Class 5A, Division II Upper State First Round Preview

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The road to Orangeburg begins on Friday night across the Palmetto State.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In the Class 5A, Division II Upper State bracket, Northwestern, Greenwood, TL Hanna and Gaffney all have first round byes. Their opponents in the second round will be determined by a few intriguing matchups across the board.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Let's jump into the four games in Round One:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>NO. 12 NATION FORD (2-8) AT NO. 5 HILLCREST (7-3)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Nation Ford and Hillcrest meet for the second year in a row in the first round of the playoffs, this time in Simpsonville. The Rams won last year's meeting, 37-29 in a high scoring shootout in Fort Mill.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1575359' first='Carson' last='Sanford'] </strong>is the straw that stirs the drink for the Falcons on offense. He has thrown 20 touchdowns on the season. His main targets will be <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1575429' first='Josh' last='Ameo'] </strong>(115.6 yards receiving per game), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1734443' first='Jayden' last='Scott'] </strong>(71.8 yards per game) and <strong>Lucas Barz </strong>(49 yards per game). Keep an eye on <strong>Patience Andrews </strong>at running back, who is averaging 60.9 yards per game. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1555433' first='Cade' last='Gowdy'] </strong>is the leading tackler on the team and will be critical if the Falcons want to pull a first round upset.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='809746' first='Kalab' last='Sutton'] </strong>and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1604046' first='Jackson' last='Free'] </strong>have shared snaps at quarterback over the last few weeks. It will be interesting to see who they go with on Friday. The main target has been <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='347516' first='Weston' last='Willis']</strong>, who went over the 1000-yard mark last week in the season finale against TL Hanna. Willis is the sixth player to do it in school history. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1013066' first='Brayden' last='Johnson'] </strong>scored a touchdown last week and is a threat in the run game as well. Keep an eye on <strong>Quayshad Harris </strong>as well.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>X-FACTOR:</em></strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1359171' first='Frank' last='Starks'] </strong>at running back for the Rams is a load to bring down. He has a unique blend of speed and power that makes him tough to tackle once he gets his motor going.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/17660180/67224f06103397caa31ad4ff' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6734026287e23"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>NO. 11 WOODMONT (3-7) AT NO. 6 CATAWBA RIDGE (7-3)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The connection between <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1254085' first='Ezekiel' last='Belcher'] </strong>and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='421471' first='Jordan' last='Sink'] </strong>will be critical for Woodmont. Belcher can make plays on the ground, averaging 198.3 yards per game. <strong>TJ Williams </strong>is second on the team in rushes with 77.6 yards per game. Keep an eye on <strong>Lorenzo Henry, </strong>who can also make plays on offense as well.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Copperheads will be led by quarterback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1574007' first='CJ' last='Couch']</strong>, who will want to get it to <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='809747' first='Brady' last='Ambrose'] </strong>and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1283702' first='Braylen' last='Burgis'] </strong>often. <strong>Preston Cooper </strong>and <strong>Colten McCauley </strong>are also two targets that Couch likes to go to as well. The defense will be led by <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1360198' first='Lewis' last='Price'] </strong>up front on the defensive line, while <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1290615' first='Jaylon' last='Richardson'] </strong>will be a force in the secondary.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>X-FACTOR: </em></strong>Keep an eye on linebacker <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1592496' first='Nolan' last='Jones']</strong> for Catawba Ridge, who is leading the team in tackles with 112 on the year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/17728186/672d5e728c52bf923858d70d' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003ern","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6734026287e5f"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>NO. 9 EASTSIDE (4-5) AT NO. 8 INDIAN LAND (5-5)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Eagles will want to the ball and run it often. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1025807' first='Eli' last='Foster'] </strong>has run it for 693 yards unofficially on the year, while <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1734598' first='Peyton' last='Schrader'] </strong>has run for 438 yards. We can't begin the conversation defensively without talking about <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1013073' first='Jaquavious' last='Dodd']</strong>, who is committed to South Carolina and has 11 sacks on the year. <strong>Lucas Tankersly </strong>and <strong>Elijah McMahan </strong>are sure tacklers along with <strong>MJ Posey,</strong> who has six sacks on the year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Warriors, just like the opposing side from the Upstate, will want to run the ball often in this one. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1592288' first='Jamol' last='Horton'] </strong>will be the workhorse at running back. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1036748' first='Sequel' last='Patterson'] </strong>is the downfield threat when Indian Land wants to throw it, and don't be surprised if he lines up at quarterback some. Linebacker <strong>Mike Johnson </strong>will look to get after the Eagles' run game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>X-FACTOR:</em> [player_tooltip player_id='1422617' first='Jackson' last='Conner'] </strong>is a tackling machine at linebacker with 77 tackles and 19 tackles for a loss, and this could be a game where he could come to the forefront.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/16786910/66e0642a3d54af47c3d055e4' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6734026287e81"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>NO. 10 GREENVILLE (2-8) AT NO. 7 RIVERSIDE (5-4)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Red Raiders are led by quarterback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1403906' first='Banks' last='Bouton']</strong>, who has thrown for 10 touchdowns on the year. He'll have <strong>Dreshun Smith, Jakyrion Stewart </strong>and <strong>Sullivan Wallace </strong>to throw to. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1592567' first='Bradley' last='Lucas'] </strong>leads the team in tackles with 10.3 and <strong>C.J. Williams </strong>has 9.8 tackles on the year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1012616' first='Mikkel' last='Skinner'] </strong>is the main cog at receiver for Riverside – and a Shrine Bowl selection. You can expect him to make plays early and often. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1025814' first='Jaiden' last='Taylor'] </strong>is also a guy to watch, averaging 164 yards per game. <strong>Zacharius Martin </strong>is averaging 12.7 tackles per game, which leads the team. Keep an eye on <strong>Alvin Martin </strong>(11 tackles avg)<strong> </strong>defensively as well.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>X-FACTOR: </em></strong><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1723971' first='Owen' last='Downs'] </strong>(38 solo tackles) is all over the place for Riverside defensively. He can come up and make plays on the ball carrier and is not afraid to come up and make a hit. He reads and diagnoses plays quickly as well.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/11937071/6705edf9075ebd41cca93805' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003ern","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6734026287ea2"} /-->