Week 8 Preview: Upstate Sees Pivotal Region Games

In the Upstate, there are several pivotal games that will go a long way toward determining region titles scheduled for Friday night. Here’s a look at four of the most important. <strong>Dorman (3-3, 1-0) at Byrnes (3-4, 1-1)</strong> The Cavaliers are coming off a tough loss to Gaffney, but have discovered an offensive identity in recent weeks. With <strong>Demarius Foster</strong> as the featured back behind a mammoth offensive line that includes [player_tooltip player_id="91355" first="Markee" last="Anderson"] and [player_tooltip player_id="202774" first="DJ" last="Geth"], the Cavaliers are chewing up chunks of yardage on the ground in recent contests. Byrnes will counter with an explosive aerial attack. <strong>Gabe Rogers</strong> threw for more than 600 yards last week alone, and he’s got a ton of weapons outside, including Kyai Cook, who caught 7 balls for 324 yards and 4 touchdowns against Riverside. [player_tooltip player_id="194225" first="Thomas" last="Gregory"] and <strong>Collin Imhoff</strong> help to round out the Rebels’ receiving corps. Defensively, Dorman’s [player_tooltip player_id="89299" first="Hudson" last="Lee"] and <strong>Bo Roseborough</strong> have been dominant up front, while Byrnes’ secondary has shown tremendous improvement as the lineup has shuffled due to injury. This one ought to be fun, as a Dorman win would inch the Cavaliers closer to a region-deciding showdown with Spartanburg, while a Byrnes win would leave a three-way tie for the top spot in play. &nbsp; <strong>Greenville (6-1, 1-0) at Greenwood (5-1, 1-0)</strong> This is as big as a matchup gets in Region II-4A. Both the Red Raiders and the Eagles will still have Laurens to play down the stretch, but this one will undoubtedly help decide who gets a home playoff game. Greenville’s only blemish is a loss to a good Northwestern team, while Greenwood’s loss is to unanimous 5A No. 1 Dutch Fork. [player_tooltip player_id="102962" first="Prometheus" last="Franklin II"] has led the Raiders, behind a talented offensive line led by [player_tooltip player_id="59461" first="Collin" last="Sadler"] and [player_tooltip player_id="61069" first="Justin" last="Jackson"]. Greenwood, meanwhile, has gotten the job done mainly on the ground in their option attack. The Eagles rushed for nearly 400 yards last week, and are led by <strong>Ve Morton, Daylan Rappley, Lowndes Still,</strong> and <strong>Ty Patterson</strong>. &nbsp; <strong><span style="font-size: 1rem;">Chapman (4-2, 2-0) at Clinton (7-0, 2-0)</span></strong> A contrast in styles will likely decide the Region III-3A championship. Chapman makes no secret that they want to throw it all over the field. QB [player_tooltip player_id="153248" first="Drew" last="Settle"] has more than 2,000 passing yards in 6 games this season, averaging more than 370 per game. [player_tooltip player_id="153245" first="DJ" last="Black"] is collecting school receiving records like Halloween candy, and has 9 TDs in the past two games alone. The Panthers also have a deep, talented line and a pair of running backs who provide a spark. Clinton, meanwhile, wants to run it and then run it some more. Their deceptive rushing attack spreads the wealth, with <strong>Jishun Copeland</strong> and [player_tooltip player_id="91249" first="Jykorie" last="Gary"] doing a lot of the damage. When the Red Devils throw it, <strong>Davis Wilson</strong> is ridiculously efficient. In last week’s win over Broome, he was 7-for-9 for 104 yards and a touchdown. &nbsp; <strong>Daniel (7-0, 2-0) at Wren (3-4, 1-0)</strong> A little bit of the luster is gone from this Upper State championship rematch with Wren struggling a bit out of the gate this year. However, the Hurricanes have been playing much better in recent weeks, and the Lions seem to have reloaded after last season’s state title run. [player_tooltip player_id="153264" first="Trent" last="Pearman"] is leading the way, as he’s thrown for 1,759 yards and tossed 24 touchdowns. Junior standout [player_tooltip player_id="91140" first="Eli" last="Merck"] has caught 10 of those scores, while <strong>Chris Edge</strong> leads the way on the ground. Wren’s offense has been powered by QBs [player_tooltip player_id="202753" first="Trey" last="Horne"] and <strong>Gavin Owens</strong>, with [player_tooltip player_id="91218" first="Malachi" last="Hill"] providing punch in the running game with nearly 100 yards per contest.