Realignment Breakdown: Who’s New In Region I-4A

Jed Blackwell March 22, 2022 @ 08:03 AM

Realignment will affect nearly every region in the Upstate with teams moving in and out of classifications and regions. Here's our second in a series of looks at some of the top players moving into new regions, focusing on Region I-4A. Half of Region I-4A is changing this season. Walhalla and Travelers Rest are gone, Greenwood and Greenville are moving over from Region II, and Berea is up from Class 3A. What do the newcomers bring to the region? Kind of a lot. Greenville and Greenwood were two of the best teams in the class a year ago. They waged a war for the Region II-4A title, with Greenwood coming away with a 30-29 win. Both were eliminated from the playoffs by eventual state champion South Pointe in tough games. And both have a roster full of talent coming back. Greenville’s [player_tooltip player_id="209382" first="Jayden" last="Pepper"] quietly led the team in rushing touchdowns (7) and yards (658) last season, averaging 6.5 yards per carry. The Red Raiders’ top receiver is back as well, as [player_tooltip player_id="91149" first="Tyler" last="Brown"] returns with 1,034 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns. And then there’s the do-everything [player_tooltip player_id="163871" first="Mazeo" last="Bennett Jr"]. Bennett (pictured) had 665 receiving yards for an eye-popping 26.4 yards per carry, and added two interceptions and more than 300 kick return yards. Bennett’s explosiveness is a matchup nightmare, and gives Greenville an advantage wherever he lines up. Malaki Smith, Thomas Edmondson, Keyshawn Robinson and [player_tooltip player_id="89334" first="Luke" last="Schuller"] headline an outstanding rising senior class on the defensive side, having combined for 350 tackles last season. The Eagles bring a power-running game to the region, with Ve Morton leading the way. He rushed for more than 1,700 yards and 20 touchdowns last season, averaging 6.4 yards per carry and nearly 150 per game. Defensively, LB Josiah Jeffery absolutely stuffed the stat sheet as a junior, finishing with 101 total tackles, 12 TFL, four sacks, four hurries, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, and six pass break-ups. Kaleb Burton is back in the secondary for the Eagles, coming off a season with 34 solo tackles and 12 pass break-ups. Berea is young, but the Bulldogs are building. For proof, look no further than a talented pair of rising sophomores. Amazay Robinson started six games at QB in his freshman season, and opened some eyes along the way. Robinson threw for 1,600 yards and 10 touchdowns in those half-dozen starts. He also rushed for 251 yards and six more scores, and caught a touchdown pass. On defense, OLB Jaden Bethea is a block-shedding, ball-hawking beast.