Class 4A Lower State Second Round Preview

The region rematch.    The powerful line against the fast-rising defense.   Two peaking offenses.   And a master class in ball security.    The four match-ups in the second round of the Class 4A Lower State playoffs each have a different feel. This crop already has one 10-game winner among it, with a couple more looking to join the fray. And all eight of the teams have already reached seven victories.   We've officially hit part of the postseason where every game is a head turner.   NO. 8 DARLINGTON (6-5) AT NO. 1 HARTSVILLE (9-1-1)   If Darlington is going to reverse its fortunes from the earlier region match-up between these two teams (Hartsville won 55-0), the Falcons are going to have to get huge defensive plays from all three tiers of its defense. That starts up front with defensive end [player_tooltip player_id='1254005' first='Treyshawn' last='James'] (12 tackles for loss, five sacks, two forced fumbles, pictured). It continues in the linebacking corps with [player_tooltip player_id='1579108' first='Nygel' last='McFadden'] (10 tackles for loss, two sacks, two pass breakups, two forced fumbles, one interception returned for touchdown). And it definitely goes in the secondary, where Orieon Small (six tackles for loss, three pass break-ups, two interceptions, two fumble recoveries, one forced fumble) and Nyquan Williams (five tackles for loss, two pass break-ups, two interceptions, one defensive touchdown) have taken turns changing the dynamic of games.    Why did we list their impact numbers without their tackles? Because those the the plays that are more important against Hartsville's ridiculous offense. After all, the last time these teams met, [player_tooltip player_id='1592473' first='Kylif' last='Miller'] rushed for five touchdowns, while [player_tooltip player_id='1012592' first='Hakeem' last='Watters'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1012620' first='Web' last='Barnes'] each added one of their own. The Red Foxes scored 42 points combined in the second and third quarter.    X-FACTOR: Darlington junior tailback [player_tooltip player_id='1592270' first='Troy' last='Hailey'] hasn't been a huge touchdown producer this year. His score last week in the first-round win over Midland Valley was the fourth time he's reached the end zone this fall. What he does, however, is take a load of pressure off quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1411101' first='Jaylen' last='Augustus'] and let the rangy backfield mate stretch his legs. Hailey's 1,056 yards this year might be among the biggest improvements for the Falcons.     NO. 5 HILTON HEAD (9-2) AT NO. 4 SOUTH FLORENCE (8-3)   Playing South Florence's offense can't be much fun most nights. The regular starting offensive line led by left tackle [player_tooltip player_id='1157891' first='Jayden' last='Granger'] and the rotation of other like [player_tooltip player_id='1578887' first='Barry' last='McLaughlin'], [player_tooltip player_id='1574065' first='EJ' last='King'], Jerry Genright,[player_tooltip player_id='1592650' first='Ethan' last='Cash'] and Josiah Mason makes this unit downright dangerous. It's why despite a slew of injuries to the tailback room early in the year, South Florence has still rushed for just shy of 2,800 yards this year behind [player_tooltip player_id='272717' first='Tre' last='Leonard'] and [player_tooltip player_id='272722' first='Zion' last='Gilbert'] and quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1166986' first='Messiah' last='Jackson'] has thrown for another 1,600 yards.    Clearly, that's a big ask for just about any opponent. Hilton Head is going to require a monster performance from linebackers [player_tooltip player_id='1578797' first='Tristen' last='Simmons'] (82 tackles, eight tackles for loss) and [player_tooltip player_id='1603740' first='Thaddeus' last='Czarnecki'] (76 tackles) and safety Nathan Apy (55 tackles, seven tackles for loss). On the flip side, the Seahawks can't afford many three-and-outs. They're going to need both Czarnecki and [player_tooltip player_id='1013024' first='Troy' last='Timko']  - who went over 2,000 combined rushing yards on the season last week- to keep Hilton Head's offense on the field and give this defense some time to reset.    X-FACTOR: With the Hilton Head offense based around ball control and not turning it over, quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1664222' first='Derrick' last='Raniszewski'] isn't asked to go buck wild. Instead, he makes a lot of short passes in order to get the ball outside the hashes. Case in point: Last week against Crestwood, only four of his 13 completions were thrown more than seven yards downfield. He gets rid of the ball quickly and lets his receivers do the work from there. The impact is clear, as it stretches the field sideline to sideline to prevent opponents from stacking the box. Have we mentioned he hasn't thrown a pick in five straight games?    NO. 6 GILBERT (7-4) AT NO. 3 BISHOP ENGLAND (9-2)   When these two teams each dropped 40-plus points in first-round games, it might have been a sign that both offenses were peaking at the right time. The Bishops had eclipsed that point total just one time this year before [player_tooltip player_id='1592310' first='Quinn' last='Mahoney'] and receivers Zachary Balog and Jacob Mackara linked up for 286 passing yards and four touchdowns against South Aiken. Gilbert got a huge second quarter spurred by quarterback Cooper James and tailback [player_tooltip player_id='1012653' first='Jaylen' last='Jay'] to go for 41 points against Lower Richland.    The trick, of course, is keeping that momentum going another round. Or, in terms of defenses, stopping the other team's. Bishop England is going to need another big game from linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='1253903' first='Fletcher' last='Ethington-Carl'] (106 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, five forced fumbles). Gilbert could use a little more magic from defensive back Tyrell Smith, who picked off two passes against Lower Richland to give him four for the year. Because Bishop England will definitely be throwing the ball Friday.    X-FACTOR: Sophomore receiver [player_tooltip player_id='1809066' first='Chandler' last='Guthrie'] entered last week's game with 20 receptions for 306 yards and three touchdowns. He then went on to catch five passes for 111 and three more scores. Four of the catches showed off how good of a route-runner he is, while the last was a lesson in making the most of a broken play. There will certainly be plenty of chaos, and Guthrie can again make a big impact by staying active.    NO. 10 MAY RIVER (8-2) AT NO. 2 NORTH AUGUSTA (10-1)   There's a number within each of these two top-shelf offense that has been the key to their success. By now, you probably already know that North Augusta [player_tooltip player_id='402503' first='Michael' last='Doe'] (1,479 yards, 25 touchdowns) and quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1031336' first='Corey' last='Tillman'] (1,803 passing yards, 469 rushing yards, 25 combined touchdowns) have spurred something big for the Yellow Jackets. Or that May River ball carriers [player_tooltip player_id='1592214' first='Andrew' last='Johnson'], [player_tooltip player_id='1592230' first='Sean' last='Mitchell'], [player_tooltip player_id='1360121' first='Tanner' last='Macy'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1574079' first='Asa' last='Haskins'] have combined for just shy of 3,000 rushing yards and 40 rushing touchdowns between them.    But what you might not know is that between those six players, they have a grand total of 11 lost fumbles and three interceptions in 982 carries, passes or receptions. It's not simply the offensive production that's kicked these teams into high gear; it's also the absence of mistakes. Ball security has clearly been coached and received. And it's a two-way street. Because…   X-FACTOR: May River senior Gage Duncan has worn a lot of hats during his time. He's played receiver a tailback and returned kicks. At the midway point of this year, he earned a vital new role. Since the beginning of region play, Duncan the safety has recorded 21 tackles and three tackles for loss. More importantly, he's intercepted four passes.

The region rematch.