Class 3A Lower State First Round Preview

Two undefeated teams don't even lead the talking point to the Class 3A Lower State playoff bracket.    Let that soak in for a few moments and then recognize that Oceanside Collegiate is drawing comparisons to some of the state's best programs in the last decade for a reason.   Because for everything Loris and Newberry have done this year, the Landsharks are the two-time defending state champs for a reason. We won't know for weeks how that narrative will play out, but we do know that our prediction from August about how much fun the Class 3A postseason was going to be is sure shaping up nicely even before the first playoff game kicks off.    The 16 teams in the Lower State field are all coming into the most important part of the 2025 season with varying degrees of hope. Yes, there's winless Georgetown and three additional teams who have won fewer than four games.   But we've also got the three aforementioned power houses and the likes of Orangeburg-Wilkinson and the rest of the contingent from Region IV-3A (Fox Creek, Keenan, Silver Bluff, Swansea). And we haven't even brought up Dillon, yet.   Go ahead and grab your popcorn. Once this bracket fires up, you're going to need it.   NO. 16 GEORGETOWN (0-10) AT NO. 1 OCEANSIDE COLLEGIATE (8-2)   As if everything else on paper wasn't already pointing to yet another lopsided Landsharks victory, the Bulldogs are expected to be starting a freshman in Brooks O'Donnell again at quarterback. The regular starter went down early in the year and almost immediately it turned Georgetown's offense into the [player_tooltip player_id='1734397' first='Trenton' last='Parker'] Show. The only games where his touches were held to a minimum were ones in which a running clock shortened the game. Therein also lies the Bulldogs' game plan. The more Parker is touching the ball, the less the opponent is. That hasn't always worked out that well for winless program, but against the high-powered Oceanside offense, the Bulldogs have little choice. Quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1094944' first='Aiden' last='Manavian'] already has two state championship rings and - more immediately - arguably the biggest in-state shock from this season when he led his teammates to a win over Dutch Fork in September.    X-Factor: The biggest thing that might come out of this game is how Oceanside uses [player_tooltip player_id='1664501' first='James' last='O'Connor'] after the tailback returned to the field last week for the first time in more than two months. After rushing for nearly 600 yards as a sophomore, O'Connor suffered a hairline fracture in August. Chances are, we'll see [player_tooltip player_id='1821532' first='Zakhi' last='Muncey'] continue to lead the carries list, but O'Connor is a tough back who showed last postseason how valuable he was to this program.   NO. 9 MARLBORO COUNTY (7-3) AT NO. 8 SWANSEA (8-2)   With respect to the rest of the matchups in the Class 3A Lower State field, we're a bit excited to see how this one plays out, especially in terms of Swansea's rushing attack against Marlboro's down linemen. On one side, you've got a Swansea backfield of [player_tooltip player_id='1267270' first='Dante' last='Caldwell'] [player_tooltip player_id='1819945' first='Deandre' last='Caldwell'] [player_tooltip player_id='1672924' first='Kendall' last='Wright'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1816291' first='Trace' last='Selfridge'] and on the other you've got high-profile defensive linemen [player_tooltip player_id='905534' first='Jaden' last='Ashe'] [player_tooltip player_id='1422580' first='Kaiden' last='Walton'] and [player_tooltip player_id='651061' first='Patrick' last='Williams'] from Marlboro County. This will be assignment football at its best, because if either side starts breaking from the game plan, the other will feast.    X-Factor: Swansea offensive tackle [player_tooltip player_id='1804680' first='Kevin' last='Sightler'] isn't likely to be a big-name recruit since he's not even 6 feet tall. But against Ashe and Walton the Tigers know what's got them to this point and it's Sightler opening holes for all those ball carriers. His lower center of gravity should be of some assistance against the length of Marlboro's edge rushers, and if he's able to keep them out of the backfield, Swansea will likely love the result.     NO. 12 NORTH CHARLESTON (5-4) AT NO. 5 SILVER BLUFF (6-4)   For everything [player_tooltip player_id='1346277' first='Lorenzo' last='Kitching'] has done for the Cougars on offense the last two seasons, North Charleston will need him to light things up on the other side of the ball. Kitching - who has already rushed for more than 1,000 yards and is also the team's leading receiver with more than 400 yards there - steps in on defense and has almost 30 tackles. More importantly, he's a risk to pick off a pass or two for opponents who aren't tracking him. Silver Bluff quarterback Trellis Riley will need to make sure he knows where Kitching is lined up, sure, but tailback [player_tooltip player_id='1654810' first='Drelyn' last='Brown'] might also be an answer there, as well. In addition to his rushing production, Brown has proved himself proficient in catching the ball out of the backfield. If Silver Bluff starts feeling a crunch, the outlet passes to Brown could setting any issues.    X-Factor: We really like what we've seen from North Charleston junior linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='1817380' first='Cedric' last='Burkes'] so far this year. He's the team's leader in tackles and half of his eight sacks have come against pretty strong opponents. The individual matchup between he and Silver Bluff's Brown won't come down to just Mano y Mano, but how those two respond to each other will be critical to the result of this game.   NO. 13 FOX CREEK (5-5) AT NO. 4 DILLON (7-3)   The Predators will be making the trip up to Dillon licking their wounds a bit after going 0-4 in region play. But this is a dangerous squad that was saw three of those five losses coming by 11 points or less. Two of the biggest weapons Fox Creek will be leaning on Friday will be junior tailback [player_tooltip player_id='1824044' first='Bryson' last='Crawford'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1822476' first='Mekhi' last='Quiller'] - who is a standout both at receiver and defensive back. Crawford went over 1,000 yards rushing on the season back on Oct. 17 with a huge game against Keenan. Quiller has put up nearly 400 receiving yards on offense while also picking off five passes. That last part is important, because for as dynamic as Wildcats quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1595007' first='Khayel' last='Sam Fong-Talia'] has been this year, he's still a freshman about to start his first playoff game. Dillon may go a bit vanilla to get his feet wet, and if that happens, there are a bunch of opponents who can already tell you what they think will happen from there.   X-Factor: Another Predators player you might not have heard a lot about (but will) is [player_tooltip player_id='1819981' first='Gabriel' last='Reyes'] at linebacker. Just a sophomore, Reyes has been getting better and better as the season progresses. In the last five games, he's averaged nearly 10 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss per game while also playing a hand in a couple turnovers.     NO. 14 BATTERY CREEK (2-8) AT NO. 3 LORIS (10-0)   Battery Creek is about as heavy of an underdog as you're going to find in the first round of the Class 3A playoffs, Georgetown's trip to Oceanside included. And if the Dolphins are going to prevent the next Loris game from becoming another laugher, [player_tooltip player_id='1664217' first='Kiawan' last='Ford'] is probably going to have to make some magic happen. The big hybrid defensive lineman could give his team a fighting chance by creating some havoc. The only teams to have a modicum of success against the Lions have done just that. It's clearly not easy. Loris quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='797160' first='Moon' last='Gerald'] came into this fall on the heels of a stellar junior campaign and has proceeded to make that look pedestrian. So far this season, he's thrown for 2,048 yards and 37 touchdowns while completing 69.7 percent of his passes. He's thrown one interception. One. He doesn't take unnecessary risks and it's shown in some of the Lions' point totals.    X-Factor: When opponents see big defensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id='1395062' first='Damarea' last='Thurmond'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1639761' first='Jamarious' last='Wilson'] standing across from them, we get why Landon Connor often gets overlooked. Yet, it's the Connor who leads this team in tackles for loss with 15 despite missing a game back in August. Connor's job is chaos, and his business is good.   NO. 11 KEENAN (3-7) AT NO. 6 ORANGEBURG-WILKINSON (9-1)   For anyone who hasn't paid attention to Keenan in 2025, the Raiders got two games out of South Pointe mid-season transfer [player_tooltip player_id='473002' first='Cameron' last='McMillon'] and spilt those two contests. But in the time since (Keenan was off in Week 10), the storyline again shifted back to tailback [player_tooltip player_id='1822187' first='Hunter' last='O'Neal'] (1,254 yards, 12 touchdowns) and regular starting quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1818235' first='Jamauri' last='Johnson'] (525 passing yards, three touchdowns). The week off was much needed, as the trip to Orangeburg looks rather lopsided. The Bruins lineup is chock full of stars. From quarterback Brenden Peeples to [player_tooltip player_id='1126113' first='Jordan' last='Avinger'] to [player_tooltip player_id='1361647' first='Derrick' last='Thomas'] to [player_tooltip player_id='1267282' first='Daylin' last='Haltiwanger'] there are a number of O-W players who are destined for the college ranks. The Bruins didn't win nine regular-season games by accident, and after a lopsided loss to Oceanside Friday, they'll be looking to regroup again.   X-Factor: O-W freshman Nahjir Pelzer is a name to start getting used to hearing. At 6-foot-4 and a shade under 210 pounds, the Bruins love to use him on the edge to bring his length into the passing lanes. He's gone a step further, recording multiple sacks in three of his first eight games at the varsity level.    NO. 10 WACCAMAW (6-4) AT NO. 7 HANAHAN (5-5)   Waccamaw has been building to this moment for going on four years, and while that may sound like hyperbole about a 6-4 team, [player_tooltip player_id='473016' first='AJ' last='Grate'] and [player_tooltip player_id='473025' first='Andre' last='Grate'] know this is their last go around with this program. Adding a second consecutive season with a playoff victory (the Warriors took down Swansea last year) would legitimize so much of what the twin brothers have means for this school. At the same time, the bulk of Hanahan's roster is led by younger players. And that's where sophomores [player_tooltip player_id='1615084' first='Tripp' last='Gallus'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1222230' first='Quamell' last='Grant'] come into the conversation. Gallus (back) has not played the last two weeks, and in stepped Grant. All the team's normal top receiving threat did was complete 66-percent of his passes fro 315 yards and three touchdowns in a pair of victories that gave the Hawks a home playoff game.    X-Factor: Waccamaw senior running back [player_tooltip player_id='1822699' first='Bryce' last='Holloway'] is at times the great equalizer for the Warriors. His overall rushing numbers are going to move the needle on a statewide level, but the fullback executes well moving the ball right up the gut in small chunks. He's a load to bring down and with everything else the Warriors do (mostly with the Grates), Holloway is capable to wearing down a defensive front seven.   NO. 15 AYNOR (3-7) AT NO. 2 NEWBERRY (10-0)    While Aynor has morphed out of the Hammer offense that put it on the map a few years back, this is still very much a run-based offense, and a tricky one for anyone who hasn't practiced and/or played against it. Running back [player_tooltip player_id='1734403' first='Luke' last='McCracken'] (pictured) leads the Blue Jackets with 640 yards and 11 touchdowns, and quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1820108' first='Alex' last='Lewis'] isn't far behind with 481 yards and six scores. Lewis has only attempted 44 pass attempts all season, so, again, the 521 rushes Aynor has put up is the storyline of this offense. That's where Newberry linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='1267311' first='Julian' last='Senn'] comes into the game as a potential gamechanger. The senior will have every opportunity to pile up tackles, and every minute the Newberry defense can get Aynor off the field, the better it will be for the undefeated Bulldogs, namely quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1267234' first='Kenton' last='Caldwell'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1672927' first='Ty' last='Abrams'] at tailback.   X-Factor: Newbery sophomore Kaden Goff has already made quite the impression this season while serving as Senn's No. 2. But he's also already shown he can hold down the fort next year, too. Against Aynor's rushing attack, Goff will have every opportunity to add to his 74 tackles and seven tackles for loss.

Two undefeated teams don't even lead the talking point to the Class 3A Lower State playoff bracket.