Class 3A Contenders? Hard To Argue With These Teams

Class 3A has spent the last two seasons doing what it could do to break up the Daniel dominance. The Lions haven’t lost a game while a now-former quarterback put up video game numbers and everyone else was playing for second-best. Is it time for the tide to turn? The five talent-rich programs - including Daniel - are the likely front-runners to haul in the final win of the 2022 season. The other four have been close, and we’re about to see a year-long battle for position and then ultimate bragging rights.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span> <strong>BEAUFORT (Last year: 12-3)</strong> Beaufort has one of the state’s most recruited defensive linemen in [player_tooltip player_id="89341" first="Eamon" last="Smalls"], a tight end star in the making in [player_tooltip player_id="262689" first="Michael" last="Dennison"], a budding tailback in <strong>Caleb Ulmer</strong> and a defensive back in [player_tooltip player_id="91356" first="Daryl" last="DePass"] who has verbally committed to Charlotte but who will have some others clearly still pursuing him. Frankly, the Eagles are the new big kids on the block after dropping down from Class 4A and will want to prove it. <strong>CAMDEN (Last year: 11-3)</strong> Frankly, Camden likely has the best defensive line in the entire class when weighing the merits of [player_tooltip player_id="89338" first="Xzavier" last="McLeod"], [player_tooltip player_id="91155" first="David" last="Copley"] and [player_tooltip player_id="139311" first="Grayson" last="White"]. That will cure a lot of ills, as opposing offenses find themselves going one-dimensional even when they’re not trailing by a large margin. Running against this group is tough going, and coach Brian Rimpf - a former NFL offensive lineman - understands everything begins up front. <strong>DANIEL (Last year: 14-0)</strong> Daniel has won back-to-back titles for a reason, and it wasn’t all about [player_tooltip player_id="153264" first="Trent" last="Pearman"]. The two-time Gatorade Player of the Year will be moving on to the college ranks. But arguably the best one-two receiver punch in South Carolina in [player_tooltip player_id="91140" first="Eli" last="Merck"] and [player_tooltip player_id="204866" first="Jaylen" last="Brown-Wallace"] return, as does stud offensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id="146355" first="Bryce" last="Smith"] and top-30 overall player in defensive back [player_tooltip player_id="91144" first="Misun" last="Kelley"]. This group is highly experienced, and all it knows is winning. <strong>DILLON (Last year: 9-1)</strong> All Dillon has done since the start of the 2008 season is win all but two region games and made 12 state championship game appearances. Yeah, they’re automatically a contender until proven otherwise. The likes of offensive linemen [player_tooltip player_id="139295" first="Josiah" last="Thompson"] and [player_tooltip player_id="272711" first="Carlos" last="Miller"], upcoming tailback <strong>Jamarion Fling</strong> and a handful of former role players about to jump into prime spots means the Wildcats should again make a deep run. <strong>GILBERT (Last year: 9-3)</strong> The only thing preventing the Indians from averaging double-digit victories over the past three years has been the loss of regular-season contests due to the pandemic. But a group that won at least eight games during the last two seasons is bringing back a nice group, including [player_tooltip player_id="262616" first="Chance" last="Jennings"], [player_tooltip player_id="132510" first="Blake" last="Cooke"], [player_tooltip player_id="262635" first="Alias" last="Graham-Woodberry"], [player_tooltip player_id="262639" first="Jordan" last="Smith"] and [player_tooltip player_id="267430" first="Jaden" last="Allen-Hendrix"].<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>