High-school football is figuratively a matter of walking down a street. At one end are activities such as weightlifting, spring practice, scrimmages and jamborees. At the other end is the state championship. They all start. Only one finishes.

Come to think of it, in one form or another, most sports are that way. Most lives are that way.

Clinton (5-2, 1-0 Region 4-3A), Laurens (1-7, 1-1 Region 2-4A) and Laurens Academy (3-5, 1-1 SCISA 1-A) are likely to play more than the requisite 10 games. Making the playoffs isn’t the test it once was. The road to a state title is longer, though.

Thornwell Charter (1-6) is transitioning into SCHSL Class A but will not be playoff-eligible until next year.

A week off should have Clinton healthier for its trip to Woodruff (3-5, 1-1), one of the Red Devils’ fiercest rivals across the history of both schools. For decades, the season opened with the Clinton-Woodruff game. Somehow, the rivalry has diminished since the Red Devils and Wolverines were placed in the same region and classification, but hardly any who ever played at either school never faced the other.

Woodruff is coming off a region victory at Emerald that was in close range to a miracle. Playing in Greenwood, the Wolverines scored a touchdown on the final play, then added a two-point conversion pass to win, 36-35.

No one stresses the schedule a game at a time with more energy than Clinton head coach Corey Fountain, but the region title is likely to be decided on Oct. 20 at Wilder Stadium against seventh-ranked Chester (7-1, 2-0).

The Red Devils have beaten the Wolverines the past three years and six of the past eight. Clinton has won the past three games by increasing margins: 33-14 in 2020, 39-17 in ‘21 and 59-20 last year.

Brett Sloan is in his first year at the Woodruff helm.

Laurens has a new lease on life in spite of its record. When Wade Hampton (2-5, 0-1) visits K.C. Hanna Stadium, it will mark the first time all year the Raiders have entered a game as a clear favorite. Laurens’ one victory to date was a stunning upset, 18-17, last week at Riverside.

The Generals have fallen in the past two weeks by a combined score of 98-7. Laurens has won five straight against the Taylors school, most recently by a score 45-35 last season. A victory at home will cinch a playoff berth. A win at Eastside (4-3, 0-1), also located in Taylors, the following week will give the Raiders a first-round playoff game at home.

Like Clinton, Laurens has been plagued by injuries. The Raiders have been outscored by their eight opponents, 335-88 (average 41-11). The Generals have been outpointed in seven, 308-137 (44-20), but Wade Hampton has played only one team ranked at the time of its game. Laurens has played five.

King (1-6, 1-2) is visiting Todd Kirk Field on the heels of a 43-16 loss to Holly Hills Academy. The Crusaders and Knights have both conquered Newberry Academy: LA, 58-0, and King, 38-15.

Thornwell gets a visit from the Anderson Cavaliers (2-4), the Saints’ second straight matchup with a home-schooled team. The Greenville Hurricanes washed Thornwell away, 56-6, two weeks ago, and the Saints were off last week. The Cavs defeated the Hurricanes in overtime earlier this season.

Radio coverage of Clinton and Laurens is provided locally by WPCC and WLBG, respectively.

Red Devil coverage begins at 7 p.m. from W.L. Varner Stadium in Woodruff at 1410-AM, 96.5-FM and largetime.net.

Raider coverage begins a 6 from K.C. Hanna Stadium at 860-AM, 104.1-FM and wlbg.com.

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The next Fiesta Grande open mic is Wednesday, Oct. 18, at 8 p.m.