Week 2 Games To Watch In The Upstate

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Let's try this again.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Week 1 in the Upstate got off to a halted, disrupted, abbreviated start almost everywhere, as some games were moved, some were delayed and finished later, and some were halted altogether due to widespread storms across the area.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>If that's something that bothers you, maybe don't look at Friday's forecast just yet.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A couple of games across the state have moved already, but nothing in the Upstate has changed as we're writing this. Still, it's something to keep an eye on.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Speaking of, there are a ton of matchups in the Upstate that are shaping up to be good ones. Here are four that we expect to be among the best in the area.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Whenever they're played.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Class 5A No. 2 Byrnes at Class 5A No. 3 Dorman</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This is the big one in the Upstate this week, as the longtime region rivals face off for the first time in a long time in a non-region matchup. Byrnes had a heavily-hyped game against traditional North Carolina power Independence last week and, well, the Rebels didn't learn much. That game was called after a series each and a lengthy weather delay. [player_tooltip player_id='1036721' first='Tre' last='Segarra'] did what was expected, ripping off a 52 yard TD three plays into Byrnes' possession. The Rebels' defense looked good with [player_tooltip player_id='1820009' first='Wyquial' last='Moss'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1581476' first='Nasir' last='Angram'] leading the way. But there are still a lot of questions for Byrnes, as [player_tooltip player_id='1817840' first='Walker' last='Burdette'] and [player_tooltip player_id='463113' first='Gideon' last='Merhib'] are both expected to play QB. [player_tooltip player_id='1271241' first='Chanin' last='Harris'] is expected back to give the Rebels another offensive threat.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Dorman did get a full game in, defeating Hillcrest 40-30 despite a lengthy weather delay. [player_tooltip player_id='1664350' first='Nick' last='Means'] (pictured) rushed for more than 160 yards and three touchdowns and added another through the air, while [player_tooltip player_id='1708614' first='Jabez' last='Thomas'] rushed for a score and [player_tooltip player_id='2106758' first='Carter' last='Nash'] added more than 100 yards on the ground. [player_tooltip player_id='1820160' first='Cooper' last='Patterson'] tossed a pair of 35-yard TDs, one to Means and another to [player_tooltip player_id='1818136' first='Anthony' last='Peaks']. [player_tooltip player_id='1818140' first='Antwone' last='Tarrence'] led the way with 11 tackles and two tackles for loss for Dorman, while [player_tooltip player_id='1816266' first='Isaac' last='Tate'] added eight stops. [player_tooltip player_id='1816832' first='Jayvion' last='Long'] picked off a pair of passes for Dorman.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Class 2A No. 3 Newberry at Emerald</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Bulldogs were one of the surprises of last season, and now they're in Class 2A with a bunch of expectations - and a bunch of holes to fill thanks to departed seniors. First on that list is at QB, where sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='1974816' first='Sincere' last='Glymph'] will take over. He's got some playmakers around him, most notably in RB [player_tooltip player_id='1672927' first='Ty' last='Abrams'] and WR <strong>Neveah Willingham</strong>. [player_tooltip player_id='1619774' first='Elijah' last='Sanders'] will play a key role up front on both sides of the ball. On defense, the Bulldogs are still stout behind guys like [player_tooltip player_id='2210828' first='Dontavias' last='Griffin'] at DE/LB along with [player_tooltip player_id='1771838' first='Kaden' last='Goff'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1771835' first='Caleb' last='Johnson']. They thumped Union County 27-0 in Week 1, allowing just 14 passing yards in the contest.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Emerald got off to a good start in Week 1 with a 21-6 win at Crescent. They showed off a balanced offense, as [player_tooltip player_id='1467847' first='Beau' last='Hite'] threw for 226 yards and three TDs, tossing scores to [player_tooltip player_id='1773739' first='Coleson' last='Marino'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2249216' first='Keirion' last='Brown']. [player_tooltip player_id='1772596' first='Chris' last='Dean'] also had a receiving touchdown, and pretty much did what he does best on the ground, serving as a battering ram. He finished with 167 yards on the ground to lead the Vikings. Defensively, Emerald got a huge game from [player_tooltip player_id='2249843' first='Hayden' last='Doerflein'], who turned in 16 tackles. [player_tooltip player_id='2249820' first='Tyrell' last='Cloud'] had nine tackles while [player_tooltip player_id='1819391' first='Javalin' last='Baskin'] turned in eight, and each recorded a sack along with [player_tooltip player_id='2249924' first='Jeremiah' last='Johnson'] and <strong>Myrik Wright</strong>. <strong>Trayvon Foster</strong> and <strong>Lazohn Mobley</strong> both had interceptions for the Vikings.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Class 4A No. 9 Fountain Inn at Class 2A No. 4 Woodruff</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This has the potential to turn into one of the best rivalries in the Upstate, particularly considering the proximity and trajectory of both schools. Fountain Inn has a program led by seniors who started as freshman, and last week they got a hallmark win over Greenville, the biggest in school history. QB [player_tooltip player_id='429920' first='Sam' last='Holliday'] led the way, but he had a bunch of help in the Saturday evening win. [player_tooltip player_id='1339520' first='BJ' last='Curenton'] caught a 50-yard TD pass for the Fury, while [player_tooltip player_id='2246119' first='Jaycee' last='Curenton'] forced a fumble in the end zone recovered by [player_tooltip player_id='501897' first='Zavien' last='Broughton'] - one of his two on the night.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Woodruff found a pretty interesting way to deal with the sudden and unexpected departure of their top RB. They aired it out. Wolverines QB [player_tooltip player_id='1823657' first='Connor' last='Davis'] lit it up against Broome, throwing for 381 yards and tossing two touchdowns each to [player_tooltip player_id='1604037' first='Micah' last='McClintock'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1633095' first='Curtis' last='Bell']. McClintock had a huge impact, with eight catches for 183 receiving yards, while bell caught six for 138. Woodruff did plenty on the ground, too, with [player_tooltip player_id='1818683' first='Jaylen' last='Lyles'] notching 181 yards on 13 carries and scoring twice, while [player_tooltip player_id='1825426' first='Julian' last='Sullivan'] rushed for 54 yards and a touchdown.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Laurens at Class 2A No. 2 Clinton</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This in-county rivalry could get a little heated. The Raiders struggled last year, and that's no secret. But they got better. How much better wasn't clear until they thumped JL Mann last week with a high-output offense and an opportunistic defense. [player_tooltip player_id='2106782' first='Logan' last='Bragg'] threw for 358 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the win, including scores to Braylen Patterson and Quinton Watts. Bragg also ran for 80 yards and a score, with Travion Robinson contributing 78 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Watts also nabbed an interception on the defensive side of the ball, as did Nasir Sanders.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Clinton will start their season this week, and there are the usual high expectations for the Red Devils. That starts on the offensive side of the ball, and at RB. There, [player_tooltip player_id='1603990' first='Angelo' last='Cromer'] is back to lead the Red Devils again, but teams can also expect a heavy dose of [player_tooltip player_id='1825463' first='Bryland' last='James'] and the hard-running [player_tooltip player_id='1603772' first='Rhett' last='Gilliam']. [player_tooltip player_id='630150' first='Owen' last='Glenn'] is back at QB to lead the offense, and he's got some targets back in [player_tooltip player_id='2071902' first='Mason' last='Snider'] and Damajia Crooks. [player_tooltip player_id='1817880' first='Jace' last='Patterson'] leads a strong group of returners on the OL. Clinton returns just one starter on defense, but [player_tooltip player_id='1878870' first='Graydon' last='Watkins'] has played exceptionally well in the preseason, while Ajavian James and Cam Croft will be key guys. Gilliam and Cromer will help out as well, and the Red Devils got a huge boost on the DL thanks to Ware Shoals transfer Joshua Winbush.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->