Class 5A Upper State Third Round Playoff Preview
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Here. We. Go. The 5A Upper State playoffs roll into the third round with a couple of party crashers and a couple of old familiar foes. One side of the bracket features a rematch of the 2021 5A title game…
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The 5A Upper State playoffs roll into the third round with a couple of party crashers and a couple of old familiar foes.
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.
No. 2 Gaffney (9-3) at No. 2 Dutch Fork (7-5)
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.
Gaffney has reached the second round with a balanced offense and a tenacious defense. Offensively, it starts with Jaiden McDowell Jaiden McDowell 5'9" | 175 lbs | RB Gaffney | 2026 State SC . 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. Riley Staton Riley Staton 6'3" | 185 lbs | QB Gaffney | 2024 State SC has a big arm at QB, with nearly 2,700 passing yards and 28 scores. His top targets are Emazon Littlejohn Emazon Littlejohn 6'0" | 180 lbs | WR Gaffney | 2024 SC and Jamarcus Smith Jamarcus Smith SC , and Drew Medley is a clutch possession receiver. Shane Davidson has emerged as a huge threat in the playoffs.
Defensively, the Indians are a force. They’re deep on the defensive line, where Caron Foster Caron Foster 6'2" | 240 lbs | DL Gaffney | 2024 State SC and Jarriel Jefferies lead the way. At linebacker, Andrew Ruppe Andrew Ruppe 6'1" | 220 lbs | LB Gaffney | 2025 State SC and Imari Foster-Boyd are fast and physical, while King Dowdle and Stone Furrey Stone Furrey 5'10" | 175 lbs | ATH Gaffney | 2026 SC anchor the backfield.
Dutch Fork has been lights-out since a loss to White Knoll and the return of QB Jon Hunt. 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 Jacob Hamilton Jacob Hamilton 5'9" | 180 lbs | WR Dutch Fork | 2024 State SC 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. Maurice Anderson Maurice Anderson 5'10" | 200 lbs | RB Dutch Fork | 2025 State SC has 683 yards and 14 touchdowns, while Trent Lodge and Ethan Offing both have more than 400 yards on the ground and KJ Smith KJ Smith 5'7" | 170 lbs | ATH Dutch Fork | 2025 State SC has almost 300.
Defensively, Dutch Fork has a bunch of guys who can go. Deon Winsley Deon Winsley 6'3" | 190 lbs | LB Dutch Fork | 2024 State SC 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. Bryce Nuttall is the second-leading tackler and has six sacks, while Dakota Jordan Dakota Jordan 6'1" | 215 lbs | DL Dutch Fork | 2024 State SC has contributed five. Peyton Betts Peyton Betts 6'0" | 180 lbs | DB Dutch Fork | 2024 State SC has nabbed five interceptions for Dutch Fork.
No. 3 Hillcrest (10-2) at No. 2 J.L. Mann (10-2)
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 one of the best games we’ve seen this year.
Hillcrest was hitting on all cylinders last week, as Kalab Sutton Kalab Sutton 6'3" | 175 lbs | QB Hillcrest | 2025 State SC 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. Avery McFadden Avery McFadden 5'10" | 175 lbs | WR Hillcrest | 2024 State SC 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. Bryce Rainwater Bryce Rainwater 6'4" | 285 lbs | OL Hillcrest | 2025 State SC leads a deep, talented offensive line who makes room for Thomas Stanley, a true workhorse at RB.
Defensively, Tyson Moses Tyson Moses 5'11" | 200 lbs | LB Hillcrest | 2024 State SC makes plays all over the field, and DJ Henderson DJ Henderson 5'10" | 205 lbs | DL Hillcrest | 2025 State SC is a hard-hitting ball hawk. Caleb Constantino and Titus Norris put up big defensive numbers, and Antrez Norris has five sacks.
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. Joel Crespo and Keyshun Henderson Keyshun Henderson 5'10" | 175 lbs | WR JL Mann | 2025 State SC each had an interception return for a score in the win. The Patriots’ defensive backfield has been collecting interceptions at a high rate, and Wyatt Ward Wyatt Ward 6'0" | 225 lbs | LB JL Mann | 2025 State SC is a tackle machine.
The Patriots are also subject to put up a TON of points. Ethan Anderson Ethan Anderson 6'2" | 185 lbs | QB JL Mann | 2024 State SC has thrown for more than 2,800 yards, with Mikel McClellan Mikel McClellan 5'9" | 165 lbs | WR JL Mann | 2024 State SC as his main target. Na’cyus Morrison is fantastic out of the backfield and catching the ball, as is Henderson.