Class 5A Upper State Third Round Preview

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The dominant team in 5A for the past half a decade has crashed the Region II invitational. Dutch Fork defeated Dorman to move into the third round and keep hopes for an early rematch of last year's title game alive, but that's it for teams outside of Region II-5A. Gaffney won at home, while Spartanburg and Byrnes both upset region champions on the road to advance. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>And speaking of rematches, we've got two. The top half of the bracket will see the Silver Foxes host the team that's given them the biggest scare in their long regular season winning streak against in-state opponents. The bottom half is a rematch between bitter rivals. Here's a look at the matchups.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Spartanburg (8-4) at Dutch Fork (11-1)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Silver Foxes haven't lost to a team from South Carolina in the regular season since the season-opener in 2017. That streak nearly came to an end in Week 1 when Spartanburg looked them squarely in the eye. Dutch Fork kicked a last-second FG to win, and nearly needed a TD as Spartanburg narrowly missed a two-point conversion in the fourth quarter that would've given the Vikings a four-point lead.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The story of that game was two Mr. Football finalists showing out. [player_tooltip player_id='89339' first='Raheim' last='Jeter'] led Spartanburg, powering the Vikings to that late fourth-quarter lead. For Dutch Fork, it was the [player_tooltip player_id='91136' first='Jarvis' last='Green'] show, as the senior RB ran wild against the Vikings. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This time around, it could be about the other guys. Dutch Fork QB [player_tooltip player_id='44974' first='Aliam' last='Appler'] has steadily improved and given the Foxes a wrinkle, including a long TD run on their opening play last week against Dorman. [player_tooltip player_id='262550' first='Landon' last='Danley'] and the defense have been strong all season. Spartanburg's [player_tooltip player_id='284138' first='Rah'Keith' last='Kelly'] gives the Vikings a look that Dutch Fork didn't see early, while <strong>Cam Jackson</strong>, [player_tooltip player_id='448978' first='Bennie' last='Littlejohn'], and <strong>Jacob Mattison</strong> have led an inspired Spartanburg defense. This one might be as good as it gets.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Edge: Dutch Fork</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Byrnes (9-3) at Gaffney (8-3)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>These two rivals couldn't have arrived to this matchup in a much different manner. Byrnes thumped Gaffney in Week 10, but the region had already been decided, and both could already look down the road at a potential playoff matchup. Byrnes has built double-digit leads and held on to win late in both playoff matchups - once on a missed FG, and once on a make. Gaffney, meanwhile, started slowly in the first round before pulling away, then blasted J.L. Mann in the second round.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Rebels tossed it around a bunch during the regular season, and after a physically dominant rushing performance in Round 1, they went back to the air in the second round. <strong>Colby Shaw</strong> threw for 265 yards and 3 TDs, with [player_tooltip player_id='272705' first='Armoni' last='Weaver'] and [player_tooltip player_id='267455' first='Knai' last='Cook'] as his main targets. <strong>RJ Livingston</strong> and <strong>Kemren Prysock</strong> combined to provide plenty of punch on the ground for the Rebels.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Gaffney has shown some balance, particularly down the stretch. With [player_tooltip player_id='473029' first='Jaiden' last='McDowell'] and [player_tooltip player_id='459546' first='Quashon' last='Tate'] leading the way at RB, [player_tooltip player_id='89340' first='Grayson' last='Loftis'] has steadily gotten better and better, including a 14-for-18 performance in the second round, for 352 yards and 3 TDs, with another on the ground.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This one is intriguing because of a couple of matchups. If Gaffney's [player_tooltip player_id='443491' first='Nathan' last='Johnson'] and [player_tooltip player_id='268582' first='Brayshawn' last='Littlejohn'] can create some havoc, it could be a long night for the Rebels. But Byrnes' defensive secondary has been playing lights-out, with Cook and [player_tooltip player_id='262702' first='Elijah' last='Barnes'] turning in a couple of great games. In the end, it could come down to home field advantage.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Edge: Gaffney</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->