H.S. Notebook: Aiken-NAHS
11/5/2009 12:11 AM
By CAM HUFFMAN
Sports Editor
On paper, North Augusta certainly looks like the favorite in Friday night's regular season finale against Aiken. The Yellow Jackets are 9-1, ranked in the Class AAAA top 10, averaging 33.8 points and 382.7 yards per game and allowing just 12.4 points per game.
Aiken, meanwhile, is just 4-6 and clawing to earn one of the final spots in the Class AAAA Division II playoff race. The Hornets are allowing nearly 30 points per game, while scoring just 24.
Everything number one can pull up seems to point to a North Augusta victory.
What the Hornets' do have on their side, however, is a psychological advantage. Aiken has won five straight over its Class AAAA rival and 14 of the last 17 meetings. Breaking a trend is often a difficult proposition, no matter how the teams match up at the water cooler.
STOCK UP
Aiken
After suffering through a six-game losing streak that followed a 2-0 start, the Hornets have found away to get things rolling again. Back-to-back wins over Orangeburg-Wilkinson and Dutch Fork have given Aiken some confidence, and it is not counting itself out of the Class AAAA Division II playoff race just yet. A win over North Augusta this Friday would be a huge help in keeping those playoff hopes alive, but no matter the result, the recent hot streak has at least served to make Friday night's game a little more intriguing than it would have been otherwise.
STOCK DOWN
South Aiken
The Thoroughbreds had been playing much better football, moving to 4-5 after
an 0-4 start, but on Friday they missed another shot at a signature win. A victory over Aiken, North Augusta, Silver Bluff or Strom Thurmond early in the year would have added credence to South Aiken's turnaround, and it had another great opportunity at home against eventual Region 5-AAA champion Airport three weeks ago. The T-Breds, though, came up short in all those meetings, leaving Friday's meeting with Midland Valley as their last chance at knocking off one of the "big dogs."
SAHS, though, fell short again, and the fallout of the loss included having to go on the road for the opening round of the Class AAA playoffs this week instead of having the luxury of playing on its home field.
BY THE NUMBERS
15 - After winning just 11 total regular season games in three seasons from 2005-07, Midland Valley has turned its program around in fine fashion. This year's 8-2 regular season finish gives the Mustangs 15 regular season wins over the course of the last two seasons.
55.7 - Williston-Elko enters the Class A Division II playoffs having averaged 55.7 points and 416.7 yards per game in the regular season, on its way to an undefeated record.
252.2 - North Augusta quarterback Loranzo Hammonds has averaged 252.2 yards of total offense per game this season. Five of the 10 area teams averaged fewer yards per game as a team than Hammonds averaged on his own.
HIGH FIVE
Ranking the playoff team's chances of winning a title
1. Williston-Elko - Nobody has even come close to slowing down the Blue Devils this season. They will face some much stiffer competition in the postseason, but they have to be considered the favorite to bring home the Class A Division II title.
2. Strom Thurmond - The Rebels have won seven games in a row and captured a region title in one of the toughest regions in all of Class AA. Head coach Lee Sawyer knows how to win big games, and he has his eyes on another trophy.
3. Silver Bluff - Silver Bluff head coach Al Lown also knows something about winning championships, and his team is just as hot, having won five straight. Strom Thurmond has a slight edge on the Bulldogs, though, having already beaten them 28-12 earlier this season.
4. North Augusta - The Yellow Jackets clearly have the talent to make a deep run, but they will face some tough competition along the way, including Berkeley, Wren and Goose Creek.
5. Midland Valley - The Mustangs have had a great season and could win a couple games in the postseason, but it was no match for Airport when the teams met earlier this year.
11/5/2009 12:11 AM
Sports Editor
On paper, North Augusta certainly looks like the favorite in Friday night's regular season finale against Aiken. The Yellow Jackets are 9-1, ranked in the Class AAAA top 10, averaging 33.8 points and 382.7 yards per game and allowing just 12.4 points per game.
Aiken, meanwhile, is just 4-6 and clawing to earn one of the final spots in the Class AAAA Division II playoff race. The Hornets are allowing nearly 30 points per game, while scoring just 24.
Everything number one can pull up seems to point to a North Augusta victory.
What the Hornets' do have on their side, however, is a psychological advantage. Aiken has won five straight over its Class AAAA rival and 14 of the last 17 meetings. Breaking a trend is often a difficult proposition, no matter how the teams match up at the water cooler.
STOCK UP
Aiken
After suffering through a six-game losing streak that followed a 2-0 start, the Hornets have found away to get things rolling again. Back-to-back wins over Orangeburg-Wilkinson and Dutch Fork have given Aiken some confidence, and it is not counting itself out of the Class AAAA Division II playoff race just yet. A win over North Augusta this Friday would be a huge help in keeping those playoff hopes alive, but no matter the result, the recent hot streak has at least served to make Friday night's game a little more intriguing than it would have been otherwise.
STOCK DOWN
South Aiken
The Thoroughbreds had been playing much better football, moving to 4-5 after
an 0-4 start, but on Friday they missed another shot at a signature win. A victory over Aiken, North Augusta, Silver Bluff or Strom Thurmond early in the year would have added credence to South Aiken's turnaround, and it had another great opportunity at home against eventual Region 5-AAA champion Airport three weeks ago. The T-Breds, though, came up short in all those meetings, leaving Friday's meeting with Midland Valley as their last chance at knocking off one of the "big dogs."
SAHS, though, fell short again, and the fallout of the loss included having to go on the road for the opening round of the Class AAA playoffs this week instead of having the luxury of playing on its home field.
BY THE NUMBERS
15 - After winning just 11 total regular season games in three seasons from 2005-07, Midland Valley has turned its program around in fine fashion. This year's 8-2 regular season finish gives the Mustangs 15 regular season wins over the course of the last two seasons.
55.7 - Williston-Elko enters the Class A Division II playoffs having averaged 55.7 points and 416.7 yards per game in the regular season, on its way to an undefeated record.
252.2 - North Augusta quarterback Loranzo Hammonds has averaged 252.2 yards of total offense per game this season. Five of the 10 area teams averaged fewer yards per game as a team than Hammonds averaged on his own.
HIGH FIVE
Ranking the playoff team's chances of winning a title
1. Williston-Elko - Nobody has even come close to slowing down the Blue Devils this season. They will face some much stiffer competition in the postseason, but they have to be considered the favorite to bring home the Class A Division II title.
2. Strom Thurmond - The Rebels have won seven games in a row and captured a region title in one of the toughest regions in all of Class AA. Head coach Lee Sawyer knows how to win big games, and he has his eyes on another trophy.
3. Silver Bluff - Silver Bluff head coach Al Lown also knows something about winning championships, and his team is just as hot, having won five straight. Strom Thurmond has a slight edge on the Bulldogs, though, having already beaten them 28-12 earlier this season.
4. North Augusta - The Yellow Jackets clearly have the talent to make a deep run, but they will face some tough competition along the way, including Berkeley, Wren and Goose Creek.
5. Midland Valley - The Mustangs have had a great season and could win a couple games in the postseason, but it was no match for Airport when the teams met earlier this year.
copyright 2008 Aiken Standard, All Rights Reserved.