Playoff First-Round Game Balls: The Pee Dee, Lowcountry & CSRA
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Game Balls during the regular season are one thing. Earn one during the playoffs, and it’s almost guaranteed your team is still playing the next week. On Friday, during the opening rounds of the SCHSL and SCISA postseasons, four individuals…
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Continue ReadingGame Balls during the regular season are one thing.
Earn one during the playoffs, and it’s almost guaranteed your team is still playing the next week.
On Friday, during the opening rounds of the SCHSL and SCISA postseasons, four individuals and one defensive unit from the CSRA, Lowcountry and Pee Dee had performance they’ll remember for years to come – after this year’s playoff runs end, that is.
Defense, North Myrtle Beach
A player gets a sack? Good stuff. Another forces a fumble or three? Even better. The entire defensive side of the ball stuffs one of the state’s best players this fall? That’s a recipe for a huge upset. North Myrtle Beach shut down May River quarterback Garvin Douglas in the 5-1 seeding match-up, holding Douglas to only 54 yards rushing (some 110 below his season average) and May River as a whole to just four first downs in the entire game.
Dantrell Weaver, Ridge Spring-Monetta
The Trojans senior has been lightly used on offense all season – as coach Brian Smith prefers to make use of his talents on the other side of the ball (where he’s racked up 36 combined tackles, a sack, one interception and a forced fumble). On Friday against Whitmire, though, Weaver got a chance to shine on offense. He put up an 219 yards and two scores on just 11 carries, helping Ridge Spring-Monetta into the second round.
Jalen Barry, Stratford
Stratford was trailing West Ashley in the first half of the playoff opener. That was, until Barry came on with one of his best performances of the season. The sophomore quarterback rallied his team by throwing for 280 yards and finished the game with five touchdowns. His effort propelled Stratford into the second round of the postseason for the first time since 2014.
Drew Stevens Drew Stevens 6'1" | 175 lbs | K North Augusta | 2022 State SC , North Augusta
The state’s top-ranked kicker proved his worth in the Yellow Jackets’ 31-12 home win against Bluffton in the opening round. Stevens was 4-of-4 on PATs, connected on a 35-yard field goal and put all six of his kickoffs into the end zone. That sort of reliability is why he’s a month away from signing with the University of Iowa.
Reggion Bennett Reggion Bennett 5'9" | 170 lbs | WR Trinity Collegiate School | 2022 State SC , Trinity Collegiate
Bennett (pictured) has put up some monster numbers in various games this season. It’s why he’s already topped 2,000 rushing yards this season and 6,000 for his career. But the Buffalo commit went next level on Friday against Ben Lippen in playoffs. Bennett had 25 carries for (we’re not make this up) 376 yards and six touchdowns. He also had eight tackles, five tackles for loss and a pair of sacks. You know what? We’re giving him two Game Balls.