Class 3A Championship Preview

Camden’s defense hasn’t flat-lined everyone it has faced this season.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span> But the Bulldogs have done more than enough to make it this far. Playmakers from the line on back to the secondary have shut down opposing stars and flipped the field with momentum-shifting plays. More and any other opponent, Daniel is going to put that to the test in the Class 3A title game. The Lions have one of the most explosive quarterbacks in the state, the receivers to give him the slack to let it fly and enough of a running game to keep everyone honest. That broad matchup is going to determine who walks away with some hardware. <strong>ON DANIEL</strong> Daniel coach Jeff Fruster deflected some when asked about the video game numbers junior quarterback <strong>Trent Pearman</strong> has put up, especially over the last few weeks. However, the word on Pearman is all the way out of the bag.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span> He’s thrown for 2,314 yards and 29 touchdowns against just two picks this year. What’s he’s done since the start of the playoffs, though, has been off the charts. He piled up 455 yards and six scores against Chester in the opening round, 399 and five against Chapman in round two and 331 and two against Wren in the Upper State final. His favorite target, <strong>Eli Merck</strong>, meanwhile, has also continued to impress throughout the season. His two “dud” games both came in lopsided wins over rival Wren, and he still caught a touchdown in the second matchup last week in the Upper State finals. His 36 receptions for 899 yards and 14 touchdowns. The best part of these two? They have another year together, as Pearman is a junior and Merck is only a sophomore. <strong>ON CAMDEN</strong> The Bulldogs clearly have no problem getting into a shootout - as they defeated Brookland-Cayce 52-44 in the opening round. However, this defense is typically not going to allow that to happen. Last week, against high-powered Gilbert, this defense allowed only seven points and ran away with the Lower State championship to advance to Columbia. For that type of production, they have the linebacking core of seniors <strong>Jaheim Williams</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="59454" first="Marcellus" last="Juggins"]</strong> and junior <strong>Tevin Eley</strong> to thank. The middle of that defense has piled up a combined 175 tackles in an abbreviated season. The supporting cast that includes defensive tackles <strong>Xzavier Mcleod</strong> and <strong>Dontrell Stradford</strong> has been a nice boon for head coach Brian Rimpf, too. Those two space eaters have 21 tackles for loss between them. All those playmakers have joined forces, and Camden is giving up fewer than 17 points per game as a result.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span> <strong>PREP RED ZONE’S PICK</strong> Daniel is following the example set forth by rival (and last year’s Class 4A state champ) Wren. Find a quarterback who can throw it around and let the chips fall where they may. As it worked for the Hurricanes in 2019, we think it will for Daniel this time around, too.