Class 4A 2nd Round Preview: Catawba Ridge at Irmo

Ian Guerin November 19, 2020 @ 12:00 PM

Irmo wasn’t supposed to be here. The Yellow Jackets hadn’t defeated anyone with a winning record, and the two teams that could say as much beat up on Irmo pretty good. So when the Yellow Jackets walked out of No. 1 Westside with a 43-35 first-round win, a there was some head-scratching going on around the state. Multiply that by 10, and you have the reaction to Catawba Ridge’s appearance in the second round of the playoffs. The second-year program was beat like a drum in 2019, playing an off-balance schedule that basically forced the Copperheads to play whomever could sneak in a single game. They went 2-8. Especially after an abbreviated playoff format was announced Catawba Ridge couldn’t have been on anyone’s shortlist for still playing one game shy of the Upper State finals. And, yet, here we are. Two surprise teams with some pretty good players. KAYDEN HAGER, QUARTERBACK, CATAWBA RIDGE Hager is sort of the ultimate role player for the Copperheads, and he’s proved it on more than one occasion. After starting out the year primarily playing linebacker (where he likely would have led the team in tackles), an injury forced him to shift over to offense. Since, the left has led the team in total yards and went for three touchdowns a week ago in the upset win over Greer. BRODY TESIMALE, LINEBACKER, CATAWBA RIDGE Seventy-plus total tackles. Fifteen tackles for loss. A handful of sacks. And an interception, just for good measure. The 6-foo-1 sophomore has a big future in this game, but the Copperheads are ever thankful he’s a part of the current team. He can flip momentum in a hurry, and his teammates may just require that type of play late against Irmo. JAYLON CHAMBERS, RUNNING BACK, IRMO Chambers has been playing varsity ball for three years now, and his senior season has been everything that his experience was building toward. He’s popped off five 100-yard games, including a 214-yard, three-touchdown, take-notice performance to open the Aaron Brand era back in September. [player_tooltip player_id="59345" first="Kaseem" last="Vauls"], DEFENSIVE LINE, IRMO If recruiters struggle to figure out where Vauls fits on the defensive line - tackle or end - they’re not alone. Opposing offenses have fought the scouting bug on the shifting 6-foot-1 linemen because of how much he can do from both the interior and exterior of the front four- and five-man schemes Irmo runs. He’s dangerous from all spots, and from all angles.