Postseason dreams for area teams hinge on season’s final two weeks

Two weeks still remain until kickoff of the state high school football playoffs.

Don’t tell area coaches that, though, belief among them that the second season has already begun. The next couple of games loom large in regard to region titles and seeding – deciding factors in whether teams will take to the road or enjoy the opportunity to play at home.

Arguably, no league is more compelling locally than Region VI-5A.

Sumter leads the conference, the only team sitting at 3-0. The Gamecocks can clinch a playoff berth with a win on Friday night, and can claim the Region VI-5A crown with a victory paired with a loss by Carolina Forest.

Grand Strand rivals Carolina Forest and Conway have other ideas, however. Both teams sit at 2-1 in league play, the Tigers pulling even following their 51-48 triple-overtime win this past Friday night.

With wins, both teams will punch their ticket to the postseason. Should such occur, next week’s Sumter-Carolina Forest game could prove pivotal in deciding the region race, with a win by the Panthers and a Week 12 victory by Conway over South Florence creating a three-way tie for the league title.

As intriguing is the Region VII-2A race, currently led by Carvers Bay at 4-1. The Bears are tied in the loss column with Andrews and Latta, which defeated them 27-20 last Friday night.

Despite the loss, Carvers Bay needs only a win on Friday against Mullins to claim the region title. This is based off of a tiebreaker decided by defensive points allowed in games among the three teams, an advantage held by the Bears.

But should they stumble, Andrews would take ownership of first place in Region VII-2A, with an opportunity to claim the title if it wins out based upon an earlier win over Latta.

One thing is for sure, though – Carvers Bay has clinched itself a spot in the Class 2A playoffs.

All four playoff berths in Region VII-4A have been locked up, as Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach, Marlboro County and Wilson have punched their respective tickets. Deciding seeding and – most importantly – a region champion could come down to the final week of the season, with a clash between Myrtle Beach and Marlboro County looming large.

If the Seahawks win out, they complete an undefeated regular season and a league title. Myrtle Beach could also claim the region crown with a win Friday night against St. James, along with a Marlboro County to Wilson.

Should it stumble, it opens the door for both Marlboro County and North Myrtle Beach, each of which has one loss in Region VII-4A play.

In Region VI-3A, Georgetown has already earned a playoff spot. The Bulldogs can clinch a No. 2 seed and a first-round date at home with a win Friday night against Lake City.

The scenario is more simple and plain for Green Sea Floyds. If the Trojans have any dreams of making it to the postseason, they have to win each of their final two games. Though a daunting task, it is possible as Creek Bridge and East Clarendon have one win between them.

HTC Game of the Week

One of the area’s longest rivalries takes center stage on Friday, as Socastee travels to “The Backyard” to take on Conway in a Region VI-5A battle.

Socastee is seeking its first win in league play, while Conway looks to continue its pursuit of a conference title.

Coverage of the game begins at 7:15 p.m. Kickoff will take place 15 minutes later.

The game can be found on HTC cable channel 4, and is also available at HTCConnect.com.

This story was originally published November 1, 2016 at 5:02 PM with the headline "Postseason dreams for area teams hinge on season’s final two weeks."