Class 4A Upper State First Round Preview

When Westside got off to an 0-4 start - and lost each game by at least 25 points - this season, there had to be some who felt that it was finally someone else's turn to rule the Upper State in Class 4A this season. However, six consecutive wins later the Rams have to be brimming with confidence that they can deliver Brian Lane a third 4A Upper State championship - and second state title - in his third season as head coach of the program.   Because of those early losses, this will be Westside's toughest playoff road yet as they are the third seed behind fellow region champions South Pointe, the top seed, and Daniel, the No. 2 seed. The Stallions and Lions each boast 9-1 overall records. The two region runner-up teams right behind Westside in the seeding, No. 4 Seneca and No. 5 AC Flora, also enter the postseason at 9-1.   With this many teams who aren't accustomed to losing this season, and in the Rams' case - not used to losing in November, it promises to be an exciting bunch of playoff games in the Upper State in Class 4A.   Oh, and if you like quarterbacks who throw lots of touchdowns and very few interceptions, this might be the bracket for you.   No. 16 BEAUFORT (3-7) AT No. 1 SOUTH POINTE (9-1)   The Stallions have been rolling since a tight win over Northwestern in early September. Their only loss came to Charlotte power Hough in the season opener. [player_tooltip player_id='1819627' first='J'Zavien' last='Currence'] is the straw that stirs the drink at quarterback and on defense. He's thrown for 1,668 yards and 14 touchdowns and rushed for 856 yards and 11 scores. Currence has plenty of weapons at his disposal, most notably running back [player_tooltip player_id='1165128' first='RJ' last='Brown'] (723 yards rushing, 13 touchdowns) and wide receiver Dalian Duncan (556 yards receiving, five touchdowns), who are both home run threats. South Pointe's defensive front is loaded with [player_tooltip player_id='284136' first='Miles' last='Wilson'], [player_tooltip player_id='1271263' first='KJ' last='Burg'] (112 tackles), [player_tooltip player_id='1594865' first='Brysen' last='Ginn'] (7.5 sacks) and [player_tooltip player_id='1591712' first='Seth' last='Tillman']. They're all athletic and will be a handful for opposing linemen this postseason. Beaufort will make the 200-plus mile trip to Rock Hill from the Lowcountry as a result of being the overall state at-large team in the 4A bracket. After winning the Class 3A state championship just three years ago, Beaufort has struggled since returning to 4A last season. This year marks the first back-to-back losing seasons for the Eagles since 2003. Beaufort features one of the best linemen in the state though in North-South all-star selection in [player_tooltip player_id='617718' first='Kenshon' last='Speaks'].   X-Factor: South Pointe's Zymier Gordon Miles is a dynamic playmaker on special teams and can change the game with his speed and ability to change direction. In the defensive secondary at safety, he's shown the to read the quarterback and make plays.   No. 9 EMERALD (5-5) AT No. 8 FOUNTAIN INN (6-4)   Another season, another first for Fountain Inn. The new school's football program, now in its fourth year, made the playoffs for the first time last season and will host a postseason game for the first time this Friday. After the show these two teams put on just two weeks ago, it'll be interesting to see what the encore can bring. At Emerald in Week 9, the Fury rallied from a 28-14 third quarter deficit to pull out a 35-31 win After the Vikings snapped a 28-28 tie on a field goal with two minutes remaining, Fountain Inn quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='429920' first='Sam' last='Holliday'] scored his fourth touchdown of the game with less than a minute to play for the game-winner. Holliday has led the Fury since starting as a freshman two years ago. This season, he's thrown for 1,829 yards with 20 touchdowns and six interceptions, and rushed for 673 yards and 14 scores. He's got a pair of top targets in fellow juniors Ben Ruwe (44 receptions, 586 yards, 6 TD) and [player_tooltip player_id='1339520' first='BJ' last='Curenton'] (32-439-2). Emerald has a dual-threat quarterback of its own in sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='1467847' first='Beau' last='Hite'] and a 1,000-yard rusher in [player_tooltip player_id='1772596' first='Chris' last='Dean'] (pictured above). Hite, who also handles punting, kickoff and placekicking duties, has passed for 1,637 yards with 17 touchdowns and rushed for 320 yards and four scores. In nine games, Dean rushed for 1,143 yards and eight touchdowns and caught 15 passes for 252 yards and two scores. Both average more than 8.0 yards per carry.   X-Factor: While Holliday's the leader on offense when running back [player_tooltip player_id='1603971' first='Bojack' last='Johnson'] gets going, it's a 1-2 punch that most of Fountain Inn's opponents can't withstand. Johnson leads the team in rushing with 684 yards, averages 6.2 yards per carry and has ran for eight touchdowns.    No. 12 YORK (4-6) AT No. 5 AC FLORA (9-1)   This is the lone other rematch on the Upper State side of the 4A bracket. On Sept. 26 at York, the game was tied at 6-6 with 10 minutes remaining before AC Flora scored three touchdowns to pull away with a 27-6 victory. Falcons quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1025784' first='Roper' last='Wentzky'] has had a scintillating senior season as he's thrown for 2,485 yards with 27 touchdowns and four interceptions. Four different Falcons have caught for at least 378 yards this season, led by [player_tooltip player_id='1592441' first='Charlie' last='Scott'] with 695 yards. Scott, who averages 23.2 yards per catch, has caught seven touchdowns this year, while [player_tooltip player_id='1824148' first='Josh' last='Davis'] (510 yards) has eight and [player_tooltip player_id='591391' first='Blake' last='Betette'] (495 yards) has six. Meanwhile, Flora's also rushed for 27 touchdowns this season led by Jalen Simmons with 11. Simmons, who rushed for 139 yards in that regular season win over York, has 740 yards and is averaging 7.8 yards per carry. The Falcons' defense is led up front by [player_tooltip player_id='1422589' first='Peyton' last='Bishop'] (82 tackles, 9.5 sacks) and Nasir Walker (81 tackles, 10 sacks). York is led by linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='1819733' first='Jahmaud' last='Moore'], who has 116 tackles, 13.5 taclkes-for-loss, two sacks and an interception.   X-Factor: While Bishop and Walker have combined for more than half of the Falcons' 33 sacks, [player_tooltip player_id='1592609' first='Azel' last='Banag'] has been its biggest playmaker in the secondary. The physical cornerback has 50 tackles, five interceptions, three forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries this season. As the highlight reel reveals, York is all too familiar with what kind of havoc Banag can cause.    No. 13 LANCASTER (2-8) AT No. 4 SENECA (9-1)   Seneca looked pretty unstoppable until a 27-16 loss at Daniel on Sept. 26. Ever since, it's resumed that pretty unstoppable look. All nine wins have been by a margin of at least 21 points and the Bobcats have scored at least 42 points in each one. You'd be hard pressed to find a more explosive, yet balanced offensive attack. Seneca has rushed for 2,399 yards and 31 touchdowns and passed for 2,386 yards and 34 touchdowns. All 34 of those have been thrown by [player_tooltip player_id='1165153' first='Gavin' last='Thoma'], who's completed 72.9 percent (129-of-177) passes for 2,196 yards with just two interceptions. [player_tooltip player_id='1615026' first='Jeremiah' last='Hunter'] has been Thoma's top target as he's caught 55 passes for 865 yards and 13 touchdowns. Hunter's also returned 19 punts for an average of 17.6 yards per return. Shrine Bowl running back [player_tooltip player_id='1667450' first='Amari' last='Verner'] leads the rushing attack with 1,719 yards, a 9.8 yards per carry average and 22 touchdowns. Lancaster could have a tough time trying to keep up Friday as the Bruins haven't scored more than 21 points in a game all season.   X-Factor: While Hunter has been the steady pass catcher for Seneca, [player_tooltip player_id='1763355' first='Elias' last='McGee'] has been the home run hitter. McGee is averaging 26.1 yards per catch and he's totaled 601 yards receiving and eight touchdowns.   No. 11 BLUE RIDGE (6-4) AT No. 6 WREN (7-3)   Someone may want to make sure every bit of Wren's scoreboard is in solid working order as it could be in for a heavy workload Friday night. Wren's averaging 38.3 points and allowing 22.8 per game this season, while Blue Ridge's is averaging 34.4 and allowing 36.5 per game. The Hurricanes have had some high-flying offenses over the years, but this season it's been more of a case of ground and pound with [player_tooltip player_id='1790589' first='Muntu' last='Brown']. The standout running back has rushed for more than 1,600 yards and 20 touchdowns despite being banged up of late. Wren can still throw it and sophomore Jacob Young has done a solid job of that. He's passed for more then 1,300 yards with 15 touchdowns and five interceptions. Blue Ridge hopes to keep the momentum going after securing its first winning season since 2014. North-South all-star quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1738823' first='Gavin' last='Forrester'] leads the Tigers with 1,206 yards passing and 11 touchdowns and has also rushed for 765 yards and 14 scores. [player_tooltip player_id='1819617' first='Jakorey' last='Dodd'] is Blue Ridge's top rusher with 861 yards and 13 touchdowns.   X-Factor: [player_tooltip player_id='663984' first='Carson' last='Bryant'] is Wren's leading receiver this season with more than 600 yards, but he's been so much more than just that. He's scored three rushing touchdowns, five receiving touchdowns and returned a kickoff for a score as he's collected more than 1,100 all-purpose yards. Bryant has a knack for turning a screen or swing pass into a big play for the Hurricanes and he's excellent at downfield blocking.    No. 14 PICKENS (3-7) AT No. 3 WESTSIDE (6-4)   After Westside endured that string of lopsided losses to begin the season, a 26-20 win at Abbeville turned the tide for the Rams. The difference in class sizes really doesn't matter. When you beat a program with that pedigree, it's bound to give you confidence. The Rams went on to go 5-0 in region play for the third year in a row, capped by a 21-7 win at Wren for the region crown last week. Freshman quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1881741' first='Bear' last='Woods'] has grown along the way. While he had two touchdowns and three interceptions last Friday, he entered the game with 14 touchdowns, one interception and more than 1,600 yards passing. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='1822335' first='Keylan' last='Powell'] has been an explosive force at running back down the stretch. Powell's rushed for 1,061 yards this season, including 606 over the past three games combined, and scored 16 touchdowns. He's also caught 15 passes for 201 yards. Pickens junior [player_tooltip player_id='1581467' first='Brooks' last='Dow'] is the definition of a dual-threat quarterback. In nine games this year, Dow's completed 102-of-158 passes for 1,298 yards with 16 touchdowns and four interceptions. He leads the Blue Flame in rushing with 847 yards and three scores, while averaging 8.7 yards per carry.   X-Factor: After missing the first few weeks of the season, Westside wide receiver [player_tooltip player_id='1208787' first='Jacob' last='Lewis'] has made his presence felt in a big way as more than 33 percent of his receptions have gone for touchdowns. He's caught 26 passes for 425 yards and nine scores, and also has an interception on defense.   No. 10 GREER (4-6) AT No. 7 CAMDEN (7-3)   Seven wins this year were the fewest in a regular season for Camden since Coach Brian Rimpf's first year in 2017. Considering the Bulldogs' tradition and the fact that those three losses were to teams who've gone a combined 25-5, they'll still be a tough out this postseason. [player_tooltip player_id='1354590' first='Greyson' last='Rimpf'] leads a balanced Camden offensive attack as he's thrown for 1,981 yards with 25 touchdowns and only six interceptions. The Bulldogs have rushed for 1,930 yards as a team, led by [player_tooltip player_id='1513514' first='Navier' last='Boykin'] with 891 yards and 11 touchdowns. [player_tooltip player_id='1165092' first='Tylin' last='Drakeford'] has been Rimpf's top target with 50 receptions for 823 yards and nine touchdowns, and he's also rushed for 269 yards - with an average of 19.2 yards per carry - and two scores. Greer went winless through a rugged non-region schedule. After winning each of its first four Region II-4A games in convincing fashion before falling to Seneca and Daniel to wrap up the regular season. Calvin McCoy carries the load for the Yellow Jackets as he's rushed for 1,298 yards and 16 touchdowns. [player_tooltip player_id='1734552' first='Sammy' last='White'] has been a force for Greer's defense. He leads the team in tackles (68), tackles-for-loss (12) and sacks (six).   X-Factor: Camden junior wide receiver Isiah Smith does a little bit of everything, usually in big ways. He has more than 900 all-purpose yards and averages 15.2 yards per carry, 17.1 yards per reception and 22.7 yards per kickoff return.   No. 15 DREHER (2-7) AT No. 2 DANIEL (9-1)   Following a 2024 season in which Daniel suffered its most losses in six years with ... two, the Lions bounced back with just one setback in [player_tooltip player_id='1821779' first='Chris' last='Stone']'s first season as coach. That one defeat came at the hands of fellow 9-1 team - and Class 5A member - Stratford way back in Week 1. After rallying from a 16-0 fourth quarter deficit to beat Seneca 27-16 in the region opener on Sept. 26, Daniel steamrolled its way through the rest of the region in October. The Lions won those five games by an average margin of 43.6 points. Sophomore quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1094520' first='Jace' last='Grass'] has led that charge as he's passed for 2,641 yards, 29 touchdowns and just one interception. Fellow sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='1467841' first='Trey' last='Wimbley'] has been sensational all season as Grass has gotten him the ball in various ways. Wimbley's caught 48 passes for 1,004 yards and 12 touchdowns. Daniel's defense is led by a ferocious front that includes [player_tooltip player_id='1592019' first='Dexter' last='Johnson'] (68 tackles, 7.5 sacks) and [player_tooltip player_id='1738821' first='Bryson' last='Freeman'] (67 tackles, five sacks). Dreher was a few plays away from a much different season as three of its losses were one-score games. [player_tooltip player_id='1822545' first='Brandon' last='Mack Jr'] had some solid performances at running back behind a line anchored by [player_tooltip player_id='1818909' first='Aiden' last='Holmes'].   X-Factor: In the shadows of Grass and Wimbley's play, an even younger Lion has also made his mark this season. Freshman running back [player_tooltip player_id='1608532' first='Kingsten' last='Bibb'] has rushed for 503 yards and 13 touchdowns, while averaging 7.3 yards per carry. He's also caught 20 passes for 375 yards and two scores.

When Westside got off to an 0-4 start - and lost each game by at least 25 points - this season, there had to be some who felt that it was finally someone else's turn to rule the Upper State in Class 4A this season. However, six consecutive wins later the Rams have to be brimming with confidence that they can deliver Brian Lane a third 4A Upper State championship - and second state title - in his third season as head coach of the program.