Grid Iron Recap: Red Devils and Crusaders stay unbeaten, Raiders and Saints drop road-week matchups
September 7, 2026
Laurens County’s four high school football teams split the week of Sept. 4, with Clinton and Laurens Academy adding to unbeaten starts while Laurens District 55 and Thornwell Charter School fell.
Clinton High School
The Red Devils made the short trip to Newberry and came home with a 39-28 win, moving to 2-0 on the season. Clinton opened the year Aug. 28 with a 29-22 victory over county rival Laurens.
Head coach C. Fountain’s team returns to the road Friday, Sept. 11, at Chapman. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m.
Laurens District 55 High School
The Raiders were shut out at home by Southside Christian, 24-0, and dropped to 1-2. Southside Christian scored twice in the second quarter and added a touchdown and a field goal after halftime.
Quarterback Logan Bragg completed 11 of 21 passes for 85 yards for Laurens. The Raiders were held to seven first downs and were on the field for less than 17 minutes of possession time.
Laurens is off this Friday. The team returns Sept. 18 to host Blythewood at 7:30 p.m.
Laurens Academy
The Crusaders stayed perfect with a 44-6 home win over Cathedral Academy, improving to 3-0. Laurens Academy piled up more than 600 yards of total offense in the win, splitting the production almost evenly between the run and the pass.
Senior running back Caleb Hardy leads the Crusaders with 301 rushing yards and eight total touchdowns through three games. Senior Elijah Hornberger is averaging 95 receiving yards per game.
Laurens Academy travels to King Academy on Friday, Sept. 11, with kickoff at 7:30 p.m.
Thornwell Charter School
The Saints fell 35-12 at Ware Shoals in a region matchup and are 0-3 to start the season. Thornwell has faced a demanding early schedule, including a three-point loss to Spartanburg Day School on Aug. 28.
Junior running back Trumari Kinard-Shelton has been the bright spot for the Saints, averaging 111 rushing yards per game and leading the team with 222 yards on the ground.
Thornwell heads to Blacksburg on Friday, Sept. 11, for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff.
County records to date
Laurens Academy 3-0
Clinton 2-0
Laurens District 55 1-2
Thornwell 0-3
