Class 3A Lower State Third Round Preview

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We're down to four teams in the Class 3A Lower State bracket, and none of them are anything even slightly resembling a surprise.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Longtime powerhouse Dillon will head to two-time defending state champ Oceanside Collegiate for the second straight season. And Loris - still rolling perfect on the year - will head to Newberry, also still undefeated.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Much like the four teams remaining in the Upper State field, all four of finished the regular season ranked among the top eight in the statewide rankings. Friday is set to be monumental for two of them.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Let's get into both matchups.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>NO. 4 DILLON (9-3) AT NO. 1 OCEANSIDE COLLEGIATE (10-2)</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Before we look ahead, we must first look back. Because if a third-round matchup between the Wildcats and Landsharks feels familiar, it's because it is. These two met in Charleston in the 2024 playoffs and fans were treated to the closest game of Oceanside's eventual Class 3A state title. Flash forward to the third round this year, and we might be in for another treat. The focal point for Dillon will against be how it plays quarterback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1094944' first='Aiden' last='Manavian']</strong> from Oceanside. Manavian, already having his best season to date (and that's saying a lot since he's got a couple rings), was 17-of-19 for 231 yards and three touchdowns against the Wildcats last time around. The scary part of that is his targets are stronger. Receivers <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1592182' first='Terence' last='Johnson']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1823853' first='Anthony' last='Williams']</strong> are both likely to finish with 1,000 yards this year, and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1165105' first='Trent' last='Garner']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1295653' first='Ethan' last='Ranew']</strong> are proving themselves to be very, very capable third and fourth options.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Manavian can flip a switch and morph from more deliberate to having a quick trigger. And Dillon will be putting a lot on its secondary to counter that. Corners <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1821485' first='Geo' last='Warren']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1821487' first='D'rontae' last='McClam']</strong> and safeties <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1823089' first='Milachi' last='Quick']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1172360' first='Kelvion' last='Manning']</strong> will get some help at times from top receiver <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1165163' first='Zamaurious' last='Robertson']</strong> (corner, pictured) and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1820513' first='Zayquan' last='Carmichael']</strong> (safety). The starters have eight interceptions between them, with McClam's four leading the way. And while contain is priority No. 1, creating a turnover could be a difference maker in the rematch. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Dillon needs to make sure that the ball is in the hands of its quarterback more than Manavian. [player_tooltip player_id='1595007' first='Khayel' last='Sam Fong-Talia'] (2,237 yards, 25 touchdowns) has half as many picks this year as his counterpart in this game. Fong-Talia's predecessor threw two picks against Oceanside in 2024, and if Fong-Talia can improve upon that, the Wildcats will absolutely have a chance to unseat the two-time defending champs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Offensive Lineman to Watch:</em></strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1732582' first='Kiele' last='Pompey']</strong> has spent the majority of his senior season fulfilling much of the promise the Wildcats saw from him when he was starting as a freshman. It's unusual for him to engage on two and even three different defenders on the same play. What makes that even more impressive is that he's taken command of the center position while the freshman receiving the snaps had little choice but to grow up in a hurry. Pompey takes a lot of heat off Fong-Talia.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/19837853/690a22e28a6d07a60039963a' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-691a69bddddbe"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>NO. 3 LORIS (12-0) AT NO. 2 NEWBERRY (12-0)</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Success in the playoffs is about peaking at the right time, and For all of Newberry's success during the first half of the regular season, what <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='473022' first='BJ' last='Jones']</strong> has been able to do since returning from a what amounted to a four-game absence in September makes the Bulldogs that much stronger. Jones has rushed for eight touchdowns in the last four games. Of course, the 159 yards and five scores from the second-round win over Hanahan was a bulk of that scoring, but when you think of him - or any other player on the offense, for that matter - as a a complement to <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1267234' first='Kenton' last='Caldwell']</strong> running the show on offense, you've got an offense that can hurt opposing defenses in bunches. That's because the offensive line has been dominant.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1615022' first='Eli' last='Sanders']</strong> (LT), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1771858' first='Kalvin' last='Sims']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1771842' first='Isaiah' last='Brown']</strong> (LG), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1771849' first='Brady' last='Chapman']</strong> (C), <strong>LeMatthis Whitener</strong> (RG) and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1771859' first='Lebron' last='Lyles']</strong> (RT) have been on fire of late, humbling some solid front sevens to create running lanes for Jones, Caldwell and [player_tooltip player_id='1672927' first='Ty' last='Abrams'] while giving Caldwell plenty of time to hit his targets.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It will create an exciting game within the game in the trenches. The Loris defensive line of <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1395062' first='Damarea' last='Thurmond']</strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1821015' first='Jamarius' last='Wilson']</strong> <strong>Preston Hayes</strong> and <strong>Landon Connor</strong> have put up 35 tackles for loss this year. That number may not seem like much until you factor in that all three of them have rarely been on the field in the fourth quarter of most games this year, if not the bulk of the second half. Wilson, Thurmond and Connor play a fair amount on offense, as well, and the strategy for keeping all three of them fresh for this part of the year has been sound so far. Take what they did in the second-round win over Orangeburg-Wilkinson as proof. Together, they held the Bruins to 74 yards of offense before the first-team defense started to sub out of the game.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Offensive Lineman to Watch:</em></strong> Loris left tackle <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='797156' first='Logan' last='Coleman']</strong> has established himself as exactly the right time of bookend the Lions need as long as <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='797160' first='Moon' last='Gerald']</strong> is the team's quarterback. At 6-foot-3 and 285 pounds, he's got the size and reach to extend would-be pass rushers away from the pocket. But he's also not so big that he can't move around. Often this year, he's moved defensive ends directly out of Gerald's field of vision so he can link up with his intended receiver. Opponents have thrown the kitchen sink at Coleman, often to their dismay after the fact.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/17734726/68feb4e5f84c8806013bc41e' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-691a69bddddfc"} /-->