Class 2A Lower State First Round Preview

It's November and what teams do this month and into December is how they will be remembered. It was fun getting to this point but now each play means a little more. The Class 2A Lower State playoffs feature several strong teams that have eyes on playing on the final weekend in Mid-December.   Here's a look at the eight first round matchups and what to watch for on this opening weekend of the postseason.   NO. 5 ACADEMIC MAGNET (4-6) at NO. 1 BARNWELL (9-1)   The Raptors are going to try and rely on their running game, limit possessions, and shorten the game as much as possible. Owen George leads the attack with 421 yards, but five players have over 116 yards rushing on the season. Academic Magnet is allowing 30 points per game, but [player_tooltip player_id='1578779' first='Keveon' last='Ford'] has been outstanding with 97 tackles on the season. Sophomore linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='1604010' first='Caleb' last='Parrish'] is next with 79 tackles. Barnwell stumbled to an upset loss to South Aiken in September but have won six in a row heading into the playoffs. The War Horses will counter with a balanced attack. Nehemiah Brown leads the ground attack with 815 yards. [player_tooltip player_id='272720' first='Cameron' last='Austin'] has 14 rushing touchdowns and eight passing TDs.   X-FACTOR: Barnwell linebacker Logan Sturkie has 21 tackles and a team-leading three sacks for Barnwell. He's going to be a key in slowing down the Academic Magnet rushing attack and forcing them into passing situations. If Sturkie and company do that, they will have the upper hand.    NO. 4 LAKE CITY (4-6) at NO. 2 TIMBERLAND (7-3)   This is a rematch from Aug 30 when Lake City claimed a 28-26 victory. Things have gone differently for both programs since that game. The Panthers lost four in a row after that game before rebounding to win three of their last four games. The Wolves have won six of eight since that game. The Panthers had success throwing the ball in that first meeting with QB Amari Hanna and they likely will do the same here. Fernandez Witherspoon and [player_tooltip player_id='464893' first='Treshon' last='Burgess'] will be a couple of his top targets. [player_tooltip player_id='1820578' first='Shayon' last='Shavers'] will be counted on defensively. The Wolves will counter with a solid running game behind a mammoth offensive line. [player_tooltip player_id='473011' first='Desmond' last='Green'] is as good as any in the state. Deontae Cleveland will carry the rock, and Timberland will try to wear you down.   X-FACTOR: Lake City's Blayne Edwards is a big-play receiver that can be a matchup problem for a lot of secondary's. He's 6-foot-3, plays physically and can go up and get the ball at its highest point. If he can get loose, Lake City will be poised to go on the road and pull off the first round upset.    NO. 4 EDISTO (3-6) at NO. 1 CHERAW (8-2)   Edisto quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1012871' first='Terrell' last='Thomas'] will be more apt to beat with his legs than his arm but when he does decide to throw, he picks his spots well. Khamanti Kennedy has the ability to break off a long run when needed as well. The defense will lean on Zack Jamison and Ryder Bingham to make plays. [player_tooltip player_id='1303846' first='Cam' last='McClendon'] is a threat every time he touches the ball for Cheraw. He's just over 1,000 yards on the season and has 12 touchdowns. The Braves are allowing just over 13 points per game and play a physical style of defense. Defensive back Robert Brown leads the way with 59 tackles and four interceptions. [player_tooltip player_id='1271257' first='Nick' last='Gordon'] also has four interceptions and plays a lock down corner position.   X-FACTOR: Cheraw sophomore defensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id='1422635' first='Anthony' last='Strong'] has been a huge surprise. He's 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds but plays even bigger than that. He has recorded 49 tackles and two sacks and has been one of the reasons the Braves are very good against the run.    NO. 4 ANDREWS (6-4) at NO. 2 EAST CLARENDON (7-3)   [player_tooltip player_id='1395098' first='AJ' last='Lee'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1013054' first='Brandon' last='Cumbee'] understand the assignment and usually get it done for Andrews. The Yellow Jackets like to play ball control and Lee (1,333 yards, 17 touchdowns) and Cumbee (657 yards, 12 touchdowns) lead the way. If those two get rolling and Andrews stays in the lead, they could be hard to slow down. Lee has 1,882 all-purpose yards. Curtis Anderson has three interceptions for Andrews. The Yellow Jackets stumbled down the stretch and lost three of four to close the season. Colby McKenzie (60 tackles) and Hunter Mixon (59 tackles, 20 tackles for loss) lead the Wolverines defense. East Clarendon has 16 interceptions with Takoda Cornelius, Whit Nesbitt and Picasso Brown snagging three each. Cornelius has also thrown for 901 yards with 10 touchdowns and added 466 rushing yards and another 10 scores.   X-FACTOR: [player_tooltip player_id='1025808' first='Chris' last='Stewart'] has been a menace for Andrews. The junior defensive end has 82 tackles, 28.5 tackles for loss and 13.5 sacks. He stays in the backfield and makes it hard for opposing offenses to get things going on the perimeter.    4 NORTH CENTRAL (3-6) at NO. 1 MANNING (8-1)   North Central hasn't won since Oct 4, with three losses to end the season in which they only scored 21 points in those three games. If the Knights can get [player_tooltip player_id='1575379' first='Jonathan' last='Clarkson'] going, they might be able to reverse that trend. The senior has over 1,000 yards on the season. Brayden Price will line up and do a little bit of everything, including play quarterback. The Monarchs haven't lost since the season opener and only three of those games have been decided by single digits. [player_tooltip player_id='1574049' first='Jeffery' last='Ceasar'], Joshua Cooper and [player_tooltip player_id='1592198' first='Jontavious' last='Canty'] are threats running the ball and they can hurt you on defense as well. CJ Robinson is a threat in the return game and the secondary.     X-FACTOR: Manning QB [player_tooltip player_id='1360053' first='JaRae' last='Mitchell'] is the steady hand that guides the Monarchs offense. He likes throwing the deep ball but can scramble to find open receivers as well. And when things totally break down, he can hurt you with his legs as well.    NO. 3 WOODLAND (7-3) at NO. 2 HAMPTON COUNTY (7-2)   It's rare to find a first round matchup that features two teams with more than a .700 winning percentage but that's what we have here. The Wolverines lost its season finale to Timberland to fall to the No. 3 seed. QB [player_tooltip player_id='1603798' first='Jervaze' last='Salley'] and WR Ja'Keese Salley are brothers, and they make for a great connection for Woodland. Dorian Britt will be counted on in the running game. [player_tooltip player_id='1165165' first='Jaylen' last='Singletary'] (954 yards, 10 touchdowns) and [player_tooltip player_id='1422535' first='Jayvin' last='Risher'] (643 yards and nine touchdowns) are solid in the run game and as the Hurricanes have only attempted 100 passes on the season. Singletary also has 35 tackles. Chris Terry has thrown for nine touchdowns. Malik Terry has 57 tackles and plays in the middle of the defense to make calls.   X-FACTOR: [player_tooltip player_id='809743' first='Mandrell' last='Sanders'] has 70 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks for Hampton County. But his impact is bigger than his numbers. He's thrown two touchdown passes, ran for 98 yards and a touchdown on just nine carries and plays a part in special teams. If he's playing at a high level, that usually means trouble for the Hurricanes opponents.    NO. 5 MULLINS (7-3) at NO. 1 PHILIP SIMMONS (8-2)   This is another matchup that looks good on paper. Mullins stumbled down the stretch and lost three of four to end the season but won six straight to begin the schedule. If the Auctioneers are going to turn it around, they will need a big effort from quarterback Kanazzion Bethea in both passing and running. The junior has 953 yards passing and another 489 yards rushing. Andrew Littlejohn leads the defense with 80 tackles and 15 tackles for loss. [player_tooltip player_id='1604041' first='Nathan' last='Peracki'] has 81 tackles and seven tackles for loss from his linebacker spot. Philip Simmons has won six in a row to close the season. Travaris Walker and Darriel Porcher have combined for just over 1,000 yards rushing. [player_tooltip player_id='1592547' first='Brody' last='Tonon'] will add to the running attack but has a bigger mark on defense with 80 tackles and 10 tackles for loss.   X-FACTOR: [player_tooltip player_id='502413' first='Tavien' last='Orellana'] must make the Iron Horses offense go. The senior has thrown for 1,220 yards and 16 touchdowns but more importantly has only three interceptions on the season. He also added over 200 yards rushing but his biggest key is getting it to his playmakers and protecting the football. [player_tooltip player_id='1254044' first='Kolten' last='Kellermann'] has half of the touchdown receptions.          NO. 3 KINGSTREE (4-6) at NO. 3 WHALE BRANCH (4-5)   It's no secret what Kingstree wants to do. The Blazers have attempted less than 50 passes this season and want to rely on a running game that includes [player_tooltip player_id='473015' first='Tyleek' last='Dukes'] and Makhi Shaw, a duo that has combined for nearly 2,000 yards between them. The defense has a bunch of players between 40-50 tackles. [player_tooltip player_id='473015' first='Tyleek' last='Dukes'] does it on both sides of the ball and has 45 tackles, an interception and a fumble recovery. [player_tooltip player_id='1036769' first='Maleek' last='Dukes'] (pictured) has 45 tackles and an interception. Whale Branch doesn't throw it often either and will rely on Jermon Bowers and Dayaun Brown to move the chains. [player_tooltip player_id='1395023' first='I'veon' last='Watson'] has 41 tackles, 13 tackles for loss and three sacks to his credit.   X-FACTOR: Junior linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='1592634' first='BJ' last='Washington'] leads Kingstree with 45 tackles, 16 tackles for loss and nine sacks. Whale Branch is going to have to account for Washington on every snap and not let him take over the game from a defensive standpoint.

It's November and what teams do this month and into December is how they will be remembered. It was fun getting to this point but now each play means a little more. The Class 2A Lower State playoffs feature several strong teams that have eyes on playing on the final weekend in Mid-December.