Class 3A Upper State Third Round Playoff Preview

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 3A Upper State playoffs have a couple of teams who were expected to be here, and a party crasher.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Chester is the only team keeping the bracket from being straight chalk, as the Cyclones went to Chapman and thumped the top-seeded Panthers 58-24. All three of the other No. 1 seeds held serve, as Belton-Honea Path, Clinton, and Daniel all got second-round wins. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>From about mid-season on, the talk in the Upstate was that any of seven teams could make a realistic run at the Upper State championship. Four of them are left. Here's a look at Friday's matchups.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>No. 2 Chester (10-2) at No. 1 Daniel (12-0)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Cyclones went to Chapman and absolutely blasted the Panthers. They did it with a familiar formula. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='997385' first='Elijah' last='Coleman']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='771067' first='Antonio' last='Hopkins'] </strong>led the way on the ground, as the Cyclones rushed for more than 300 yards as a team. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='457973' first='Trooper' last='Floyd']</strong> was poised at QB, using his legs as well as his arm in the win, and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='771062' first='Reggie' last='Heath']</strong> provided a monster night: he ran for a TD, caught another, and returned an interception for a third. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='771035' first='Kyan' last='Kennedy']</strong> (pictured) looked sharp in his return to full-go from an injury, picking up every meaningful yard and scoring a TD on a two-minute drive to end the first half. Hopkins, Heath, and Kennedy also turned in monstrous defensive nights for the Cyclones. They'll be needed on both sides of the ball against the Lions.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Daniel is loaded. It all starts up front with Mr. Football finalist <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1142430' first='Watson' last='Young']</strong>, who has lost ONE game as a four-year player for the Lions (along with the rest of the senior class). He leads the way for <strong>Ja'Kari Bennett</strong>, who averages 10.3 yards per carry and who has rushed for nearly 1,200 yards and 23 touchdowns, all in a year where the Lions starters don't see much of the second half. <strong>Tory Shaw</strong> has added almost 600 yards, and <strong>Lee Turnipseed</strong> has almost 500. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1055627' first='Kolton' last='Chapman']</strong> has continued a long tradition of great QB play at Daniel, with nearly 2,000 passing yards and 44 touchdowns. Five receivers have at least 250 yards, with <strong>Graydon Nix</strong> leading the way with 561 yards.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Defensively, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1157945' first='Spencer' last='Conn']</strong> is a terror. He's got 112 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, and seven sacks. Jackson Howard has 55 tackles, while <strong>Dexter Thompson</strong> has added five sacks and <strong>Tremaine Johnson</strong> has nabbed four interceptions for the Lions.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>No. 1 Clinton (10-2) at No. 1 Belton-Honea Path (12-0)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Red Devils were hit with significant injuries, revamped and responded, and ended up with the Region IV-3A title. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1012830' first='Tushawan' last='Richardson']</strong> has been the key. The Devils aren't necessarily opening up a full-scale aerial attack, but they ARE throwing it more. Richardson has looked good in the role, with more than 1,500 passing yards, which is airing it out by Clinton standards. He's thrown for 22 touchdowns, and has added six scores on the ground for the Red Devils. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='949764' first='Kadon' last='Crawford']</strong> is his top target and has re-written a couple of Clinton receiving records. He's caught 44 balls for 784 yards and eight touchdowns, while two-way star <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='771037' first='Zay' last='Johnson']</strong> has 23 catches for 417 yards and seven scores while also leading the Red Devils with three interceptions. <strong>DJ Clark</strong> and <strong>Tray Cook</strong> have combined to rush for more than 1,100 yards, while Richardson has rushed for more than 600 himself. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='150043' first='Brett' last='Young']</strong> has been a standout on defense, with 17 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"Them Bears", as BHP calls themselves, have been phenomenal. They started with a win over Westside, who's still playing in the 4A bracket, and have gotten better as the year has gone on. Their "Bear Bone" offense features a trio of RBs who have looked unstoppable at times. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='605525' first='Marquise' last='Henderson']</strong> has 1,942 yards and 32 TDs, and averages more than 13 yards per carry. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1144034' first='Shaheem' last='Robbs']</strong> has rushed for 1,129 and 13 scores. And last week, with both knocked out of the game against Pendleton, all <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1253982' first='Justin' last='Lathon']</strong> did was put the team on his back with 178 yards and four TDs. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='283891' first='Noah' last='Thomas']</strong> is solid at QB, with 1,460 yards and 22 TDs, while <strong>Qua Alexander</strong> is far and away his top target. He's got 57 catches for 772 yards and eight scores.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lathon helps to lead the way on defense, too, with 38 tackles. The opportunistic Bears have forced 21 turnovers, with six interceptions by <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='779428' first='Tajeh' last='Watson-Martin']</strong> as a big factor. Lathon, <strong>Jakyri Anderson</strong>, and <strong>ExZavier Burns</strong> have three sacks each.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->