Class 4A Lower State First Round Preview

Coulda, woulda, shoulda affected the seeds up and down the Class 4A Lower State bracket. Still, the questions for the next four weeks remained. Will a handful of banged-up standouts be available? Is this the Lowcountry’s year? How much will Region VI-4A shape the Lower State rounds? The following eight games comprise the bottom half of the Class 4A bracket's opening round, and we’ve got reason to be jazzed about each of them.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span> <strong>At Large Midland Valley (1-9) at No. 1 Myrtle Beach (7-1)</strong> The ultra-inclusive playoff in Class 4A Lower State are the only reason Midland Valley still has a game, and a long trip to Myrtle Beach isn’t exactly much of a reward. The Seahawks have been rolling behind [player_tooltip player_id="59464" first="Adam" last="Randall"], [player_tooltip player_id="59494" first="Ryan" last="Burger"], [player_tooltip player_id="153241" first="Tre" last="Phillips"] and Co. Myrtle Beach is a team with realistic state-title aspirations. Midland Valley’s re-build dreams are imminent. But it likely won’t be in this game against one of the classification’s best. <strong>No. 4 Hilton Head Island (4-6) at No. 3 Aiken (3-7)</strong> Hilton Head appears to be without all-everything linebacker and quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="59462" first="Jaylen" last="Sneed"] for the time being, but <strong>Chase McCracken</strong>’s worth to this team is rising quickly. In a loss to May River last week, the next man up tallied 200 yards and a pair of touchdowns on the ground. This isn’t a pass-happy bunch, but McCracken’s output could equate to a much-needed road playoff win. <strong>No. 5 Bluffton (2-7) at No. 2 North Augusta (5-5)</strong> North Augusta’s formula for winning games this season has been pretty cut and dry. When the Yellow Jackets score three touchdowns? Success. If not? Well, the other thing. Only once this year when Jim Bob Bryant’s team dropped that total did it lose. That means it will need junior running back <strong>DJ Curry</strong> - a player who didn’t lose a single fumble in his first 150+ carries - to tote the rock with efficiency. <strong>No. 4 South Florence (7-3) at No. 2 Beaufort (8-2)</strong> In arguably the best on-paper match-up of the Class 4A Lower State first-round docket, go ahead and take your best guess. Just three weeks ago, South’s crew of [player_tooltip player_id="208353" first="Quincy" last="Rhodes"], <strong>Malik Terry</strong>, <strong>Evin Singletary</strong>, [player_tooltip player_id="200718" first="Eric" last="Cooper"] and <strong>Trokel Prew</strong> looked like they might win the Region VI-4A crown. Likewise, only a three-point loss to May River prevented [player_tooltip player_id="200665" first="Alvin" last="Wilson"], [player_tooltip player_id="89341" first="Eamon" last="Smalls"] and Beaufort from doing the same in Region VII-4A. <strong>At Large Wilson (1-7) at No. 1 South Aiken (7-1)</strong> Any available metric tells us that South Aiken is going to advance past the first round. Wilson’s only victory (and non-double-digit loss, mind you) came against winless Darlington. The Tigers have some reasons to believe next year will be better, but the Thoroughbreds have even more reason their time is coming. A freshman sensation at tailback in <strong>Jevon Edwards</strong> and a sophomore quarterback in <strong>Terrence Smith</strong> have ignited a flame of hope right now. <strong>No. 3 James Island (5-4) at No. 3 West Florence (7-2)</strong> This is gonna be the [player_tooltip player_id="91198" first="Terry" last="McKithen"] show, and here’s why: The West Florence tailback had 19 carries or more in all but one game (an obvious blowout from the get-go) this season. He’s not necessarily the most explosive back, but he’s ultra-reliable, having rushed for 1,166 yards and 21 touchdowns through nine game. He moves the chains, and he allows quarterback <strong>Orlando Hudson</strong> to freelance when necessary. <strong>No. 5 North Myrtle Beach (4-4) at No. 1 May River (8-2)</strong> Sharks quarterback <strong>Garvin Douglas</strong> is going to focal point No. 1 for any May River opponent for as long as his team is in the playoffs. He's rushed for better than 160 yards per game and got into the end zone time after time throughout the regular season. North Myrtle Beach’s biggest task, then, will be for defensive ends <strong>Syncere Gore</strong> and <strong>Seth Clewis</strong> to maximize their containments and linebacker [player_tooltip player_id="89322" first="TJ" last="Cox"] (pictured) stuffing the middle. If not, Douglas will make the Chiefs pay.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span> <strong>No. 4 Airport (2-8) at No. 2 Hartsville (4-5)</strong> The Red Foxes aren’t your typical first-round opponent with a losing record. Although Jeff Calabrese’s squad was 4-5 in the regular season, it finished second in Region VI-4A and had one of the toughest non-region schedules around. Hartsville has been piecing together an offensive line for [player_tooltip player_id="202738" first="J’Shawn" last="Anderson"] and [player_tooltip player_id="208339" first="Carmello" last="McDaniel"] to run behind. Airport hasn’t seen a combo like this all year, and Hartsville is counting on it.