Predicting Every Team's 2026 MVP: Region IV-2A

The new Region IV-2A kept alive some rivalries, revived some old ones and will create some new ones in this cycle of SCHSL realignment.   Some schools have moved down from Class 3A, while others stayed in 2A but were shuffled around to make sure the geography worked. On, and the defending state champions are in here, too.   Our MVP series continues on into the summer, and up next is a look at the players we predict will have the biggest impacts on their teams in 2026.   AMERICAN LEADERSHIP PATRIOTS   Christopher Parnell FB/DL, 2027   It's time for year three of football for Lexington's American Leadership Academy, which started last season with the first two wins in program history before closing the season with eight consecutive losses while navigating a brutal region schedule. This one won't be much easier, but the Patriots know this year they have more experience to lean on moving forward. Parnell is a key example of that, as the 5-foot-11, 200-pounder played a leading role on both sides of the ball last season at both fullback and middle linebacker. He's got a sturdy build with good speed, and he has the smarts and instincts to find his way into the right gaps. He came up just shy of 100 total tackles last season, with 14 of those coming in the backfield, and we expect those numbers to increase in his senior season.    ORANGEBURG-WILKINSON BRUINS   [player_tooltip player_id='1820131' first='Jackson' last='Glenn'] OL/DL, 2027   It's hard to talk about Orangeburg-Wilkinson football without immediately bringing up a physical, bullying style of play that's been passed down from generation to generation. That trend isn't stopping any time soon, and the 6-foot-3, 295-pound Glenn is a big reason why. His raw power and 7-foot wingspan are problems on their own, but add in his vision, footwork and quickness and it's easy to see how he racked up 43 solo tackles and 13 tackles for loss from the interior of the line. He's not just a run-stuffer, though, and he's taken good pursuit angles tracking down opposing quarterbacks.    PELION PANTHERS   [player_tooltip player_id='1618829' first='Brady' last='Cottingham'] LB, 2027   Last season Pelion enjoyed one of its best years in recent memory, winning five games for the first time since 2014 while snagging a pair of region wins. One player the Panthers relied on to help make that possible was Cottingham, who made plays wherever needed and should again be a go-to weapon as Matthew Bennett takes over as Pelion's new head coach. Cottingham, a 6-footer weighing in at 205 pounds, was a force at linebacker, with 92 tackles, a couple of sacks, three forced fumbles and four QB hurries. He also rushed for 400 yards on offense while completing eight of 11 passes for 168 yards. He scored eight touchdowns in 10 games while preventing who knows how many on defense, and there's no reason to expect that to stop any time soon.    SILVER BLUFF BULLDOGS   [player_tooltip player_id='1820957' first='Dorian' last='Jones'] RB/DB, 2027   Another new era begins for Silver Bluff's football program, with Lemuel Lackey taking over at head coach after five seasons at nearby Fox Creek. Lackey's hire was a recent one, meaning he didn't have the spring season to become more familiar with a young team he previously coached against. Transfers are rolling in and filtering out, as with any coaching change, and we expect the returning Jones to be a key piece in helping it all mesh together. He rushed for 545 yards and four touchdowns on only 60 carries last year while splitting time in a crowded, veteran backfield, and even in his sophomore season under similar circumstances he showed signs of potentially growing into a future 1,000-yard back. Now's his chance to realize that potential.    STROM THURMOND REBELS   [player_tooltip player_id='1820537' first='John' last='Laster'] OL, 2027 (pictured)   It was a senior-heavy roster last year that brought home Strom Thurmond's first state championship since 2005, and while the Rebels bring back some talented returners they'll also be relying on a combination of lesser-known talent and incoming transfers, like quarterback AJ Hillary from North Augusta and and explosive playmakers [player_tooltip player_id='1822476' first='Mekhi' last='Quiller'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1822485' first='Mikah' last='Quiller'] from Fox Creek. So it only makes sense to go with a glue guy for the 2026 MVP, and the Rebels return that in Laster. He and people-mover extraordinaire [player_tooltip player_id='2129235' first='Hezekiah' last='East'] return to the Thurmond offensive line, with the fiery Laster quarterbacking that group as the center. That group's first-to-the-fight mentality was key to last year's title run, and we expect Laster to continue setting that example for his teammates to follow during their title defense.    SALUDA TIGERS   [player_tooltip player_id='1823625' first='Tristan' last='Daniels'] RB/LB, 2027   Don't get fooled by last year's six-win record for Saluda, which dropped three games in Class 2A's toughest region by a combined eight points. There were tough lessons to be learned in there about finishing off games and avoiding the little mistakes in key spots that become big problems. The Tigers can look no further than their old rival Strom Thurmond, which locked in on the basics to avoid those costly errors en route to last year's state championship. A leader they'll count on is 5-foot-9, 175-pound rising senior Daniels, who's ready to roll from an All-Region baseball season into a big summer to get ready to produce more games like a 203-yard, three-touchdown outing last year in a win over Pelion.

The new Region IV-2A kept alive some rivalries, revived some old ones and will create some new ones in this cycle of SCHSL realignment.