Class 5A 2nd Round Preview: T.L. Hanna at Gaffney

Ian Guerin November 18, 2020 @ 12:27 PM

Two undefeated teams. Second round of the playoffs. What’s more to ask? When T.L. Hanna heads to Gaffney on Friday to see who gets a spot in the Class 5A Upper State title game, the contrasting offensive styles will meet head on. The Yellow Jackets run almost exclusively out modified wings sets; the Indians are a bit more traditional, distributing it pretty evenly between the run and pass. Their schemes work for them more often than not. So, which offensive players should we be tracking? Here’s a good start. J.J. HUDSON, RUNNING BACK, T.L. HANNA The trick with Hudson is getting him into open field, and that’s why the wing offense feeds into his strength. The senior is usually taking handoffs coming from a lateral spot behind the tackles, and his first move with the ball is almost always a cut between defenders. It’s led him to a team-leading 547 yards and six touchdowns so far. KAMREN JOHNSON, RUNNING BACK, T.L. HANNA If Hudson is the stabilizing force, Johnson proved he could bring the electric flair. Take last week against Ridge View in the 28-20 win. In that game, his best of the season, he had 13 carries fo 164 yards. It was roughly 44 percent of his rushing total for the year, and it gives Gaffney plenty to think about heading into this game. [player_tooltip player_id="59340" first="Undre" last="Lindsay"], QUARTERBACK, GAFFNEY Lindsay looked darn good in the first-round win over rival Byrnes, throwing for 248 yards and three touchdowns. It was par for the course for the 6-foot-3, 200-pounder. He’s capable of picking teams apart with slants, quick outs and screens because opponents are worried just enough about him beating them with their legs. [player_tooltip player_id="28442" first="Kobe" last="Paysour"], RECEIVER, GAFFNEY Since Lindsay isn’t launching it over the top very often, that means he needs his receiving corps to have good hands, block for each other and break an occasional tackle. That’s where Paysour comes in. The North Carolina commitment is part of a Tar Heel class that is going to impress in Chapel Hill for years to come.