Class 5A Lower State First Round Preview

Before Dutch Fork, there was a crop of Class 5A Lower State blue bloods that everyone knew. Summerville and Sumter, Berkeley and Conway. In 2021, it will be up one of them - or maybe one of the upstarts - to prevent the Silver Foxes’ from reaching Columbia again. Dutch Fork’s own postseason will begin with a home game against a team that eked into the playoffs. As for the other seven games, there are big storylines that will dictate who moves on to the second round. <strong>No. 4 Socastee (2-5) at No. 1 Dutch Fork (8-0)</strong> Socastee’s offense has found another gear the last two weeks behind quarterbacks Steven Greene and [player_tooltip player_id="139313" first="Rocco" last="Wojcik"] and sophomore tailback <strong>Caden O’Keefe</strong>. And while that’s a huge sign for 2021, the Braves are likely no match for the five-time defending state champs, a squad led by a trio of stat-stuffers in running back [player_tooltip player_id="91136" first="Jarvis" last="Green"], receiver [player_tooltip player_id="61070" first="Antonio" last="Williams"] and quarterback <strong>Davin Patterson</strong>. <strong>No. 3 Ashley Ridge (5-4) at No. 2 Cane Bay (8-2)</strong> If you’re a fan of defense, tune in to this one. When Cane Bay headed to Ashley Ridge back on Sept. 24, the teams combined for nine points in the Cobras’ 6-3 victory. Cane Bay’s Wing T offense tends to drain clock and reduce possessions, especially when quarterback <strong>Jayvion Johnson</strong> and running backs <strong>TJ Wright</strong> and <strong>Jaylen Boudreaux</strong> are picking up solid yards after first contact.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span> <strong>No. 4 White Knoll (2-8) at No. 1 Sumter (8-1)</strong> White Knoll was the last team to punch its ticket into the Class 5A field, and its reward is a trip to Sumter. The Gamecocks’ defense, led by linebacker/safety [player_tooltip player_id="89303" first="Jabari" last="Tiller"], defensive end [player_tooltip player_id="146354" first="Monteque" last="Rhames"] and safety [player_tooltip player_id="202743" first="Zyeir" last="Gamble"], has punished opponents all year. No one has scored more than 18 points, and Sumter held five opponents to a single touchdown.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span> <strong>No. 3 Stratford (3-4) at No. 2 West Ashley (5-4)</strong> One of three regular-season matches in the Class 5A Lower State field this week, Stratford will have no choice but to play better against Wildcats’ senior running back (and defensive back) [player_tooltip player_id="89312" first="Jahleel" last="Porter"]. The first time around, Porter (pictured) went off for 234 yards and four touchdowns in a 27-13 victory. West Ashley also held the Knights to just 128 yards of offense in that first meeting. <strong>No. 4 Summerville (4-4) at No. 1 Goose Creek (6-3)</strong> When Summerville beat Goose Creek 20-13 back on Sept. 24, it was in large part due to the efforts of defensive linemen [player_tooltip player_id="89320" first="Carnell" last="Jones"] and <strong>DeAndre Jones</strong>. They duo helped contain Goose Creek’s dynamic tailback, [player_tooltip player_id="61071" first="Demetri" last="Simmons"], to his worst game of the season. [player_tooltip player_id="89320" first="Carnell" last="Jones"] is out for this one, though, and Goose Creek has put even more of the onus to win on Simmons’ shoulders. <strong>No. 3 Conway (3-4) at No. 2 Lexington (7-2)</strong> Conway is starting to play much better on both sides of the ball now that first-year starting quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="208332" first="Devin" last="Grainger"] and (former QB) and new standout receiver [player_tooltip player_id="200731" first="Carlton" last="Terry"] II have gelled and defensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id="91216" first="Jonah" last="Freshley"] is fully healthy. Lexington is a much more fundamentally sound squad, but more than a handful of folks are looking at this game as a potential seedings upset. <strong>No. 4 Berkeley (2-5) at No. 1 Fort Dorchester (9-0)</strong> Berkeley is one of the lone Charleston-area Class 5A teams Fort Dorchester hasn’t already beaten this year, and the reason for the Patriots’ advantage in this one once against goes back to defensive linemen [player_tooltip player_id="89313" first="Devin" last="Geddis"] and [player_tooltip player_id="89318" first="Demetrius" last="Watson"], quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="89345" first="Zolten" last="Osborne"] and a slew of receivers who can go the distance any time they touch the ball.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span> <strong>No. 3 Chapin (7-3) at No. 2 Carolina Forest (5-4)</strong> The high-flying Eagles’ offense has been problematic for most opponents this year, as the likes of [player_tooltip player_id="59482" first="Zavier" last="Short"], [player_tooltip player_id="89304" first="Chase" last="Sweigart"], [player_tooltip player_id="139289" first="Jayden" last="Bradford"] and [player_tooltip player_id="89315" first="Bennett" last="Galloway"] are quite developed together. Carolina Forest, meanwhile, this game could come down to how well it functions with its best player (running back and linebacker [player_tooltip player_id="89329" first="Luke" last="Janack"]) at least hobbled after he sprained his ankle last week.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>