Class 2A Lower State Third Round Preview

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The four teams remaining in the Class 2A Lower State bracket have a couple of things in common. All four have reached double digits in wins and all four come in as No. 1 seeds from their respective brackets. That should make for some memorable third round games.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>These kids and coaches have an opportunity to practice on Thanksgiving morning, which always means you've had a successful season in South Carolina. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here's a look at the two third round matchups and what to watch as we continue on the march to the Weekend of Champions. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>NO. 1 CHERAW (10-2) at NO. 1 BARNWELL (11-1)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Cheraw hasn't lost since September 20 and is coming off a 35-0 blanking of East Clarendon in the second round. The Braves struck early with 21 first quarter points then turned it over to their defense the rest of the way. <strong>Kaiden Thomas</strong> threw for two touchdowns (one to <strong>Deman Ellerbe</strong> and another to <strong>Derrick Isaac</strong>) and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1321038' first='Justyn' last='Joint']</strong> ran for two touchdowns and 67 yards. <strong>Jamarion Banks</strong> added 69 rushing yards on 10 carries. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1271257' first='Nick' last='Gordon']</strong> added the other touchdown on a 75-yard punt return. <strong>Kai Streater</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1422635' first='Anthony' last='Strong']</strong> each recorded seven tackles with Ellerbe adding two tackles for loss and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1172365' first='Crawford' last='Poole']</strong> chipping in with one. <strong>DeMaurice James</strong> and <strong>Bendan Pace</strong> each recorded interceptions with Strong adding a fumble recovery.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Barnwell has posted back-to-back shutouts to begin the postseason and came away with a 21-0 win over Timberland last week. <strong>William Robinson</strong> (76 tackles) and <strong>Jahlen Carter</strong> (42 tackles) control the defensive front and will need to be big against the Cheraw attack. <strong>Damajahi Devoe</strong> (70 tackles and four interceptions) and <strong>Jordan Pepples</strong> (64 tackles) will be huge in the secondary if the Braves go to the air. are the leading tacklers with Devoe snagging four interceptions. &nbsp;Senior QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='272720' first='Cameron' last='Austin']</strong> finished 14-23 for 219 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 71 yards last week. He's thrown for 1,790 yards and rushed for another 688 yards and 15 scores<strong> Nehemiah Brown</strong> takes a lot of pressure off Austin with 897 yards rushing and 10 touchdowns. <strong>Jaquan Peeples</strong>, Robinson, <strong>Kahzeer Wesley</strong> and <strong>Logan Sturkie </strong>all have over 23 catches on the season. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Matchup Within The Matchup: </em></strong>This game will likely be won in the trenches. Both teams featured excellent offensive lines and dominating defensive fronts. Barnwell will start two sophomores in <strong>Davison Owens</strong> and <strong>Cordie Handberry</strong> and they've been up to the challenge. <strong>Tony Cherry</strong>, <strong>Jackson Bedingfield</strong> and <strong>Lamar Buxton</strong> are the other more experienced starters, but that group is going to have to slow down <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1422635' first='Anthony' last='Strong']</strong> and <strong>Edward Meeks</strong> among others if the War Horses are going to be successful.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Underclassmen Impact: </em></strong>Cheraw sophomore athlete <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1172365' first='Crawford' last='Poole']</strong> has gotten it done on both sides of the ball for Cheraw. His bigger impact has come on the defensive side of the ball, but he could also factor more into the offense now that we're in the postseason. Poole has 42 tackles, 16 tackles for loss with 11 sacks and a blocked punt. He only has two catches for 30 yards but has scored a receiving touchdown. Poole is 5-foot-10, 190 pounds and is showing his durability more and more with each passing game. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/19743657/67295565f44e3ae67e55366f' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67478b257d3b1"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>NO. 1 PHILIP SIMMONS (10-2) at NO. 1 MANNING (10-1)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Manning overcame a 13-point fourth quarter deficit to Hampton County 28-27 in overtime. <strong>Jalynn Coard</strong> scored the touchdown and decisive two-point conversion in OT. Coard finished with 61 yards rushing and two touchdowns with <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1592198' first='Jontavious' last='Canty']</strong> leading the ground game with 63 yards. QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1360053' first='JaRae' last='Mitchell']</strong> threw for 144 yards and a touchdown to <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1574049' first='Jeffery' last='Ceasar']</strong>, who had 74 yards on five receptions. LB <strong>Lamar Hilton</strong> had a night to remember with 24 tackles and two tackles for loss. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1592198' first='Jontavious' last='Canty']</strong> added 13 tackles and two tackles for loss. <strong>Dayvon Bannister</strong> and Ceasar each had interceptions. <strong>Daquan McFadden</strong> also provides a solid defensive presence. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Philip Simmons scored at least 40 points in its third straight game with a 40-24 win over Kingstree. It was again the passing of <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='502413' first='Tavien' last='Orellana']</strong> that carried the Iron Horses. The senior threw for five touchdowns in his second straight playoff game. He finished with 218 yards passing and was the second leading rusher with 32 yards on two carries. That gives him 26 TD passes with just four interceptions. But a lot of his success is due to the play up front. Left tackle <strong>Jaydon Camp</strong> will be counted on against Manning's huge defensive front. Junior nose guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1639793' first='Jayquan' last='Shephard']</strong> occupies a lot of space and attention and is a run stuffer that is playing at a high level. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1271262' first='Alex' last='Tchoryk']</strong> has 8.5 sacks on the season and Roman Hood has three sacks. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1592547' first='Brody' last='Tonon']</strong> (108 tackles and pictured) <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1578771' first='Daniel' last='Scarth']</strong> (88 tackles) lead the defensive effort.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Matchup Within The Matchup: </em></strong>The trenches will be important but a key to watch is how the Manning secondary of <strong>Dayvon Bannister</strong> and <strong>Jeffrey Caesar</strong> matchup with the Iron Horses receivers. <strong>Kolten Kellerman</strong> has had six touchdown catches in the last two weeks to give him 14 on the season. But there are other options with <strong>Cooper Webb, Ashton Kellerman</strong> and <strong>Nicholas Tribolet</strong> each having at least 15 receptions on the season so Orellana spreads it around. Those three have eight TD catches between them.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Underclassmen Impact: </em></strong>Philip Simmons freshman <strong>Trevor Tonon</strong> has started at middle linebacker and he's turning into stud. He's third on the team with 84 tackles and has added 1.5 tackles for loss and two sacks. He will be key in slowing the Manning running game and force them into passing situations. He is 6-foot, 180 pounds and has not shied away from playing on the varsity level.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/18190107/6744c72f2509fd9083171c6e' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67478b257d3e8"} /-->