had some extra stakes as it was the team’s first region game of the year.

The Crusaders will attempt to improve to (4-0) this week with a non-conference game at home against Spartanburg Day. 

Last week’s top performances 

Jaxon Knotts had over 200 yards and scored four touchdowns in Dutch Fork’s win versus Ridge View. 

Nyshawn Palmore caught five passes for 146 yards and two touchdowns as Chapin got its first win since the 2024 season. 

BJ Suits finished with over 250 yards of offense, throwing four touchdowns and rushing in two more in Northside Christian’s win. 

Jaylen Brost rushed for 158 yards and two touchdowns in Gilbert’s win over A.C. Flora. 

This week’s games to watch 

Dutch Fork at Spartanburg 

Swansea vs. Lexington

Batesburg-Leesville vs. Saluda

Northside Christian vs. Spartanburg Day

Lexington County scoreboard

Chapin: 45, Brookland-Cayce: 22

Dutch Fork: 35, Ridge View: 13

North Augusta: 27, Lexington: 16

Sumter: 34, White Knoll: 27

Gray Collegiate: 27, River Bluff: 0

Irmo: 37, Spring Valley: 0

South Aiken: 31, Airport: 14

Gilbert: 24, A.C. Flora: 14

Aiken: 38, Swansea: 21

American Leadership: 13, Camden Military: 0

Pelion: 17, Barnwell: 7

Mid-Carolina: 28, Batesburg-Leesville: 21

Northside Christian: 37, Thomas Sumter: 12