Class A Upper State Third Round Preview

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Class A Upper State playoffs are a little weird in the third round. For starters, no team left is truly an "Upper State" squad by definition, with one game matching Lewisville in the I-77 corridor nearer to Charlotte with C.A. Johnson from Columbia, and the other matching up teams from Orangeburg and Darlington counties. Lewisville has also already played all three of the other remaining teams, with a 2-1 record. There's also the wide-open nature, now that Class A behemoth Abbeville has been sent home. So if it seems like Class A is there for the taking, that's because it is. And the field is loaded with dynamic playmakers and two-way guys who can grab it. Here's a look at the third-round matchups.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>NO. 3 C.A. JOHNSON (7-5) AT NO. 2 LEWISVILLE (8-4)</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This one's a rematch of an early-season game won by Lewisville 67-16 back in Week 6. In that one, the Lions rolled up 400 yards of total offense and cruised. If the Lions advance, they're guaranteed another rematch in the semifinals, as they've also played both teams in the matchup at the bottom of the bracket.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It's got to feel a little bit like the Hornets are playing with house money. After a hard-fought defensive struggle against Calhoun County, C.A. Johnson completely dominated Blackville-Hilda, rushing for 209 yards and a 7.5 yards-per-carry average as a team in a 28-0 victory over the Hawks. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1824184' first='Terrell' last='Golson']</strong> was everywhere, as usual, as he rushed for 147 yards and all three offensive touchdowns for the Hornets. He added 10 total tackles and two tackles for loss defensively. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1824040' first='Elijah' last='Harper']</strong> stood out on both sides of the ball for C.A. Johnson as well, with 58 receiving yards and nine tackles. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1821479' first='Johnathon' last='Jenkins']</strong> led the defense with a dozen tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, and 1.5 sacks, and he returned a fumble 76 yards for a defensive score for the Hornets. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1823720' first='Jeremiah' last='Knightner']</strong> intercepted a pass and knocked down two more, and added 46 tough yards on eight carries.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>All the Lions did was to go to Hite-Nickles Stadium in Abbeville, trail by 14 points with seven minutes to play, and win. Their unlikely come-from-behind victory was driven by <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1267330' first='Jacorreun' last='Howze']</strong>, who did a little bit of everything. He caught a touchdown, ran for two, knocked down what looked like a sure Abbeville TD in the first half, and provided the game-winning two-point conversion. QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1822769' first='Jalen' last='Culp']</strong> had one of his best games as a starter, tossing the TD pass to Howze and another to <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1820262' first='Antonio' last='Price']</strong>, and moving the ball well on the ground. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1165159' first='Jordan' last='Strong']</strong> had a great all-around game on offense, and led five Lions in double-digit tackles with 14. <strong>Jaysean Culp</strong>, <strong>Trey Cannon</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1639690' first='Eden' last='Gaston']</strong>, and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1820264' first='JB' last='Buchanan']</strong> all joined him.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>LINEMAN TO WATCH</em></strong>: <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1639696' first='Malik' last='Harrison']</strong> OL, Lewisville - Look up "pulling lineman" in your handy football dictionary and there just might be a picture of Harrison. He lines up at guard and tackle, and he gets out on the move from both positions, routinely obliterating the guys in front of him. That's not all he can do, though. He's got straight-ahead power, and he's a good pass-blocker as well. When you've got Harrison in front of guys like Howze who just need a whisper of room, you've got trouble.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/18255516/6906c1046c4b96816ed0966c' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-691f26df8474a"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>NO. 1 HUNTER-KINARD-TYLER (10-2) AT NO. 1 LAMAR (10-2)</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Trojans lost a ton of talented seniors off a team that won the school's first region championship in half a century. So of course they've responded by winning another region title and making another playoff run. Last week, they matched last year's win total at 10 when they thumped a good one-loss Ware Shoals team in the second round. Trailing by six, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1519361' first='Kaleb' last='Landy']</strong> scored a pair of first-half touchdowns to give the Trojans the lead for good as they raced to a 36-12 win.<strong> [player_tooltip player_id='1822793' first='Darion' last='Stroman']</strong> helps make it go for HKT, starring in the backfield and at OLB, and his demeanor and physical edge on the field never seems to let up. They also get a spark from <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1824353' first='Keiondre' last='Bell']</strong> at QB. Just a sophomore, Bell has taken to the position quickly and is incredibly elusive and tough to tackle.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lamar is what Lamar usually is - fast, athletic, difficult to defend, disciplined - all the hallmarks of a team that's no stranger to the third round of the playoffs. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1165108' first='Zori' last='Pierce']</strong> (pictured) leads the way at QB, and he's efficient, completing 61 percent of his passes. That number has trended up in the playoffs, as he went 9-for-12 for 105 yards and three scored on Friday, tossing touchdowns to <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1822293' first='Juju' last='Morris']</strong>, <strong>Kamil McCoy</strong>, and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1818641' first='Robert' last='Cooper']</strong>. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1817566' first='Nygel' last='Eaddy']</strong> had an outstanding night on the ground with 161 yards and two scores, pushing his season total over 1,100.<strong> [player_tooltip player_id='1422623' first='DQ' last='Green']</strong> leads Lamar in tackles and tackles for loss, has forced three fumbles, and picked off his fourth pass of the year in Friday's second-round win.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>SPECIALIST TO WATCH:</em></strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1822295' first='Jaylen' last='Morris']</strong> ATH, Lamar - Morris is one of those Swiss Army knife-tyoe guys who seem to shine in the playoffs. He's scored three ways for the Foxes already, with a receiving touchdown, an interception return, and a punt return score. He's also kind of a secret weapon for Lamar on two-point conversions as well, with four on the season. He's fast, he's elusive, and he can absolutely change the game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/22601071/69120a40587a47867dcaa661' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-691f22b3e4729"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->