Week 1 Game Balls: Upstate

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Week 1 in the Upstate meant a ton more outstanding performances from a bunch of different guys all over the map. Here's a look at some of the top performances in the area, worthy of PRZ game balls.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='349806' first='Bryson' last='Drummond'] QB, [player_tooltip player_id='473001' first='Jaylen' last='McGill'] RB and [player_tooltip player_id='1395046' first='KD' last='Hainsworth'] WR, Mountain View Prep</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After cruising in Week 0, the Stars had a much tougher test against Southside Christian. Drummond and Hainsworth were up for the challenge. Drummond finished 11-for-16 with 368 yards and three TDs, and added 30 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Hainsworth had a breakout game, with four catches for 185 yards and three scores. McGill (pictured) rushed 12 times for 135 yards and a touchdown, and caught three balls for 100 yards and another score.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Jameson Dearybury</strong> QB, <strong>Preston Thrift</strong> RB, and <strong>Brayden Simpson</strong> WR, Broome</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Dearybury absolutely lit it up against Chesnee, finishing 13-for-14 through the air with 332 yards and two touchdowns. More than half of that yardage went to Simpson, who notched five catches for 188 yards and a touchdown, adding a two-point conversion. And Thrift paced the Centurions on the ground, carrying 16 times for 109 yards and a pair of touchdowns.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='605522' first='Andrew' last='Ruppe'] LB and [player_tooltip player_id='1254122' first='Jamarcus' last='Smith'] WR, Gaffney</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ruppe plays at the heart of Gaffney's defense, and helped lead the way in the Indians' win over J.L. Mann with six tackles and a blocked punt. In his part-time role as the QB in Gaffney's heavy package, he rushed five times for 33 yards and two TDs, including the overtime score that put the Indians ahead for good. He followed that with a two-point conversion that sealed the game. Smith gave the Indians a big-play threat outside all night, with six catches for 174 yards and a touchdown.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/17688280/66d3c5067b281a7fd6ffa4c7' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-66d51f7e3dae7"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1158040' first='Colten' last='Bagwell'] QB and [player_tooltip player_id='1253994' first='Reese' last='Price'] RB, Wren</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bagwell had a big night against Easley, pacing the Hurricanes to a win. He ran for 115 yards and a TD, while finishing 6-for-8 for 71 yards and two more scores through the air. Price caught two passes for 42 yards and a score, and added 111 rushing yards and three more TDs on nine carries.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1732619' first='Justin' last='Dawkins']</strong> RB, Chapman</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Dawkins put the Panthers on his back in a battle against St. Joseph's. He scored all five of Chapman's touchdowns against the Knights, accounting for scores of 1, 5, 5, and 2 yards, and adding the back-breaker, a 31-yard score in the fourth quarter.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/22448023/66d34ab1ef324203bf9a9c21' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-66d51f7e3db1b"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='309825' first='Grayson' last='Clary'] QB and [player_tooltip player_id='986041' first='Tremaine' last='Davis'] RB, Daniel</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Clary looked good in his second start for the Lions, completing 15 of 21 passes for 237 yards and three scores, and adding a rushing TD. Davis made the most of limited touches, turning his seven carries into 154 yards and two touchdowns.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1267215' first='Michael' last='Posey'] DL, Eastside</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Eagles' standout defensive linemen made his presence known on Friday. Posey racked up 10 tackles, had four tackles for loss, a sack, and a QB hurry as Eastside shut out Carolina.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/20446653/66d3a172bd4ec8f734e51814' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-66d51f7e3db3a"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='463113' first='Gideon' last='Merhib'] QB and [player_tooltip player_id='1025814' first='Jaiden' last='Taylor'] WR, Riverside</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Merhib had his second straight strong outing, throwing for 296 yards and four touchdowns as the Warriors knocked off Greenville 49-26. Tayler had five catches for 143 yards and three scores.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='833941' first='KB' last='Henderson'] RB, Blue Ridge</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Henderson lived up to his billing as one of the best backs in the Upstate. He carried 26 times for 142 yards and two TDs in the Tigers' win over Wade Hampton.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1604046' first='Jackson' last='Free']</strong> QB and [player_tooltip player_id='1013066' first='Brayden' last='Johnson'] RB, Hillcrest</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Rams got a big win over Clover, and Free did a lot of the heavy lifting. He threw for 126 yards and three TDs, and added nine rushes for 64 yards. Johnson added 44 yards on 14 carries and scored three times for the Rams.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Austin Luedke</strong> LB, Woodmont</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Luedke had a monster night against Seneca, notching 15 total tackles, a sack, and a fumble recovery for the Wildcats.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->