What and Who to Know for Week 10 in the Lowcountry

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With a few Lowcountry teams taking advantage of an extra off week now, a some matchups, squads and players will grab an even bigger part of the spotlight.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We've got multiple games that will either directly determine region titles here and now and others that are of vital importance to playoff seeding. All the while, we've got some players in not-so-big games who could help pay dividends with strong showings on Friday.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here are 30-plus players we'll have tabs on in Week 10.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>BLUFFTON (5-3, 2-1) AT MAY RIVER (7-1, 3-1)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Sharks have every intention of using their diverse rushing attack to not only move the ball and put up some points. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1574079' first='Asa' last='Haskins']</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1592214' first='Andrew' last='Johnson']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1592230' first='Sean' last='Mitchell']</strong> can be just as potent in that any yards they put up come with the added bonus of limiting Bluffton's chances. If that's not enough, May River can also contribute more to a pass-first Bobcats scheme with <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1575340' first='Hudson' last='Flanagan']</strong> (77 tackles), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1575350' first='Ethan' last='Sprinkle']</strong> (65 tackles) and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1575332' first='AJ' last='Hamilton']</strong> (59 tackles). And while Bluffton has gotten solid production out of tailback [player_tooltip player_id='1422587' first='Kordell' last='Holley'] (679 yards, seven touchdowns), the biggest plays this fall have stemmed from the arm of quarterback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1394988' first='Aedan' last='McCarthy']</strong> and receivers <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='402486' first='Carnell' last='Warren']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1578696' first='Nate' last='Ulmer']</strong> - three players who have linked up a total of 78 times this year already. Neither team can win a region championship after the completion of next week's games without this one. Adding an in-town rivalry to boot?&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>ORANGEBURG-WILKINSON (7-2, 3-0) AT OCEANSIDE COLLEGIATE (5-3, 3-0)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Bruins have already locked in their first winning season in four years this fall, and it's not rocket science to figure out how. Tailbacks <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1126113' first='Jordan' last='Avinger']</strong> has been a great addition, rushing for more than 700 yards. That's even better when you consider that <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1361647' first='Derrick' last='Thomas']</strong> is already over 1,000 yards. The two are taking a lot of pressure off freshman quarterback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1474133' first='Brenden' last='Peoples']</strong>, who is closing in on a 1,000-yard passing season, while sophomore receiver <strong>Desi Miller</strong> is quickly emerging as a quality downfield threat. That's last part is clearly part of the game plan at Oceanside. Quarterback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1094944' first='Aiden' last='Manavian']</strong> has had two weeks to get ready for O-W after throwing for 300 yards in the first half of a blowout win over Battery Creek. The sophomore has a great connection with <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='809757' first='Will' last='Virgilio']</strong> and been able to breathe plenty in the second half during the second half of all three region contests. That's also because defensive players like <strong>Michael Strickler</strong> and <strong>Jack Wattie</strong> have meshed well with some of the holdovers from last year's state championship team.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>CROSS (7-2, 5-0) AT BAPTIST HILL (6-2, 4-1)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Shawn Wright's Cross squad has one more test to earn a region crown that will ultimately give the Trojans home field advantage throughout the first four rounds of the playoffs. Behind tailback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1012859' first='Karmello' last='Jones']</strong> and his huge region run (161 yards per game) and a defense led by, well, Jones (team-leading 51 tackles, 14 tackles for loss), sophomore defensive lineman <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1422604' first='Jailyn' last='Broughton']</strong> (49 tackles, eight TFL) and junior linebacker <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1639766' first='William' last='Grant']</strong> (41 tackles, 13 TFL), most of these games haven't even looked like a pop quiz. But Baptist Hill quarterbacks <strong>Brayden Franklin</strong> and <strong>Johnquez Henderson</strong> have taken turns lighting up opposing defenses, throwing for a combined 1,700 yards and 18 touchdowns. <strong>Martell Wright</strong> (645 yards, 10 touchdowns) and <strong>Romello Grant</strong> (361 yards, five touchdowns have hauled in the bulk of those, but don't forget about dynamic sophomore <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1172343' first='Kyilann' last='Gordon']</strong> and everything he brings to this offense both rushing and receiving. Or that Baptist Hill could force a three-way tie for first in this region with a win.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>WEST ASHLEY (4-5, 2-2) AT ASHLEY RIDGE (6-2, 2-2)&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The fight for second place in Region VIII-5A will be heavily influenced by this game, and both teams know a win is a must here to prevent falling way down the playoff picture. And with what Ashley Ridge has done on offense this year, it's apparent that <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1249843' first='Davion' last='Kinard-Taylor'] </strong>(19 tackles for loss, pictured) and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='367827' first='Bristol' last='Biegenzahn']</strong> (12 TFL) are going to need to get after the quarterback. And in this case, it's all about <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='402509' first='Trevor' last='Kalisz']</strong> and his 2,700 passing yards and 24 touchdowns. Receiver <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1181027' first='Jaiden' last='Deweese']</strong> has already eclipsed 1,000 yards, while <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1036782' first='Jagger' last='Spivey']</strong> is three yards shy of 500. Something's got to give here, and we're going to be watching to see where the score is early. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>LOWCOUNTRY PLAYERS TO WATCH</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1172368' first='Andrew' last='Massey']</strong> LB, Hilton Head | The sophomore missed three games in October to injury, but he's come back with a vengeance. In the two games since he returned, he's put up 20 total tackles (14 solo), three tackles for loss, a quarterback hurry and a blocked field goal. He's blending well with [player_tooltip player_id='1578797' first='Tristen' last='Simmons'] and the duo could keep Hilton Head in the hunt for a region title with a win against Beaufort this week.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1592342' first='Connor' last='Dantzler']</strong> QB, James Island | The Trojans' back-to-back wins against Fort Dorchester and Ashley Ridge helped their playoff seeing. Now, it's time for Dantzler to put some stuff on film that can help his team once it gets there. The junior has thrown for 1,366 yards this year and has a pair of early season 200-yard games. However, with a dynamic showing against Stall, the James Island offense could catch up some to its defense.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='378969' first='Jaiden' last='Kelly-Murray']</strong> ATH, Summerville | The intent during the offseason was working the ultra-talented sophomore into the offensive scheme more. And that plan has taken hold. Last week, he nearly ended the game with touchdowns rushing, receiving and off an interception (one was called back for a flag). He's a sure-handed receiver and has been effective out of the wildcat on short-yardage situations. Add that to what we already knew about his defensive prowess, and he might have another big one against Fort Dorchester.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->