Tonight brings short, but challenging, road trips for football teams in the area.
Ashley Ridge plays at Cane Bay; Summerville plays at Stratford; and Fort Dorchester hosts Goose Creek. All kickoffs are scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
Highlighting the pigskin action is a match up between the two newbies, the Cobras of Cane Bay and the Swamp Foxes of Ashley Ridge. Not only is this the inaugural meeting of the first-year football teams, but tonight marks the first time either has faced an opponent that, like itself, only has freshmen and sophomore athletes.
“It is something we are looking forward to and I know they are as well,” Ashley Ridge coach Doc Davis said. “We are finally playing some one our own size, our own speed and our own age. I expect a very competitive game and it should be a good way to tell where our program is. If we can play well against them, whether we win or lose, if we can play with them then we will feel like we are where we need to be.”
History will be made as both teams enter the game with 0-4 records looking for their first win. Like it or not, because the schools both opened their doors this fall, both pull students from the greater Summerville area and are both expected to rise to the 4-A ranks in only a couple of years, the progress of the schools’ athletic programs will likely be compared for years to come. The teams are both part of Region 6-AA, making the stakes tonight even higher.
The Cobras are coming off a 64-0 loss to Kingstree while the Swamp Foxes are coming off a bye after losing to Latta 26-14 Sept. 12. Cane Bay, which has been outscored by 242 points this season, is still looking for its first points. Ashley Ridge has scored six touchdowns this season, but has been outscored by 121 points.
Something to consider is the Swamp Foxes didn’t play football powers Timberland and Hanahan like Cane Bay did. The Cobra’s other loss was to Cross, while the Swamp Foxes also fell to Johnsonville, Bamberg-Ehrhardt and Williston-Elko. The level of competition the Cobras faced early this year is something Davis is very aware of.
“Even though they have struggled, like us, Cane Bay is a very well coached football team,” Davis said. “They are very fundamentally sound which is the biggest concern for us. They don’t play as many people both ways as we do. We are concerned about being able to play with them in the fourth quarter.”
Goose Creek travels to face the team that, perhaps, has the most misleading record in the Lowcountry. Fort Dorchester is 1-3, but all three losses were the result of fourth-quarter rallies. The Patriots losses to Summerville and Greenville were by a single score and Beaufort defeated the Fort by two touchdowns. The Patriot win was over Irmo.
Goose Creek owns a 2-2 record. Its wins came over Carolina Forest and Colleton County while the losses were to Summerville and Northwestern. The Gators are strong when they are running on all cylinders.
Summerville carries a 2-2 record into Stratford, which is 1-3. However, the Knights record is also misleading as they defeated power Berkeley two weeks ago. While the Green Wave is the favorite, Stratford is always tough at home and has playmakers. In the combined-yards category, Knights quarterback Tyler McDonald needs only 169 yards to surpass 1,000-yard mark and the season is still young.
Contact Roger Lee @ 873-9424 ext. 213 or rlee@journalscene.com.