Class 2A Upper State Second Round Playoff Preview

The 2A playoffs are rolling on with a couple of upsets. No. 3 Newberry, No. 4 Keenan, and No. 4 Chesnee all recorded first-round upsets to advance. Now, the stakes get higher. Here's a look at the eight teams remaining in the Upper State bracket in Class 2A.   NO. 3 NEWBERRY (6-5) AT NO. 1 ABBEVILLE (10-1)   The Bulldogs roll into the second round fresh off a big win over Saluda in the first round. [player_tooltip player_id='1267234' first='Kenton' last='Caldwell'] was a huge factor in Newberry's success, rushing for two touchdowns and grabbing a game-sealing interception late in the fourth quarter. Caldwell's not Newberry's only two-way threat, though. Bryce Satterfield plays QB, TE, and LB, and does it all well. Jamel Howse shines at WR and DB, and BJ Jones is a big-time weapon at RB.     Abbeville is, well, Abbeville. The Panthers ripped through the regular season with a single loss, though they did survive a couple early close calls. Once region play began and Demarcus Leach was inserted at QB, the Panthers hit another gear. That was evident in the first round. Leach tossed a TD on Abbeville's first playoff drive, [player_tooltip player_id='1249809' first='Karson' last='Norman'] scored four times on just six carries, and Mikhelyn Bowie scored twice and helped lead a defense that forced five turnovers. Abbeville played the whole game without RB Jha'Louis Hadden, and most of the game without FB Altavious Patterson, both of whom are expected back for the second round.     NO. 2 SILVER BLUFF (8-3) AT NO. 2 FAIRFIELD CENTRAL (9-2)   The Bulldogs have done it with defense this season, giving up just 13 points per game and recording four shutouts. It was more of the same in their first round win. Malik Mozone recovered two fumbles, both of which led to TDs, while Jordan Boyd, Darien Jackson, Gerald Lark, and Jaydon Eason (pictured) pretty much set up shop in the Mid-Carolina backfield. They combined for 29 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, a sack, and a forced fumble. That doesn't even count the game that Jayden Fuller had. He had 12 tackles, three tackles for loss, and a sack, while contributing on offense as well. And Hiszari Gantt led the way on both offense and special teams.     Sophomore QB Cameron McMillon makes it go for the Griffins. He's thrown for nearly 2,000 yards, and has a ton of weapons at his disposal - four Fairfield Central receivers have notched at least 200 yards, with Kristian Golden's 542 yards and seven touchdowns leading the way. Tydarion Grier paces the Griffins on the ground, with 459 yards, a 10 yards per carry average, and nine scores. Christopher Jackson, Noah Kendall, and [player_tooltip player_id='1592601' first='Douglas' last='McCloud'] help anchor the Griffins' defense.     NO. 4 KEENAN (5-5) AT NO. 1 STROM THURMOND (9-2)   The Raiders got a huge win on the road at Ninety Six to advance to the second round. [player_tooltip player_id='1360203' first='Desmond' last='Washington'] threw for two touchdowns and ran for another, but his pass to [player_tooltip player_id='1578660' first='Tyheim' last='McNeil'] with 33 seconds left might have been his biggest completion of the night. That set the Raiders up at the Ninety Six two-yard line, and led to Evan Artemus' game-winning TD. Damonte Lowery and Ny'Keim McNeil also had big nights for Keenan.     Strom Thurmond just continues to roll, and the Rebels' opportunistic offense put up solid numbers in the first round. Quan Edmond threw three TD passes, Chris Barnes led the way with 93 yards and two TDs on the ground, and Cam Blacks and Michael Blocker each rushed for a TD. The Rebels' swarming defense forced five turnovers on the night.     NO. 4 CHESNEE (6-5) AT NO. 1 GRAY COLLEGIATE (12-3)   The Eagles got a gutsy, tough road win at Batesburg-Leesville to open the playoffs, and they did it with the guys who have played well when Chesnee has been successful. Austin Bigford had 123 tough yards and two scores on the ground. KJay Proctor threw for 161 yards and a touchdown and ran for 53 more. Adonis Burgess, typically, was everywhere. He had 60 total yards, while Kaylob Blanton had 83 receiving yards and a score. Where the Eagles really played well, though, was against the run. They defended on the ground as well as they have all year, as Aiden Allen and Wesley Wilkie had five tackles each, Proctor had 4.5 with three tackles for loss, and Gunther Gerstenacker notched two sacks.     The War Eagles didn't see much rust after not having played a team from South Carolina since early September. Instead, they looked dominant. Caleb Ford rushed for 150 yards and four TDs, the defense allowed Pelion fewer than 100 yards of offense, and Michael Boulware picked off two passes, returning one for a score. The War Eagles will rely on their playmakers more down the stretch, and they've got plenty. Jamarious Lockett averages 99 receiving yards per game, BJ Montogmery rushes for almost 94, and Zai Offord does a little bit of everything. Defensively, Boulware and Kaine Williams lead the way.

The 2A playoffs are rolling on with a couple of upsets. No. 3 Newberry, No. 4 Keenan, and No. 4 Chesnee all recorded first-round upsets to advance. Now, the stakes get higher. Here's a look at the eight teams remaining in the Upper State bracket in Class 2A.