Week 8 Upper State Game Balls

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Week 8 was kind of a separation week in the Upper State, with a ton of teams positioning themselves for a shot at a region crown and a favorable playoff draw.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A bunch of them did it on the ground. Six guys on our game balls list this week rushed for more than 200 yards, with one of them setting an individual school record at a place that's been run-first for quite literally a hundred years. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here;s a look at those guys and a bunch more who turned in performances worthy of game balls in Week 8.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1161156' first='Javen' last='Cook']</strong> RB, Clinton - Cook absolutely ran wild in a 56-14 win over Landrum, picking up a school-record 334 yards on just 13 carries and scoring five times for the Red Devils. Clinton rushed for 533 yards as a team, also a school record.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/18260143/68f3fb00330e891424977a55' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-68f4ef669ccc3"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1639783' first='Altavis' last='Evans']</strong> RB and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1821508' first='Jayden' last='Johnson']</strong> QB, Ware Shoals - The Purple Hornets got their first win over rival Dixie in eight years, and did it mostly behind the duo of Evans and Johnson. Ware Shoals rushed for 428 yards, and the pair had 416 of them. Evans rushed for 272 yards and five touchdowns, while Johnson added 144 yards and three scores on the ground in the 58-33 win.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1823338' first='Amarian' last='Coleman']</strong>&nbsp;ATH, Northwestern – Coleman had a 70-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the Trojans' 45-14 rout over Rock Hill.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1036779' first='Kaiden' last='Watkins']</strong> ATH, South Pointe – The speedy junior had a 78-yard punt return in the Stallions' 48-7 win over Lancaster on Friday. He also had a big catch that set up a score as well, beating the one-on-one coverage.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1036753' first='Aiden' last='Gibson']</strong> RB, Woodruff - Gibson rushed for 299 yards and four touchdowns and added 50 receiving yards and another score as the Wolverines thumped previously unbeaten Mountain View Prep 49-28.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/20361133/68f4719c731191b049ec63c4' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-68f4ef669ccff"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1603999' first='Caleb' last='Feaster']</strong> ATH, Chester – Feaster had a 92-yard touchdown reception on 3rd-and-18 that shifted momentum late in the first half in the Cyclones' 40-0 win over Columbia, as they've now won five straight.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1592521' first='Kason' last='Canupp']</strong>&nbsp;QB, Nation Ford – Canupp had five touchdown passes in a 41-34 shootout win over Catawba Ridge on Friday. He had 34-yard and 33-yard touchdown passes to star receiver<strong>&nbsp;[player_tooltip player_id='1821733' first='Jayden' last='Scott']</strong>, 51-yard TD pass to <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1821310' first='Patience' last='Andrews']</strong>, 25-yard &amp; 12-yard scoring tosses to&nbsp;<strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1635014' first='Malachi' last='Drayton'].</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1790589' first='Muntu' last='Brown'] </strong>RB, Wren - Brown continued his torrid pace this season, running for 287 yards and three touchdowns on 27 carries in a 45-28 win against Laurens.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1050653' first='Kiishawn' last='Farrow'] </strong>QB, Greenville - Farrow accounted for all of Greenville's offensive points in a 21-13 win over Mauldin, rushing for three touchdowns including a 70-yard score.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1403906' first='Banks' last='Bouton'] </strong>QB, Gaffney<strong> - </strong>&nbsp;Bouton threw for 145 yards and a touchdown on 9-of-10 passing and ran seven times for 96 yards and two TDs in a 49-20 win against Riverside.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1743679' first='Trey' last='Crawford']</strong> RB, Greenwood - Crawford rushed for 96 yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries in the Eagles' 49-7 win over Woodmont.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1700046' first='Darius' last='Riley']</strong> ATH, Abbeville - Riley ran six times for 91 yards and three scores and added an 11-yard TD catch as the Panthers thumped Whitmire 57-8.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/18649113/68f440dcd919868e1ed22799' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-68f4ef669cd2a"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1592369' first='Jordan' last='Darby']</strong> LB, Dorman - Darby had five total tackles and a tackle for loss for the Cavaliers, but he made a statement on the scoreboard too. Darby returned a blocked field goal attempt 69 yards for Dorman's first score of the game in a blowout win over Wade Hampton.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1149055' first='Nasir' last='Waldrop']</strong> RB, Powdersville - Waldrop rushed for 235 yards and three touchdowns on just 15 carries in a half of work as the Patriots blew out Palmetto 45-14.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1822335' first='Keylan' last='Powell']</strong> RB, Westside - Powell was a workhorse for the Rams, carrying 34 times for 166 yards and five touchdowns in a big win over Fountain Inn.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='409882' first='Jaden' last='Wuerth']</strong> DL, Dutch Fork - The Silver Foxes had no shortage of top performances on defense in a 49-0 win over Lexington, but Wuerth stood out. He had three total tackles, a sack, two tackles for loss, and a fumble recovery in a dominant defensive effort.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1267354' first='Austin' last='Wertz']</strong> OL/DL, Ninety Six - Wertz turned in a huge performance as the Wildcats notched a signature win over Saluda. He played nearly every play on both sides of the ball, notching eight tackles on defense and seven pancake blocks on the offensive side as Ninety Six took a 28-27 thriller.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Gregory Moore</strong> LB, Strom Thurmond - The Rebels blasted Pelion 61-0, and held the Panthers to zero total yards on the ground. Moore was a huge part of the reason why, with his 10 total tackles including seven solo stops.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/19771072/68f2fdbd58487e5675730aa7' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-68f4ef669cd4f"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1592250' first='Hayden' last='Myers']</strong> RB, River Bluff - Myers led the Gators offense in a 33-7 win over Chapin, rushing for 232 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries against the Eagles.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->