Class 5A Division I Upper State Third Round Preview

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A rematch in the Midlands and a contrast in styles highlight the third round of the 5A Division I playoffs in the Upper State. Dutch Fork and River Bluff are familiar foes, and Spartanburg and J.L. Mann will look to rekindle an inter-county rivalry. Four stout defenses and a couple of big-play offenses will be on display, as the winners will face off for a trip to Orangeburg. Here's a look at Upper State round three in the state's biggest classification.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>No. 5 River Bluff at No. 1 Dutch Fork</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Gators went on the road and staged the only 5A upset in the Upper State, and made it look easy in a 34-17 win. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1344583' first='Brayden' last='Moore']</strong> went the distance again at QB for River Bluff, but the story was the ground game going for 250 yards, largely behind <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1592250' first='Hayden' last='Myers']</strong>, who rushed for 146 yards and two touchdowns, with <strong>Darius Crane</strong> adding 58 yards and another score. They'll need all the offensive firepower they can muster if this one is going to be different than the teams' first meeting in the next to last game of the regular season. In that one, the Silver Foxes held River Bluff to fewer than 200 yards of total offense and just 14 points. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Dutch Fork continued to roll in their second round matchup against Boiling Springs, allowing just 14 points, including a touchdown on the last play of the game. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1012706' first='Josh' last='Smith']</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1025776' first='Raleigh' last='Salters']</strong>, <strong>Syler Elsey</strong>, and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1012606' first='Elgin' last='Sessions']</strong> continued to lead the Silver Foxes, who recorded seven tackles for loss and three sacks in the game. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1267290' first='Ethan' last='Offing']</strong> had more than 200 yards of total offense, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1012701' first='Maurice' last='Anderson']</strong> rushed for 82 yards, and each accounted for two touchdowns.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Matchup Within The Matchup: </strong>Offing, Anderson, and the Silver Foxes' offense are as much of a force as the defense. That means River Bluff's defense will have to bring their A game. They're more than capable, having given up fewer than 20 points per game. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1578721' first='Blaine' last='Fender']</strong> has triple-digit tackles, <strong>Terrell Tull</strong> has five sacks, and the Gators secondary has picked off 19 passes and knocked down 21 more. They'll have to find a way to slow the Silver Foxes down.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Underclassman Impact: [player_tooltip player_id='1422592' first='Caleb' last='Pinkney']</strong> isn't the biggest guy on the field for the Gators, but he's always one of the most physical. He's a big hitter, he closes on the ball in a hurry, and he's got 25 tackles and an eye-popping seven interceptions on the season. The most impressive number beside his name, though, is 10. That's right, he's a sophomore. And his upside is scary.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/19538024/652caaf50661450718e8951a' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67462b1083c8e"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>No. 3 J.L. Mann at No. 2 Spartanburg</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Patriots will roll into Spartanburg with an explosive offense, putting up nearly 40 points a game. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1012565' first='LaDainnian' last='Martin']</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1249774' first='Nacyus' last='Morrison']</strong>, and <strong>OJ Jones</strong> power the Patriots on the ground, while freshman QB <strong>Trip Bryant</strong> has taken over the reins of the offense, and he's thrown for more than 600 yards and seven touchdowns since taking the majority of the snaps, with <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1249825' first='Keyshun' last='Henderson']</strong> as his main target. Defensively, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='390438' first='Ramani' last='Bruton']</strong> and <strong>Raymone Whitner</strong> are lockdown guys on the back end, with Morrison playing extensively on that side of the ball as well. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1249737' first='Wyatt' last='Ward'] </strong>has 120 tackles and 25 tackles for loss, while <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='352259' first='Za'nias' last='Rosemond']</strong> is a nightmare off the edge, with 10 sacks and nine hurries.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Spartanburg's getting everybody healthy at the same time, and it's starting to show. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1359184' first='Justin' last='Rice']</strong> returning at WR for the Vikings has been a huge boost, as he and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1592374' first='Trey' last='Burke']</strong> have formed quite the big-play connection. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1172345' first='Trenton' last='Lynch']</strong> at RB is a big play waiting to happen all by himself, and even more so behind an offensive line that's getting some key pieces back beside C <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1278414' first='John' last='Hammond']</strong>. Defensively, the Vikings are fast and aggressive, with <strong>Quincy Haywood</strong> and <strong>CJ Woodruff</strong> playing extremely well down the stretch, along with <strong>Don Kinard</strong>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Matchup Within The Matchup:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Martin and Morrison are absolute stars on the ground, and can take over a game in a hurry. The problem for the Patriots is going to be that Spartanburg has a pair of LBs who often just refuse to led opponents run the ball. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='624354' first='Cam'Rich' last='Smith']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1249806' first='Peyton' last='Jones']</strong> are incredibly fast and physical, and the Spartanburg defense has taken on a little bit of their leaders' personality. If Smith and Jones make a couple big plays early, it's like blood in the water for the rest of the Vikings.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Underclassman Impact:</strong> There are seniors all over the field for a very good Patriots defense, but sophomore DL <strong>Julian Renrick </strong>has played as significant a role as anyone on that side of the ball for Mann. Renrick has 21 tackles, three sacks, two hurries, and a forced fumble to his credit, and is capable of being a dominating presence on the DL. He'll be tested against a veteran Spartanburg OL, but he could play a big role for the Patriots.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/17832075/673f5ebea403a8964899442e' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67429315e73da"} /-->