Class 5A Upper State Third Round Playoff Preview

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here. We. Go.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 5A Upper State playoffs roll into the third round with a couple of party crashers and a couple of old familiar foes.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One side of the bracket features a rematch of the 2021 5A title game AND last year's Upper State title game. The other features a rematch of a game we saw three weeks ago in a regular season finale. Here's a breakdown of both.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>No. 2 Gaffney (9-3) at No. 2 Dutch Fork (7-5)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>If you'd told folks before the season that this would be a third-round matchup, it wouldn't have raised an eyebrow. But HOW the teams got here is another story. Both are No. 2 seeds, both knocked off No. 1 teams in the second round, and the Silver Foxes inherited the home spot when they beat T.L. Hanna. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Gaffney has reached the second round with a balanced offense and a tenacious defense. Offensively, it starts with <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='473029' first='Jaiden' last='McDowell'].</strong> The super-talented sophomore has rushed for 1,357 yards and 13 TDs, and has added 44 catches for 547 yards and four more scores. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='119009' first='Riley' last='Staton']</strong> has a big arm at QB, with nearly 2,700 passing yards and 28 scores. His top targets are <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='448239' first='Emazon' last='Littlejohn']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1251135' first='Jamarcus' last='Smith']</strong>, and <strong>Drew Medley</strong> is a clutch possession receiver.<strong> Shane Davidson </strong>has emerged as a huge threat in the playoffs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Defensively, the Indians are a force. They're deep on the defensive line, where <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1142651' first='Caron' last='Foster']</strong> and <strong>Jarriel Jefferies</strong> lead the way. At linebacker, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='605522' first='Andrew' last='Ruppe']</strong> and<strong> Imari Foster-Boyd</strong> are fast and physical, while <strong>King Dowdle</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='568697' first='Stone' last='Furrey']</strong> anchor the backfield.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Dutch Fork has been lights-out since a loss to White Knoll and the return of QB <strong>Jon Hunt</strong>. Hunt's thrown for 888 yards and eight touchdowns in just seven games after bouncing back from an early-season injury. Four Silver Foxes have at least 225 yards, with <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='448992' first='Jacob' last='Hamilton']</strong> leading the way with 510 yards and three TDs. The Silver Foxes' success has come on the ground this season, as they've rushed for more than 2,200 yards. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1012701' first='Maurice' last='Anderson']</strong> has 683 yards and 14 touchdowns, while <strong>Trent Lodge</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1267290' first='Ethan' last='Offing']</strong> both have more than 400 yards on the ground and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1013047' first='KJ' last='Smith']</strong> has almost 300.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Defensively, Dutch Fork has a bunch of guys who can go. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1142713' first='Deon' last='Winsley']</strong> has 101 total tackles, and has added nine tackles for a loss, a sack, eight hurries, two fumble recoveries, a forced fumble, and six pass deflections. <strong>Bryce Nuttall</strong> is the second-leading tackler and has six sacks, while <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1142746' first='Dakota' last='Jordan']</strong> has contributed five. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1142809' first='Peyton' last='Betts']</strong> has nabbed five interceptions for Dutch Fork.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>No. 3 Hillcrest (10-2) at No. 2 J.L. Mann (10-2)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>All the Rams and Patriots did last week was to slay their own personal giants. Hillcrest had beaten Byrnes just twice in 22 tries, and Mann had dropped all six all-time meetings to Spartanburg. But last week, the Greenville County schools broke the playoff curse and the advantage often held by schools from Spartanburg, as Hillcrest took a 27-24 overtime win, and Mann won 17-7. That sets up a rematch of <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2023/10/what-we-saw-jl-mann-edges-hillcrest-in-classic/">one of the best games we've seen this year</a>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hillcrest was hitting on all cylinders last week, as <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='809746' first='Kalab' last='Sutton']</strong> made a gutsy return from injury at QB and threw for 250 yards. He's been a catalyst for the Rams all year, particularly with his legs. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='267431' first='Avery' last='McFadden']</strong> is the playmaker, and the Rams will get him the ball in a lot of ways. Last week, he threw the game-winning touchdown pass and caught another. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='346198' first='Bryce' last='Rainwater']</strong> leads a deep, talented offensive line who makes room for <strong>Thomas Stanley</strong>, a true workhorse at RB.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Defensively, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='997218' first='Tyson' last='Moses']</strong> makes plays all over the field, and [player_tooltip player_id='1254134' first='DJ' last='Henderson'] is a hard-hitting ball hawk.<strong> Caleb Constantino</strong> and <strong>Titus Norris </strong>put up big defensive numbers, and <strong>Antrez Norris</strong> has five sacks.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Mann was held to fewer than 100 yards of offense last week, and still found a way to win. That's thanks in large part to an incredible defensive effort.<strong> Joel Crespo</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1249825' first='Keyshun' last='Henderson']</strong> each had an interception return for a score in the win. The Patriots' defensive backfield has been collecting interceptions at a high rate, and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1249737' first='Wyatt' last='Ward']</strong> is a tackle machine. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Patriots are also subject to put up a TON of points. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1144060' first='Ethan' last='Anderson']</strong> has thrown for more than 2,800 yards, with <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1142457' first='Mikel' last='McClellan']</strong> as his main target. <strong>Na'cyus Morrison </strong>is fantastic out of the backfield and catching the ball, as is Henderson.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->