Upstate Games To Watch In Week One

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Week One in the Upstate heats up the action with a bunch of good games featuring some key matchups. There are teams still looking for a win, teams looking to capitalize on some early success, and others that will take the field for the first time this season. Here's a look at some of the top Week One matchups in the Upstate.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Greer (0-1) at Belton-Honea Path (1-0)</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This one looks at first glance like a matchup of strengths. The Bears have one of the best OL groups in 3A, with <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1820561' first='Keylan' last='Dixon']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1820562' first='Keagan' last='Mosher']</strong> leading the way at guard, where they've been entrenched for four years now.<strong> [player_tooltip player_id='1639798' first='MJ' last='Earl']</strong> is the new feature back for the Bears, looking to pick up his production from his secondary role a year ago. He touched the ball seven times in Week Zero, with six carries for 47 yards, a catch for 55 yards, and two touchdowns. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1730056' first='Noah' last='Thomas']</strong> had a 200-yard, three touchdown passing game for the Bears, despite the starters seeing limited action thanks to a 28-point first quarter explosion. He'll face a little bit of a different test on Friday, as Greer's pass rush, led by <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1405194' first='Paden' last='Armstrong']</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1820378' first='Aiden' last='Jones']</strong>, and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1734653' first='Lewis' last='Bussey']</strong> is among the best in the state. Add LB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1734552' first='Sammy' last='White']</strong> and a talented secondary, and Greer's defense is the strong point for the Yellow Jackets. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Offensively, Greer QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1672932' first='Dawson' last='Fowler']</strong> is looking to take a bigger role in the offense. He was the Yellow Jackets' leading rusher and passer against Boiling Springs, throwing for 187 yards and a score and rushing for 59 and another TD. <strong>Calvin McCoy</strong> is a tough runner with some speed, while <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1819528' first='Tucker' last='Hudson']</strong> and <strong>Zay Moseley</strong> proved to be Fowler's biggest targets. The Bears showed early on the kind of tough defense that carried them to last year's 3A state title game, recording five sacks, forcing two turnovers and breaking up four passes. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1372151' first='Jakyri' last='Anderson']</strong> and <strong>KJ Miles</strong> will lead the way for the Bears, along with <strong>Ty Dubose</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1592470' first='Kylan' last='Dixon']</strong>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Chesnee (1-0) at Broome (0-1)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This one's always fun. The schools are close, they know each other well, and there's a good cross-classification rivalry. One of the things to watch for is the progression of Chesnee QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1809232' first='Evan-Reece' last='Lawter']</strong> (pictured). He looked like a world-beater throwing the ball against Union County in the Eagles' final jamboree tuneup, then ran for nearly 200 yards and three TDs in a win over Pendleton. If he can put it all together, the Eagles will be fun to watch. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1732649' first='Braylon' last='Blanton']</strong> is his main target in the passing game, and a good one, while <strong>Jared Bishop</strong> had a great opening game defensively for Chesnee, with 6.5 tackles. <strong>Benji Lazarin-Chavez</strong> is one of the Eagles' defensive standouts, and had 5.5 tackles, two tackles for loss and a forced fumble in Week Zero. Blanton had three tackles and an interception.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Broome will counter with a good one-two punch of their own offensively. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1592321' first='Jameson' last='Dearybury']</strong> just keeps getting better at QB, with a big arm and great awareness. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1592026' first='Tyqwon' last='Booker']</strong> is a battering ram of a running back, as happy to go through you as he is to go by you, and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1819510' first='Reece' last='Waugerman']</strong> is a threat both out of the backfield and at receiver. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1676737' first='Asher' last='Littlejohn']</strong> is another guy who can hurt you in multiple ways for the Centurions. He's one of the fastest players on any field, and he plays offense, defense, and returns kicks.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Irmo (1-0) at Byrnes (1-0)</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This is shaping up to be a huge game, as the Rebels flexed some muscle in their home opener at the new Nixon Field. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1822516' first='Caine' last='Rogers'] </strong>showed that he can step up and beat you if he's called upon, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1036721' first='Tre' last='Segarra']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1604062' first='Jacobi' last='Fuller']</strong> looked great behind a massive offensive line, and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1271241' first='Chanin' last='Harris'] </strong>proved he's able to separate anywhere on the field. Defensively, Byrnes showed off a nasty streak.<strong> [player_tooltip player_id='797155' first='Justice' last='Hopkins']</strong> lived in the opponents' backfield. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1820013' first='Tyler' last='Clark'] </strong>is a menace, dishing out a couple of huge hits at linebacker. And <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1615038' first='Emerson' last='James']</strong> is not-so-quietly turning into one of the best defensive backs in the Upstate.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Yellow Jackets went on the road into tough conditions and came back with a 35-28 win over the defending 3A champions in Oceanside Collegiate. They also found a potent offensive connection, as QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='860400' first='Drevon' last='Dopson']</strong> threw three TD passes to <strong>Demarion Arrington</strong>. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='755914' first='Jaiden' last='Bryant']</strong> added a touchdown for Irmo, who took a big step toward replacing a ton of offensive production that was lost to graduation. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1604012' first='Jamar' last='Grissett']</strong> was outstanding in Week Zero for the Yellow Jackets, with five tackles, two interceptions and a pass deflection. Linebacker<strong> [player_tooltip player_id='1820288' first='Branden' last='Goldsborough']</strong> made a ton of plays as usual, turning in five tackles, while fellow linebacker <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1824910' first='Jevonte' last='Hill']</strong> led the team with six stops. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1422528' first='Maleek' last='Miller']</strong> got into the end zone for the defense, returning a fumble for a score.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em><strong>Clinton (0-1) at Laurens (0-1)</strong></em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Laurens County rivalry matchup sees both teams needing a win, as both dropped decisions in Week Zero. Clinton fell to rival Woodruff, but the defending 2A champions showed some good things, particularly on offense as they're replacing a ton of graduation losses. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1603990' first='Angelo' last='Cromer'] </strong>and <strong>Zy Butler</strong> both showed they can take some pressure off <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1161156' first='Javen' last='Cook']</strong> in the Red Devils' Wing-based offense. Defensively, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1823838' first='Brody' last='Garrett']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1592507' first='Luke' last='Young']</strong> will look to lead the way for Clinton.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Raiders got thumped by Hillcrest in Week Zero, but showed some good things offensively. <strong>Logan Bragg</strong> threw for more than 200 yards, while Laurens found a rushing threat in <strong>Denari Lee-Jackson</strong>, who rushed for 89 yards and a TD. And <strong>Damajia Crooks</strong> caught four balls for 74 yards. <strong>Ricarius Stephens</strong> and <strong>Logan Martin</strong> came up big defensively, with 13 and 11 tackles, respectively. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>THIS AND THAT</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em><strong>JL Mann (0-1) at Gaffney (0-1)</strong></em> - The matchup between two former Gaffney coordinators takes center stage, and this game will focus mostly on the QBs. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1403906' first='Banks' last='Bouton']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='284134' first='Jayvon' last='Gilmore']</strong> both played last week for Gaffney, while Mann's <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1420582' first='McLeod' last='Darnell'] </strong>has some high expectations surrounding him.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Easley (1-0) at Wren (1-0)</em></strong>: Easley's <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1705519' first='Josiah' last='Coleman']</strong> accounted for seven total touchdowns for the Green Wave in Week Zero, while Wren's defense pitched a shutout behind guys like <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1734626' first='Ethan' last='O'Bryan']</strong>. This one will be a battle of strengths.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Fountain Inn (1-0) at Woodruff (1-0): </em></strong>The Fury showed some offense in Week Zero, thanks to five touchdowns by QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='429920' first='Sam' last='Holliday']</strong>. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1339520' first='BJ' last='Curenton']</strong> caught six balls for 131 yards, and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='501897' first='Zavien' last='Broughton']</strong> and the defense shut Liberty down. The Wolverines had a good night behind <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1036753' first='Aiden' last='Gibson']</strong>, and look to have found a QB in <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1823657' first='Connor' last='Davis']</strong>, who threw for a TD and ran for another.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->