What We Saw: Daniel, Pearman Win Consecutive Class 3A titles
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Daniel and Camden staged a rematch in the Class 3A state championship game Friday afternoon at Benedict’s Charles W. Johnson Stadium and the result was remarkably similar to a season ago. Trent Pearman Trent Pearman 6'2" | 180 lbs |…
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Continue ReadingDaniel and Camden staged a rematch in the Class 3A state championship game Friday afternoon at Benedict’s Charles W. Johnson Stadium and the result was remarkably similar to a season ago.
Trent Pearman Trent Pearman 6'2" | 180 lbs | QB Daniel | 2022 State SC threw for four touchdowns and 272 yards as Daniel repeated as Class 3A state champions with a resounding 45-20 victory. But Pearman wasn’t the entire story. The Lions had several other outstanding performances while Camden had standouts as well.
It’s the seventh football state title in school history for Daniel.
Here’s a look at the best performances along with a few notes from the game.
– Misun Kelley Misun Kelley 5'10" | 170 lbs | DB DW Daniel | 2023 State SC might have been the best player on the field. The junior two-way player finished with 11 catches for 112 yards and touchdown catches of 12 and 14 yards. He also played the entire game at cornerback and finished with two tackles and a pass breakup. For good measure, he added one rush attempt that went 71 yards for another score.
– Pearman has been outstanding in two championship game appearances. In those two games, the senior is 56-of-69 for 744 yards and 10 touchdowns. He’s won 24 games in a row as a starter. The senior class was 46-3 in four years.
– Last year, it was Eli Merck Eli Merck 6'1" | 180 lbs | WR DW Daniel | 2023 State SC that was the big-play target for Pearman. This time, junior Jaylen Brown-Wallace Jaylen Brown-Wallace 6'2" | 185 lbs | WR Daniel | 2023 State SC joined Kelley as big-play threats. He caught eight passes for 111 yards and touchdowns of 26 and 48 yards. His 48-yarder, he took a short out pattern and outran the defense.
– Senior safety Boston Miller Boston Miller 6'3" | 185 lbs | DB DW Daniel | 2022 State SC had the knack for being in the right place at the right time. He finished with 6.5 tackles and broke up a pass on a fake punt attempt to give the Lions possession in the first half. He added an interception on the final play off the half to keep the score at 24-7 at the break.
– Junior defensive lineman Myquam Geer had five tackles, two tackles for loss and two sacks. Senior CB Gabe Smith and LB Griffin Batt Griffin Batt 6'2" | 220 lbs | DL DW Daniel | 2022 State SC led the way in tackles. Smith had 7.5 tackles and Batt, who plans to walk-on at Clemson, had 7 tackles.
– Senior WR Anthony Lyles Anthony Lyles 5'9" | 165 lbs | WR Camden | 2022 State SC helped Camden fight back to within 24-14 in the second half. The Bulldogs had a chance to pull within 24-17 but missed a 35-yard field goal but Lyles did his best to keep Camden in it. He ran the ball three times for 51 yards and added nine receptions for 82 yards.
– Sophomore QB Grayson White Grayson White 6'0" | 240 lbs | QB Camden | 2024 State SC ran the ball 19 times and finished with a 1-yard TD and 90 rushing yards. He was 19-for-36 for 175 yards and a TD. White started the season as a defensive lineman but moved to QB after a couple of injuries for the Bulldogs. Senior WR Katrez Bracey added a 56-yard touchdown run on a reverse and had five receptions for 37 yards.
– The highly touted defensive front for Camden did limit Daniel to 157 yards rushing but they rarely made Pearman uncomfortable in the pocket. Senior LB Tevin Eley Tevin Eley 6'0" | 200 lbs | LB Camden | 2022 State SC finished with nine tackles to pace the Bulldogs attack.
– Camden was penalized 18 times for 132 yards. Several of them resulted in first downs for Daniel or at least gave them a more manageable down and distance.