Barreling toward state playoff glory

Time to check in on our favorite high school teams as they barrel toward state playoff glory, and enjoy the heck out of every hour in those 5 Days 2 Friday.

The Byrnes Rebels of Duncan, SC continue to roll, now 8-0 after a 39-3 romp over this overmatched in-state rival. This week, Chris Miller’s bunch go for W #9, at home against a squad from Simpsonville, SC. The Rebs are still ranked #1 in USA Today’s national poll, #3 in MaxPreps.

The #1 team in MaxPreps’ poll is the ever-potent St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders of Ft. Lauderdale, FL. Their latest humbling of an overmatched opponent came last week, a 55-0 shellacking. STA shoots for its sixth win this week, against these guys, who beat St. Thomas last season and also gave Miami Northwestern a real struggle. They are 5-0 as well, but graduation has lessened their strength. Not so STA. The Raiders have yet to be held to less than 35 points in a game, thanks in large part to this sizzling wide receiver, whose father, Cris, you may be familiar with from his Hall of Fame-worthy career and now his work in broadcasting. Like father, like son—the current high school superstar is heading to Columbus to be a Buckeye next season. Check out this grab for a hands display!

Out west, Long Beach Poly (#6 in MaxPreps) engaged in a defensive battle with a non-league opponent, a bonnie group of Seraphs from up the coast who were ranked #11 by the Preps folks. The Jackrabbits won 12-7, with the decisive 5 points coming on a fourth quarter safety and a field goal. It was a bruising battle won in the trenches. Things should get a little easier this week for the 5-0 Rabbits, as their opponent comes in at 2-4, and look a bit overmatched.

Mission Viejo of California is rated #16 by MP, and its explosive offense continues to put up points at a furious pace. The Diablos are averaging 45 points a game, after a 42-21 win last week to get them to 5-0. Halfway through its sked, MV is looking to bounce back strong from last season’s surprisingly poor play.

And my fellow Georgians from Winnersville, Lowndes, won their annual in-town grudge match with the school named for the city, Valdosta, GA, and continued the recent trend of stripping the hated rival of its claim to town supremacy. The Vikings emerged with a hard-fought 14-7 win, and now looks to coast to the state playoffs, the brutal stage of its schedule mostly behind them.