Sumter High holds on to No. 7 in 5A football poll

Sumter High School held on to the No. 7 spot among 5A schools in the first S.C. Prep Media Football Poll of the regular season released on Tuesday.

No other local schools were ranked in the other four South Carolina High School League polls, but three local South Carolina Independent School teams are ranked in the first SCISA regular-season poll.

Laurence Manning Academy remains No. 4 in the 3A poll, while Robert E. Lee Academy moved up a spot to No. 3 in the 2A poll. Clarendon Hall is tied for No. 2 in the 8-man poll.

The 5A poll remained exactly the same with each of the 10 teams holding the same spot. Dutch Fork, which tied Mallard Creek of Charlotte 27-27, received all 14 first-place votes.

Gaffney was second followed by Fort Dorchester, Byrnes, Dorman, T.L. Hanna and Sumter. The Gamecocks remained at seventh despite committing eight turnovers in a 28-21 win over Rock Hill.

Sumter's Region IV foe Blythewood is eight, River Bluff ninth and Greenwood 10th.

Each of the other four SCHSL polls had some shakeups, but the No. 1 teams remained the same. Myrtle Beach in 4A and Abbeville in 2A are unanimous No. 1s, while defending 3A state champion Chester received 13 of the 14 first-place votes.

Lamar is No. 1 in 1A and actually picked up more first-place votes this week. After getting three No. 1 votes last week, Lamar picked up six. Green Sea-Floyds, the defending state champion, is second. It received seven first-place votes after getting eight last week.

No. 3 Wagener-Salley got the other first-place vote.

Manning received votes in 3A as did Lee Central in 2A.

The No. 1 teams all remained the same in the SCISA polls - Hammond in 3A, Florence Christian School in 2A, Thomas Heyward in 1A and Beaufort Academy in 8-man.

S.C. PREP MEDIA FOOTBALL POLL

SCHSL

5A

1. Dutch Fork (14)
2. Gaffney
3. Fort Dorchester
4. Byrnes
5. T.L. Hanna
6. Sumter
7. Blythewood
8. River Bluff
9. Greenwood

Also receiving votes: West Florence, Berkeley, Carolina Forest, Summerville

4A

1. Myrtle Beach (14)
2. Hartsville
3. Daniel
4. Greer
5. North Myrtle Beach
6. South Pointe
7. Belton-Honea Path
8. Wilson
9. North Augusta
10. Ridge View

Others receiving votes: Wren, Marlboro County, Greenville, York, Walhalla, Eastside, A.C. Flora

3A

1. Chester (13)
2. Dillon (1)
3. Chapman
4. May River
5. Union County 
6. Camden
7. Strom Thurmond
8. Wade Hampton (H)
9. Woodruff 
10. Gilbert

Others receiving votes: Fairfield Central, Newberry, Manning, Aynor, Hanahan, Pendleton, Cheraw, Marion

2A
1. Abbeville (14)
2. Barnwell
3. Timberland
4. Bamberg-Ehrhardt
5. Saluda
6. Oceanside Collegiate
7. Southside Christian
8. Gray Collegiate
9. Carvers Bay
10. (tie) Whale Branch, Andrew Jackson
Others receiving votes: Blacksburg, Batesburg-Leesville, Cheraw, Hannah-Pamplico, Woodland, Pageland Central, Lee Central

1A
1. Lamar (6)
2. Green Sea-Floyds (7)
3. Wagener-Salley (1)
4. Lake View 
5. Blackville-Hilda
6. C.E. Murray
7. Baptist Hill
8. Ridge Spring-Monetta
9. St. John’s
10. (tie) Hemingway, Dixie
Others receiving votes: Great Falls, Williston-Elko, McCormick, McBee, Cross, Ware Shoals

SCISA

3A
1. Hammond (6)
2. First Baptist
3. Porter-Gaud
4. Laurence Manning
5. Cardinal Newman
Others receiving votes: Ben Lippen

2A
1. Florence Christian (6)
2. Trinity-Byrnes
3. Robert E. Lee
4. Hilton Head Prep
5. Hilton Head Christian
Others receiving votes: Greenwood Christian

1A
1. Thomas Heyward (6)
2. Pee Dee Academy
3. Dillon Christian
4. Carolina Academy
5. Bethesda Academy
Others receiving votes: Dorchester Academy

8-man
1. Beaufort Academy (5)
T2. Clarendon Hall
T2. Andrew Jackson Academy
4. Jefferson Davis
5. W.W. King
Others receiving votes: St. John’s Christian, Wardlaw Academy