Class A Upper State Second Round Preview

Jed Blackwell November 9, 2022 @ 07:31 PM

A region rivalry, several teams with huge offensive numbers, and a couple of really good games highlight the second round in the state's smallest classification. Here's a look at the matchups.   Calhoun County (8-3) at Christ Church (10-1)   The Saints survived a tough effort by Dixie last week, pulling away from a second-half tie to win by two scores. QB Tykest Davenport accounted for four total TDs, running for two and throwing two to Christian Zachary. Calhoun County will need to be balanced to offset the Cavaliers' attack. Last week is the first week in several that something other than incredible rushing numbers have been the highlight for Christ Church. On Friday, it was QB [player_tooltip player_id='262618' first='Woods' last='Windham'] with the gaudy stats. On just eight passes, Windham had seven completions for 154 yards and four TDs in a win. If the Cavaliers are able to fire on both sides of the ball, it could be a long night.   Edge: Christ Church   Denmark-Olar (7-3) at Lewisville (10-1)   The Vikings offense seems to operate on a simple principle that works well: get the ball to your athletes and watch them go. Last week, that started with QB Keithan Washington, who was responsible for five TDs. He's thrown for close to 1,000 yards this season, and has run for 1.400. He'll square off with Lewisville's stout defense. Jaymes Gilcrese is a four-year starter at DT, while Montre Fletcher is an athletic junior at DE. Kentrez Davis plays DE, OLB, and generally wreaks havoc for the Lions. Lewisville is also very deep, a huge advantage in 1A.   Edge: Lewisville   C. A. Johnson (7-4) at Wagener-Salley (8-3)   The Hornets rolled past Ridge Spring-Monetta in the first round, thanks in part to [player_tooltip player_id='1142538' first='Caleb' last='Pearson'] and Dawan Rice. The two combined to rush for more than 250 yards, and Pearson scored all five of the Hornets' TDs on the night. Rice also had a huge game on the defensive side of the ball. [player_tooltip player_id='91153' first='Cam' last='Davis'] will look to lead Wagener-Salley. The region player of the year is a standout at both RB and SS.   Edge: Wagener-Salley   St. Joseph's (9-2) at Southside Christian (6-4)   The second round features a rematch between rivals separated by just a few miles in Greenville County. The Knights were rolling until they faced the Sabres in the regular season, and fell to two losses in the region afterward. Walker Wood and the Knights offense will look to deal with a Southside Christian defense that's allowed just under 8 points per game in region play. [player_tooltip player_id='89349' first='Ja'Corey' last='Martin'] makes the Sabres' offense go, as a true dual-threat guy with plenty of playoff experience for the two-time defending champs.   Edge: Southside Christian

A region rivalry, several teams with huge offensive numbers, and a couple of really good games highlight the second round in the state's smallest classification. Here's a look at the matchups.