1A Lower State Second Round Preview

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In the playoffs, it's all about taking it one game at a time. You can't focus on what's behind or ahead of you, but if you accomplish the task at hand on each play, you'll find a road that will lead you to Columbia in December. Which teams will see that road end on a wet and wild round two? Let's preview the four Lower State matchups in Class 1A.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Bamberg-Ehrhardt (9-2) at Johnsonville (10-0), Saturday, 3 p.m.</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>They may be a perfect 10-0 on the season, but the Johnsonville Flashes will be in for a daunting second-round test against a Bamberg-Ehrhardt team finding its groove at the right time. Breakout sophomore quarterback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='464885' first='Chanston' last='Crosby']</strong> has sparked the Red Raiders to five consecutive victories including a 30-point first-round blowout win over Latta behind a tenacious defensive core. Johnsonville has been the more complete team this season, but Bamberg's playoff experience and strong form could lead to an upset on Saturday. This one is a complete toss-up and could be very fun down the stretch.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Edge: Johnsonville&nbsp;</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Baptist Hill (8-2) at Lamar (8-3), Saturday, 6 p.m.</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Red Foxes stormed past Allendale-Fairfax to open the postseason last week, and now they'll get an always-sneaky Baptist Hill squad in round two. The Bobcats are led by efficient junior quarterback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='340393' first='Harold' last='Gathers']</strong> who doesn't turn the ball over much and can also pick up chunks of yardage on the ground alongside electric senior runner <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='336153' first='Kevin' last='Townsend']</strong>. Lamar's defense has rounded into form over the season's second half behind senior linebacker <strong>Roshad McAlister</strong> who will need to be on his best game on Saturday. If Lamar's offense can get rolling early, the Red Foxes' stout defense should find a way to make some gritty stops and move on to next week.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Edge: Lamar</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Carvers Bay (7-4) at Estill (10-1), Saturday, 6:30 p.m.</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After surviving a wild 60-56 first-round thriller against Hannah-Pamplico, the Estill Gators will be back on their home field Saturday to host Carvers Bay. There was no stopping Estill quarterback <strong>Xaviar Garvin </strong>last week, who rushed for a whopping 218 yards and added 225 more yards through the air. Carvers Bay has a pair of strong runners in <strong>Tyrese Richards</strong> and <strong>Tyshaun Grice </strong>who will look to find some holes against a Gator defense that struggled a week ago. If Estill can tighten things up defensively, Garvin and versatile 6-foot-2 playmaker<strong> Jeremiah Taylor</strong> should roll and power the Gators to a spot in the lower state semis.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Edge: Estill&nbsp;</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Lake View (8-3) at Cross (9-2), Saturday. 6:30 p.m.</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Maybe the biggest surprise in the Class 1A Lower State after winning just two games a year ago, the Cross Trojans have steamrolled their way to a region title and a playoff win over East Clarendon. The Trojans' sensational defense has posted an impressive four shutouts in a row thanks to a dominant linebacking tandem of <strong>Damion Haines </strong>and <strong>Karmello Jones</strong>. If that group comes out hot again, the Trojans should ride their stellar ground game of <strong>Carmello Montgomery </strong>against a Lake View run defense that has struggled the last two weeks. But don't sleep on a Gators offense that dismantled a strong Whale Branch group in round one.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Edge: Cross</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->