The Dillon Wildcats remained at the top of the Class 2A statewide polls this week as they moved one week closer to facing Loris, the number two team in the state and Dillon’s biggest threat in Region 8-2A.

Dillon, currently undefeated with a 7-0 record that includes a 56-16 win over Class 3A’s North Myrtle Beach and a 36-7 win over Darlington, is set to host Marion this week at 7:30 p.m. The Swamp Foxes are 4-3 with their early wins coming over Class A schools Creek Bridge and Manning and a 42-6 win over Lee Central. Marion is 1-2 in conference play, defeating Mullins 22-14 but falling 26-24 to Aynor and 34-6 to the Loris Lions.

The Wildcats will be on the road to face Loris next Friday, October 24. The Lions have consistently ranked high in the top 10 in Class 2A and are also undefeated headed into this Friday’s game against Mullins. Loris’s record includes three shut out wins over South Columbus, 50-0; Green Sea-Floyds, 41-0; and Waccamaw, 13-0. The Lions defeated Marion 34-6 on October 3, and also have wins over St. James, 27-7; North Myrtle Beach, 14-7; and Georgetown, 20-3.

The Wildcats will be bringing their best to the game, though, including quarterback Avery McCall, who threw for 239 yards and five touchdowns in last Friday’s win over Mullins, and Eri’Reon Hayes, a Shrine Bowl selection who has over 621 yards receiving and 11 touchdowns so far this season. Hayes picked up his sixth offer this week, with East Carolina, Georgia Southern, Appalachian State, Coastal Carolina, Old Dominion, and SC State all interested.

The rest of the Class 2A polls included Timberland in third, Woodruff in fourth and Fairfield Central in fifth, with Chesnee, Batesburg-Leesville, Keenan, Newberry, and Lake Marion rounding out the list.

In Class A, Lake View will travel to Carvers Bay this Friday night while Latta will be at Creek Bridge.

The Wild Gators are 5-2 heading into the game, fresh off a 41-0 shut out win over the Vikings. Lake View, Carvers Bay, and Hemingway all hold a 2-0 record in Region 8-A headed into Friday, but only Hemingway is undefeated on the season. Lake View is set to face Hemingway next Friday, October 24.

The Bears started slow in non-conference play, falling to Johnsonville, Waccamaw, Andrews, and Georgetown before recording a shut out 32-0 win over Murray. Carvers Bay opened region play against Creek Bridge for another shut out, 41-0, and shut out Green Sea-Floyds 28-0 last Friday. Israel Davis had 105 yards rushing and a touchdown in the win for the Bears, with Terry Bromell rushing for 63 yards and Calvin Miller rushing for 45. Kelique Gordon had five tackles in the win and Tyrell Richards made an interception.

Meanwhile, Hemingway has gone undefeated, but not without some close calls. The Tigers opened the season with a 20-8 win over Kingstree and dominated the next two games with a 57-18 win over Murray and a 50-6 win over Hannah-Pamplico. But Carvers Bay defeated Johnsonville and Andrews by just one touchdown and the Latta Vikings held the Tigers to just six points on October 3 as both teams entered conference play.

Last week Hemingway shut out Creek Bridge 40-0 with Xavier Weaver earning two passing touchdowns and a rushing touchdown, and Clarence Jones scoring three receiving touchdowns.

Creek Bridge will host this week, entering the game with a 1-6 record. The Warriors got their only win against Lincoln, 28-6. The Vikings will enter the game with a 1-5 record, with their only win coming over East Clarendon on September 26, with a final score of 34-29.

Hemingway is the only Region 8-A team in the polls, ranking third in the state in Class A. Christ Church continued to dominate the list, with Allendale-Fairfax in second. Estill was ranked fourth, followed by Bamberg-Ehrhardt, Lamar, Great Falls, McBee, Williston-Elko, and Hunter-Kinard-Tyler.

In SCISA action, the Dillon Christian School Warriors will be on the road this Friday to face Christian Academy.

The Warriors 6-1 overall this season and 3-1 in SCISA 1-A. It’s been a big year for Dillon Christian, with Jim Carr and Teshaun Lane leading the charge. Carr has over 714 yards passing and has thrown for seven touchdowns, and Lane has carried 117 times for over 857 yards and 12 touchdowns so far this season. The Warriors also have a strong defense led by Luke Price, Thomas Evans, and Matthew Price. Luke Price also caught nine passes for 162 yards and a touchdown last week against Trinity/Byrnes.

Christian Academy of Myrtle Beach is 1-6 heading into the game. The Saints are at the bottom of the region rankings, with Williamsburg at the top with an undefeated 7-0 record. Robert E. Lee Academy is in third place in the region with a 3-1 record in the region and 4-3 overall, followed by Trinity-Byrnes, 1-2, 4-3; Holly Hill, 1-2, 4-3; and Pee Dee Academy, 0-3, 1-6.

In SCISA 1-2A, Florence Christian has already claimed the region title with an undefeated 4-0 record and a 6-0 record on the season.

Be sure to visit thedillonherald.com this weekend for all our local high school football scores!