Class 3A Lower State Second Round Preview

The first round of the Class 3A Lower State playoffs were extra chalky.   It wasn't simply that the only seedings upset came in the 8-9 game between Swansea and Marlboro County. None of the games were all that close. The average margin of victory for the eight teams who advanced to the second round (30.4)   That ranged from Loris and Newberry beating Battery Creek and Aynor, respectively, by 40 points each down to Orangeburg-Wilkinson's 13-point win over Keenan.   Obviously, much of that had to do with matchups, as well as the overall percentage of teams who in the class and make the playoffs. But now that we're on to round two, we should be able to look at last week's postseason openers as little more than an appetizer.   The real deal starts this week.   NO. 9 MARLBORO COUNTY (8-3) AT NO. 1 OCEANSIDE COLLEGIATE (9-2)   The Bulldogs have re-established themselves as a player in Class 3A after a tumultuous 2024 season that ended in a playoff ban. Marlboro County hit the reset button successfully with guys like quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='776240' first='Tre' last='Blakeney'] (1,568 yards passing, 660 yards rushing, 21 total touchdowns - pictured) and [player_tooltip player_id='1592270' first='Troy' last='Hailey'] (864 yards, 10 touchdowns) and then leaning on a top-end defensive line. But the Bulldogs are going to need every bit of production from all facets of the game to hang with a Landsharks' squad that has - to be complete clear - decimated every one of its opponents since beating Class 5A squads Ashley Ridge and Dutch Fork in September. The scary part of Oceanside opponents is how efficient Brent LaPrad's team has made it look. You probably already know all about the offense, but the defense is just as good. The unit has gotten excellent production from players like linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='1824759' first='Rhys' last='Meredith'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1824235' first='Michael' last='Strickler'] at safety. Combine them with some of the established stars - namely [player_tooltip player_id='1025774' first='Sawyer' last='Arnold'] and [player_tooltip player_id='816747' first='Michael' last='Jones'] on the line - and some very good opposing offenses haven't even been able to get started against the Landsharks in the last two months.   X-Factor: If you're looking for a potential sleeper who can influence this game on both side of the ball, we're going to direct you to sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='1816910' first='LaBrice' last='Purvis'] from Marlboro County. As a receiver, Purvis with 11 catches for 421 yards and four touchdowns. Not a ton, right? The issue for Oceanside is that more than half of his receiving yards on the year have come in his last three games, and he's proving to be the guy who can stretch the field. His average catch goes for 38.3 yards, and that figure increases to 51 yards per catch in the recent three-game span. Because of what the Landsharks are bringing to the table in terms of their own passing game, Purvis should be on the field there a good bit, too. He's got 18 tackles, a pick and two pass break-ups in his eight defensive game appearances this fall.    NO. 5 SILVER BLUFF (7-4) AT NO. 4 DILLON (8-3)   Silver Bluff has been in a few dog fights this year, and the trip to Dillon will require another big one. The Bulldogs have leaned heavily on tailback [player_tooltip player_id='1654810' first='Drelyn' last='Brown'] during the year, especially during the midway point of region play when quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1557629' first='Trellis' last='Riley'] was banged up and needed some time to get healthy again. Against the Wildcats, though, Silver Bluff will have no choice but to be able to throw the ball. Receivers [player_tooltip player_id='1820958' first='Jessie' last='Shelley'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1823574' first='Zean' last='Dicks'] will need to haul in some receptions, but then also extend some plays downfield. The longer the game goes on, the more Dillon will attempt to tighten up near the line of scrimmage. It's exactly how Dillon got two tackles for loss from [player_tooltip player_id='1820516' first='Donterious' last='Rogers'] and Dontavius Tanksly and another one from linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='1267317' first='Daniel' last='Capehart'] in the first-round win. That's the direction Dillon has been heading. Since the start of region play (six games), the Wildcats have allowed a measly nine points per contest.    X-Factor: For everything that [player_tooltip player_id='1595007' first='Khayel' last='Sam Fong-Talia'] has done for Dillon as the team's quarterback, a quiet contribution to his game that can't be overlooked is his ability in the kicking game. Fong-Talia added that to his resume a few weeks back and after notching an early field goal and knocking through nine of his first 15 extra points, he then went seven-for-seven in the opening-round win over Fox Creek. Tack that on to his 2,100 passing yards and 200 or so rushing yards and he's somehow expanding his foot print on this team.    NO. 6 ORANGEBURG-WILKINSON (10-1) AT NO. 3 LORIS (11-0)    O-W bounced back nicely from its first loss of the season by dispatching a Keenan team that had every intent of slowing down to limit the Bruins' opportunity. In winning 25-12, though, Orangeburg-Wilkinson set up a second-round game with a team that take a different approach. Lions quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='797160' first='Moon' last='Gerald'] (39 touchdowns, one interception, 2,153 yards passing) had been lighting up foes for most of the season, but Friday's first-round win against Battery Creek was more about the rushing attack. [player_tooltip player_id='1422632' first='Makel' last='Stephens'] went for 126 yards and two scores on just eight carries and Gerald also got into the end zone twice on the ground en route to the first seven touchdowns of the game (all for Loris). O-W, then, will likely need to find a way to keep pace in the opening 24 minutes. We expect a heavy dose of [player_tooltip player_id='1126113' first='Jordan' last='Avinger'] to not only get the ball in his hands, but also to break tackles. If the first Loris defender is getting him or any other Bruin on the ground, it increases the Lions' chances of more opportunities to run away with yet another win.    X-Factor: Loris senior [player_tooltip player_id='1821016' first='Khalil' last='Sherman'] isn't the guy on offense or defense for the Lions, but he's a factor for both that any opponent can't overlook. Take his performance against Marlboro County from a few weeks ago as a solid example. He made five tackles on defense and caught four passes for 89 yards and two touchdowns on offense. He's often lost in the shuffle with so much star power around him, but that's part of his production level, too.     NO. 7 HANAHAN (6-5) AT NO. 2 NEWBERRY (11-0)    Hanahan got a huge boost for the first-round win against Waccamaw when sophomore quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1615084' first='Tripp' last='Gallus'] (back) returned and did his part to run an offense that was as close to its top end as we've seen in weeks. The big lefty's return served the secondary benefit of allowing [player_tooltip player_id='1222230' first='Quamell' last='Grant'] to return to his normal position at receiver. Sure enough, the duo linked up for an early touchdown pass against the Warriors. What it also did was take some of the pressure off Hanahan ball carriers [player_tooltip player_id='1822225' first='Isaiah' last='Snodgrass'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1817903' first='Xavier' last='Sabback'] - who have taken turns pounding the rock between the tackles on their way to more than a 1,000 regular-season rushing yards. It may ultimately set up Newberry linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='1267311' first='Julian' last='Senn'] (20 tackles in the round one victory) for yet another huge individual game. But he's also not going to be alone. The defensive line crew of [player_tooltip player_id='1771667' first='Thomas' last='Dewalt'] [player_tooltip player_id='1771671' first='Dontavius' last='Griffin'] [player_tooltip player_id='1771847' first='Jordan' last='Wright'] and Jaquon Holliday have been clogging up running lanes and springing Senn to track the ball, almost like a super spy on any opposing tailback. Together, they're the prime reason this defense allows fewer than 13 points per game in 2025.    X-Factor: Without even factoring in his potential in the kick return game into the equation, junior receiver [player_tooltip player_id='1819697' first='Grayson' last='Mathes'] could be a difference maker for the Hanahan offense here. He's often typecast as the Hawks' homerun threat, but the play calling also shows a player capable of running a variety of screens to simply let his shiftiness do the work. He can catch the ball in traffic and one-on-one coverage against him often goes his way. If Gallus starts going quick-fire to counteract some of the pressure from the Hanahan line, Mathes could load up on targets.

The first round of the Class 3A Lower State playoffs were extra chalky.