Lakeside, Spartans are picks this week
After starting the year 1-1 on my picks for Week 1, I bounced back with a perfect 3-0 week. I was very close on the Evans-Lakeside game (my pick 23-17; the actual score 19-15). I also had Augusta Christian winning over Fox Creek 41-13, close to the 44-6 final, and I had Greenbrier topping Harlem by 13 (it won by 21), but I certainly did not expect the two teams to combine for 77 points.
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Now that the bragging is out of the way, here is a look at this week's match-ups.
Greenbrier (1-1) at Lakeside (0-1)
Greenbrier leads the series 8-2 (including victories in the past four match-ups).
The Wolfpack bounced back from their loss to Evans with a solid win over Harlem, while Lakeside comes in brokenhearted after a tough-luck loss to Evans in a game it had several chances to win.
The Panthers, as expected, are much improved from a year ago. Chad Chandler and company will try to leave Greenbrier with a losing record against their Columbia County foes before they embark on life in AAAAA.
Greenbrier senior Bryan Andrews had a breakout game against Harlem. The 6-0, 170-pound speedster is known more as a defensive back, but that changed Friday night when he ran for more than 180 yards and three touchdowns filling in at tailback for injured Kendrick Wilson (concussion).
Also, talented sophomore D.J. Tyson broke the 100-yard mark and had two more scores. Lakeside will do a better job handling the Greenbrier ground attack, and they should win a close one. Lakeside 20, Greenbrier 17
Harlem (0-1) at Glenn Hills (0-1)
Both teams enter region play looking for their first victory. The Glenn Hills Spartans were blanked by Baldwin 21-0 in its opener, while the Bulldogs fell to Greenbrier 49-28.
Despite the loss, there were some bright spots for Harlem. Tyler James and Zach Morris, who split time at quarterback, were effective on the ground. Also, Seth Hill looked solid at tailback. The ground game will face one of the state's top defensive players this week in lineman Jerricho Brown. The 245-pound standout is a two-time All-State performer.
Harlem knocked off Glenn Hills 28-27 last year, and this match-up likely will be tight, too. Glenn Hills 16, Harlem 14
Augusta Christian (2-1) vs. Hilton Head Prep
The Lions scored 86 points in their two victories this season, including 44 in a win over Fox Creek this week. William Banks appears to be ready to challenge for County Player of the Year honors and should have plenty of holes to run through against Hilton Head Prep. Expect a Lions victory.
ACS 38, Hilton Head Prep 10