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I've said all season I was having a hard time getting a read on most of our area's high school football teams, but after a full slate of 10 games Friday, it looks like most of the teams in our coverage area (cue Denny Green) ARE WHO WE THOUGHT THEY WERE!

With the exception of Bluffton's stunning homecoming loss to Lake Marion and Thomas Heyward's decidedly less shocking home loss to St. Andrew's, everything played out as expected Friday.

• Hilton Head High confirmed its status as the clear-cut favorite in Region 8-AAA with a 20-0 win at North Charleston. In case you haven't been paying attention, the Seahawks' defense has been downright nasty since the loss to Calhoun County, allowing only 14 points in the past three games.

• Beaufort High remained undefeated by thumping James Island 41-0. The Eagles need to be careful of looking ahead to a Halloween night showdown with Summerville, especially with tests against Wando and Berkeley upcoming, but a perfect regular season is a distinct possibility.

• Battery Creek showed it can be competitive in Region 8-AAA, beating Stall 27-16 and dominating on both sides of the ball. Don't sleep on the Dolphins as a region title contender, especially if they can continue to run the ball the way they did against the Warriors.

• Hilton Head Christian kept rolling, getting four more touchdown passes from sophomore gunslinger Luke Sirgo, who has thrown for more than 1,400 yards and 17 TDs through six games.

• Reports of Hilton Head Prep's demise might have been greatly exaggerated, but the Dolphins aren't all the way back to state-title contender status, either, as their 55-15 loss to Northwood Academy attests. If the Chargers aren't the clear-cut favorite to end the Hilton Head Island's schools' streak of three consecutive SCISAA Class 2-A titles, then I don't know who is.

• Thomas Heyward's resurgence was as short-lived as Hilton Head Prep's, as the Rebels lost 35-14 at home against St. Andrew's, which previously was winless in SCISAA Region 2-AA. The defending region champs' playoff hopes are on life support at this point.

• The honeymoon didn't last long after Beaufort Academy's first varsity football victory. The Eagles came crashing back to Earth in a 48-6 loss to Palmetto Christian, and it doesn't get any easier next week at St. Andrew's.

• Ridgeland's early-season success hasn't held up. The Jaguars' offense was impressive a few weeks ago against Hardeeville, but the Jags have scored only seven points in their past three games, all losses.

• Hardeeville's offense also sputtered in a 22-0 loss to region foe Cross. The Hurricanes have a number of talented players, but their youth and inexperience has bred inconsistency.

But we already knew most of that. What I didn't see coming (and I can't imagine many people did) was Bluffton's loss to Lake Marion, the most surprising aspect of which was the Bobcats' inability to run the ball. They averaged less than a yard per carry, as the Gators limited Timmy Smith and Zack Frazier to 28 yards on 18 carries (the duo had combined for 1,185 yards through five games).

So what does this mean? Well, for starters it means Lake Marion and Battery Creek are TIED FOR FIRST IN THE REGION. Did anyone see that coming? Doubtful.

What it doesn't mean is the end of anyone's playoff hopes. Bluffton still has the talent to compete with anyone in the region, North Charleston still might be the region's second-best team, and the gap between No. 2 and No. 6 might be narrower than the gap between No. 1 and No. 2. If I had to offer a prediction, I would guess the region shakes out much like it did last year, with several teams jockeying for playoff position on the final night of the regular season.

It ought to be a fun ride, and we'll be here to guide you through it, as the coaches say, one week at a time.

Till Friday,

JJ
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Justin Jarrett
Assistant Sports Editor/Online
The Island Packet/Beaufort Gazette
843-706-8120
jjarrett@islandpacket.com