Class 4A Upper State Second Round Preview

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Storylines abound in this week's second round of the Class 4A Upper State playoffs. Top-seeded South Pointe will look to keep the momentum going after producing the most dominant performance on the Upper State side of the bracket last Friday.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Meanwhile, other top seeds such as No. 2 Daniel and No. 4 Seneca went in full “survive and advance” mode as they withstood upset scares in round one. The Bobcats take on fifth-seeded AC Flora this Friday in a game that will be a cruel reminder of what postseason football means. The season of one of those 10-1 teams will come to an end.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>For the second time in three weeks, No. 3-seeded Westside and sixth-seeded Wren will meet. Two weeks ago, they played for a region championship. This Friday, they'll play for a slot in the state quarterfinals.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>And if Daniel and Camden don't meet in your playoffs, did you really have a postseason at all?</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here's a look at the second-round matchups.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>No. 9 EMERALD (6-5) AT No. 1 SOUTH POINTE (10-1)</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Last season, South Pointe advanced to the Upper State championship. Last week, the Stallions looked like a team poised for another deep run as they jumped out to a 28-0 first quarter lead and went on to a 63-13 win over Beaufort. That score actually marked the most points South Pointe has allowed since a 27-23 win over Northwestern on Sept. 12. That's how dominant the Stallions have been since losing in the season opener. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1819627' first='J'Zavien' last='Currence']</strong> completed 10-of-16 passes for 173 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions last Friday. He also led South Pointe in rushing with four carries for 103 yards and a touchdown. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1816732' first='Rasean' last='Brown']</strong> rushed three times for 96 yards and a touchdown, while <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1165128' first='RJ' last='Brown']</strong> had 92 yards and a score on nine carries. <strong>Dalian Duncan</strong> caught five passes for 63 yards and a touchdown. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1271263' first='KJ' last='Burg']</strong> led South Pointe's defense with 10 tackles, including two sacks.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>When Emerald played at Fountain Inn on Oct. 24, Vikings standout running back <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1772596' first='Chris' last='Dean']</strong> had 160 yards rushing, 91 receiving and scored two touchdowns, but his team fell 35-31. Dean must've thought he had to do even more in Friday's rematch. He did. Dean rushed for 256 yards and four touchdowns, averaging 10.2 yards per carry along the way. He also caught two passes for 33 yards and a score to lead Emerald to a 44-36 win. Sophomore quarterback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1467847' first='Beau' last='Hite']</strong> had 180 yards passing and two touchdowns, as well as 60 yards rushing. Fellow sophomore <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1773739' first='Coleson' last='Marino']</strong> caught six passes for 85 yards and a score also for the Vikings.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>X-Factor:</em></strong> How's this for efficiency? South Pointe's <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='513067' first='Malik' last='Ratliff']</strong> touched the ball three times against Beaufort and ended up in the end zone each time. He had two touchdown catches for a total of 54 yards and returned a punt 62 yards for a score.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/20384862/690f688e7d132903ec20c597' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6911786c571f6"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>No. 5 AC FLORA (10-1) AT No. 4 SENECA (10-1)</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hosting a Lancaster team that entered with a 2-8 record, Seneca had to shake off four turnovers and being outgained 364-340 to shake free from the upset-minded Bruins. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1165153' first='Gavin' last='Thoma']</strong> threw his third touchdown of the night midway through the fourth quarter to help push the Bobcats' lead to 28-14 and they held on to advance to round two. Shrine Bowl running back <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1667450' first='Amari' last='Verner']</strong> (pictured) had 18 carries for 133 yards and returned the second-half kickoff 84 yards for a touchdown for Seneca. Thoma finished with 204 yards on 17-of-22 passing with one interception. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1763355' first='Elias' last='McGee']</strong> caught five passes for 80 yards and a touchdown, while <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1615026' first='Jeremiah' last='Hunter']</strong> had five receptions for 63 yards and a score also for the Bobcats.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>When AC Flora met York in the regular season the Falcons needed a 21-point fourth quarter to pull out a 27-6 win. In Friday's rematch, Flora used a 21-point second quarter and a 21-point third quarter to cruise to a 49-14 victory. The Falcons utilized the most balanced attack possible on offense as they finished with 238 yards passing and 238 rushing. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1025784' first='Roper' last='Wentzky']</strong> completed 15-of-19 passes for 211 yards with two touchdowns and one interception, while <strong>Jalen Simmons</strong> led the ground attack with 161 yards and three scores on 24 carries. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1165081' first='Kendall' last='Byrd']</strong> led Flora's receivers with four catches for 100 yards including a touchdown.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>X-Factor:</em></strong> Dartmouth commit <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='591391' first='Blake' last='Betette']</strong> added a new touchdown to his collection Friday with a 31-yard interception return for a score for the Falcons. Entering Friday, Betette had six touchdown receptions, three touchdown runs, a fumble return for a touchdown and a kickoff return for a score.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/17716221/68be0d0a8b63e3d50be1b80c' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6911798c278aa"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>No. 6 WREN (8-3) AT No. 3 WESTSIDE (7-4)</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This is a rematch of the Region I-4A championship game that Westside won at Wren, 21-7, on Oct. 30. After an 0-4 start, Westside comes rolling into this matchup on a seven-game winning streak. Last week, the Rams allowed as many points as it has in any game during the streak but had more than enough offense in a 49-21 win over Pickens. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1822335' first='Keylan' last='Powell']</strong> ran 13 times for 200 yards (15.2 yards per carry) and two touchdowns to lead the way. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1822339' first='Damauri' last='Robinson']</strong> ran five times for 62 yards and a touchdown, while wide receiver <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1817436' first='Nehemiah' last='Brown']</strong> took an end-around 38 yards for a score. Freshman quarterback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1881741' first='Bear' last='Woods']</strong> completed 9-of-15 passes for 111 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions also for Westside. Backup quarterback and fellow freshman <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1817418' first='Payton' last='Morgan']</strong> connected with <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1825007' first='Cory' last='Williams']</strong> on a 65-yard touchdown.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Wren lost more than the region title against Westside as standout running back <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1790589' first='Muntu' last='Brown']</strong> left in the first quarter that night and didn't return. He didn't play at all in the Hurricanes' 42-28 win over Blue Ridge Friday, but <strong>Matheaus Oliveira</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1734622' first='Nick' last='Owens']</strong> were outstanding replacements. Oliveira ran 15 times for 138 yards and a touchdown, while Owens had 81 yards and a touchdown on seven attempts. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='663984' first='Carson' last='Bryant']</strong> had five catches for 110 yards and a touchdown, while <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1658454' first='Caiden' last='Hill']</strong> caught five passes for 70 yards and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1790552' first='Colby' last='Mann']</strong> had two receptions for 68 yards and a score also for Wren.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>X-Factor:</em></strong> It may seem odd to have a quarterback who's had a great season as an “X-factor,” but the Hurricanes' <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1790580' first='Jacob' last='Owings']</strong> may become a huge factor if Brown is out again this week. The sophomore was nearly perfect Friday as he completed 14-of-16 passes for 269 yards and two touchdowns, while also rushing for two scores.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/18357698/691108099b365dab526db81c' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-691177feaaf43"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>No. 7 CAMDEN (8-3) AT No. 2 DANIEL (10-1)</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>During Daniel and Camden's final four years in Class 3A from 2020-23, the Lions and Bulldogs faced off for that state championship three times. The postseason rivalry resumes Friday with the 10th meeting in the series, all of which have come in the playoffs. Camden's lone win in the series came in the 1990 Upper State championship as the Bobby Engram-led Bulldogs went 15-0 that season. Last Friday, 15th-seeded Dreher held Daniel to its lowest score of the season and the Lions' defense didn't record a sack after having 23 in the regular season. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1094520' first='Jace' last='Grass']</strong> threw a four-yard touchdown pass to <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1467841' first='Trey' last='Wimbley']</strong> midway through the fourth quarter to lift the Lions to a 14-10 victory. Wimbley finished with six catches for 53 yards, while Grass completed 13-of-17 passes for 94 yards with the one touchdown and one interception. Daniel leading rusher <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1608532' first='Kingsten' last='Bibb']</strong> had 19 carries for 118 yards and a first-quarter touchdown, but left with an injury in the third quarter and his arm was in a sling the rest of the night.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Traditional powers Camden and Greer met for the fourth time ever and the first time since the 1992 playoffs last Friday. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1513514' first='Navier' last='Boykin']</strong> had 124 of the Bulldogs' 276 rushing yards as Camden won, 38-20. Boykin had a pair of touchdowns and a pair of two-point conversion runs in the first half to help the Bulldogs take an 18-6 halftime lead before his third rushing touchdown was the&nbsp; lone score of the third quarter. Camden's <strong>Isiah Smith</strong> raced for a 92-yard touchdown run early in the fourth to help push the lead to 32-6 and essentially put the game out of reach. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1820164' first='Thomas' last='Bishop']</strong> had a team-high six tackles and two tackles-for-loss, one of which went for a safety in the second quarter to lead the Bulldogs' defense. <strong>Khamrin Holman</strong> had four tackles, a sack and a fumble recovery also for Camden.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>X-Factor:</em></strong> If Bibb is unable to go for Daniel this week, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1678262' first='Emmanuel' last='Major']</strong> could become a big factor. He stepped up with 80 yards on 11 carries last Friday. For the season, Major has rushed for 287 yards, averages 7.2 yards per carry and has ran for four touchdowns.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/16366443/690ed5fdd20be4fe96b59ac6' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-691174b018208"} /-->