Class 5A Division I Upper State Round 2 Preview

A couple of hard-fought games and a couple of blowouts marked the first round of the 5A Division I playoffs in the Upper State.   Now, the pressure gets turned up.   The top four seeds will enter the fray after a bye week, rested and ready to take on the first round winners. Those games will include familiar foes, a contrast in styles, and some crucial individual matchups. Here's a look at the second round between the state's biggest schools in the Upper State half of the bracket.   No. 9 Boiling Springs (5-6) at No. 1 Dutch Fork (8-1)   Boiling Springs has made a habit of visiting Dutch Fork in the playoffs, as this will be the sixth postseason meeting between the teams, including the last three seasons in a row. The Bulldogs earned their trip to meet the Foxes in dramatic fashion, beating 8-seed Mauldin 16-14 when [player_tooltip player_id='1819429' first='Imri' last='Logan'] rushed for a last-second TD. Logan and RB [player_tooltip player_id='1822081' first='Izael' last='Johnson'] paced the Bulldogs offensively, and defensively Boiling Springs was lights-out. [player_tooltip player_id='1592395' first='TJ' last='Collins'] had eight tackles and a sack, [player_tooltip player_id='1036731' first='Dennis' last='Glenn'] added six tackles, and Tamijae Brown grabbed an interception for the Bulldogs.   The Silver Foxes are a year ahead of schedule. And yes, we're fully aware of how ridiculous that sounds. But [player_tooltip player_id='1823705' first='Jaxon' last='Knotts'] picked up the reins of the offense a year ahead of time, and he's played well. He's got more than 1,600 passing yards and 12 touchdowns, and he's great at taking what the defense gives him. A lot of that is on the ground, where four guys have more than 300 yards rushing. [player_tooltip player_id='1818103' first='Kyle' last='Henry'] leads the way with 528 yards, while [player_tooltip player_id='1821111' first='Quintin' last='Wilson'] has racked up 10 touchdowns. The Silver Foxes defense is elite, which is business as usual. There are four guys with 40 tackles, led by [player_tooltip player_id='1592529' first='Julian' last='Walker'] with 47. He's added 11 tackles for loss, a sack, and has forced and recovered two fumbles.   X-FACTOR: [player_tooltip player_id='568697' first='Stone' last='Furrey'] ATH, Dutch Fork - When the Silver Foxes need a big play through the air, Furrey has a knack for making them. He leads the team in receptions with eight more catches than second place, but he's got nearly triple the yardage. Furrey averages 19.7 yards per catch and he's gone for five touchdowns. He's also returned kicks, and he's an explosive guy who can make a difference in a hurry.    No. 5 Rock Hill (7-4) at No. 4 Byrnes (7-3)   Rock Hill will want to run the football with [player_tooltip player_id='1818213' first='Devan' last='Erby'] as he had two touchdowns of 8 and 9 yards last week in a 47-0 rout of Spring Valley. JoJo Brooks also found the end zone from 10 yards out against the Vikings and is a speedster with the ball in his hands. The connection between [player_tooltip player_id='1816896' first='Jonah' last='Young'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1676087' first='Kamron' last='Wilson'] has been active all year, and they'll need to be efficient to sustain drives against the Rebels. Keep an eye on [player_tooltip player_id='1825355' first='Zaire' last='Williams'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1635381' first='Kaleb' last='Wright'] up front along the front seven for the Bearcats as they'll try to plug up run lanes against the Rebels this week.   The Rebels have looked dominant at times on defense this season, and that's thanks in part to a bunch of guys who fly all over making plays. [player_tooltip player_id='797155' first='Justice' last='Hopkins'] is an absolute animal up front for the Rebels. He's got 33 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, eight sacks, two forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery, and he leads a very good DL group for Byrnes. [player_tooltip player_id='1820013' first='Tyler' last='Clark'] has got a whopping 39 unassisted tackles and 16 tackles for loss at LB, and he's an extremely physical, big-hitting player. Sophomore Nas Angram has 37 tackles, two for loss, and a pick to help lead the secondary. Offensively, [player_tooltip player_id='1036721' first='Tre' last='Segarra'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1604062' first='Jacobi' last='Fuller'] have combined for nearly 250 carries, 1,700 yards, and 20 TDs in the backfield, while [player_tooltip player_id='1271241' first='Chanin' last='Harris'] is the big-play receiver, with 43 catches for 647 yards and seven scores, and enough speed to make defensive backs look ordinary.   X-Factor: [player_tooltip player_id='1271265' first='Jackson' last='Buckley'] TE, Byrnes - Buckley flies under the radar right up until you see him play. He's got 20 catches, quietly averages more than 12 yards per reception, and has five TDs for the Rebels. With Harris providing the flash, Buckley has become one of the Rebels' go-to guys when they've got to move the sticks. And he's a REALLY good blocker, particularly at the point of attack when lining up in the backfield.      No. 6 Spartanburg (7-4) at No. 3 Ridge View (7-3)   The Vikings looked as impressive as they have in weeks against J.L. Mann in the first round, making quick work of the Patriots. One reason was the return of [player_tooltip player_id='1172345' first='Trenton' last='Lynch'] - he rushed for 124 yards and two touchdowns on just six carries, scoring on runs of 18 and 80 yards. [player_tooltip player_id='1592374' first='Trey' last='Burke'] threw for 222 yards and three touchdowns, and [player_tooltip player_id='1858089' first='Zymil' last='Hill'] added six carries for 99 yards and a TD. The Spartanburg defense held Mann to eight first downs, fewer than 200 yards, and just under two yards per carry.   Two of Ridge View's three losses are to the Division I and Division II Upper State top seeds in Dutch Fork and Northwestern, and the Blazers are going to be a tough out for anybody. They're led by RB [player_tooltip player_id='1149057' first='Spencer' last='Bobian'], who's got nearly 1,200 yards and 17 touchdowns on the ground. [player_tooltip player_id='1350429' first='Ashton' last='Chapman'] and Bijon Virgo have both played extensively at QB, with Virgo seeing an increasing amount of snaps down the stretch. [player_tooltip player_id='1819595' first='Jourdin' last='Mack'], [player_tooltip player_id='1818714' first='Carter' last='Coleman'], and [player_tooltip player_id='1172363' first='Khristian' last='Jackson'] are their top targets. [player_tooltip player_id='1822155' first='Jaiden' last='Brown'] and Drew Madison help lead the Ridge View defense, combining for 19.5 tackles for loss and eight sacks.   X-Factor: [player_tooltip player_id='1168540' first='Quency' last='Grant'] DB, Ridge View - Grant's a game-changer. He's got 21 tackles and three tackles for loss on the year, and he's added a sack. But his biggest impact is in coverage. He's got four interceptions and has knocked down four more passes, and he's capable of taking a way a big chunk of opponents' offense.   No. 10 Blythewood (4-7) at No. 2 Dorman (8-2)   Blythewood did it with defense in round one, turning a 17-0 deficit against Clover into a 42-23 victory. Daquan Davis and Michael Ford both had interception returns for touchdowns, and Marlon Glover added a pick of his own to push the turnover total to three. Glover was everywhere on defense, notching eight tackles, while [player_tooltip player_id='1822062' first='Jeremy' last='Harris'] added seven with two tackles for loss. The offense did a good job of taking advantage of what Clover was allowing, which led to a big night on the ground. With [player_tooltip player_id='1540721' first='Landyn' last='Strong'] held to a relatively modest 88 yards on the ground, [player_tooltip player_id='1426578' first='James' last='Veasey'] (pictured) ran wild. The Bengals QB rushed for 183 yards and two touchdowns, and added 138 yards through the air and a touchdown pass to Ben Hendrix.   The Cavaliers have been led by a run-heavy offense and a stifling defense, and have lost two games by a total of four points. [player_tooltip player_id='1664350' first='Nick' last='Means'] leads the Cavaliers on the ground. He's quick, and he's a lot more physical than he looks at first glance. His 1,098 rushing yards are tops on the team, and he's scored 17 TDs. [player_tooltip player_id='1816266' first='Isaac' last='Tate'] is the change-of-pace guy, with nearly 600 yards and eight touchdowns of his own. Daishon Watkins-Hymes, [player_tooltip player_id='1706651' first='Corey' last='Cole'], and TreGan Mickler are the Cavaliers' top guys in the passing game, and they're all between 20 and 30 catches, between 300-400 receiving yards, and have combined for seven of the Cavaliers' nine receiving TDs. Defensively, Dorman's solid at all three levels. [player_tooltip player_id='1639739' first='Christian' last='Waring'] at DL is a disruptive force with eight tackles for loss and four sacks, [player_tooltip player_id='1592369' first='Jordan' last='Darby'] leads a physical LB corps with 40 tackles and 8.5 tackles for loss, and [player_tooltip player_id='402497' first='Kentavion' last='Anderson'] does a little of everything, leading the team with 45 total tackles.   X-Factor: [player_tooltip player_id='1708614' first='Jabez' last='Thomas'] DB, Dorman - Thomas has 21 tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss on the year, but that's not what makes him special. He's an absolute ball-hawk, with seven interceptions to his credit. Two of those gave Dorman a chance in an overtime loss to Greenwood, another sealed the win over Gaffney. He's also athletic enough to be the Cavaliers' short-yardage wildcat back, and the team's backup QB.

A couple of hard-fought games and a couple of blowouts marked the first round of the 5A Division I playoffs in the Upper State.