Four Week 4 Games To Watch In The Upstate

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Don't look now, but some teams are nearing halfway home.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It's Week 4 in the Upstate, and things are beginning to round into form and give us something we can look at as the season progresses. There are hot starts, big matchups, and teams that still need to get some things sorted out. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here's a look at a couple of rivalry games, big inter-classification matchups, and backyard brawls that highlight Week 4 in the Upstate.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Greer (3-0) at 5A No. 7 Byrnes (1-1)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This one has the chance to get weird. Rivalry games always do. It's been one-sided of late, though Greer did pick up a win two seasons ago. And this year, the Yellow Jackets have quickly found a bunch of offensive threats who have them rolling. [player_tooltip player_id='2106784' first='Xavier' last='Sammet'] has stepped into a much bigger role at QB in his sophomore year, and he's beginning to shine. He's got 574 yards on 40-of-54 passing, and has thrown for seven touchdowns on the season. He's also Greer's second-leading rusher with 257 yards, a 9.9 yards-per-carry average, and three more scores. [player_tooltip player_id='1816751' first='Calvin' last='McCoy'] is Greer's main threat on the ground, with 450 yards and seven touchdowns in three games, while [player_tooltip player_id='1819530' first='Zy' last='Foster'] is an excellent complementary back. They work behind a veteran OL led by [player_tooltip player_id='1809928' first='Nathan' last='Huff'], while [player_tooltip player_id='1816760' first='Zay' last='Moseley'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1816772' first='Cooper' last='Trauger'] have been Sammet's main targets outside. Defensively, Moseley and [player_tooltip player_id='1822097' first='Terrell' last='Jackson'] have been outstanding in the secondary. The Yellow Jackets have 21 tackles for loss, with [player_tooltip player_id='1816761' first='Tyler' last='Hanson'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1819527' first='Anius' last='Smith'] leading the way.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Three weeks into the season, Byrnes has played one game. Well, one game and two series. The Rebels had their Week 1 game wiped out by weather and were off in Week 3, leaving a Week 2 loss at Dorman as their only real competition to date. Couple that with fewer than 50 preseason snaps, and we're just really not sure yet what the Rebels have. We DO know that the offense has a bunch of big-play potential behind RBs [player_tooltip player_id='1036721' first='Tre' last='Segarra'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1604062' first='Jacobi' last='Fuller']. [player_tooltip player_id='463113' first='Gideon' last='Merhib'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1817840' first='Walker' last='Burdette'] both played QB for the Rebels against Dorman, with [player_tooltip player_id='1271241' first='Chanin' last='Harris'] as the main downfield threat. Defensively, [player_tooltip player_id='1581476' first='Nasir' last='Angram'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1820009' first='Wyquial' last='Moss'] have helped to lead the way at LB, along with [player_tooltip player_id='1615038' first='Emerson' last='James'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1667977' first='Aidyn' last='Wiggins'] on the back end.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2A No 2 Clinton (2-0) at Chapman (3-0)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Clinton took a thriller over rival Laurens in Week 1, then beat Newberry to move to 2-0 on the season. The Red Devils look like just what you'd expect - a rugged, deceptive running game that will wear you down and play solid defense. [player_tooltip player_id='630150' first='Owen' last='Glenn'] leads the offensive attack at QB, and he's capable of beating you with his arm just as much as with his legs. He shares the backfield with a ton of top guys including [player_tooltip player_id='1603990' first='Angelo' last='Cromer'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1603772' first='Rhett' last='Gilliam']. Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='2146532' first='Camden' last='Gregory'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1823847' first='Lincoln' last='Alexander'] have been among the defensive leaders for the Red Devils, while <strong>Ajavian James</strong> shines on both sides of the ball for Clinton. [player_tooltip player_id='1878870' first='Graydon' last='Watkins'] has two picks in two weeks in the secondary.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Panthers have played really well to open the year, starting 3-0 after a 1-9 campaign last season. Some of that is a bunch of guys back who were injured for some of last season, and some of it is the emergence of [player_tooltip player_id='2167554' first='Ashton' last='Moore'] at QB. He's had a stellar start, throwing for 638 yards and eight touchdowns despite missing right at three quarters due to weather in one case and a running clock in another. More importantly, he's yet to turn the ball over. He's found top targets in [player_tooltip player_id='1822131' first='Keilon' last='Tucker'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1819569' first='Taylor' last='Rogers'] with [player_tooltip player_id='1615119' first='Teagan' last='Cantrell'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1822968' first='Khameron' last='Von'] leading the way on the ground. [player_tooltip player_id='1819574' first='Mikeal' last='Tisdale'] leads the Panthers defense with 18 tackles, while <strong>Jaylen Tisdale</strong> and <strong>Bryson Skipper</strong> have 14 each. Two-time all-region junior DB [player_tooltip player_id='1822134' first='Darrien' last='Burgess'] leads the Chapman secondary.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>3A No. 7 Wren (2-1) at 4A No. 3 TL Hanna (3-0)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It would be easy to overlook Wren's returning leading rusher [player_tooltip player_id='1790589' first='Muntu' last='Brown']. It would also be a mistake. Brown, thanks to a pair of blowout wins, has been limited this season. He's only scored once every seven times he carries the ball. Yeah, you read that right. Thirty-five carries, 247 yards, five scores. And through the air, he's 1-1 on TDs per catch. He's far from Wren's only weapon. [player_tooltip player_id='1790580' first='Jacob' last='Owings'] has played well at QB for the Hurricanes, while [player_tooltip player_id='1658454' first='Caiden' last='Hill'] has turned into a weapon on the outside. Defensively, [player_tooltip player_id='1791051' first='Landon' last='O'Bryan'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1791039' first='JT' last='Forrester'] have been great early in the season for the Hurricanes.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hanna is the same thing they've been for years now - a rugged, hard-nosed rushing team that's going to move the ball on the ground and try to stop you from doing it. The Yellow Jackets have already rushed for nearly 750 yards, with [player_tooltip player_id='1791455' first='Brock' last='Cole'] (pictured) and [player_tooltip player_id='1818572' first='Esaias' last='Carroll'] leading the way with 250 yards each. [player_tooltip player_id='1817291' first='Tristan' last='McCauley'] helps to lead the way up front for Hanna, along with juniors [player_tooltip player_id='1793535' first='McCoy' last='Hydrick'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1817289' first='Montez' last='Dial']. [player_tooltip player_id='1818569' first='Darius' last='Hanna'] and <strong>Terrell McRae </strong>are two of the Yellow Jackets' leading tacklers, with [player_tooltip player_id='1791506' first='Emez' last='Nance'] helping to anchor the defensive front.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>4A No. 5 Westside (2-1) at Hillcrest (1-2)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It's no secret that Westside is loaded offensively, and [player_tooltip player_id='1881741' first='Bear' last='Woods'] has a ton of weapons at his disposal for the visiting Rams. He's already thrown for nearly 700 yards in three games, and he's tossed 12 touchdowns against just two interceptions. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='779428' first='Tajeh' last='Watson-Martin'] and sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='1817438' first='Jae' last='White'] have been his top targets, and they've been scary - they've combined for 27 catches, 404 yards, and 10 touchdowns on the year. [player_tooltip player_id='1822339' first='Damauri' last='Robinson'] has been a force on the ground for Westside with nearly 350 rushing yards and a 115 yards-per-game average. Defensively, five Rams have more than 13 tackles already, led by [player_tooltip player_id='1581469' first='Colby' last='Flood'] and [player_tooltip player_id='403133' first='Christian' last='Webb-Scott']. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hillcrest's record is a little bit deceiving, as the Rams two losses have come against some of the 5A heavyweights in Dorman and Summerville. [player_tooltip player_id='1604046' first='Jackson' last='Free'] has looked good at QB, a true dual-threat guy who has more than 500 yards of total offense and who's accounted for six touchdowns. Returning leading receiver [player_tooltip player_id='1149053' first='Luke' last='McCourry'] has picked up right where he left off, and <strong>Kayden Allen</strong> is close behind. A veteran OL led by [player_tooltip player_id='1603877' first='Max' last='Barnes'] paves the way for Hillcrest. Defensively, senior LB [player_tooltip player_id='1819156' first='Oliver' last='Boland'] has been a leader for the Rams, as have [player_tooltip player_id='1615047' first='Kyle' last='Jackson'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1819677' first='Gavin' last='Sullivan']. And keep an eye on sophomore <strong>EJ Thompson</strong>. He's already making an impact for the Rams.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->