CSRA Wide Receivers Looking For More Big Numbers in Week 4

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>When we teased before the season began that 2026 could be the year of the quarterback in the CSRA, of course that only told part of the story.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Yes, this year's QB crop is as talented, as deep and as experienced as the Central Savannah River Area has seen in an awfully long time, but the throw only covers part of the successful passing play.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The guys up front have to do their job and give the quarterback time to throw, and the guys on the receiving end have to be in the right spot and haul in the ball to make it all work.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As we head into Week 4, we're taking a look at those receivers that have been cashing in through the first three weeks and aren't giving us much reason to believe they'll be slowing down any time soon.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1614255' first='Allen' last='Cummings'] [player_tooltip player_id='1840715' first='Tarrant' last='McKenzie'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1840740' first='Stephan' last='Pope'] Aiken</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>What may have been a secret to many before the season is now clearly out in the open - [player_tooltip player_id='1820316' first='Tanner' last='Padgett'] and the Aiken High offense can move the ball through the air. Each member of the Hornets' talented receiver trio had an impact in Friday's game against Chapin, and all three should factor heavily into this week's game plan at Silver Bluff. Cummings has been the most frequent target, with 23 catches for 293 yards, while Pope has used his blinding speed to turn his 11 catches into 243 yards. McKenzie makes his touches count, turning eight catches into 173 yards and two touchdowns.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1010338' first='Cameron' last='Gleaton'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1821370' first='Kaleb' last='Hester'] Midland Valley</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Midland Valley has been lighting up scoreboards on its way to a 3-0 start, averaging 46.7 points per game while piling up some serious yardage. Quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='644030' first='Xavier' last='Geter'] and running back [player_tooltip player_id='1615063' first='Preston' last='Smith'] have done a ton of good work on the ground, but it's the Mustangs' balance offensively that makes them so dangerous. Gleaton leads the team in receptions (12) and yards (205), with track star Hester not far behind (11 catches, 182 yards). Smith is always a viable option coming out of the backfield, and the Mustangs have long-ball threats like [player_tooltip player_id='1824045' first='Jaylen' last='Washington'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1824057' first='Terrance' last='Smith'] to truly keep defenses on their heels.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Blake Goodman</strong> and [player_tooltip player_id='1036785' first='Kyson' last='McLeod'] South Aiken</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>South Aiken is off to a 3-0 start for the first time in a decade, and the T-Breds have displayed some offensive balance of their own to keep defenses from devoting too many eyes to [player_tooltip player_id='1654810' first='Drelyn' last='Brown'] in the backfield. [player_tooltip player_id='1704301' first='Tommy' last='Burns'] is off to a solid start in year two as starting quarterback, already climbing to eighth in career passing yards and fourth in touchdowns in program history. McLeod's name is stamped all over the record books in the receiving category, and the Appalachian State commit leads the team so far with 12 catches for 152 yards and four touchdowns. Goodman has been a revelation to start the season, with 188 yards and three scores on nine catches. They'll both have the full attention of the Gilbert defense this week.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1162969' first='Jakari' last='Gordon'] Strom Thurmond</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Class 2A's top-ranked team and defending state champions return to action after an early bye week, and they host longtime rival Batesburg-Leesville as they look to move to 3-0. The passing game never materialized in the Rebels' season-opening win over North Augusta, but in a Week 2 blanking of Abbeville the Rebels found some success through the air. Gordon has been the top target of [player_tooltip player_id='1827442' first='AJ' last='Hillary'] to start the season, and against Abbeville he snagged seven balls for 119 yards and a touchdown. Expect to see Strom Thurmond go to him early and often again this week.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1036756' first='Jordan' last='Bovain'] [player_tooltip player_id='1214316' first='Ant' last='Williams'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1819949' first='Jason' last='Youmans'] (pictured) Bamberg-Ehrhardt</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The defending Class A state champions got back into the win column in a big way last week, crushing Barnwell 62-0 to bounce back from a tough loss to 4A Hilton Head the week before. [player_tooltip player_id='1822457' first='Brian' last='McMillan'] has plenty of quality targets at his disposal in the Red Raiders' offense, all of whom are capable of taking it the distance as soon as they catch the football. Bovain showed that better than anybody with his three-score game against Hilton Head, but Calhoun County knows this week not to put too much extra attention on him, because Williams and Youmans are both 1,000-yard receivers who can - and have - hurt defenses in a hurry.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1603960' first='Damahjai' last='Devoe'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1822603' first='Darrell' last='Newman'] Blackville-Hilda</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A lot of attention has been placed, and rightfully so, on the Fighting Hawks' run game and defense during their 3-0 start to the season. Blackville-Hilda is winning by an average score of 40-2, and a lot of the heavy lifting has been done on the ground by [player_tooltip player_id='1819832' first='Jayden' last='Peeples'] and company. The Hawks haven't had much need to throw while leading comfortably, but that doesn't mean they can't. Dwayne Garrick offenses always have plenty of options, and he knows he's got a couple of gamebreakers at receiver in Devoe and Newman. They have the team's longest receptions of the season so far, and they're both averaging north of 20 yards per catch. A closer matchup this week against Eau Claire could cause Blackville-Hilda to put it in the air a little bit more.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Amarion Bell</strong> and [player_tooltip player_id='1664511' first='Trenton' last='Summers'] Wagener-Salley</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 3-0 War Eagles are scoring points in bunches, with [player_tooltip player_id='1822723' first='Zamien' last='Capers'] leading an offense that's producing 48 points per game heading into this week's matchup against Columbia. Capers tossed four touchdown passes in last week's blowout win over Ninety Six, with Bell and Summers hauling in two apiece. Summers had one of the best nights of anyone in the state, taking five catches for 197 yards and those two scores, and we won't be surprised if Wagener-Salley looks to him for similar production in this one.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->