By Thomas Grant Jr.
Last Friday, the Chapin football team faced its biggest challenge of the season.
Visiting John McKissick Field to face fourth-ranked and fellow unbeaten Summerville, the Eagles went toe-to-toe for most of the first half.
Quarterback Brady Albro came out firing, finishing with 425 yards and three touchdowns. Wide receiver Khalen Bostick was his main target, with eight receptions for 194 yards and three scores.
The second half saw the Green Wave outscore the Eagles 23-10 for the 53-32 victory.
“We learned what it takes to be able to compete with a top program in the state,” head coach Ryan Cole said. “We will go back and get better at what we do. We will fix the mistakes that we made and learn from them so we can move forward.”
Chapin (4-1) now gets a week off to make those corrections in preparation for another state power. Top-ranked and defending Class 5A champion Dutch Fork (4-0) is set to visit Cecil Woolbright Field on Oct. 4 in the Region 4-5A opener for both teams.
The Silver Foxes are also idle this week after defeating Oceanside Collegiate Academy 51-0. It was their 12th straight win, the third straight shutout and 22nd since the 2016 season.
Dutch Fork has also won 11 straight meetings with Chapin dating back to 2006.
“We have to be better tacklers on the defensive side of the ball,” Cole said. “We also need to make sure we are doing our assignments when we are supposed to. We have to get better in all phases of the game so we can compete in the region.
“We always focus on what we can do as a team instead of looking at other teams’ strengths or weaknesses. They are a good football team. We are looking forward to the challenge ahead.”
MAXPREPS.COM RPI RATINGS
(For the first time, the S.C. High School League will utilize the Maxpreps.com RPI rankings to determine playoff seeding in Class 5A Division I and II and Class 4A. The points is based on 50% of a team’s winning percentage, 40% on their opponents’ winning percentage and 10% on your opponents’ opponents’ winning percentage. The complete rankings can be found at the South Carolina Administrators Association website.)
(Class 5A)
*1. Dutch Fork, 4-0 0.80781
#2. Northwestern, 4-0 0.77029
#3. Gaffney, 4-0, 0.76740
*-4. Summerville, 4-0, 0.75948
*-5. Dorman, 3-1, 0.71677
*6. Spartanburg, 3-1, 0.71188
*7. Sumter, 5-0, 0.69317
#8. Greenwood, 3-1, 0.67490
*9. River Bluff, 5-0, 0.67183
#10. Chapin, 4-1, 0.66525
#11. Irmo, 5-0, 0.64383
*12. JL Mann, 3-1, 0.63333
#13. Hillcrest, 4-0, 0.62813
#14. White Knoll, 3-1, 0.62771
*15. Lexington 3-1, 0.61750
#16. TL Hanna, 2-2, 0.61250
*17. Boiling Springs, 3-1, 0.60188
*18. Ridge View, 1-3, 0.59813
#19. Westwood, 3-2, 0.59542
#20. West Florence, 4-1, 0.59092
*21. Fort Dorchester, 3-1, 0.58969
*22. Blythewood, 4-1, 0.58242
*23. Ashley Ridge, 4-1, 0.57692
24. Riverside, 3-1, 0.57240
25. Catawba Ridge, 4-1, 0.56025
* – Division I, # – Division II
Photo credit to Edward Walker
