Undervalued Lowcountry Players to Watch in Week 9

Evaluating players in the offseason lends itself to more time and deeper dives into their skill sets.   Doing so in the midst of a season, though, lets us see exactly what players' abilities mean in the bigger scheme for their respective programs. As such, every game day is a chance to further evaluate new blood or take a real-time look at last offseason's lists.   Of the players below, only two are currently ranked, and the two who are stand to improve their own standing in the next rankings cycle immediately following the postseason. And we won't beat around the bush: The rest will be joining them at that same time.   Either way, these seven players haven't gotten a ton of love, but this week will be another opportunity for them to help change that.    [player_tooltip player_id='1765902' first='Bryce' last='Clemons'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1765880' first='Cameron' last='Gibbs'] LBs, Stratford (at Wando)   For as dominant as [player_tooltip player_id='1615105' first='Kermit' last='Davis'] has been for the Knights this season, Clemons and Gibbs are both boosting their own stock right along the star edge. Clemons is leading Stratford in tackles (66) while falling only behind Davis in tackles for loss (eight). Gibbs has 60 stops (second on the team). Many of the two juniors' shared strengths stem from the weight room and wrestling mat, and both of them have put some huge hits on opposing players this fall. It's added to Stratford's best start since 2012, when the Knights finished 10-3.    [player_tooltip player_id='1823298' first='Jackson' last='Shealy'] RB, Porter-Gaud (vs. Cardinal Newman)   Shealy (pictured) would probably like to forget his last game, as he was held to just 12 yards rushing/receiving on six touches against Northwood Academy October 10. But if we've discovered anything about him and the Cyclones this year, the senior tailback is going to get a heavy dose of touches Friday at home against Cardinal Newman. He's got a 300-yard game (Hilton Head Christian, August 15) and a 200-yard performance (First Baptist, August 22) on his resume already, and Porter-Gaud will want to make sure he's back in his groove before the postseason.    [player_tooltip player_id='1856584' first='Tyler' last='Davis'] DB, Hampton County and [player_tooltip player_id='1395023' first='I'veon' last='Watson'] DL, Whale Branch    Davis put up an eye-popping 22.37 miles-per-hour GPS-verified measurement during last week's win over Barnwell on a 35-yard jet sweep. But those types of offensive contributions have been a drop in the bucket compared to what he can do from the safety position. He's the type of player who can cover a ton of ground on the back side of the defense and roll up to the line when necessary. That's exactly what he'll be asked to do against Whale Branch on Friday. The Hurricanes will be attempting to rocket themselves into the playoffs with a sweep through Region V-2A and the Warriors aren't exactly going to be airing it out. That means Davis will have every opportunity to reach 50 tackles on the year prior to the postseason. When it comes to Watson, all bets are off for what this defensive powerhouse can do. He opened the year with nine sacks in his first two games (something that probably won't happen against the run-first Hurricanes) and he's got every chance to hit 30 tackles for loss - likely also before the Warriors' postseason game(s).     [player_tooltip player_id='1766682' first='Jah'mir' last='Heyward'] DL, Berkeley (vs. Lucy Beckham)    Maybe the frontrunner for the Stags' postseason MVP honors amid a large collection of talent, Heyward has a motor that revs higher than most. He occasionally get into the offensive backfield as a tailback and blows up folks on special teams. You can't discount any of that when you add it to what he does on at defensive end. He puts pressure on quarterbacks. He seals the edge against tailbacks. He breaks up passes. Heyward's ability to apply pressure points in multiple ways makes him invaluable for Berkeley, even when his influence isn't statistically measurable.    [player_tooltip player_id='1763266' first='Brayden' last='Harris'] LB, May River (at Beaufort)   For all the attention on the Sharks' Wing-T rushing attack, the prominence of this defense in 2025 can't be undersold. And Harris has been a rising star in the middle of it, especially over the last four weeks. He's third on the team in tackles after that stretch - one in which he's averaged 10.5 stops per game. The regular-season finale against Bluffton next week will be huge, but Harry and his teammates can't afford to look past Friday's trip to Beaufort. A win there not only helps eliminate some of the impact of last week's loss to Hilton Head, it keeps May River in contention for a second-place region finish and the top-six playoff seed that comes along with it

Evaluating players in the offseason lends itself to more time and deeper dives into their skill sets.