The Dudes: Class 5A’s Best Two-Way Players

Ian Guerin April 15, 2021 @ 09:00 AM

Versatile players are a staple of high school football, and South Carolina has plenty of them. Using a five-part series, we looked at four from each classification who we’ve found can be counted on whether their team is looking to move the football or stop an opponent from doing just that. We start with Class 5A, where two-way players aren’t as prevalent, but in the process, stand out that much more. [player_tooltip player_id="59476" first="Randy" last="Caldwell"], DB/RB, Mauldin You probably haven’t even seen a fraction of what Caldwell can do with the ball in his hands, even if you’ve seen a few of his interception returns or his carries out of the backfield. Next season, the state’s third-ranked defense back is going to take on a bigger role on the other side of the ball - and that’s after he was third on the team in rushing behind a pair of now-departed seniors. <strong>Zaye’Quan Smith</strong>, RB/CB, West Ashley Smith is certainly the “other” running back at West Ashley, given that [player_tooltip player_id="89312" first="Jahleel" last="Porter"] is simply dynamic at the position. But consider that Smith - who still ran for 393 yards and four touchdowns and had another 250 or so receiving yards - also plays every down at corner, and it’s obvious that head coach Donnie Kiefer is keeping one of his best Swiss Army knives on the field as much as possible. [player_tooltip player_id="89329" first="Luke" last="Janack"], RB/LB Carolina Forest (Pictured above) Janack is an early favorite for Region VI-5A player of the year honors. The only debate is which side of the ball that will happen on. Last season, Janack pummeled would-be tacklers en route to 1,164 yards and 17 touchdowns. He also had 26 tackles and three picks from his spot at linebacker. He’ll start at both again this year. Oh, it appears he’ll keep handling punting duties as well. Just for good measure. <strong>Kamadi Maxwell</strong>, WR/CB, Lexington When you run a sub-4.5 40 and can be counted on to make sure-fire tackles over and over again, you’re going to get defensive reps. And when you run a sub-4.5 40 and can catch the ball in traffic, you’re going to get an opportunity to split a few defenders along the way. Maxwell (5-foot-10, 163 pounds) has two more seasons to do more of all of that for Lexington.