Class 2A Semifinals Preview

The Class 2A semifinals could prove to be a couple of rock fights.   Explosive offenses, stingy defenses, a 2,500-yard dual threat QB, a 2,000-yard rusher, blue bloods, upstarts - there's a little bit of everything left in the classification. The regular season paid off, as four region champion No. 1 seeds have advance to the semifinals. Here's a look at a really interesting pair of games.   No. 1 Fairfield Central at No. 1 Clinton   The Red Devils have been building toward this point for a while. Take a look at the last three seasons. Third round loss at Daniel. Upper State loss at Powdersville. Third round loss at BHP.   This year feels a little different in Clinton. First, they're in 2A, bumping down when the multiplier sent several teams past them. Second, they've been at home throughout the bracket, playing in front of a passionate crowd. How much would a win mean? Senior LB [player_tooltip player_id='150043' first='Brett' last='Young'] has a pretty good idea.   "It would mean everything," he said. "Not only to us, but to our community. We've worked extremely hard for this moment all year. Our mindset has been to go 1-0 every week. I've been saying that these are the situations you've dreamed about since you were a little kid. Semifinals, playing for a chance to play in the state championship. I've been saying practice and play like the little kid version of yourself was watching. Would you make him proud by how you practice or how you're playing?"   The Devils have had plenty to be proud of, particularly in the playoffs. Last week, for example, Clinton's massive offensive line, led by [player_tooltip player_id='241184' first='Rion' last='Gordon'], paved the way for 382 yards on the ground, including 270 from [player_tooltip player_id='1161156' first='Javen' last='Cook']. Cook put up three rushing TDs in the game, while QB [player_tooltip player_id='1012830' first='Tushawan' last='Richardson'] added another on the ground. Meanwhile, Clinton's stout defense gave up just 202 total yards to a Batesburg-Leesville offense that averaged nearly 300 per game.   Fairfield Central, meanwhile, has reeled off 12 straight wins after a season opening loss to Ridge View. The Griffins are explosive offensively, putting up more than 43 points per game, largely behind RB [player_tooltip player_id='1012718' first='TyDarion' last='Grier']. Grier's got nearly 2,000 rushing yards this season, averages 9.7 yards per carry, and has run for 35 TDs, while catching two more and throwing for another. Last week's 48-28 win over Central showed how dangerous Grier makes the rest of the offense. He ran for 235 and two scores, the Griffins rushed for 383 as a team, Kayden Diggs completions completed two of three passes, both of which went for scores. On the other side of the ball, Fairfield Central had four players with double-digit tackles, led by Christopher Jackson with 16 stops and a tackle for loss, while three different Griffins intercepted passes and the team had four total takeaways.   Matchup Within The Matchup: Grier is going to have an impact on the game. There's absolutely no question. He might be the Griffins' biggest weapon, but he's not the only one. Diggs has more than 600 yards on the ground, while sophomore Kenyan Douglas has more than 500. The Griffins want to run it, and then run it some more. That puts some pressure on Young and the Red Devils' front seven. Young's an absolute stat machine, with 93 tackles, nine tackles for loss, a sack, six hurries, three interceptions, and three fumble recoveries. But Clinton has a bunch of other guys who can go, from [player_tooltip player_id='1013047' first='KJ' last='Smith'] on the defensive line (with 11 tackles for loss and four sacks among his 30 stops) to [player_tooltip player_id='1592507' first='Luke' last='Young'], who has 85 tackles and five tackles for loss. If Clinton can get in the backfield and disrupt some plays, it'll go a long way for the Devils.   Underclassman Impact: [player_tooltip player_id='1603772' first='Rhett' last='Gilliam'] is just a prototype guy who makes an option-type offense go. He's who the Red Devils turn to for tough, between-the-tackles yards. He was brilliant in a second-round win over Chester, and rushed for 4.9 yards per carry in the third round win over Batesburg-Leesville. Gilliam is hard-nosed, capable of running over you, by you, or through you. He's a dynamic change of pace to Cook and Richardson, and he'll be a factor.    No. 1 Manning (11-1) at No. 1 Barnwell (12-1)   If it seems like Barnwell's a fixture deep into the playoffs, that's not your imagination. The Warhorses have advanced to the third round or beyond for the past three seasons, and that's just the tip of the iceberg. That success, and the history around it, is not lost on the current crop of Barnwell players, starting with QB [player_tooltip player_id='272720' first='Cameron' last='Austin'].   "We all understand that the expectations for our program are extremely high because of all the success and talent that has been through Barnwell in the previous years," he said. "We want to keep playing for our supportive community and bring a state championship back to them. In order for us to be successful this late in the playoffs, we need to continue to hold each other to the highest standard and control what we can control."   Austin has done a remarkable job of controlling the Warhorses offense thus far. He's amassed nearly more than 2,600 total offensive yards, with 1,933 yards passing and 725 on the ground, with 32 total touchdowns. He's got a great back beside him in Nehemiah Brown, who's rushed for 917 yards and 10 scores, and he spreads it around in the aerial attack. Four Barnwell players - Kahzeer Wesley, Logan Sturkie, William Robinson, and Jaquan Peeples - have caught at least 24 passes with at least 360 receiving yards, and they've combined for all of Barnwell's touchdown grabs. Robinson leads the way defensively with 76 tackles, while Damajahi Devoe and [player_tooltip player_id='1254065' first='Lex' last='Thomas'] are serious game-changers on that side of the ball.   Manning throws to keep you honest and runs to beat you, and that's precisely what the Monarchs did last week to dispatch Philip Simmons. Manning ran 59 times for 328 yards, as [player_tooltip player_id='1592198' first='Jontavious' last='Canty'] had 22 carries for 165 yards and Jaylnn Coard added 120 yards on 20 carries. All four Monarch TDs came on the ground, which shouldn't be a surprise. They've rushed for 34 scores on the year. [player_tooltip player_id='1360053' first='JaRae' last='Mitchell'] has thrown for 10 scores and 797 yards, and he's a guy who's going to take care of the ball and give you a chance to win. Defensively, the Monarchs thrive on creating chaos - they've got 50 tackles for loss, led by Coard's 11, and 23 sacks, with Jaron Hammett, Lamar Hilton, Daquan McFadden, and Marque Lloyd notching four each.   Matchup Within The Matchup: Did we say the Monarchs' defense thrives on chaos? Well, how about 28 forced turnovers? Jefferey Ceasar has seven interceptions and Dayvon Bannister has four, while three different Monarchs have recovered two fumbles apiece. Manning has also knocked down 25 passes and scored four defensive touchdowns. Barnwell does a good job of being balanced offensively, but Austin can't let the ball-hawking Monarchs grab any extra chances in this one.   Underclassman Impact: While Barnwell sophomore Devoe gets a lot of attention, fellow sophomore Henri Creech has shown the potential to turn in some big plays. He's got 16 tackles and a sack on the year, and at 6-foot-2 he's a big body off the edge that will have to be accounted for whenever he's in the game.

The Class 2A semifinals could prove to be a couple of rock fights.