Upstate Games To Watch In Week 10

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There are a TON of top games in the Upstate this week, across classifications. From Ware Shoals and Abbeville squaring off for a region title in Class A to a huge 4A battle between Westside and Wren, region championships are at stake across the board.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>But you'll read about the guys in those games for weeks to come. This week, we're taking a look at some matchups that are just as crucial a little lower in the standings. Some are win or go home. Some will determine where teams are going in the playoffs, and what kind of draw they'll have. Here's a look at one game in each classification that will help set the playoff bracket.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Region I-A:</strong> <strong>Calhoun Falls at Whitmire</strong> - The Blue Flashes and the Wolverines will battle for the difference in fifth and sixth place in Region I-A, and the difference in playing at the Lewisville-Lamar winner or loser. Calhoun Falls have an absolute monster offensively in sophomore <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1825569' first='Preston' last='Thomas-Smalls']</strong>, who's accounted for more than 2,000 offensive yards and 20 touchdowns this season. Fellow sophomore <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1865444' first='Braylon' last='Patterson']</strong> has 961 total yards and 12 touchdowns, while senior receiver <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1817510' first='Derek' last='Jackson']</strong> has notched 26 catches for 401 yards and five touchdowns. Defensively, <strong>DJ Roundtree</strong> fills up the stat sheet for Calhoun Falls, with 56 tackles, six tackles for loss, two pass deflections, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1270685' first='Jashawn' last='Lewis']</strong> adds 55 tackles, four tackles for loss, two fumble recoveries, and a forced fumble, and <strong>OJ Jackson</strong> has 45 tackles three tackles for loss, a sack, and a fumble recovery.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Whitmire's offense hinges around the one-two punch of <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1467816' first='Kingston' last='Green']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1825123' first='D'Angelo' last='Ruff']</strong> out of the backfield. They've combined for more than 200 carries and nearly 1,000 yards on the ground. They've also got an incredible athlete in <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1825126' first='Crue' last='Keller']</strong>, who's played TE, DE, and QB for the Wolverines and who's scored a rushing TD, two receiving TDs, and has 24 tackles, three pass deflections, and a forced fumble. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1824834' first='Dalton' last='Williams']</strong> and <strong>TJ Oliver</strong> are also standouts both ways for Whitmire, as both are high-grading offensive linemen who double on the DL, where Williams has 23 tackles and 6.5 tackles for loss and Oliver has 17 tackles and 5.5 stops behind the line.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/24200943/68f3b24311222c184db4173e' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-69020d3af3a78"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Region I-2A:</strong> <strong>Landrum at Chesnee</strong> - This one could create a tie for third place in Region I-2A. If Blacksburg falls to Liberty and Landrum wins in this one, the three teams will all be 1-3 with one win and one loss in the round-robin. There's a lot to do to get there, though. The Cardinals need a little momentum headed into the playoffs, and will look to a balanced running game to try to create it. The Cardinals have four guys in a bunch with right around 50 carries, as <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1822467' first='Braylon' last='Revis']</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1592305' first='Ty' last='Foster']</strong> (pictured), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1592581' first='AJ' last='Lindsey']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1715570' first='JP' last='Branyon']</strong> have combined to lead the rushing attack. Revis leads in carries and touchdowns, but Lindsey is close behind despite missing a bunch of time with an injury. He's back as the Cardinals need his help for a stretch run. Branyon, just a freshman, is also a leader on defense, along with junior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1822469' first='JT' last='Gist']</strong>, who has 10 tackles for loss and two sacks.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Chesnee will rely on the dual-threat ability of <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1809232' first='Evan-Reece' last='Lawter']</strong> and the big-play potential of [player_tooltip player_id='1732649' first='Braylon' last='Blanton'], both of whom do a little bit of everything for the Eagles. Defensively, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1822679' first='Kai' last='Copeland']</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1820171' first='Kale' last='Thrift']</strong>, and <strong>Taven Pesaro</strong> have led the way for Chesnee.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/18129178/68f41c1458487e5675751f11' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-69020d3af3ac9"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Region III-3A:</strong> <strong>Broome at Chapman</strong> - A pair of old Spartanburg County rivals will fight it out for the third seed in Region III-3A, with No. 3 earning the No. 8 overall seed in the playoffs. Broome will likely have to navigate the game without QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1592321' first='Jameson' last='Dearybury']</strong>. Instead, they'll rely on the running game behind <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1592026' first='Tyqwon' last='Booker']</strong> and <strong>Devo Brown</strong>. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1453176' first='Brayden' last='Simpson']</strong> filled in at QB when Dearybury went out on Friday, with <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1676737' first='Asher' last='Littlejohn']</strong>, <strong>Reese Waugerman</strong>, and <strong>Jordan Ramirez</strong> among his top targets.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Chapman will try to slow down the Centurions with a defense keyed by DE <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1732638' first='Khamari' last='Turner']</strong>, a North All-Star selection who plays with speed, size, and power off the edge. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1822131' first='Keilon' last='Tucker']</strong> has looked good for the Panthers on both sides of the ball at WR/DB. And when the Panthers have turned in strong offensive performances, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1819563' first='Jasiah' last='Copeland']</strong> has been a big part of the reason why, helping to lead the team on the ground.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/17224485/69001e511011ca8cc17e1db2' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-69020d3af3b07"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Region I-4A: Emerald at Laurens</strong> - In 4A, it all comes down to RPI. And while a win here doesn't assure anything, you don't want to be on the losing side of this one with the playoffs looming. The Vikings will look to use a balanced offensive attack, as sophomore QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1467847' first='Beau' last='Hite']</strong> has thrown for nearly 1,500 yards, and junior RB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1819707' first='Christopher' last='Dean']</strong> has almost 1,000 yards rushing. Fellow sophomore <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1773739' first='Coleson' last='Marino']</strong> has been Hite's main target, with more than 400 receiving yards and five touchdowns. Defensively, the Vikings have some guys putting up monster numbers, with <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1592540' first='Christian' last='Foster']</strong> and his 134 tackles, 6 tackles for loss and four hurries at the top of the list. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1603997' first='Marquise' last='Anderson']</strong> is close behind with 72 tackles, 21 tackles for loss, and five sacks.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Laurens will lean on a running attack led by <strong>Nehemias Fernandez</strong> and <strong>Denari Lee-Jackson</strong>, but they'll also showcase freshman QB <strong>Logan Bragg</strong>, who's thrown for more than 1,000 yards. His top targets include sophomore <strong>Damajia Crooks</strong> and fellow freshman <strong>Travion Robinson</strong>, giving a glimpse at the Raiders' offensive future. <strong>Logan Martin</strong> has been a bright spot on defense, with 79 tackles, three tackles for loss, and two sacks.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/26445143/68f6ddf1e05d83877a3e71eb' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-69020d3af3b45"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Region II-5A: Riverside at Spartanburg</strong> - This is another case where RPI will rule the day, and the results will be a little more complicated as the teams will be headed into different brackets for the playoffs. Spartanburg was without RB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1172345' first='Trenton' last='Lynch']</strong> in last week's game against Byrnes, and the Vikings' offense suffered against the Rebels and one of the best defensive lines in the region. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1592374' first='Trey' last='Burke']</strong> has looked good at QB for Spartanburg, and he'll be crucial against the Warriors. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1809722' first='Skyler' last='Douglas']</strong> has been a bright spot for the Vikings, and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1823474' first='Zeke' last='Bell-Boyd']</strong> does a little big of everything for Spartanburg. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Riverside got up off the mat and got a key win over Boiling Springs last week, thanks in part to a big game from QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='463113' first='Gideon' last='Merhib']</strong>, who threw for a score and ran for two, including the game-winner in overtime. He also chipped in with 40 receiving yards. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1025814' first='Jaiden' last='Taylor']</strong> is a multi-position weapon for the Warriors, and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1341039' first='Tyvin' last='Grady']</strong> is a leader defensively, a high-motor guy who always seems to be around the ball.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/17311900/68fcee3796696ef4deca7a0d' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-69020d3af3b7f"} /-->