Class 2A Upper State Second Round Preview
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In the 2A bracket, the top half inches ever-closer to the matchup that everyone's waiting for, while rivals who basically share a campus face a rematch of an early-season thriller and a legendary coach tries to mount one final playoff run. Here's a look at the matchups:
<strong>No. 2 Saluda (7-2) at No. 1 Abbeville (11-0)</strong>
If they want to get to one of the state’s most anticipated matchups, the Panthers will first have to deal with the last team to beat them. That win for Saluda came back in the Upper State title game in 2019.
This time around, the Tigers are paced by standout RB <strong>Montrevious Baker</strong> and QB <strong>Jonah</strong> <strong>McCrary</strong>, who’s equally effective with his legs. <strong>Tyleke Mathis</strong> is Saluda’s main target in the passing game.
Abbeville’s vaunted A-Bone attack was in full effect in the first round, with nine backs combining to rush for 259 yards. <strong>Antonio Harrison,</strong> <strong>J’Marrion Burton</strong>, <strong>Jamal Marshall</strong> and <strong>Karson Norman</strong> all rushed for TDs for the Panthers.
<strong>No. 3 Crescent (5-5) at No. 1 Gray Collegiate (10-1)</strong>
Crescent exploded for a 68-35 victory in the first round. The Tigers are spreading it around this year, with 15 different receivers recording at least one catch. <strong>Cody Drummond</strong> leads those with 557 yards and 4 TDs, while <strong>Darius Latimer</strong> is the leading rusher with 566 yards.
For the War Eagles, it all starts with [player_tooltip player_id="89314" first="Kazarius" last="Adams"]. The North All-Star back has run for more than 2,200 yards in just 10 games, averaging 220 yards a game, 9.6 yards per carry, and scoring 28 touchdowns on the ground this season. When Gray Collegiate takes to the air, three players have more than 330 receiving yards, with <strong>Devin Johnson</strong> at the top of that list.
<strong>No. 2 Christ Church (8-2) at No. 1 St. Joseph’s (8-2)</strong>
This is the shortest road trip in the playoffs, in the state, and maybe ever, if you don’t count teams that share a stadium. These two campuses are separated by 1.9 miles. You can just about literally see one from the other. They’re just that kind of rivals, too. Earlier this year, Christ Church won 28-22 in overtime, by far their closest win in an 8-2 campaign.
Standout RB [player_tooltip player_id="104595" first="Grayson" last="Klue"] missed the Cavaliers’ first-round win with an injury, but <strong>Dashun Reeder</strong> stepped up and turned in a 202-yard rushing night, while <strong>Woods Windham</strong> passed for 199 in helping to pace Christ Church to the win.
St. Joseph’s made short work of Ninety Six, scoring 42 first half points behind a rugged rushing attack.<strong> Chris Johnston</strong> spearheaded the attack with 119 yards on just eight carries, but <strong>Walker Wood</strong>, <strong>Harrison Zinkann</strong> and [player_tooltip player_id="91213" first="Harrison" last="Scott"] (pictured) all ran for more than 60. Woods also threw for 90 yards and a pair of scores.
<strong>No. 3 Newberry (5-5) at No. 2 Chesterfield (7-2)</strong>
The Bulldogs thumped Landrum 43-7 to begin their playoff run, the last for legendary head coach Phil Strickland. [player_tooltip player_id="59467" first="Zack" last="Chalmers"] makes it go offensively for Newberry, while the massive [player_tooltip player_id="200717" first="Tyquaz" last="Higgins"] provides plenty of power up front.
Chesterfield has put up a ton of points, averaging 44 a game, and they blasted Columbia 40-6 in the first round. The Rams have gotten a huge year from dual-threat freshman QB <strong>Kaegan Chambers</strong>, with <strong>Jayden Little</strong> and [player_tooltip player_id="91187" first="Kevin" last="Diggs"] combining for almost 1,800 rushing yards and 28 touchdowns.
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