Fort Mill's football season hit a wall Oct. 23 when Northwestern beat the Yellow Jackets 49-20, and the state poll reflects it.
The SC Prep Football Media Poll released Tuesday, Oct. 27, slots Fort Mill at No. 10 in Class 5A with a 7-2 record, according to YocoNews. The Yellow Jackets had been ranked No. 7 after a win over Rock Hill, as we reported Oct. 21.
Northwestern, the Rock Hill school that handed Fort Mill its second loss, now shares the No. 1 spot in 5A with Dutch Fork. Northwestern (8-1) drew nine first-place votes from the media panel. Dutch Fork (8-0) collected the other eight.
The full Class 5A top 10, per YocoNews: Northwestern and Dutch Fork tied at No. 1, followed by James Island (9-0), Dorman (8-1), Berkeley (8-1), Byrnes (7-2), Boiling Springs (7-2), Ridge View (6-2), River Bluff (7-2) and Fort Mill.
Fort Mill sits third in SCHSL Class 5A Region 2 with a 2-2 region record, according to MaxPreps. The Yellow Jackets have outscored opponents 297-149 on the season but lost both region matchups against ranked teams. Dorman beat Fort Mill 28-24 on Oct. 2 before Northwestern's 49-20 win.
Area teams in Class 4A
Two other area programs hold top-10 spots in the Class 4A poll. South Pointe in Rock Hill is No. 6 at 6-2. Indian Land checks in at No. 8 at 7-2. Lancaster received votes but did not crack the top 10.
What's next
Fort Mill travels to No. 7 Boiling Springs on Friday, Oct. 30, at 7:30 p.m. for a Region 2-5A game. Both teams enter at 7-2 overall. A win would give the Yellow Jackets a 3-2 region mark heading into the playoffs. A loss would drop them to 2-3 in region play and could complicate their postseason seeding.
No additional regular-season games appear on Fort Mill's MaxPreps schedule beyond the Boiling Springs matchup.
