Realignment Reality: The New Class 2A

When the talk was over and the dust started to settle, the South Carolina High School League's realignment for the 2024-2026 window immediately pointed to massive change.   A three-times multiplier went into effect statewide, and the filter-down to Class 2A meant a lot of hooting and hollering from some of the other existing programs in the division who stayed there. The reasoning wasn't all that hard to figure out.   Abbeville, Gray Collegiate and Oceanside Collegiate teamed up to win seven of the last eight state championships in Class 2A, with the later two falling to one of the others in the finals one additional time. Now, all three of them are elsewhere.    But before the proverbial angels sing for one of the remaining Class 2A teams, there will be a lot to sort out over the course of the 2024 season. And while we'll have storylines galore during the first half of the season, realignment is all about which teams are paired in come region play.   Here are a few of the biggest ones we're expecting to need to track.    REGION I-2A   While Clinton will be in Region III for the rest of its sports, the Red Devils will be scooting a bit to the northwest for football. That's not good news for Blacksburg, Chesnee, Landrum and Liberty.    Clinton quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1012830' first='Tushawan' last='Richardson'] will be back behind center after throwing for nearly 1,700 yards yards and 23 touchdowns and rushing for another 800-plus and six more scores. Tailbacks DJ Clark and [player_tooltip player_id='1161156' first='Javen' last='Cook'] are back, too, as the ultra-reliable [player_tooltip player_id='241184' first='Rion' last='Gordon'] at center and budding tackle [player_tooltip player_id='1165753' first='Tre' last='Aiken'] - who won top OL honors during the Joanne Langiftt Challenge in December.    Defensively, leading tackler [player_tooltip player_id='150043' first='Brett' last='Young'] (70 tackles, 17 tackles for loss) and safety Chris Boyd (43 tackles, two interceptions, five pass break-ups, forced fumble). Much of the rest of the supporting cast still needs seasoning, but Clinton has what it needs on paper to win a third straight region title.   OTHER PLAYERS TO WATCH IN THE REGION   [player_tooltip player_id='1013061' first='Cameron' last='Cobb'] and Ziyon Harrs WR, Blacksburg   We absolutely dig what these can do as a tandem. There's a reason they were both Class 2A All-State honorable mentions last season, after all. And since quarterback Josh Sims received the same designation after throwing for 2,000-plus years and is also back for another year, yeah, we think that trio can be even more potent as seniors. Here's Sims throwing it around a good bit, most often to Cobb and Harris.    REGION II-2A   Just how fast can the Ninety Six trajectory go? We're about to find out.   Because after the likes of [player_tooltip player_id='1013113' first='Zayvion' last='King'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1165125' first='Gabe' last='Hackett'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1267354' first='Austin' last='Wertz'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1267223' first='Carver' last='Davis'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1258072' first='Kayden' last='Payne'] and a slew of other returning players helped take this from a five-win team to a eight-win one in coach Matt Bennett's first year, the combination of belief and talent is definitely there.   So is the opportunity. While new region foe Strom Thurmond is one of the more respected programs in the classification, the Rebels lost more than 80 percent of their offensive production from last season and seven of their top tacklers on defense. Granted, rising senior [player_tooltip player_id='1249754' first='Josh' last='Merriweather'] might go from overlooked defensive end to downright star in the blink of an eye. Strom Thurmond has a tendency to draw those types when no one is expecting it.   OTHER PLAYER TO WATCH IN THE REGION   Amadre Wooden RB, Batesburg-Leesville   You put up more than 1,500 all-purpose yards, you're probably doing something right. And then your coaches decide they're going to feed you even more. The 5-foot-10, 195-pound tailback often slides out to the wing. Regardless of his position at the snap, he has breakaway speed on handoffs or quick passes to the flat alike. It also takes more than a handful to bring him down.    REGION III-2A   With respect to the other four teams in the region, we're not sure there's much here that can prevent Chester from steamrolling the bunch. Quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='457973' first='Trooper' last='Floyd'] (2,060 passing yards, 551 rushing yards, 23 total touchdowns) is back for one more season under his father, Victor. Big offensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id='1157755' first='JaBrell' last='White'] (6-foot-3, 275) is back. Did we mention talented defenders [player_tooltip player_id='1165099' first='Darriyarn' last='Baxley'] (126 tackles, 17 TFL), [player_tooltip player_id='816734' first='Terry' last='Radford'] (74 tackles, 16 TFL), [player_tooltip player_id='1592278' first='Hudhaifah' last='Taylor'] (79 tackles, 11 TFL) and a few others are right back at it, too?    For all intents and purposes, whatever Chester lost from last fall's squad, it will have the luxury of time to figure out before the all-important region games. The potential for another 10-win season is clearly there again.   OTHER PLAYERS TO WATCH IN THE REGION   [player_tooltip player_id='1012718' first='TyDarion' last='Grier'] WR, [player_tooltip player_id='1012860' first='Chris' last='Pearson'] DB, Fairfield Central    Some of the luster was taken off the Griffins' 2024 season when quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='473002' first='Cameron' last='McMillon'] transferred to South Pointe at the semester break. But in Pearson and Greer Fairfield Central clearly still possesses to outstanding playmakers. Pearson is a the guy often playing opposite the other team's best receiver and he doesn't give up a lot a yards. He might just see some more time on offense this year, too. And in Grier, the Griffins already had a proven deep threat before they started to use him some out of the backfield, too. He went out last season and casually put up four 100-yard rushing games and 609 yards and 13 touchdowns on the ground.     REGION IV-2A   Thanks to graduations, maybe no other region in the state will be defined more by being able to build its program than simply relying on last season's stars. That brings us to maybe the two more interesting teams in the bunch - North Central and Chesterfield.   Both squads are returning the vast majority of their 2023 production next fall, and that's even with North Central losing bruising 1,000-yard tailback [player_tooltip player_id='997222' first='Casey' last='Shropshire']. The Knights, however, will return two-way standout [player_tooltip player_id='1575379' first='Jonathan' last='Clarkson'] (773 rushing yards, nine touchdowns; 77 tackles 12 tackles for loss) at running back and linebacker. He'll also have a ton of help on defense.    Most notably, safety [player_tooltip player_id='1249778' first='Jordan' last='Joe'] (pictured) and his 6-foot-4 frame picked off seven passes last season to go along with 51 tackles. There's also team leader [player_tooltip player_id='1360295' first='Aiden' last='Wiles'], who had 73 tackles and 11.5 tackles for loss (and also starts on the offensive line), linebackers Quayson Peoples (67 tackles, 10 TFL) and Dalton Davis (53 tackles) and Malik Jones (49 tackles) and all-region selection Ashton Brazell at corner.    Chesterfield was similarly young last year. And that means a whole bunch of returning faces who spent last year taking some licks but also getting more comfortable with each other.    The two biggest returners are probably receiver [player_tooltip player_id='1254128' first='Jaquavis' last='Clark'] (670 yards, nine touchdowns), a player who also steps in at Wildcat and some on defense, and linebacker Sincere Hubbard (73 tackles, 4.5 TFL), who led the team in stops last season. Also back are quarterback Bryce Adams, two-way linemen Tage Diggs and Xavier Rivers.    OTHER PLAYER TO WATCH IN THE REGION   [player_tooltip player_id='1254093' first='Tray' last='Wilson'] ATH, Central   Wilson is one of those guys who has seen his role evolve the longer he plays. Primarily a tailback, the 5-foot-9, 150-pounder improved his yards-per-carry figures from his sophomore (6.6) to his junior (10.0) seasons - while topping 800 yards in each year. He also became an effective change-of-pace slot receiver, which was really just another way to get the ball into his hands. There, he added another 383 yards. The 17 tackles and a pick he added from the secondary was further evidence we're going to see plenty of him this fall.     REGION V-2A   This cluster of teams certainly won't lack any star power capable of turning some heads.   Barnwell quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='272720' first='Cameron' last='Austin'] threw for 1,765 yards and 11 touchdowns while rushing for another 911 yards and 21 more scores. Both of his top pass catchers - Jaquan Peeples and Logan Sturkie - are back, too. Those three also were one, two and three for the Warhorses in rushing yards last year.   Edisto's [player_tooltip player_id='1012871' first='Terrell' last='Thomas'] will also be back behind center in the team's run-first scheme that has him staring at a 1,000-yard rushing campaign.    Over at Whale Branch, rising sophomore defensive tackle [player_tooltip player_id='1036772' first='Rahiem' last='Saunders'] has big-time potential in the middle while active multi-faceted defenders Treshon Hills, [player_tooltip player_id='1360396' first='Davon' last='Evans'] and [player_tooltip player_id='579278' first='Alonzo' last='Allen'] all have another year left.   Hampton County has to move on from the [player_tooltip player_id='239076' first='Zion' last='Dobson'] era, but it has also been planning for it. The likes of [player_tooltip player_id='1013046' first='Josh' last='Goodman'] at receiver, [player_tooltip player_id='1036756' first='Jordan' last='Bovain'] at receiver and tailback will become even bigger targets for quarterback Chris Terry (1,600 combined yards). Defensively, [player_tooltip player_id='809743' first='Mandrell' last='Sanders'] has already shown how good he can be.    OTHER REGION PLAYER TO WATCH   [player_tooltip player_id='1165165' first='Jaylen' last='Singletary'] DB, Hampton County   We initially moved Singletary into our Class of 2026 rankings as a defensive back after he picked off six passes and recorded more than 51 tackles. So, yes, obviously we think he's got some skills. But what we're looking to find out next is just how much and where he contributes on offense. He's already got 30 varsity carries on his resume (averaging 9.9 yards per carry) and wouldn't be surprised if he starts getting more passes thrown his way, too.     REGION VI-2A   Moving a touch north and/or toward the coast into Region VI will prove itself one of the more top-heavy divisions in the entire class in terms of players in the trenches. It likely defines itself as a true Class 2A battleground.    Andrews has tall defensive ends [player_tooltip player_id='1013038' first='Khalil' last='Dorsey'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1025808' first='Chris' last='Stewart'] ready to go.   Philip Simmons returns rising juniors [player_tooltip player_id='473030' first='Quamaine' last='Vaughn'] and [player_tooltip player_id='895754' first='Steven' last='Pickard'] at at the tackle positions, as well as [player_tooltip player_id='473026' first='Michael' last='Garnett'] on the defensive line. Woodland's [player_tooltip player_id='473028' first='Donovan' last='Miles'] has big expectations after the departure of [player_tooltip player_id='139286' first='Kam' last='Pringle'] to the University of South Carolina.   And Timberland tackle [player_tooltip player_id='473011' first='Desmond' last='Green'] still has two years of eligibility remaining and more than his share of college offers already in the tank.   We believe this is going to lead to some quirky scores throughout the season because while there are a decent number of skill positions returning, too, the heart of this region rests on the offensive and defensive lines right now.    OTHER REGION PLAYERS TO WATCH   [player_tooltip player_id='502413' first='Tavien' last='Orellana'] and [player_tooltip player_id='617720' first='Max' last='Stafford'] QBs, Philip Simmons   The Iron Horses had no issue running a two-tailback system last year, and the team was often rewarded with huge rushing outputs. Now, the staff is going to be tested even more with a quarterback battle that is more than a full year in the making. Orellana (906 yards, 15 touchdowns) got the bulk of the reps last season in part because he only threw one pick in 94 attempts. But Stafford's presence and arm strength is keeping him in the mix for more playing time.     REGION VII-2A   While there is uncertainty about the still first-year program at Atlantic Collegiate and unknown impacts of turnover at Marion, Lake City and East Clarendon, what we do know right now is that Manning and Kingstree are bringing back the types of pieces that should help both compete for a region crown.    The Blazers most notably are [player_tooltip player_id='473015' first='Tyleek' last='Dukes'] (66 tackles, three forced fumbles, 22 receptions, 340 yards), [player_tooltip player_id='1013079' first='Xavier' last='Dukes'] (299 receiving yards, three touchdowns, seven tackles, blocked punt) and [player_tooltip player_id='1036769' first='Maleek' last='Dukes'] (33 tackles, 15 tackles for loss). Rising sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='1158005' first='Mycheal' last='Wallace'] (30 tackles, 11 tackles for loss) also gets more time with his hand in the dirt.   Up the road at Manning, rising junior linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='1592198' first='Jontavious' last='Canty'] (87 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss) will be leading the charge, while quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1360053' first='JaRae' last='Mitchell'] (1,100 combined yards) and 260-pound tailback Jaylnn Coard (617 yards 15 touchdowns) will be the first and second priorities.   We're definitely looking forward to the in-region match-up between those two on October 4.   OTHER REGION PLAYER TO WATCH   Dramere Pearson LB, Marion   If you're looking for a player whose numbers might absolutely shoot through the roof this season, look no further than Pearson. As a junior, he led the Swamp Foxes in total stops (95) while adding 11 tackles for loss. Seven of the team's eight next best tacklers all graduated. Pearson has excellent straight line speed and keeps himself around the ball at all times.

When the talk was over and the dust started to settle, the South Carolina High School League's realignment for the 2024-2026 window immediately pointed to massive change.