Class 5A Upper State Second Round Preview

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A pair of road wins, a No. 1 seed surviving, two more dominating, and a historic victory marked the first round of the 5A playoffs in the Upstate. Here's a look at the matchups on hand for the second round.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Spartanburg (7-4) at T.L. Hanna (10-1)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Vikings rolled past Nation Ford last week, turning a tight game early into a runaway. [player_tooltip player_id='89339' first='Raheim' last='Jeter'] turned in another strong performance, but the story was the weapons around him. <strong>Drek Carter</strong> rushed for 94 yards and a TD on just three carries, [player_tooltip player_id='284138' first='Rah'Keith' last='Kelly'] had 15 touches for 111 total yards, and <strong>Que Moore</strong> caught seven balls for 115 yards and two scores. The Yellow Jackets, meanwhile, looked for all the world like they'd be a rare No. 1 knocked off by a 4-seed, trailing big in the early going before scoring 13 fourth-quarter points for a 36-35 win over White Knoll. <strong>Sasheen Latimer</strong> rushed for 97 yards and added 35 receiving, <strong>Vashun Burton</strong> had 95 rushing yards, and <strong>Que Alexander</strong> had 70 rushing yards and added a 90-yard kick return for a score for the Jackets. Despite a couple of rugged, ball-control offenses, this one could include a bunch of offensive fireworks.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Edge: Spartanburg</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Dorman (9-2) at Dutch Fork (10-1)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Cavaliers were one of a very few teams statewide to get a road win in the first round, blasting Clover 37-7. [player_tooltip player_id='262701' first='Demarius' last='Foster'] was again brilliant, rushing for 274 yards and a score while averaging 11 yards per carry. The Cavaliers were bolstered, though, by the play of QB <strong>David Sorensen</strong>. In his only significant action of the season, Sorensen was excellent for Dorman. He finished 6-for-8 for 93 yards and a score, and he rushed for three scores for the Cavaliers. The Silver Foxes, meanwhile, rolled to their 20th straight home playoff game, blasting Mauldin 56-0. [player_tooltip player_id='91136' first='Jarvis' last='Green'] was dominant, rushing for 152 yards and two scores, and catching five balls for 102 yards and another TD. [player_tooltip player_id='44974' first='Aliam' last='Appler'] threw for 193 yards and three TDs, running for another score. These two have hooked up in some classics over the past several seasons, with Dutch Fork taking two of their recent five straight titles at the expense of Dorman in overtime. If the Cavaliers can slow down Green and get healthy at QB or get another good game from Sorensen, this could be another classic. If the Foxes can make it a one-dimensional game, though, it might be a long night.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Edge: Dutch Fork</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Byrnes (8-3) at Blythewood (10-1)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Round 1 was an emotional one for the Rebels. They had a pair of starters and captains injured in a Friday morning car accident, took a 31-7 lead over Hillcrest on the road, and hung on for a 31-28 win. <strong>R.J. Livingston</strong> and <strong>Kemren Prysock</strong> provided plenty of punch on the ground for the Rebels, [player_tooltip player_id='272708' first='Chamarryus' last='Bomar'] provided a crucial TD on a direct snap, and Byrnes played inspired defense behind [player_tooltip player_id='262702' first='Elijah' last='Barnes'], [player_tooltip player_id='267455' first='Knai' last='Cook'], and <strong>Will Fowler</strong>. Blythewood smoked Boiling Springs 40-0 in the first round. [player_tooltip player_id='440461' first='Harrison' last='Collins'] threw for two scores, <strong>Deondre Williams</strong> rushed for 89 yards, and kicker <strong>Ryan Hart</strong> made a school-record four field goals as the Bengals recorded the first playoff shutout in school history. Blythewood struggled with the Boiling Springs defense in the red zone, though, which could prove problematic against a fast, physical Byrnes defense. The Rebels' success against Hillcrest came mostly on the ground, so this one could turn into a hard-hitting battle.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Edge: Byrnes</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>J.L. Mann (7-4) at Gaffney (7-3)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Serving as playoff hosts for the first time in quite some time, the Patriots got their first playoff win since 2009 and have won seven games for the first time since 2008. J.L. Mann's offensive weapons made sure the playoff party lasted a little bit longer. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1144060' first='Ethan' last='Anderson']</strong> threw for 257 yards and four TDs, with <strong>Toby Cates Jr</strong> accounting for 102 receiving yards and a pair of scores while <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1142457' first='Mikel' last='McClellan']</strong> had 121 receiving yards and two TDs. <strong>Na'Cyus Morrison</strong> rushed for 158 yards and a score for Mann. For Gaffney, it was all about [player_tooltip player_id='89340' first='Grayson' last='Loftis'] slinging it around and a bunch of role players having big impacts. <strong>Chas Smith</strong> had 152 rushing yards on 17 carries, [player_tooltip player_id='459546' first='Quashon' last='Tate'] added 98 on the ground, and [player_tooltip player_id='448239' first='Emazon' last='Littlejohn'] had five catches for 130 yards, while all three scored two TDs each in a 60-23 win. The Patriots have weapons, and now have a playoff win under their belt, but winning at Gaffney in the playoffs is a different animal. It hasn't happened much in the past four decades, and it will take a complete performance to get it done. Trouble is, the Indians aren't usually gracious hosts.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Edge: Gaffney</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->