The defensive units of several local teams face big challenges Friday.
Summerville and Goose Creek face off Friday night in what should be one of the better games of the season.
Both teams are coming off a nine-win season in 2008 and though they have some rebuilding to do seem well on their way to finishing the construction. The Green Wave and the Gators thumped the competition last week.
The Gators (1-0) shutout Northwestern, a team that played in the 2008 Division 2-AAAA championship game, 14-0.
Summerville (1-0) earned a 41-6 victory over Conway on the road.
Green Wave coach John McKissick is expecting a battle this week at Memorial Stadium.
“Goose Creek is real big and real strong on both sides of the ball,” McKissick said.
“Coach Chuck Reedy has one of the best teams he’s had in some time. They were already good and then they got the Shell brothers to help them up front and a tight end from James Island.”
Brandon Shell (6-7, 310) and Deandre Shell (6-1, 300) transferred to Goose Creek from West Ashley. The two add considerable experience to a Gator line that only returned one starter, center Dennis Large.
The Gators are young at quarterback with a freshman and sophomore vying for the position. But the Gators are a running team and do have seasoned running backs.
Fullback Virgil Smalls hammered his way through the Northwestern defense last week to finish with 129 rushing yards.
The Gators also have tailbacks Ranoy Hines and Jerome Jordan back this year after they combined for more than 1,100 yards and 10 touchdowns last season.
Kevin Glears returned as an experienced receiver and the Gators seem to have some other players with good hands so the Wave can’t count on Goose Creek being a one-trick pony.
However, the Gators’ brutal running attack is the thing McKissick is most concerned with.
“On film, they look like they can throw, but we look for them to try to control the football with their running game,” McKissick said. “Against Northwestern, they kept the ball nine minutes on one drive. We will have to make stops so we can get the ball or we will have a hard time.”
The Gators return eight players on defense, including the top two tacklers from last year, linebackers Malcolm Howard and Dontavia Reid. Their defensive line and secondary is loaded with seniors.
Last week Summerville tailback De’Angelo Henderson tore through the Conway D to finish with 265 rushing yards and four touchdowns.
The Wave will look to him again this week, but will also probably open up its playbook some if the weather permits. Several of the team’s receivers have shown potential.
The Wave has some talent on the defensive side of the ball, but is young at spots. Goose Creek will be one of its biggest tests this season.

Fort D. v. Irmo
Fort Dorchester (1-0) hosts Irmo (1-0). The Patriots are coming off a 25-18 overtime victory against Greenville. The Yellow Jackets are coming off a 48-20 win over Ridge View.
The Fort lost its starting QB early in its season opener and he won’t return for several weeks. However, sophomore Ethan Long preformed well under center last week and the Patriots are expected to have running back Michael Sellers back in the lineup this week.
Don’t be surprised if the game turns into a duel between Sellers, the Fort’s leading rusher last season, and Mustafa Greene, who led the Jackets in 2008.
A powerful back, Greene rushed for 215 yards and two TDs on 23 carries last week.
Quarterback David Olson demonstrated the team could also move the ball in the air when he passed for 131 yards and three TDs last week. He has good targets in receivers David Frazier and Paris Richardson.
“Irmo has the No. 2 running back in the state,” Patriot coach Steve LaPrad said. “You’re not going to stop him, you just have to try to control him. They are also always good up front. They have some big ol’ kids. We snuck by them last year, but their defense looks quicker this year.”
Greene missed three-quarters of last year’s game due to injury, which factored into the Patriots’ 28-14 victory.
This season, Irmo’s defense lacks experience on the line, but not in the middle or the secondary. The team is also gaining experience fast as it saw Rock Hill, Goose Creek, Northwestern and Dutch Fork in pre-season scrimmages.

Ashley Ridge at Williston-Elko
Ashley Ridge (1-1) travels to face Williston-Elko (1-0), a team that played in the Division 2-A championship game last year.
The Swamp Foxes are coming off a 21-40 loss to Bamberg-Ehrhardt while the Blue Devils are coming off a 56-14 victory over Barnwell.
“They are well coached and basically have everyone coming back from last year,” Ashley Ridge coach Doc Davis said. “They are very quick and on offense they do a little of everything. They will line up in everything from the wishbone to the spread so it will be a challenge for our defense.”
The Foxes gave up a lot of big plays last week and failed to score on three trips inside the opponent’s 10-yard line.
However, Fox QB Cameron Cox completed 14 passes for 214 yards and rushed for 85 yards.
Davis said he was also pleased with offensive lineman Jarred Joseph, who entered the game with no experience and preformed well after a starter was injured.
If the Foxes are going to pull out the upset, they will need the entire line to have a stellar night and for the defensive secondary to hold its own against a talented squad.

Other games
Pinewood travels to Colleton Preparatory School for a 7 p.m. game. The Panthers, who lost their season opener to Hammond last week, are looking to get on track.
Colleton is off to a 2-0 start this season, with a 32-6 win over Carolina Academy and a 48-20 win over Palmetto Christian Academy last week.
Senior running back Parker Headley had a lot of success on the ground in the first two games so the Panthers will likely have to stop him in order to earn their first victory.
The Panthers had some good defensive stands in the game with Hammond, but gave up too many big plays.
QB Bruce Haynes and his running backs have good speed, but that wasn’t enough last week. Look for the offensive backs to have a better showing against the War Hawks.
Woodland has its home opener against Lake Marion. The Wolverines are coming off an 8-27 loss to Timberland, but are a much better team than that score indicates.
The Gators were shut out by Calhoun County in their season opener last weekby a 37-0 score.
Parents’ Night will be celebrated.

Contact Roger Lee @ 873-9424 ext. 213 or rlee@journalscene.com.