Clarendon County will have all three of its varsity football programs in the postseason this week, a rare moment for the local sports scene as Manning, East Clarendon and Scott’s Branch each begin their respective playoff runs on Friday night.
Manning enters the SCHSL 2A bracket at 7-3 after clinching the Region VII title with a late-season surge that included five straight wins and a dominant performance over Lake City to secure the championship. The Monarchs will open at home against Academic Magnet, a 5-5 program out of North Charleston. With the region crown, Manning is guaranteed home-field advantage through at least the first two rounds if they continue advancing.
East Clarendon closed the regular season at 6-4 after a 42-14 win over Marion, pulling away in the second half behind a steady run game and a defensive unit that forced multiple turnovers. The Wolverines finished third in the region and will travel to Lake Marion to open the 2A playoffs. EC has relied heavily on a defense that has been consistent all season, particularly in forcing fumbles and flipping field position, a key factor they hope will carry over on the road.
In Class 1A, Scott’s Branch enters the postseason at 8-2 after shutting out Military Magnet 44-0 to close the regular season. The Eagles used a balanced offensive attack and a defense that scored and swarmed all night, continuing a season trend of controlling momentum early. As Region VI runners-up, Scott’s Branch will host Hannah-Pamplico, a 2-6 team that will arrive in Summerton looking for an upset.
With two home playoff games – at Manning and Scott’s Branch – and one road trip for East Clarendon, fans will be spread across three stadiums on Friday. Whether this is the first time all three county teams have reached the playoffs in the same year is still being researched, but longtime observers say it is at least unprecedented in modern memory.
One county. Three teams. Three playoff brackets. All still playing under the lights in November.
