Predicting Every Team’s 2023 MVP: Region VIII-1A

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With SCHSL football spread over five classifications and 36 regions, the talent pool in South Carolina is as vast as it is diverse.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We're going to tackle it unlike ever before.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Prep Red Zone South Carolina team is going to predict every team's MVP for the 2023 football season. Over the next several weeks, you're going to be able to read about which player is leading the way for his team. We'll even give you a whole bunch of highlight films to back up our predictions.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Are you ready?</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>REGION VIII-1A</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Baptist Hill Bobcats</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='340393' first='Harold' last='Gathers']</strong> QB</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Gathers (pictured) is kind of an anomaly at a 1A school. He's not a shifty, elusive, dual-threat guy. Make no mistake, Gathers is gonna sling it. He's done so for more than 4,000 yards in his career, and he's entering his fourth year in a starting role. Gathers is huge at 6-3 and 225, and has a big arm. Last year he threw for more than 1,400 yards and 10 TDs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Burke Bulldogs</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Terrell Wright</strong> OL/DL</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Wright is a two-way lineman who plays well above his size. He's plenty physical, and he's athletic enough to play keeper and fullback on the Bulldogs' soccer team. On the football field, he's a center and a defensive end, and he's a leader for Burke on both sides of the ball.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Cross Trojans</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='473021' first='Caden' last='Ramsey']</strong> FS/WR</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ramsey just looks like a dude who's ready to explode onto the recruiting scene. He's 6-4, 185, and is turning into a lock-down defender. He's a rangy guy that eats up ground more with his long stride than with speed, but he's quick enough to cover over the middle and outside. He's also becoming a force on offense, using his body and his 7-foot wingspan to turn into a go-get-it guy.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/17340953/6378fc8e4206090634007a24' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-649f5e01842b3"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Military Magnet Academy</em> <em>Eagles</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Jamile Ancrum</strong> RB/MLB</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ancrum is an explosive player on defense, able to diagnose a play quickly and react. And he seems to love contact. He takes that hard-nosed approach to the offensive side of the ball as well, where he runs well between the tackles and is tough to bring down.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>St. John's Islanders</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Jamarion Rampersant</strong> ATH</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Rampersant does a little of everything for the Islanders. His film shows him at WR, QB, DB, and on special teams. The key to all of it is his speed, and on offense, it's not just what he does with the ball. Rampersant seems to take joy in blocking downfield when he's playing WR, and he's good at it. He plays defense the same way: with a physical edge and using his speed to his advantage.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->