Class 2A Third Round Playoff Preview

Jed Blackwell November 17, 2021 @ 04:05 PM

A game that everybody's been waiting for and another that will feature a pair of hard-nosed rushing attacks highlight the 2A semifinals. Here's a look at this week's matchups. <strong>Abbeville (12-0) at Gray Collegiate (11-1)</strong> This is it. No. 1 seed vs. No. 1 seed, a battle between the state’s top-ranked teams, and the game that folks have been pointing to since the brackets were released. The Panthers are the defending state champs, wire-to-wire No. 1, and loaded. Zay Rayford and Antonio Harrison both rushed for more than 100 yards in Abbeville’s second-round win over Saluda, and Jamal Marshall had 94. The Panthers’ stout defense allowed a season-high for points in the win, but [player_tooltip player_id="91180" first="Jeremiah" last="Lomax"] and company played well when it counted to advance to the much-anticipated showdown. For Gray Collegiate, it all starts with [player_tooltip player_id="89314" first="Kazarius" last="Adams"].Adams added to his already eye-popping resume on Friday, with four touchdowns, including two of more than 50 yards, and 247 rushing yards. He's closing in on 2,500 yards for the season, and also plays defense for the War Eagles, rarely leaving the field. Zach Glenn also stars on that side of the ball and on special teams, and added a blocked punt for a score last week.   <strong>No. 3 Newberry (6-5) at No. 2 Christ Church (9-2)</strong> There’s no less intrigue in the game at the bottom of the bracket. Newberry absolutely blistered Chesterfield last week, getting out to a 43-6 halftime lead and cruising to a 50-20 victory. The Bulldogs were powered by a second-quarter outburst of 29 points in just a little over two minutes, led in part by KJ Robinson, who racked up 213 yards and 3 TDs on just 16 carries. [player_tooltip player_id="59467" first="Zack" last="Chalmers"] will be expected to provide his usual big-play threat for Newberry in the third round. The Cavaliers couldn’t have seen much more of a different game. Constantine Gandis kicked a late field goal to provide the only points in Christ Church’s 3-0 victory over rival St. Joseph’s. [player_tooltip player_id="104595" first="Grayson" last="Klue"] helped lead the way for Christ Church, piling up 106 yards after halftime and helping drive the Cavaliers for the winning score.