Class 4A Lower State Third Round Preview

It isn't simply that the top four seeds have made it this far in the Class 4A Lower State bracket.   Rather, the story for North Augusta, Gray Collegiate, Hilton Head and South Florence is how dominating of fashion they've done it. Those four teams' average margin of victory through the first two rounds?    An eye-popping 34.75 points per game.   The closest of the bunch was Gray's 21-point second-round victory over Hartsville. The biggest was Gray's 56-point postseason opener against Brookland-Cayce.   All those blowouts have allowed each of the teams to rest starters and get others into the mix. What it's also done is inspire an extremely confidence final four. Each of them know how close they are to reaching Orangeburg.    Doing so, however, will mean finding a way to get through one of the others this week. We expect the blowout train to come to an end.   NO. 4 NORTH AUGUSTA (11-1) AT NO. 1 SOUTH FLORENCE (11-1)   There will be no sitting [player_tooltip player_id='402503' first='Mike' last='Doe'] this week when North Augusta is gearing up for a rematch with South Florence if he's even close. Doe, who was banged up in the opening round two weeks ago, was held out completely from the second-round win over Gilbert. In his place, all [player_tooltip player_id='1827481' first='Jayden' last='Hatcher'] did was run for 208 yards and four touchdowns on 28 carries. Hatcher has had a pretty good season, too, as his 754 yards and 15 scores tells us he's capable of being the guy. But in Doe (1,771 yards, 22 touchdowns), the Yellow Jackets have not only a battle-tested back, but one this offense was wrapped around for most of the last three seasons.    Where North Augusta will need stability the most, though, is how it uses [player_tooltip player_id='1827442' first='AJ' last='Hillary'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1819537' first='Collin' last='Tillman'] at quarterback. Both are going to get snaps, as they have all season, and both have been productive. Collectively, they make a pretty good solo act. Their collective stat line looks like this: 146-of-232 (63%) for 25 touchdowns and eight interceptions. Tillman has done a bit more with his legs (199 yards vs. 71), but again, much of what they're capable of doing is reliant upon the play calling, which has been slanted toward the ground all season by a three-to-two margin. That's because while no one would call this a ground-and-pound offense, the rushing attack has propelled the Yellow Jackets to a 30-7 record over the course of the last three seasons.    One of the few teams in the state who can top that in Class 4A is South Florence. The three-time defending Lower State champs (and two-time state champs in that span) have replaced starters in the backfield and on the line and still keep on winning. This year, it's been driven on the ground. Shocker, right? [player_tooltip player_id='1422638' first='Cam' last='James'] has rushed for 1,178 yards and 15 touchdowns. Gabe McLaughlin is up to 780 and 13. Quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1166986' first='Messiah' last='Jackson'] - who has also thrown for 1,501 and 20 touchdowns against just two picks - has rushed for 500 and 16 scores. That is a boatload of production no matter how you slice it. Now factor in that South Florence starters have been second-half cheerleaders in seven of the last eight games and it easily could have been more.    Lineman to Watch: Yellow Jackets senior [player_tooltip player_id='1251916' first='Malcolm' last='Gaston'] (pictured) established himself by playing pretty darn well at the tackle position. It's why he started garnering some big-name offers before ultimately committing to Liberty. But what's helped him carve out an even bigger niche is not having one. No team in Class 4A has controlled the line of scrimmage with their front seven like South Florence. That probably means we're going to see Gaston in different looks. He can play all five spots on the line, and there's a possibility we'll see him at tackle and center at some point Friday night.    NO. 3 GRAY COLLEGIATE (10-2) AT NO. 2 HILTON HEAD (11-1)    Speaking of teams who haven't exactly been pushed lately, Gray Collegiate - the team that edged out North Augusta for the Region IV-4A crown courtesy of a 41-27 win on Sept. 26 - has been throttling opponents since, to the tune of 46 points a game in the last seven games. Freshman quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1623307' first='Xavier' last='Wright'] (1,891 yards, 21 touchdowns) was inserted into the lineup due to injury and proved too valuable to remove. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='232668' first='Tyler' last='Waller'] is still getting reps, but Wright is the guy. Against Hartsville last week, the freshman did throw two interceptions, but he made up for them by going for 302 yards and three touchdowns through the air and another 71 on the ground.    Wright's skill set has taken the load off [player_tooltip player_id='1036777' first='Trevon' last='Williamson'] (1,372 yards, 23 touchdowns). Five of the juniors 100-yard games came after the quarterback swap, and, in turn, the Eagles' defense has been playing with a lead, often a super-comfortable one. Linebackers [player_tooltip player_id='473010' first='Michael' last='Boulware'] [player_tooltip player_id='473012' first='JP' last='Sweatt'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1820286' first='Tye' last='Rivers'] haven't had to do anything spectacular, simply prevent opposing offenses from finding a rhythm, something that's created some unforced errors. Gray safety [player_tooltip player_id='1319663' first='Royce' last='Williamson'] has eight interceptions, while defensive backfield mate [player_tooltip player_id='1647592' first='Corey' last='Gleaton'] has five. For good measure, Rivers and Sweatt have two each.   That strategy is going to sound familiar for anyone who has watched Hilton Head's defense play this year. Linebackers [player_tooltip player_id='1822838' first='Will' last='Jimenez'] [player_tooltip player_id='1172368' first='Andrew' last='Massey'] [player_tooltip player_id='1422535' first='Jayvin' last='Risher'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1603740' first='Thaddeus' last='Czarnecki'] have been making stops galore. On top of that, all of them are highly active behind the line of scrimmage. Those four have a combined 57 tackles for loss this fall. All four can shift around some in pre-snap to add to some confusion, something that has undoubtedly led to 13 interceptions for the Seahawks. It's why Hilton Head's closest game since a loss to James Island in August has been 10 points (over Bluffton on Sept. 26). Whichever defense makes the other offense start breaking from the game plan first probably wins.    Specialist to Watch: Hilton Head senior [player_tooltip player_id='1820331' first='Beau' last='Sexson'] has been one of the Seahawks certainly flying under the radar this fall, and the fact that his next made kick - PAT or field goal - will give him at least 150 career points scored should tell you how reliable he is. This fall, he's taken his skill set to another level. Entering Friday's contest, he's rolling perfect, having made all 46 of his extra points and all eight of his field goals. His longest kick is 42 yards, but his range is a touch further. If this one's close late, we're positive Hilton Head has more than enough confidence in him to put it between the uprights.

It isn't simply that the top four seeds have made it this far in the Class 4A Lower State bracket.