Class 5A Upper State First Round Preview

Only one thing's for certain in this year's 5A playoffs: there won't be a championship game rematch. That's because Dutch Fork is the region champion from the flex-region IV-5A, and will play in the Upper State bracket. Add the Silver Foxes to a murderer's row of teams including defending champ Gaffney, T.L. Hanna, Spartanburg, Dorman, Byrnes, Blythewood, and upstart Hillcrest, and the Upper State could be a lot of fun. Here's a look at all eight first round matchups.   White Knoll (7-3) at T.L. Hanna (9-1)   The Yellow Jackets started as a bit of a mystery. They survived Greenville, got thumped by Westside, and looked like they were finding their way. Find it they did, led by a host of backs in their wing-based offense, notably Sasheen Lattimer, who's as close to a feature-back as the Jackets get. QB Kenny Fretwell directs the offense well, and the defense has gotten a ton of big stops with games on the line, including in a 14-13 win over Hillcrest. White Knoll will roll into Anderson with an 1,800-yard passer in [player_tooltip player_id='346199' first='Landon' last='Sharpe'] (pictured) and four defenders with at least 50 tackles, led by Hayden Cushman.   Edge: T.L. Hanna   Nation Ford (5-6) at Spartanburg (6-4)   Spartanburg's four losses might be the most deceptive record in the state. They've lost to a pair of Southeastern powerhouses, and to both of last year's 5A state finalists - Dutch Fork by two points, and Gaffney by a score in overtime. Make no mistake, the Vikings are GOOD. QB [player_tooltip player_id='89339' first='Raheim' last='Jeter'] leads the way, with freshman RB [player_tooltip player_id='284138' first='Rah'Keith' last='Kelly'] a homerun threat, WR Andrew Dantin seemingly everywhere, and a ton of standouts on defense, including Jacob Mattison and [player_tooltip player_id='448978' first='Bennie' last='Littlejohn']. QB [player_tooltip player_id='91150' first='Carson' last='Black'] will key the Nation Ford offense, bolstered by AJ McCullum at RB.   Edge: Spartanburg   Mauldin (2-8) at Dutch Fork (9-1)   [player_tooltip player_id='91136' first='Jarvis' last='Green']. Those two words could serve as the Dutch Fork playoff preview for as long as the Silver Foxes play. He's that special, with more than 1,200 yards rushing and an 8.8 yards per carry average to go with 24 total TDs. Green makes the offense go, while Dutch Fork has a slew of top-notch defenders, including [player_tooltip player_id='262550' first='Landon' last='Danley'] and [player_tooltip player_id='336148' first='John' last='Buetow']. Mauldin has had a tough year, but made the playoffs with a win over Woodmont. The Mavericks got a late-season boost by the performance of Devan Ortega at RB.   Edge: Dutch Fork   Dorman (8-2) at Clover (6-4)   The Cavaliers started 8-0, but suffered a couple of setbacks in the final weeks of the regular season. A last-minute FG beat Byrnes, but they dropped a decision at Gaffney and fell on a failed two-point conversion against Spartanburg in the finale. [player_tooltip player_id='262701' first='Demarius' last='Foster'] and a big, physical OL powered by D1-bound [player_tooltip player_id='91355' first='Markee' last='Anderson'] and [player_tooltip player_id='202774' first='DJ' last='Geth'] will provide plenty of punch on the ground, but the Cavaliers have to figure out their QB situation, with starter Hudson Talley struggling late in the season and backup DJ Porter injured against Spartanburg. Clover will throw it all over the yard behind 2,000-yard passer Jaylon Hoover, and have plenty of targets for him to choose from, including Dion Brown, who averages 118 receiving yards per game.   Edge: Dorman   Rock Hill (2-8) at Gaffney (6-3)   The defending champs started 1-2 with a cancelled game against Union County and a ton of questions. They've answered all of them. The return of ATH Edward Jefferies sparked the offense, with the play of QB [player_tooltip player_id='89340' first='Grayson' last='Loftis'] and freshman RB [player_tooltip player_id='473029' first='Jaiden' last='McDowell'] leading the way. Defensively, DL [player_tooltip player_id='443491' first='Nathan' last='Johnson'] and LB [player_tooltip player_id='268582' first='Brayshawn' last='Littlejohn'] have been a wrecking crew in region play, as the Indians outlasted Spartanburg and Boiling Springs and demolished Dorman before a final-week loss to Byrnes. For Rock Hill, the questions will hinge on defense. QB [player_tooltip player_id='139293' first='Matthew' last='Wilson'] and the offense are capable of putting up points, but the Bearcats have struggled to stop opponents, giving up more than 42 points per game.   Edge: Gaffney   Spring Valley (4-7) at J.L. Mann (6-4)   The Patriots have had a breakout season, and get a home playoff game as their reward. [player_tooltip player_id='1142457' first='Mikel' last='McClellan'] and Toby Cates Jr are both game-breakers at receiver, and QB [player_tooltip player_id='1144060' first='Ethan' last='Anderson'] does a good job of getting them the ball. Mann is also battle-tested, going 3-1 in one-score games this season. Spring Valley will bring a balanced rushing attack with [player_tooltip player_id='146358' first='Zion' last='Fuller'] and [player_tooltip player_id='146359' first='Evan' last='Javis'] combining to rush for more than 1,000 yards, and QB Aden Jones is nearing 1,000 passing. Defensively, [player_tooltip player_id='202737' first='David' last='Wilson'] has 134 tackles for the Vikings.   Edge: J.L. Mann   Boiling Springs (2-8) at Blythewood (8-2)   The Bulldogs nabbed the Upper State's at-large spot, something to build on for a young squad loaded with sophomores and juniors. QB [player_tooltip player_id='1012707' first='Lincoln' last='Huskey'] and WR Zy Landrum are turning into a tough tandem for opponents to deal with. The Bengals, meanwhile, will present a unique challenge. Blythewood won the Region III-5A title utilizing a two-quarterback system with David Herden and [player_tooltip player_id='440461' first='Harrison' last='Collins'], a system that allows both to shine.   Edge: Blythewood   Byrnes (7-3) at Hillcrest (9-1)   This might be the best game of the first round, and might also feature the most offensive weapons. The Rebels used a Week 9 bye to get some players back from injury, and QB Colby Shaw should have plenty of talent at his disposal, including RB RJ Livingston and WR [player_tooltip player_id='262636' first='Kyai' last='Cook']. Defensively, Byrnes boasts a stout, talented line and two of the best DBs in the sophomore class in [player_tooltip player_id='272705' first='Armoni' last='Weaver'] and [player_tooltip player_id='272708' first='Chamarryus' last='Bomar']. Hillcrest, meanwhile, counters with 2,500-yard passer [player_tooltip player_id='262574' first='Bennett' last='Judy'], 1,000-yard receiver [player_tooltip player_id='267431' first='Avery' last='McFadden'], and 900-yard rusher [player_tooltip player_id='156630' first='Logan' last='Coldren'].   Edge: Hillcrest

Only one thing's for certain in this year's 5A playoffs: there won't be a championship game rematch. That's because Dutch Fork is the region champion from the flex-region IV-5A, and will play in the Upper State bracket. Add the Silver Foxes to a murderer's row of teams including defending champ Gaffney, T.L. Hanna, Spartanburg, Dorman, Byrnes, Blythewood, and upstart Hillcrest, and the Upper State could be a lot of fun. Here's a look at all eight first round matchups.