Week 4 Upstate Players To Watch

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Region play starts for the larger classifications this week in the Upstate, with 3A, 2A, and 1A still navigating the non-region portion of the schedule. Here's a look at some guys who could have a big impact as the season heads toward the halfway point.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1601913' first='Paul' last='Norman']</strong> WR/DB, St. Joseph's - Yes, it's odd to single out a wide receiver in the Knights' run-heavy offense. But you've got to see Norman play. With <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1820807' first='Sam' last='Patterson']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1823372' first='Mack' last='Rambo'] </strong>getting the bulk of the work on the ground, Norman has established himself as one of the team's best blockers, springing his teammates for a ton of big gains. He's also got five catches on the year - and three of those are touchdowns. But normally is just as vital to the Knights on defense - he's got a tackle for loss, a sack, an interception, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery already this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/17967831/68c6f6485701f01258cf7d18' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-68caccb9665a1"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1708614' first='Jabez' last='Thomas']</strong> DB, Dorman - There are a bunch of guys on Dorman's defense drawing a whole lot of attention, with <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1639739' first='Christian' last='Waring']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1702151' first='James' last='Porter']</strong> holding things down up front and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='402497' first='Kentavion' last='Anderson']</strong> as one of the top players in the state. But Thomas has been a huge bright spot for the Cavaliers on the back end. He's a good tackler, he's great in coverage, and he's an absolute ball-hawk.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1639712' first='Triston' last='Lewis']</strong> QB, Greenwood - Lewis had a reputation as one of the most underrated dual-threat QBs in the state. Then he went out and shredded a couple of good defenses with his arm. Lewis has thrown for 835 yards and eight touchdowns to start the season, eclipsing a couple of records held by Eagles' legend Armanti Edwards. He's got two top-tier targets in <strong>Jay Duncan </strong>and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1822754' first='Desiray' last='Christian']</strong> and a standout RB in <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1743679' first='Trey' last='Crawford']</strong>. But when it's come down to it, Lewis has shown the ability to put the Eagles on his back.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/17925742/68c844c13a197426b6e68c76' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-68caccb9665d8"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1734598' first='Peyton' last='Schrader']</strong> QB, Eastside - Schrader has put together a sizzling start as the Eagles have blown out three straight opponents. He's got more than 600 yards of total offense, and Eastside looks like a solid team across the board. Schrader has <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1719852' first='Kelyn' last='Durham']</strong> as a number-one workhorse back, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1025770' first='Cayden' last='Workman']</strong> as a deep threat, and a talented line with guys like <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1822212' first='Carter' last='Williams']</strong>, who's talented enough to play at any position up front. The Eagles have a chance to put up some big numbers under Schrader's direction.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1730056' first='Noah' last='Thomas']</strong> QB, BHP - Watching BHP's loaded offense, it's sometimes easy to lose track of just how good Thomas is. Not only has he thrown for nearly 700 yards and eight touchdowns in the Bears' undefeated start, he's also leading the team in rushing and rushing TDs. Oh, and he's the Bears' punter, though with his success at his normal position, that's a skill you won't likely see him show off very much.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1819959' first='Korbin' last='Mehaffey']</strong> OL, Landrum - Mehaffey is one of those lower-classification guys who you see all the time without noticing. And that's a mistake. Up front, he's been a key to the Cardinals' offensive success in a 3-1 start, clearing the way with nine pancake blocks through four games. Then he turns around and plays defense, where he's already got two tackles for loss and a sack.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1094520' first='Jace' last='Grass'] </strong>QB, Daniel - It's no mystery that Grass was among the best freshmen in the state last season. The way he's continued his sophomore season after a transfer has been an eye-opener. Grass has more than lived up to the enormous pressure of playing QB for the Lions, throwing for 874 yards and eight touchdowns so far, completing 66 percent of his passes with no interceptions.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='293593' first='Michael' last='Martin']</strong> RB, Christ Church - Martin has been a touchdown machine so far for the Cavaliers. He's got six so far this season, and his physical style of running is drawing a ton of attention. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/16839641/68bc3f03da693bfa1108f074' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-68caccb9665fe"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->