Class 5A Division I Lower State Round 2 Preview

There's nothing but chalk in the 5A Division I Lower State bracket, and that's not a huge surprise. It's due in part to the sheer depth of the field. When the five seed has two losses and was a Top-5 team for much of the season and the SIX seed is 10-1, it makes the going a little tough for teams that are upset-minded.   That's pretty much how it went in Round 1. There were a couple of close games, but for the large part the higher-seeded teams cruised. And now it's time to incorporate the top seeds. That will set up a huge rematch and what look to be a couple of really good games. Here's a look at Round 2 in the Lower State.   NO. 8 FORT DORCHESTER (5-6) AT NO. 1 CAROLINA FOREST (9-1)   The Patriots won a classic in round one, defeating Lexington 24-21. [player_tooltip player_id='485450' first='Mykell' last='Warthen'] helped lead the way, with 117 yards of total offense while Kyrome Durant and [player_tooltip player_id='1818375' first='Thomas' last='Adamsky'] helped spark the Patriots on that side of the ball. The story of the night, though, was the Fort Dorchester defense. Warthen forced and recovered a fumble, one of three takeaways on the night. [player_tooltip player_id='1821062' first='Thomas' last='Wamer'] had nine tackles, two tackles for loss and two sacks, and [player_tooltip player_id='1271486' first='Savon' last='Garrett'] was a monster, with 13 tackles, three tackles for loss, and a sack for Fort Dorchester.   Carolina Forest has a dynamic offense led by QB Kam Long. He's thrown for 1,604 yards and boasts an 8/1 TD to interception ratio, throwing 24 touchdowns and just three picks. His targets are three guys who just get it done - [player_tooltip player_id='1820976' first='Nick' last='Zincone'], [player_tooltip player_id='1149043' first='Cayden' last='Cole'], and [player_tooltip player_id='1672894' first='Brady' last='McDowell']. Zincone is the lead guy, with 40 catches for 871 yards and 10 scores. [player_tooltip player_id='1148537' first='Jaryn' last='Fox'] paces the Panthers on the ground, with 1,454 yards on 175 carries, scoring 19 times. [player_tooltip player_id='1825262' first='Jaiden' last='Anderson'] has 53 carries for 449 yards and seven scores, and Long shows off his legs as well with 327 yards on 35 carries. [player_tooltip player_id='1577696' first='Connor' last='Ross'] leads the defense with 55 tackles and a sack.   X-FACTOR: [player_tooltip player_id='1596856' first='Jayden' last='Alston'] SS, Carolina Forest - Alston is capable of enforcing a virtual no-fly zone on one side of the field for the Panthers. He's got 50 tackles, so it's clear he's not just a cover guy. Coverage is where he shines, though. He's got eight interceptions on the year, and all of them have come since Week 3. He had two interceptions each against Ashley Ridge, St. James, and North Myrtle Beach, and single picks against Southside Christian and Myrtle Beach.    NO. 5 SUMMERVILLE (9-2) AT NO. 4 ASHLEY RIDGE (6-4)   Summerville seemed to be on a mission to reach this rematch, absolutely dismantling West Ashley 65-21. Cam Grayson rushed for four touchdowns against the Wildcats, with Jayvyn Williams adding another score and 110 yards on the ground. [player_tooltip player_id='1734517' first='Max' last='Stafford'] threw for 155 yards and two touchdowns, and [player_tooltip player_id='378969' first='Jaiden' last='Kelly-Murray'], [player_tooltip player_id='1061146' first='Teru' last='Davis'], and [player_tooltip player_id='1816974' first='Zavarion' last='Jenkins'] all caught TD passes as Summerville built a 31-0 lead after a quarter and cruised from there.   The Swamp Foxes' top two offensive threats are so similar that it's eerie. [player_tooltip player_id='402509' first='Trevor' last='Kalisz'] has thrown for 1,669 yards. [player_tooltip player_id='473024' first='Ryan' last='Campbell'] has rushed for 1,629 yards. That's the definition of balance. Campbell gets a good bit of help in the backfield though, as Kalisz (pictured) has added more than 500 yards on the ground and Cameron Gardner has rushed for nearly 450. [player_tooltip player_id='1036782' first='Jagger' last='Spivey'] leads a deep group of receivers, and sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='1615024' first='MJ' last='Respass'] already has triple digit tackles.   X-FACTOR: [player_tooltip player_id='651361' first='Jakayden' last='Pendergrass'] DB, Summerville - Pendergrass has already made an impact in the playoffs, with a pick-6 against West Ashley in the first round. He's got 60 total tackles, two tackles for loss and two fumble recoveries on the year, and he's the kind of guy whose athleticism can turn a game in a hurry with any kind of opportunity at all.   NO. 6 JAMES ISLAND (10-1) AT NO. 3 SUMTER (9-1)   James Island started their playoff run with a 48-0 victory over Wando. [player_tooltip player_id='1592342' first='Connor' last='Dantzler'] threw for 246 yards and tossed TD passes to [player_tooltip player_id='874321' first='Raphael' last='Puiu'], [player_tooltip player_id='1822902' first='James' last='Hurteau'], and [player_tooltip player_id='1895719' first='Jordan' last='Kendrick']. The Trojans also had three touchdowns on the ground, and pitched a shutout defensively. [player_tooltip player_id='1894002' first='Zamarius' last='Gladden'] picked off two passes as James Island nabbed four interceptions in total, while [player_tooltip player_id='1820392' first='Jayseyvion' last='Brown'] had six total tackles and a tackle for loss in the win. A total of 20 guys notched a defensive stat for James Island as the Trojans emptied the sideline and got a bunch of guys valuable playoff experience as they allowed the Warriors less than 100 yards.   What do the Gamecocks want to do? Well, they've thrown the ball 103 times on the season, so you can probably guess. Even in that limited number of attempts, Frank Richardson has thrown for more than 600 yards and spread the ball around to nine guys, with Jamier Bey, [player_tooltip player_id='1819512' first='Jacori' last='Jackson'], and [player_tooltip player_id='1819518' first='Joseph' last='Chapman'] leading the way. The ground game is the blueprint for success for the Gamecocks, though. Richardson leads four guys with at least 600 yards, picking up 1,175 and rushing for 28 touchdowns. [player_tooltip player_id='1817005' first='Reggie' last='Shannon'] and Cleveland Pinckey have right at 800 yards each and have combined for 17 scores, while [player_tooltip player_id='1822003' first='Cayon' last='Gordon'] has 595 yards and seven touchdowns. All four have at least 82 rushes as the Gamecocks have run a staggering 493 times for 3,710 yards.   X-Factor: Javonte Brown LB, Sumter - Brown isn't the biggest guy, but he's one of the Gamecocks' best guys. He's got 62 total tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, and four sacks, second on the team in the first two categories and leading the way in the last. He's quick, he finds the ball in a hurry, and he's an absolute menace when he gets there.    NO. 7 RIVER BLUFF (6-5) AT NO. 2 STRATFORD (9-1)   [player_tooltip player_id='1600293' first='Davis' last='Taylor'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1344583' first='Brayden' last='Moore'] both played at QB in the Gators first-round win over Cane Bay, both played well, and both threw touchdown passes as they combined for 177 passing yards and three scores. [player_tooltip player_id='1592250' first='Hayden' last='Myers'] did exactly what's typical of him, rushing 28 times for 156 yards and a 5.6 yards per carry average. [player_tooltip player_id='1078102' first='Darius' last='Carter'] had six catches for 168 yards and three touchdowns. And the defense turned in a stellar effort against the Cobras' option offense - they gave up an 80 yard touchdown march on the game's opening drive, but limited Cane Bay to just one more score the rest of the way. Reese Huffstetler led the way with 14 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss, while [player_tooltip player_id='1818414' first='Josiah' last='Robinson'] added 13 tackles.   The Knights lost a five-point decision to Summerville way back in Week 1, and have reeled off nine wins in a row since then. They've done it with a ton of offensive balance. QB [player_tooltip player_id='1165148' first='Jachin' last='Davis'] has thrown for more than 1,500 yards and 17 touchdowns against just one interception. The ground game has accounted for more than 2,600 yards, with [player_tooltip player_id='473027' first='Meliq' last='McGowan'] picking up 1,400 yards and scoring 18 times. Davis has put up huge numbers on the ground as well, with 668 yards and 12 touchdowns of his own. Jqwan Crosby leads the receiving corps with 525 yards and six touchdowns. [player_tooltip player_id='1765902' first='Bryce' last='Clemons'] leads the defense with 95 tackles and 10 tackles for loss to go with three sacks.   X-FACTOR: [player_tooltip player_id='1628932' first='DJ' last='Grant'] RB, Stratford - Grant is quietly the Knights' third-leading rusher, and he's turned in 55 carries for 355 yards and five touchdowns. He's shifty and quick, and he's also Stratford's punt returner, where those qualities serve him very well. He provides a nice change of pace in the backfield, and typically gets the Knights started in good position following a punt.

There's nothing but chalk in the 5A Division I Lower State bracket, and that's not a huge surprise. It's due in part to the sheer depth of the field. When the five seed has two losses and was a Top-5 team for much of the season and the SIX seed is 10-1, it makes the going a little tough for teams that are upset-minded.