Class 2A Upper State Final Preview
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In the 2A Upper State final, somebody’s going to make some history.
It’ll either be Gray Collegiate’s first-ever chance at a state championship, or Newberry head coach Phil Strickland will have a chance to win his sixth. It’s also the second meeting in the past month for the teams, as they met in the last game of the regular season, with Gray taking a 56-29 victory.
The Bulldogs have been on a hot streak since that loss. Newberry took care of Landrum and Chesterfield before hanging on for a two-point win over Christ Church in the third round. Newberry got off to a hot start as QB <strong>Zy Epps</strong>’ 86-yard TD on the first play of the game set the tone. <strong>KJ Robinson</strong> scored the first of his two TDs on the night after a fumble on the ensuing kickoff, and Newberry led 13-0 before Christ Church touched the ball on offense. <strong>OD Robinson</strong> added a kickoff return score later in the game for the Indians, who had two second-half defensive stands to help decide the game.
The War Eagles, meanwhile, knocked off the king of the hill in 2A, defeating Abbeville to reach the Upper State final. The Panthers defeated Gray in the playoffs in each of the past two seasons, but [player_tooltip player_id="89314" first="Kazarius" last="Adams"] made sure that didn’t happen in 2021. Adams rushed for 322 yards and three scores, adding a fumble recovery and a pivotal interception to lead the War Eagles to the victory. [player_tooltip player_id="200691" first="Tory" last="Kelly"], <strong>Zach Glenn</strong>, <strong>Blake Croft</strong>, and the rest of the Gray defense held the Panthers to 15 points, well below their season average.
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