Class 3A Upper State Second Round Preview

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A playoff rematch, a meeting of historic powers, two teams finding their stride, and a matchup that might be the state's best game this week highlight the 3A Upper State Playoffs. Here's a look at the second round matchups.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Chester (7-4) at Powdersville (10-1)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Cyclones thumped Blue Ridge last week, having a lot of success on the ground to open the playoffs. Chester's initial success, though, came through the air. QB [player_tooltip player_id='457973' first='Trooper' last='Floyd'] started the game 6-for-6 with two TDs in the Cyclones' first two drives - and that's it. Chester stayed exclusively with the rushing attack after the game's second drive, flexing its muscle after Floyd's hot start. Powdersville, meanwhile, demolished Crescent behind a hot start. The Patriots led 36-6 early and cruised from there. With the first round a warmup, [player_tooltip player_id='448984' first='Eli' last='Hudgins'], [player_tooltip player_id='91152' first='Thomas' last='Williams'], <strong>Drake Sloan</strong> and company should be ready for Round 2. This is a rematch of a fantastic second round game last year, one in which Chester's Zan Dunham ran wild. This time out, the Cyclones are more balanced, but the Patriots are, too. Williams could be the difference.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Edge: Powdersville</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Woodruff (6-5) at Daniel (11-0)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Wolverines avenged an early loss with a big win over Broome on Friday, and <strong>Carson Tucker</strong> had a lot to do with it. Coming back from an injury, Tucker has had an excellent couple of weeks for the Wolverines. He threw for 308 yards and three scores in the win. <strong>Nemo Cochran</strong> caught seven balls for 142 yards, and <strong>Eastin Burch</strong> rushed for 97 yards and three scores for Woodruff. Meanwhile, Daniel rolled on with a win over Southside. The Lions were expected to take a step back this year, and they just haven't. QB <strong>Blaine Simons</strong> is a big reason why, as he keeps coming up with big game after big game. Last week, he threw for more than 240 yards and rushed for a pair of scores. [player_tooltip player_id='91140' first='Eli' last='Merck'] and [player_tooltip player_id='204866' first='Jaylen' last='Brown-Wallace'] are huge weapons for the Lions, and [player_tooltip player_id='91144' first='Misun' last='Kelley'] is a player, period, lining up everywhere on the field. The two-time defending champions are the top dog, and will be a tall test.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Edge: Daniel</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Seneca (9-2) at Chapman (7-4)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Bobcats are a true air-it-out operation, with QB <strong>Jaxon Burnette</strong> collecting school records like Halloween candy, and <strong>Cade Eavenson</strong> providing the punch at RB. The Bobcats also feature a little bit of nasty on the offensive line, with [player_tooltip player_id='89342' first='Cam' last='Johnson'] routinely de-cleating defenders as he paves the way for Seneca's offense. Chapman started slowly, but the Panthers have steadily improved. They were undefeated in region play, demolishing Broome for the region title, and have come along with <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='998700' first='Coleman' last='Gray']</strong> at QB, [player_tooltip player_id='448811' first='Devin' last='Roe'] and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1142680' first='Rashawn' last='Cunningham']</strong> as legit deep threats, and [player_tooltip player_id='146361' first='Abraham' last='Fyffe'] leading the defense. The defensive secondary is one of Chapman's strengths, and the matchup with Burnette could be the deciding factor.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Edge: Seneca</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Belton-Honea Path (10-1) at Clinton (11-0)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This one might be as good as it gets. The Bears have just one loss on the year, to region champion Powdersville. They're run-heavy but still balanced, with a pair of outstanding talents at QB and RB. <strong>AJ Pendleton </strong>makes the offense go at quarterback, racking up 180 total offensive yards and two scores in last week's win over Walhalla, while RB <strong>Marquise Henderson</strong> had 106 rushing yards and two TDs on just 11 carries. Clinton rolled on in the rushing game, attempting just two passes against Travelers Rest. One of those was complete, for 56 yards and a score. Other than that, it was the Red Devils' usual pounding rushing attack. <strong>Bryson James</strong> had 142 yards on five carries, <strong>Jayden Robinson</strong> went for 70 on seven touches, and both scored two TDs. <strong>Jishun Copeland</strong> rushed nine times for 84 yards and a score, and caught the TD pass. This will feature two rugged, but different, rushing attacks. About the only thing for certain is that it might be over in an hour and a half.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Edge: Clinton</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->