These are the SC high school football state championship matchups in Columbia next weekend
With the Upper and Lower State brackets decided Friday night, the matchups are now set.
These are the teams that will play next week for the SCHSL high school football state championships in Columbia.
All the games will be played at Benedict College's Charlie W. Johnson Stadium in Columbia. Class AAAA competes on Thursday night, Classes AA/AAA compete Friday and the A and AAAAA games will be played on Saturday.
Check out the two teams playing for a state title in each classification. Here are the final 10 teams left in the SCHSL football playoffs:
Class AAAAA
Time/Date: Kickoff at 5 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 4
► Gaffney (14-0): The Indians defeated Spartanburg 56-31 in the Upper State Championship on the road Friday night. Led by running backs Tyler Smith and Ken Littlejohn (and a sturdy defense led by linebacker Landon Bullock) the Indians could prove to be a match for Dutch Fork. This team is senior-heavy and scored 35 unanswered to clinch a spot in the state title game.
► Dutch Fork (14-0): The Silver Foxes from Irmo haven't lost a game since September 2017. That should say all you need to know. But Dutch Fork only won 21-14 against Fort Dorchester in the Lower State bracket final. But that probably isn't cause for concern as that was the closest final score the program has had since the 2017 state title against Dorman.
Recap: How Gaffney beat Spartanburg to go to the state championship
Class AAAA
Time/Date: Kickoff at 7 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 2
► South Pointe (11-1): With scoring outputs of 42 and 47 points to open the playoffs, South Pointe was held to its lowest point total this season on Friday. But that didn't make a difference as the Stallions won 24-14 against a very talented Greenville High team that finished the year with a 10-3 record. They'll look to add a seventh SCHSL state title since 2008 next Thursday.
► Beaufort (12-2): The Eagles from the low country are in their third season under head coach Bryce Lybrand. Progressively, they've improved since he took over the football team. Now the Eagles have a shot to win a state championship after beating West Florence 41-10 Friday in the Class AAAA Lower State Championship.
Greenville HS Football: Meet Prometheus Franklin II, the quarterback trying to win it all for Greenville football
Class AAA
Time/Date: Kickoff at 2 p.m., Friday, Dec. 3
► Daniel (13-0): Led by quarterback Trent Pearman, who's one of five finalists for South Carolina Mr. Football award, the Lions are one of the top teams in any classification. Daniel hasn't lost a game since 2019 and easily dispatched of Chester, 41-20, in the Upper State Championship. Now Daniel and Camden will play for a second straight year in the state championship. Last season: Daniel won 52-31.
► Camden (11-2): The Bulldogs struggled with Brookland-Cayce in the Lower State semifinals. And Friday was no different as Camden snuck by Dillon, 13-7 to clinch a spot in the state championship. Camden has come close in recent years, losing last year in the final and in the semifinals in 2019. Is this the year that the Bulldogs win their first state title since 2001?
Class AA
Time/Date: Kickoff at 7 p.m., Friday, Dec. 3
► Gray Collegiate (13-1): Gray Collegiate's only loss of the season came on the road, 38-35, to Gaffney. The Indians are now playing Dutch Fork for a state title. So Gray Collegiate is pretty good – a 16 point win over Abbeville the week prior to the Upper State title game is evidence of that. While Newberry caused some problems, it's hard to believe the War Eagles won't be competitive against undefeated Silver Bluff.
► Silver Bluff (11-0): Silver Bluff is led by junior quarterback Malik Williams. The young gunslinger has thrown for more than 11 touchdowns this season. Barnwell gave the Bulldogs issues, but Silver Bluff hung on to win 42-35 in the Lower State title game. This one should be close. Silver Bluff has put up at least 40 points in every game but one this season (a 34-0 win over Aiken).
Class A
Time/Date: Kickoff at noon, Saturday, Dec. 4
► Southside Christian (13-0): Just as they did on the volleyball court, these two teams will meet in a state championship next weekend. Southside Christian has rolled to a clean 12-0 this fall behind the strong play of their offense. The Sabres have only allowed a team to come within a score once this year, which was against AAAA Greer. Also of note: Since losing the 2019 state title game, Southside Christian has won 22 straight games.
► Bamberg-Ehrhardt (14-0): The Red Raiders won a defensive battle against C.E. Murray in the Lower State title game to advance to next Saturday's state championship. It was a 7-6 defensive showcase and tested the B-E defenses ability to not give when needed most. A missed extra point cost Murray a chance to tie the game with under two minutes to play. Now B-E will take on the Sabres for the state title. Sometimes, like Gaffney coach Dan Jones said Friday, you gotta get lucky to be playing this late in the season.
More: Southside Christian football has pieces in place during postseason journey
Where to watch the SC state football finals:
TV and streaming: Games will be shown on WACH Fox in Columbia and on other Sinclair stations across South Carolina. You can also watch the state championship games on the www.NFHSNetwork.com
See the full football playoff brackets at www.schsl.org.
Joe Dandron is a Michigan native and graduate of Michigan State University. Joe covers high school sports for The Greenville News and Spartanburg Herald-Journal. Email him at jdandron@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter: @JoeMDandron.
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Check out the SC high school football state championship matchups
