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<p>The later into the regular season and deeper into region play we get, the more important big-time performances stand out.</p>
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<p>In Week 8, the Grand Strand and Pee Dee had plenty.</p>
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<p>These five players have been counted on from the get-go in one form or another. But last weekend, they each had the types of games that equated to significant region victories.</p>
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<p><strong>Jackson Graham</strong> QB, Loris</p>
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<p>We're going to preface this by saying the Lions were playing Georgetown, arguably the worst team in all of Class 3A. But after getting bumped out of his starting job midway last year by a freshman and moving to tight end, Graham's return to the position (after [player_tooltip player_id='327302' first='Jackson' last='Huff']'s season-ending injury), throwing for 139 yards and two touchdowns, rushing for another 55 yards and leading an offense that didn't need to punt all night feels crucial moving forward.</p>
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<p><strong>Aiden Brantley</strong> WR, Conway</p>
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<p>In a game the Tigers needed to win, Brantley stepped up big time. The senior receiver hauled in five passes for 133 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the 20-17 win over Socastee. The effort pumped him up over 500 yards for the year. More importantly, the victory essentially punched the Tigers' playoff ticket. Like we said, Brantley picked a good night to have his first 100-yard receiving game of the year. </p>
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<p>[player_tooltip player_id='89346' first='Hudson' last='Spivey'] QB, Pee Dee Academy</p>
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<p>At first glance, Spivey didn't have his best game against Hilton Head Christian Academy. He was 14-of-22 passing for 182 yards, a touchdown and an interception. But then you look at his “other” attribute. The 6-foot-4, 215-pound quarterback took advantage of his size by rushing the ball 18 times for 86 yards and a pair of touchdowns. It was the seventh time in eight games this year that Spivey has accounted for three scores in a single game.</p>
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<p><strong>Darren Lloyd</strong> RB, West Florence</p>
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<p>When we wrote over the summer that Lloyd was going to have the chance to put up big numbers this fall, we meant it. But we weren't quite sure he'd have the type of late-season run that he's starting put together. In a blowout win over Wilson, he tacked on another 200 yards on the ground. In three Region VI-4A games, he's now ruched for 594 yards and seven touchdowns.</p>
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<p><strong>Rodshaun Dorsey</strong> WR, Andrews</p>
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<p>Andrew has been a revolving door of which offensive player will have a huge night. Against Kingstree is a crucial region game, Dorsey proved that he was not only consistent, but he could be highly influential in the outcome. The 6-foot-3, 190-pound receiver caught a touchdown pass in each of the first three quarters. His 11 scoring grabs this year set the Yellow Jackets' all-time single-season record.</p>
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The later into the regular season and deeper into region play we get, the more important big-time performances stand out.
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