Class 4A Upper State First Round Preview

Brandon Stockdale November 1, 2022 @ 12:41 PM

The first round of the 4A Upper State Playoffs features teams who are starting to find their rhythm at the right time, like South Pointe and Greenville, while others, like Northwestern and Catawba Ridge are looking to avoid first round upsets. Let's jump into all the games this week:   No. 16 Aiken (1-9) at No. 1 Greenville (7-3)   Greenville has found their stride and it has a lot to do with Tenneseee commit Mazeo Bennett and [player_tooltip player_id='91149' first='Tyler' last='Brown']. Ramani Burton leads the team in interceptions and will look to have an impact. Aiken has struggled offensively throughout the year and has given up an average of 59 points a game.   Edge: Greenville   No. 9 South Pointe (7-3) at No. 8 Greer (4-6)   Malachi Marshall threw for 3 touchdowns last week against York. South Pointe will go as he goes in the playoffs. Demari Kendrick is a threat at receiver while DJ Barksdale and Zantawn Nelson are hard hitters who will be counted on as leaders for the Stallions defensively. [player_tooltip player_id='448976' first='Chase' last='Byrd'] and Ladainnian Martin lead the Yellow Jackets in touchdowns while Bryce Foster leads the team in tackles.   Edge: South Pointe   No. 14 Indian Land (6-4) at No. 3 Laurens (4-6)   Look for Indian Land to run the ball with Jaden Peoples and execute the quick game with [player_tooltip player_id='340396' first='Jaxon' last='Scheidt']. Keep an eye on Myles Stinson, who can make plays on both sides. [player_tooltip player_id='202740' first='Gemire' last='Darden'] is an impact player on both sides of the ball for Laurens, averaging 29.2 rushing yards per game while Jay Pulley leads the Raiders in receiving yards with 67.3 yards per game.   Edge: Indian Land   No. 15 Wade Hampton (4-6) at No. 2 Northwestern (9-1)   For Northwestern, they will have to avoid the slow start that has plagued them the last two weeks. [player_tooltip player_id='265222' first='Turbo' last='Richard'] will be a focal point, as he ran for 237 yards last week against Catawba Ridge. Keep an eye on [player_tooltip player_id='146372' first='Elijah' last='Caldwell'] and Jayden Burris at receiver. Nigel Bruster and [player_tooltip player_id='262692' first='Cooper' last='Tankersley'] average over 100 yards rushing per game for the Generals, and you can look for them to shorten the game.   Edge: Northwestern   No. 12 Riverside (4-6) at No. 5 Catawba Ridge (9-1)   As long as [player_tooltip player_id='492672' first='Tyler' last='Jones'] is in the lineup, the Copperheads will have a chance to make a run, which begins Friday. Rasean Marajah and Brody Teismale will make life difficult defensively. Riverside has won 3 out of their last 4 games and Cayden Crosby leads the team in touchdowns with 14, and will look to keep it going to pull the upset.   Edge: Catawba Ridge   No. 7 South Aiken (4-6) at No. 10 Greenwood (4-6)   [player_tooltip player_id='340388' first='Terrence' last='Smith'] is a dynamic dual threat QB for the Thoroughbreds, averaging 188.7 yards per game and has 26 TDs on the year. Jaxsen Britatico leads South Aiken in tackles and he'll need to be active against the Eagles' run game. Kaleb Burton and Deterrious Gray will look to keep Smith on the sidelines as they are averaging over 120 yards per game.   Edge: South Aiken   No. 11 Midland Valley (6-4) at No. 6 Westside (8-2)   [player_tooltip player_id='91348' first='Traevon' last='Dunbar'] will try to keep it going in the run game and keep the Rams off the field, as he averages 119.3 yards per game. Dominic Morgan leads the Mustangs in tackles and he'll need to get after Westside QB [player_tooltip player_id='346189' first='Cutter' last='Woods'] if they want to leave Anderson County with a win. Joshua Williams is a vertical downfield threat for the Rams to watch.   Edge: Westside   No. 13 Easley (6-4) at No. 4 North Augusta (5-5)   [player_tooltip player_id='443492' first='DJ' last='Curry'] averages 145.9 yards rushing per game and has scored 10 touchdowns in the 2022 season for North Augusta. [player_tooltip player_id='443506' first='Jacquez' last='Ryans'] leads the Yellow Jackets in tackles with 7 on the year. Ryans will be looking to get after an Easley offense that has struggled down the stretch in region play as they were shut out last week vs. Greenville. [player_tooltip player_id='997398' first='Will' last='Patton'] at receiver is one to watch along with Talan Scott defensively.   Edge: North Augusta

The first round of the 4A Upper State Playoffs features teams who are starting to find their rhythm at the right time, like South Pointe and Greenville, while others, like Northwestern and Catawba Ridge are looking to avoid first round upsets. Let's jump into all the games this week: