Round 2 Game Balls: Greenville, Pickens, Anderson Area

Jed Blackwell November 12, 2023 @ 08:58 AM

Round 2 of the playoffs in Greenville County and surrounding areas was WILD. A couple of monumental upsets, a couple of gutsy performances, and a defending champ that kept on rolling highlighted the week. Here's a look at 11 guys who had huge nights in playoff wins, with a twist: 10 of them are pairs of teammates. This week's PRZ game balls go to:   [player_tooltip player_id='267431' first='Avery' last='McFadden'] ATH and [player_tooltip player_id='809746' first='Kalab' last='Sutton'] QB, Hillcrest   McFadden and Sutton teamed up to help author a signature win for the Rams. Down two scores in the second half, Hillcrest rallied to knock off top-seeded Byrnes on the road in a 27-24 overtime victory. McFadden had five catches for 146 yards and a touchdown, and threw the game-tying TD pass out of a short-yardage set. Sutton returned from injury to throw for 250 yards and a touchdown on 10-of-19 passing.   [player_tooltip player_id='163871' first='Mazeo' last='Bennett'] ATH and [player_tooltip player_id='1575312' first='Lang' last='Steck'] K, Greenville   Steck won the game in Greenville's 24-21 win on the road at Greer. Bennett made it easier. With the game tied and Greenville with one more play before a field goal attempt, Bennett picked up 16 yards on a keeper to turn a tester into a chip-shot. He finished with seven catches for 89 yards to go with four rushes for 42 yards and a score. Steck made all three of his extra point attempts and banged in a 27-yarder for the game winner with four seconds left.   [player_tooltip player_id='1253982' first='Justin' last='Lathon'] RB and [player_tooltip player_id='283891' first='Noah' last='Thomas'] QB, Belton Honea-Path   In a game where the Bears' top two RBs were knocked out of the contest, their third RB (in name only) and QB stepped up. Lathon started the year as the third option in BHP's "Bear Bone" offensive attack, and has been used mostly on defense. Friday night, his number was called, and he responded with 30 carries, 177 yards, and four TDs in a 44-28 win over Pendleton. Oh, and he added a sack on defense. Thomas, meanwhile, had his usual steady game at QB, throwing for 130 yards on 9-for-11 passing to keep the offense moving.   [player_tooltip player_id='1013068' first='Tucker' last='Hendrix'] QB and [player_tooltip player_id='1012637' first='Jackson' last='Repp'] WR, Christ Church   Hendrix and Repp showed that the passing attack is more than capable of carrying Christ Church in a Round 2 win. Hendrix finished 9-of-12 for 270 yards and four touchdowns in the victory. Repp did what he's been doing all year: he made huge play after huge play. His final line of the night was four catches on five targets for three TDs and 182 yards.   [player_tooltip player_id='1249825' first='Keyshun' last='Henderson'] DB and Joel Crespo DE, J.L. Mann   J.L. Mann managed just 90 yards of offense on Friday, and won by double digits. A lot of that is because the Patriots' stingy defense allowed just 158 yards themselves and created their own scoring opportunities. Henderson returned an interception 36 yards for a touchdown and was the closest thing Mann had to an offensive standout, rushing for 50 yards. Crespo had a pick-6 of his own, a 5-yarder that put the game away.   [player_tooltip player_id='1013066' first='Brayden' last='Johnson'] RB, St. Joseph's   Lewisville came roaring into the second round with a long string of blowouts, and the Knights allowed the Lions...well...nothing. But they got next-to-nothing themselves. In a game where the defensive standouts could be listed as "too numerous to mention", there was ONE guy on offense who stood out. That was Johnson, who ran for 79 yards on 18 carries and scored the game's only touchdown, giving St. Joseph's just enough to knock off the No. 1-ranked 1A team in the state.

Round 2 of the playoffs in Greenville County and surrounding areas was WILD. A couple of monumental upsets, a couple of gutsy performances, and a defending champ that kept on rolling highlighted the week. Here's a look at 11 guys who had huge nights in playoff wins, with a twist: 10 of them are pairs of teammates. This week's PRZ game balls go to: