Irmo backup running back scores 6 touchdowns

Irmo (Columbia) backup running back Marcus Smith must have learned from Dawan Scott.

Last season, Scott was the backup for current N.C. State freshman Mustafa Greene and when Greene went down with a sprained ankle it was Scott who stepped in. Now it's Smith's turn to step in for Scott.

In his second week of action as Irmo’s starter, Smith rushed for 412 yards and six touchdowns in a 42-7 win over Spring Valley. Scott may be a little taller and quicker than Smith, who may be a little more powerful, but the results have been similar: Scott had more than 1,400 yards before the injury.

"We're just trying to do what we can for the team," Smith told WLTX-TV. "I have to give credit to the line. Without them, we wouldn't have gotten all those yards."

Smith didn't simply come along from nowhere and have this big game. He has played in all of Irmo's games and averages 10 yards per touch.

"I think Marcus has worked hard to be in the position to step in there and do a good job," Irmo coach Bob Hanna told the TV station.

Here are some more tidbits concerning South Carolina football:

2. Orangeburg-Wilkinson quarterback Cyril Davis continued his offensive onslaught last week as he threw for 523 yards and six scores in a 38-35 come-from-behind win over Aiken. Three different receivers compiled more than 100 receiving yards and each had two touchdown catches.

This isn't unusual for Davis, who averages 372 passing yards per game. He has thrown for 2,981 yards this season on 161 of 261 passing with 31 touchdowns and just three interceptions. Davis' play has helped Orangeburg-Wilkinson average 44.5 points per game, the highest average in Class 4A.

3. One of the nation's top defensive recruits switched sides of the ball last week, as South Pointe (Rock Hill) defensive star Jadeveon Clowney played a little offense. He carried the ball seven times for 80 yards and a score in the Stallions' 17-7 win over previously unbeaten Fairfield Central. South Pointe coach Bobby Carroll told Palmetto Recruiting that Clowney had been looking at seven potential colleges but has dropped his list to five.

"Ohio State, LSU, South Carolina, Alabama and Florida State are the ones he's looking at right now," Carroll told the site.

4. Seneca coach Wayne Green is facing his old team this week as the Bobcats travel to 8-0 Belton-Honea Path (Honea Path). Green was the Bears' coach for 10 seasons, compiling a 88-31 record there, winning five region championships and winning a state championship in 2004.

Now he takes his 6-2 Bobcats there for a tough Region I-3A game. Both squads are 3-0 in the region and no other team has a winning conference record. The last two years, the Bobcats won a total of six games.

5. Seneca's clash with Belton-Honea Path isn't the only game in the state with two 3-0 teams battling in region play. In Region I-1A, Abbeville and Ninety Six play with first place on the line, as do Great Falls and Chesterfield in Region III-1A. For Region II-2A, Woodruff and Mid-Carolina (Prosperity) battle, and in Region IV-3A it's Chester against South Pointe. Hartsville and Marlboro County (Bennettsville) will tussle in Region VI-3A and it'll be Bluffton and Berkeley (Moncks Corner) in Region VII-3A.

STARS FROM LAST WEEK
Byrnes (Duncan) running back Shakeem Wharton ran just six times in the 54-0 win over J.L. Mann but finished with 117 yards. He scored on runs of 45 and 39 yards and on a 43-yard screen pass ... Woodland (Dorchester) quarterback Robert Smith threw for five scores in a 68-0 win over Academic Magnet. He was 9 of 14 passing for 271 yards. His touchdown passes were for 79, 20, 28, 25 and 10 yards ... Landrum quarterback Brandon Cannon accounted for four touchdowns in the 41-7 win over Southside Christian. He threw for 171 yards and two scores, ran for another and then returned an interception 65 yards for a score.

ON DECK THIS WEEK
Chester (6-2) at South Pointe (7-1): One week after slipping past previously undefeated Fairfield Central, the South Pointe Stallions have another tough game. Chester has Clemson commitment Tony McNeal at quarterback and he's had a solid senior season. It will be a challenge for the Stallions' stellar defensive front to control him.

Berkeley (6-2) at Bluffton (8-0): Bluffton has won just one conference championship in school history - a title in 1971 - and to win Region VII-3A the Bulldogs must knock off Berkeley. That will be hard, though, as the defending 4A Div. II state champions have rattled off five straight wins after losing two of their first three games.

Clover (7-1) at Northwestern (Rock Hill) (8-0): Clover lost earlier this season to Gaffney (which plays Northwestern next week) but can still make a run for the conference title. Northwestern has steamrolled opponents, outscoring them on average by a score of 39.5-15. The Trojans have won the last three meetings in this series.

Jason Gilmer is an award-winning writer who has covered football in South Carolina for more than a decade. He does a statewide high school football blog on GoUpstate.com. You can reach him at palmettofootballtalkblog@gmail.com.