3rd Round West Playoffs – Matchups & Players To Watch

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Mallard Creek at Hough</strong> - This is a rematch of two conference foes where Hough won 33-0 in the first matchup, which was the lowest Hough has scored this season offensively. Mallard Creek did not sustain drives and had special teams issues in the first matchup. Here are some key players on both sides:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='905224' first='Jycen' last='Anciso'] - Hough - Queen City Senior Bowl selection is a Swiss army knife for the Huskies, picking up critical yardage on the ground and in the air for their offense. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ayden Bell - Hough - Queen City Senior Bowl selection is a team leader at the linebacker spot and gets the defense lined up and ready to go, in the right spots to dominate the game. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1538689' first='Kandler' last='Happe'] - Hough - Queen City Senior Bowl selection has a strong leg on punts with great hang time. On kicks, Kandler has excellent accuracy and consistently puts the ball near the endzone on kickoffs. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='457612' first='Zion' last='Burden'] - Mallard Creek - Queen City Senior Bowl selection had 3 sacks last week in the win over Watauga. His pressure will be imperative if Mallard Creek pulls an upset victory. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1360451' first='Jordan' last='Shaw'] - Mallard Creek - Queen City Senior Bowl selection is a versatile offensive lineman who must do a good job of trying to neutralize a tough Huskies defensive line. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Justin Watts - Mallard Creek - Queen City Senior Bowl selection has a tough job trying to slow down a strong passing game from his corner position. He will have to play well in coverage to keep Mallard Creek from giving up big plays over the top of the defense. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Dudley at JM Robinson</strong> - This is a matchup of two undefeated 12-0 teams in the 3A West bracket. This is a rematch of last season's 3rd round playoff matchup where Dudley defeated JM Robinson on their home field. This time, Robinson hosts the matchup. Here are some key players on both sides: </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jaquez Crawford - Dudley - One of two talented quarterbacks that lead the Panthers attack, Crawford has thrown 26 touchdowns to only 2 interceptions thus far this season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='714741' first='Koredell' last='Bartley'] - Dudley - One of four talented senior wide receivers, Bartley is committed to playing college football at Wake Forest. He has 49 receptions and 10 touchdowns so far this season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1607067' first='Andrew' last='Rogers'] - Dudley - At 6'6 and 240 pounds, the super-talented sophomore has 21 sacks so far this season from his defensive end position, and is a fast-rising recruiting prospect with several offers. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1053572' first='Brian' last='Rowe'] - JM Robinson - The South Carolina commit will have to make some big plays in this one - Rowe will play a big role on offense and special teams for the Bulldogs. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='861458' first='Aiden' last='Black'] - JM Robinson - The defensive tackle can provide some pressure from the interior of the Bulldogs' defense to potentially disrupt the Panthers offensively. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1332096' first='LJ' last='Watson'] - JM Robinson - The junior running back went over 1,000 yards on the season rushing last week, and ball control will be an important part of the Robinson offense. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Community School of Davidson at Shelby </strong>- This 3rd round matchup will feature two well-coached teams that don't know a lot about each other coming into it but have some talented players on both sides, let's take a look at them:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1191841' first='Brandon' last='Albert'] - CSD - Son of the head coach TJ Albert, Brandon is committed to playing college football at Lafayette and is a Queen City Senior Bowl selection. Brandon will play on both sides of the ball. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1221561' first='Jack' last='Smith'] - CSD - Queen City Senior Bowl selection is a handful to deal with at the defensive tackle spot, and should provide some interior pressure against the Golden Lions' offensive line. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1099168' first='Lan' last='Farmer'] - Shelby - Talented quarterback leads a potent Golden Lions spread offense that scores from anywhere on the field at any time. Farmer has 29 touchdown passes so far this season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1210734' first='Tristan' last='Tate'] - Shelby - The senior running back has had a strong season so far for the Golden Lions, rushing for over 1000 yards and 19 touchdowns this year. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->