South Carolina High School Football Rankings: Top 25 – Sept. 10
The latest South Carolina On3 Massey Ratings Top 25 list showed no movement in the first 11 spots, firmly establishing the top teams in the state. The earliest movement is at the 12th spot, with White Knoll and Belton-Honea Path switching spots.
Dorman (18th) and Clover (19th) also swapped places, while Camden moved up one spot to enter the top 25. With South Carolina high school football teams playing two or three games this season as of September 10, here’s how the rankings went down.
The On3 Massey Ratings, officially used during the BCS era, is a model that ranks sports teams by analyzing game outcomes, strength of schedule, and margin of victory. According to the model, two teams from South Carolina rank inside the nationwide top 100.
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1. Dutch Fork
Previous: No. 1
It isn’t tough to understand why the Foxes are ranked second on offense and first on defense. In addition to scoring 62 points in their first two games, they’ve allowed only seven points to Spartanburg and none to Ridge View. Those performances made them the 35th-best high school football team in the nation.
2. Northwestern
Previous: No. 2
The Trojans’ defense has improved in their first three victories. After surrendering 44 points in their season opener against William Amos Hough, they allowed only 27 points to Ridge View and limited South Florence to seven. Their 3-0 record makes them the 42nd-best team in the United States and second-best among South Carolina high school football teams.
3. Gaffney
Previous: No. 3
The Indians’ elite offense registered 42 points against JL Mann and 54 versus Greenville. Gaffney put the game out of reach from the Raiders by scoring 41 unanswered points in the first quarter. Their good fortunes could stretch for another week as the Massey Ratings show a 99 percent win probability in their September 13 game versus Freedom.
4. Irmo
Previous: No. 4
Coincidentally, the Yellow Jackets scored 35 points in each of their three victories. However, their defense could be a cause for concern because they’ve given up 34 points against Butler after allowing that many points to Oceanside Collegiate Academy and Byrnes in their first two games. While predictions show an 89 percent win probability against Carolina Forest,
5. Westside
Previous: No. 5
Based on the Massey Ratings win probability, the Rams have overachieved in their first two games because they were predicted to go 0-2. Instead, they’ve won their first two games, edging Westside (30-27) and dominating T L Hanna (56-20). They’re in for another challenging matchup versus Belton-Honea Path on September 13.
6. Spartanburg
Previous: No. 6
The Vikings are only one of two teams in the top 10 South Carolina high school football teams with a loss. However, that defeat came against the top-ranked Dutch Fork defense. They’ve done well in their other two assignments, edging South Pointe (26-25) and dominating Bloome (47-6). With Eastside being their September 20 opponents, Massey Ratings predict their first winning streak this season.
7. Hillcrest
Previous: No. 7
The Rams have the sixth-best defense among high school football teams in the state after limiting opponents to 13.6 points per game. However, after blanking Laurens Academy during their season opener, they’ve surrendered 20 points to Clover and 21 to Greer. Barring any upset, Hillcrest will likely go to 4-0 after defeating winless Mauldin.
8. Summerville
Previous: No. 8
The Green Wave bucked the Massey Ratings predictions by defeating South Florence 45-20. Likewise, they remain undefeated after scoring victories over unranked teams Stratford (28-14) and Berkeley (41-35). A tough assignment awaits Summerville as they face 16th-ranked Chapin on September 20.
9. Sumter
Previous: No. 9
After scoring a massive victory against 12th-ranked White Knoll, the Gamecocks extended their winning streak to three games by defeating Myrtle Beach 42-25. Massey Ratings predict that Sumter could go to 5-0 with easy victories over Crestwood and Spring Valley.
10. JL Mann
Previous: No. 10
Despite their loss to Gaffney, how JL Mann fought in that game makes them worthy of being among the best South Carolina high school football teams. More importantly, they bounced by earning their second win this season against DW Daniel. The Patriots’ following two assignments include unranked Easley and gritty Greenville.
Teams 11-25 in the latest South Carolina High School Football Rankings
11. T. L. Hanna
12. White Knoll (+1)
13. Belton-Honea Path (-1)
14. South Pointe
15. Boiling Springs
16. Chapin
17. DW Daniel
18. Dorman (+1)
19. Clover (-1)
20. Byrnes
21. Lexington
22. Fort Dorchester
23. River Bluff
24. South Florence
25. Camden (+1)