Class 2A Upper State First Round Playoff Preview

There are plenty of storylines in the 2A Upper State bracket this season. At the forefront is a looming showdown between Abbeville and Gray Collegiate, but that's a couple of rounds (and wins) in the future. There's also the last playoff run for coaching legend Phil Strickland at Newberry, and a possible matchup of Greenville County private schools Christ Church and St. Joseph's in the second round. Here's a game-by-game look at the first round of the bracket. <strong>No. 4 Blacksburg (1-7) at No. 1 Abbeville (10-0)</strong> Blacksburg has had a tough season, but there are bright spots. One of them is<strong> Dre Buckson,</strong> who’s rushed for 777 yards and a 6.6 yards per carry average. The defending state champion Panthers have been the top-ranked team in 2A all season, and are led by a quartet of talented backs including QB <strong>Zay Rayford</strong>. Perhaps the Panthers’ most intriguing player, though, is [player_tooltip player_id="91180" first="Jeremiah" last="Lomax"] (pictured), who returned interceptions for touchdowns in five consecutive games at one point this season, and is one off the national record for pick-6s in a season. &nbsp; <strong>No. 3 Andrew Jackson (6-3) at No. 2 Saluda (6-2)</strong> Andrew Jackson has gone with the ground game for success this season, and sophomore RB <strong>Trey Thompson</strong> is the workhorse. Thompson has rushed for more than 1,000 yards and 12 TDs for the Volunteers. Saluda has shown some offensive balance, with <strong>Jabari Baker</strong> throwing for more than 1,300 yards and <strong>Montrevious Baker</strong> rushing for 560 yards and a dozen scores. &nbsp; <strong>No. 5 North Central (3-6) at No. 1 Gray Collegiate (9-1)</strong> North Central has put up a couple of big numbers this season, led by <strong>Delvontai Drakeford</strong> and <strong>Layton Smith</strong>. The War Eagles feature one of the most dynamic backs in the state in [player_tooltip player_id="89314" first="Kazarius" last="Adams"]. Adams has rushed for nearly 2,000 yards and 23 touchdowns, averaging 9 yards per carry and 216 yards a game. &nbsp; <strong>No. 3 Crescent (4-5) at No. 2 Chesnee (3-7)</strong> Crescent put together a solid season in a rugged region. The Tigers are led by [player_tooltip player_id="91174" first="Kaydon" last="Sauers"], who has more than 1,500 yards of total offense, and by <strong>Darius Latimer</strong>, with 566 yards on the ground.. The Eagles are banged-up heading into the contest, but expect big things from <b>Jayden Gossett. </b>The senior B-Back and DE will be crucial to Chesnee's success. &nbsp; <strong>No. 4 Ninety Six (5-4) at No. 1 St. Joseph’s (7-2)</strong> <strong>Payne Davis</strong> has been the standout for Ninety Six. The Wildcats’ QB has thrown for 1,324 yards and a dozen touchdowns. Ninety Six has a balanced rushing attack, with <strong>Zayvion King</strong> leading the way. However, five other Wildcat backs have rushed for at least 100 yards this season. The Knights won a region title for the first time in school history, and they did it mostly on the ground. <strong>K.D. Boyd</strong> and [player_tooltip player_id="91213" first="Harrison" last="Scott"] help to lead the way for the St. Joseph’s, including a key fourth-down conversion and the game-winning touchdown in the win over Landrum that clinched the region crown. &nbsp; <strong>No. 4 Batesburg-Leesville (3-3) at No. 2 Christ Church (7-2)</strong> Batesburg-Leesville has played in fits and starts this season, with COVID-19 cancellations wiping out a lot of the schedule. <strong>Amah-Dre Leaphart</strong> has led the way for the Panthers on the ground, with <strong>Hunter Carlyle</strong> leading the defense. For the Cavaliers, success has a lot to do with [player_tooltip player_id="104595" first="Grayson" last="Klue"]. Klue has rushed for more than 1,000 yards this season, averaging more than 10 yards per carry with six 100-yard rushing games. &nbsp; <strong>No. 5 Columbia (3-6) at No. 2 Chesterfield (6-2)</strong> <strong>Randall McDaniel</strong> has put up an impressive season for the Capitals, with 1,107 yards of total offense, including 944 on the ground. Chesterfield has put up a ton of yards and points, with<strong> Kaegan Chambers</strong> leading the way. He’s thrown for more than 900 yards and rushed for more than 500, with 16 combined touchdowns. He’s joined in the backfield by [player_tooltip player_id="91187" first="Kevin" last="Diggs"] and <strong>Jayden Little</strong>, who have run for almost 800 yards each. &nbsp; <strong>No. 3 Landrum (4-5) at No. 3 Newberry (4-5)</strong> <strong>Jesse Bowers</strong> has been a standout for the Cardinals as they moved to an option-based offensive attack. Landrum’s junior QB has rushed for 877 yards and 15 touchdowns to spearhead the attack, with <strong>Colton Link</strong> adding 457 yards on the ground. The Bulldogs are led by legit gamebreaker [player_tooltip player_id="59467" first="Zack" last="Chalmers"]. The No. 6 recruit in Prep Redzone’s 2022 class, Chalmers has a handful of Division I offers. &nbsp;