Class 3A Upper State Final Preivew

Ian Guerin November 24, 2020 @ 11:44 PM

Another state semifinal. Another rematch. Wren-Daniel II will give the Hurricanes an opportunity to exact some revenge after Daniel won the first meeting of the year 30-10 back on October 9. But it will also be a viable chance for the Lions to prove to everyone that they have what it takes to end back-to-back flashy regular seasons that fell short of the state championship game. The reminder is starting Daniel in the face, as this week’s opponent (which also dropped down from Class 4A prior to this season) won a state title a shade under 12 months ago. But what we’re tuned in on is a few key match-ups and how they shake out later this week. LINEBACKER PRESSURE VS. THE RIDICULOUS ONE In any other year, the likes of Luke Schuller, Shyheim Scotland and [player_tooltip player_id="59379" first="Reed" last="Morrissey"] would be getting much more due. The talented group of Wren linebackers has quieted some pretty decent offenses this year, including against Woodruff last week (maybe the best performance all season), Belton-Honea Path and - to an extent - even the first game against Daniel, when the Lions were held to 30 points. The fact that we’re even mentioning that last bullet point, though, is because of how insane Daniel has been throughout the year behind quarterback Trent Pearman. The junior has competed an OMG 77.8 percent of his passes for 1,983 yards and 27 touchdowns while tossing only two interceptions all season. If the middle of the Wren defense doesn’t find a way to get some pressure on him or help out on coverage, there’s a strong possibility this one gets ugly. TIME TO STEP UP Wren’s offense shifted from the Joe Owens throw-all-everyone scheme to his post-graduation run approach, and for the most part, it has still worked more often than not. Last week, Zorian Young and Noah Staples led a rushing attack that topped the century mark twice over against Woodruff. Now, it’s time for the Hurricanes to double down. Those two combined for 117 yards against Daniel the first time around, and it clearly wasn’t enough. Wren will need to maintain possession, move the chains, put up some points and keep Pearman off the field as much as humanly possible. After all, Daniel is the highest-scoring team in Class 3A. The Lions don’t care if you put up a few points. They just don’t want your offense on the field. PREP RED ZONE’S PICK For the first time since 2013, when Daniel lost on a field goal at the end of regulation to Myrtle Beach, we expect the Lions to head back to Columbia with a double-up on Wren in their back pocket.