Class 5A Lower State Final Preview

The two beasts are ready to have their day in the arena. At 8-0, both Sumter and Dutch Fork have already proved their defenses are able to control games. Outside of one game each (not-so-coincidentally against the same opponent, Carolina Forest), the Gamecocks and Silver Foxes have crushed opposing teams with a mixture of power and schematic advantages. They’re ranked 1-2 in Class 5A in total points allowed and points-per-game, after all. But at some point, scoring is going to determine whether Sumter can knock off the best team in the state or if Dutch Fork just keeps on rolling. <strong>THE SUMTER STEAM ENGINE</strong> Make no mistake about what Mark Barnes has done in the last few years at Sumter. He’s built the Gamecocks into the type of imposing bunch getting off the bus that can knock opposing teams down a peg or two before the opening kickoff even happens. This offense is all about balanced control, and Barnes knows it. Quarterback <strong>Hayden Vazquez</strong> isn’t a gun-slinger. He completes 60 percent of his passes, has thrown for 1,182 yards and four touchdowns but also throws a pick or two here and there. That’s where <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="61007" first="Nathan" last="Harris-Waynick"]</strong> comes in. The senior tailback is a rush or two away from going over 1,000 yards this fall, his 18 touchdowns more than carrying the bulk of the Gamecocks’ scoring. He’s going to get 21-25 touches on Friday night, the end goal being to keep Dutch Fork off the field. <strong>THE DUTCH FORK MACHINE</strong> Just look at what quarterback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="50218" first="Will" last="Taylor"]</strong> did in the Lower State semifinal game and recognize why he may be playing two sports at Clemson in the near future. The 6-foot, 175-pound senior rushed for 224 yards and five touchdowns and threw for another 131 yards and a score. On the season, his dual-threat capabilities have led to more than 2,100 total yards and 27 touchdowns. Now, factor in another 521 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns from sophomore tailback <strong>Jarvis Green</strong> and two receivers - <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="59334" first="Elijah" last="Spencer"]</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="61070" first="Antonio" last="Williams"]</strong> combining for nearly 1,500 yard and 18 scores, and you’ve got a Silver Foxes offense that decimates opponents more often than not. <strong>PREP RED ZONE’S PICK</strong> We’d love to be the bunch to accurately pick that Dutch Fork is going to fall short of the state finals while everyone else is preparing for another Silver Foxes’ championship appearance. But the conventional wisdom isn’t simply the trendy pick. It’s going to be obvious until something major happens at Dutch Fork. This team will have an opportunity to defend its titles again next week.