Week 1 CSRA Games To Watch

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Week One of the regular season provides a mixture of matchups both within and outside the CSRA. A few teams look to remain undefeated, while others will try to move into the win column.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Lexington at North Augusta</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A non-region contest that matches up on paper just as even as the overall series record (tied at 7-7) between the two teams. The Yellow Jackets were victorious in the last meeting during the 2017 season. North Augusta quarterback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1031336' first='Corey' last='Tillman']</strong> accounted for 214 yards and four touchdowns (three passing, one rushing) in the 25-18 win over Thomson (Ga.). Wide receiver <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1013040' first='Connor' last='Brown']</strong> remains Tillman's main target as the duo have built a strong connection dating back as freshmen. Junior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='402503' first='Michael' last='Doe']</strong> (pictured) had a touchdown reception and looks to build upon his sophomore season. After holding Thomson to 79 total yards in the first half, North Augusta's defense needed a late interception by linebacker <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1592679' first='Zeddius' last='Tillman']</strong> to stop an 18-0 second-half scoring run by the Bulldogs. The Wildcats are coming off posting its first shutout in two seasons in the 24-0 win over Gilbert. Lexington's senior-laden defense, led by linebacker <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='836316' first='Matthew' last='McAulay']</strong>, was stingy and punishing the entire game in holding Gilbert to 88 total yards. The offense is young at the skilled positions with quarterback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1823308' first='Brennon' last='Carter']</strong>, running back <strong>Cam Capel</strong> and wide receiver<strong> Deacan Dimarco</strong> and <strong>Torie Jones</strong>. The Wildcats' offensive line is experienced and physical with <strong>Matt Wilkie</strong>, tackle&nbsp;<strong>Bryce Mitchell&nbsp;</strong>and center&nbsp;<strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1823305' first='Brennen' last='Rawl']</strong>. It will look to step up to the challenge of dealing with <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1214944' first='Davion' last='McKinnis']</strong>. On defense, senior nose tackle <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1249786' first='Artem' last='Kalinkin']</strong> may find his way into the North Augusta backfield challenged by <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1251916' first='Malcolm' last='Gaston']</strong>. The Lexington secondary is filled with hard-hitting covermen with <strong>Bennett Watford</strong>, <strong>Lorenzo Katio </strong>and <strong>Landon Flenniken</strong>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Strom Thurmond at Silver Bluff</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Rebels seek their 13^th win in the last 15 meetings against the Bulldogs. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1820530' first='Deonte' last='Phillips']</strong> led a running game which accounted for 223 total yards among seven players with 85 yards on just four carries. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1823101' first='Trenquilis' last='Mathis']</strong> accounted for two rushing touchdowns on seven carries and quarterback <strong>Bri'shaun Lee</strong> threw two touchdowns on six completions, both to <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1254050' first='Jay' last='Sewell']</strong>. The Rebels also got two interception returns for touchdowns from defensive backs <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='617663' first='Kaleb' last='Simpkins']</strong>, who also rushed for a score, and sophomore <strong>Gregory Moore</strong>, who had a team-high eight tackles. Silver Bluff's offense got off to a slow start in the 35-18 loss to South Aiken. Quarterback <strong>Trellis Riley</strong> and wide receiver <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='816737' first='Cam'Ron' last='Frazier']</strong> got together on two touchdown pass plays and running back <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='766728' first='Drelyn' last='Brown']</strong> rushed for 121 yards, including a 64-yard touchdown. Center <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='272706' first='Garris' last='Chambers']</strong> looks to pick up from his strong play last season in which he had 20 pancake blocks and did not allow a sack. He also leads a young offensive line with freshman <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1821856' first='Danny' last='Scurry']</strong> and juniors <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1823569' first='Tariq' last='Williams']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1820954' first='Adrian' last='Gray']</strong>. Junior defensive lineman <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1820953' first='Keyaideen' last='Williams'] </strong>will look to disrupt the Rebels' running game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Williston-Elko at Barnwell</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Warhorses have won the last eight meetings with the Blue Devils dating back to 2015. It looks to sweep their in-county rivals following a 24-7 win over [player_tooltip player_id='1856798' first='[player_tooltip player_id='1856799' first='Blackville-Hilda' last='']' last='']. Quarterback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='272720' first='Cameron' last='Austin']</strong> opened his senior year with a balanced effort, tallying 134 total yards and three rushing touchdowns. With All-State offensive linemen <strong>Tony Cherry </strong>and <strong>Lamar Buxton</strong> leading the way, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1817436' first='Nehemiah' last='Brown']</strong> also stood out on the ground with 88 rushing yards on 22 carries. When Barnwell went to the air, wide receiver <strong>Jaquan Peeples</strong> had three catches for 62 yards. The story of the night was the Warhorses' defense which limited University of South Carolina commit <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='605527' first='Jaquel' last='Holman']</strong> and quarterback <strong>Samari Williams</strong> to 108 combined rushing yards after they had 317 yards and five touchdowns a year earlier. Linebacker <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1254065' first='Lex' last='Thomas']</strong> had a team-high 11 tackles,<strong> Logan Sturkie</strong> had two sacks and he and <strong>Damajhai Devoe</strong> both finished with 10 tackles. The Blue Devils enter the contest with momentum having snapped a 12-game losing streak. Senior leadership is provided by quarterback <strong>Tony Dunbar</strong>, running back <strong>Markell Brown</strong> and wide receiver <strong>Carlos Drayton</strong>.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Edisto at [player_tooltip player_id='1856798' first='[player_tooltip player_id='1856799' first='Blackville-Hilda' last='']' last='']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A pair of CSRA teams looking to rebound from rivalry game defeats. The Hawks had their offense stymied for a rare instance with senior [player_tooltip player_id='605527' first='Jaquel' last='Holman'] in the 24-7 loss to Barnwell. They were held to 143 total yards, the lone touchdown coming off a 26-yard touchdown pass by Samari Williams to <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1395064' first='Messiah' last='McFadden']</strong>. They will look to reengage Holman and wide receiver <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1360154' first='Namair' last='Anderson']</strong> more improved with the offense. Despite difficulty slowing down quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='272720' first='Cameron' last='Austin'], [player_tooltip player_id='1856798' first='[player_tooltip player_id='1856799' first='Blackville-Hilda' last='']' last=''] still held the Warhorses to 161 rushing yards. Seniors defensive tackle <strong>Timothy Beard</strong> and middle linebacker <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1359157' first='Jabarius' last='Johnson']</strong> are expected to lead the effort against the Cougars. Edisto quarterback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1012871' first='Terrell' last='Thomas']</strong> accounted for the lone touchdown in the 41-10 loss to Bamberg-Erhardt and is the centerpiece of the team's offense. First-year head coach Marcus Livingston is relying upon several two-way players like linemen <strong>Alex Livingston</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1820281' first='Brooklyn' last='Randolph']</strong> to provides opportunities for an offense which has scored over 10 points once in the past five games dating back to last season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Lewisville at Hunter-Kinard-Tyler</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Trojans' head coach Jermaine Derricott promised a more physical team this season. He brought back linebackers <strong>John Ross</strong> and <strong>Nykavien Peeples</strong> to a defense which held opponents to 12 points a game last season. They resumed their dominant play in the 38-0 victory over Allendale-Fairfax. The offense, despite five turnovers, controlled the line of scrimmage led by <strong>Emauri Blue</strong> and two other starters upfront and returning running backs <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1822793' first='Darion' last='Stroman']</strong> and <strong>Omarian Holman</strong>. The Lions graduated a large senior class from last year's 12-1 team which was ranked first for most of the season. They also saw head coach Leon Boulware accept a similar position at Lugoff-Elgin. Lewisville defeated Great Falls 20-0 for its ninth shutout victory in the last 12 games dating back to last season. At 6-foot-4, junior defensive lineman <strong>Jaquese Buchanan</strong> plays an integral role in stopping the run for the Lions. Senior linebacker <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1158047' first='Elisha' last='Baker']</strong> is the “quarterback” on defense and the secondary is filled with “ball hawks” with <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1165159' first='Jordan' last='Strong']</strong>and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1820260' first='Zy' last='Davis']</strong>. On offense, quarterback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1249747' first='Zach' last='Rogers']</strong> threw three touchdowns against Central in his first game after being sidelined by a calf strain. He has weapons in <strong><u>[player_tooltip player_id='1267330' first='Jacorreun' last='Howze']</u></strong>, <strong>CJ Brunet</strong> and <strong>Keyterrion Nelson</strong>. The backfield appears to have depth with <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='616374' first='Mikel' last='Hutchins']</strong>, <strong>AJ Price,</strong> and Baker.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->