GSPD Week 8 Linebacker Matchups to Watch 

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>From week to week, the importance of a certain positional group outweighs its counterparts.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This week on the Grand Strand &amp; Pee Dee, we're looking at you, linebackers.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>From the coast to Bennettsville, the middle of the defenses will take center stage in Week 8, as teams not only jockey for region positioning, but also playoff berths. Yes, in the blink of an eye, we've gone from August preseason to postseason tickets getting punched.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>And the linebackers below can play a vital role for their teams in doing just that this week.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1145762' first='Hayes' last='Cochrane']</strong> St. James &amp; <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1820945' first='Hunter' last='Onley']</strong> Conway&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Cochrane wears a lot of hats for the Sharks, and against Conway this week, he may be able to prove his ultimate worth to this team as a defender. Tigers tailback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1816981' first='Jacob' last='Johnson']</strong> is out for the year (knee), and as we've seen already, no matter how effective the passing game behind <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1399640' first='Noah' last='Legg']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1371931' first='Jordan' last='Jenkins']</strong> can be at times, Conway is trying to stay as balanced as possible. Cochrane can help nip that all in the bud early in a crucial region contest that will determine potential playoff berths.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>But Cochrane won't be the only linebacker in the this game who could peak at the perfect time. Onley plays on the outside for the Tigers (in addition to filling in for Johnson at tailback) and will have no choice but to lock in while covering the edge. St. James likes to throw quick passes to slot <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1819550' first='Ayden' last='Smith']</strong> and others and feed off YAC. If Onley can cut down on what is essentially the Sharks' version of a low-risk running play, it could flip the game.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/17315984/68ec0191f230c99993956a56' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-68ed46746c8c6"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1639819' first='Michael' last='Cavallini']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1738840' first='Bricey' last='Gore']</strong> North Myrtle Beach &amp; <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1577696' first='Connor' last='Ross']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1521134' first='Roman' last='Fisher']</strong> Carolina Forest&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Both teams are looking for an edge in terms of ball control and moving the sticks, even if they haven't looked all that similar in the process for much of the last few years. Still, Cavallini and Gore are going to have their work cut out for them while trying to keep tabs on <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1148537' first='Jaryn' last='Fox']</strong> (1,037 yards, 10 touchdowns). Quarterback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='284135' first='Kamren' last='Long']</strong> has shown some relatively unexpected brilliance on deep throws this year, But Fox and the rest of the running game is priority No. 1 for this offense as long as Marc Morris is the team's head coach.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On the flip side, Ross (36 tackles, one fumble recovery) and Fisher (28 tackles, one fumble recovery) have clicked together this fall and have starting to lead the defense after the Panthers struggled some against the likes of Hartsville, Irmo and Ashley Ridge in August and September. If they can't keep momentum rolling against freshman quarterback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1823442' first='Mason' last='Walker']</strong> and quarterback/tailback/receiver <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1822553' first='Will' last='McNeely']</strong> this one could turn into an interesting game in a hurry.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/20208152/68ddd6136f1a10f6341a3482' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-68ed46746c8f4"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1267317' first='Daniel' last='Capehart']</strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1025771' first='Keryien' last='Brown']</strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1824944' first='Dayshawn' last='Adams']</strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1820509' first='Nazeon' last='Singleton']</strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1172360' first='Kelvion' last='Manning']</strong> Dillon &amp; <strong>Myjae McCoy</strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1818233' first='Jamorie' last='Williams']</strong> <strong>Tehvin Easterling</strong> <strong>James McLean</strong> Marlboro County&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Anyone who tells you that Dillon's trip to Marlboro County isn't one of the two biggest Class 3A game in the state this week (along with Mountain View Prep-Woodruff) is lying. The implications of the this one will be felt right on into the Lower State playoff bracket in November. And the linebacker theme is going to dictate everything. Dillon has started to implement its own audible after starting middle linebacker <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1823083' first='Tristan' last='Blue']</strong> (ACL) went down for the year. Adams 60 tackles, two forced fumbles) stepped into his spot alongside Brown (61 tackles, three TFL), with Capehart (68 tackles, six TFL, pictured), Singleton (seven tackles, one TFL) and Manning (23 tackles) each playing the outside hybrid roles.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Marlboro County's linebacker unit has gelled nicely, and since the loss to Gray Collegiate on September 5, this group has seen opponents only score 19 points in the last four games. McCoy (52 tackles, five TFL) is the leader of the bunch, but Williams (30 tackles, five TFL), Easterling (25 tackles, six TFL) and McLean (15 tackles, three TFL) are collectively right there, too. Those five players are going to deliver some huge hits, and the fact that both teams are ramped up for this one should tamper the expectations for the meaning behind this game, either.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/21506046/68b6f3bb52594791f9ce8f9e' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-68ed46746c916"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>MORE WEEK 8 LINEBACKERS TO WATCH</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1625930' first='Oreion' last='Small']</strong> Darlington - Small is normally more of a strong safety for the Falcons, but he's been asked to play more of a linebacker spot to replace [player_tooltip player_id='1823880' first='Christian' last='Charles'] (injury) and will shift down against Hartsville in an effort to help contain the Red Foxes' rushing attack this week. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1823879' first='Shamod' last='Jackson']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1664618' first='Keontae' last='Scipio']</strong> will man the inside while Small and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1854238' first='AJ' last='Jordan']</strong> will be on the flanks.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1816923' first='Gavin' last='Aubin'] </strong>Latta - The Vikings are for all intents and purposes still trying to bounce back from a 33-0 loss to Carvers Bay on October 3 (no, we're not counting their forfeit win over Hemingway last week). And that means Latta needs to take some of the lessons against the run with some serious significance. Aubin (39 tackles this year) is one of the team's outside linebackers and if he gets rolling like he did a few times earlier in the season, this key region matchup could turn to Latta's favor.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1820292' first='Jaden' last='Boston']</strong> Wilson - South Florence hasn't been tested in over a month. The Bruins are blowing out everyone in their path, and the only thing that's going to stop them is some high-impact defensive plays. That's where Boston come into the conversation. The senior linebacker has an explosiveness to him that has helped him pile up 72 tackles and 10 tackles for loss. He's already annihilated all of his 2024 production, and it's one of the biggest turning points for Wilson so far in 2025.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/16831580/68e27c87755b7576b2d4bf1b' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-68ed46746c935"} /-->