Week 11 Upper State Game Balls

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The dust has settled on the final week of the regular season for the Upper State.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>From explosive play from the skill positions at quarterback and wide receiver, including a game-deciding play in the Upstate to some household names on the defensive side that are continuing to perform on a consistent level as we get ready to enter the fourth quarter of the season – the playoffs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We've got a loaded list of over 40 selections this week:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1051192' first='Nydarrian' last='Allen']</strong> RB, Hillcrest</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Following a 100-yard performance last week, Allen went for 103 yards this week on 14 carries for one touchdown in the Rams' 27-7 win over Mauldin to win the Golden Strip Derby for the 14th consecutive time.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1603963' first='Mason' last='Evans']</strong> QB, Crescent</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Evans had an efficient night for the Tigers, going 12-of-16 for 187 yards and two touchdowns in Crescent's 48-6 win over Pendleton. He also rushed for 46 yards on 8 carries. One of his top targets was <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2177579' first='PJ' last='Deveaux']</strong>, who had 9 receptions for 138 yards and two touchdowns. Deveaux was also impactful on defense, with 8 total tackles and two pass breakups.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1820522' first='Jace' last='Devlin']</strong> RB, Crescent</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Devlin hit the 1,000-yard mark for the season in the Tigers' regular season finale against Pendleton, rushing for 197 yards and four touchdowns on 15 carries. This is the sixth time this season he has rushed for over 100+ yards per game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Austin Whitcomb</strong> LB and <strong>Carter Adams</strong> LB, Crescent</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Whitcomb and Adams were the two leading tacklers for the Tigers' defense in the win on Friday. Whitcomb had 12 total tackles while Adams had 11 total tackles. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1816269' first='Noah' last='Brawner']</strong> had a tackle for loss and an interception. Friday marks the second straight contest that the Tigers have held their opponent at or below 7 points.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='232624' first='Xavier' last='Means']</strong> QB and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1823352' first='Daylen' last='Shankle']</strong> RB, Northwestern</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Trojans went to the ground in their 44-0 shutout win over cross-town rival, Rock Hill on Friday. Means rushed for 110 yards to go along with a solid night passing, going 17-of-24 for 195 yards and three touchdowns. Shankle provided a nice one-two punch in the backfield, rushing for 106 yards. Two of the three passing touchdowns went to <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='513067' first='Malik' last='Ratliff']</strong> while the other went to <strong>BJ Ervin.</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1301735' first='Dash' last='Holley']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1271263' first='KJ' last='Burg']</strong> LB, Northwestern</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The duo continues to help the Trojans' defense wreak havoc on opponents gameplan as they shutout the Bearcats on Friday. Holley had six solo tackles, including one tackle for loss while Burg had three solo tackles, a tackle for loss and a pass breakup.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2075873' first='Harper' last='Love']</strong> QB, Fort Mill</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Love connected on two touchdown receptions, both to <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1820446' first='Jameson' last='Terrell']</strong> as the Jackets routed Boiling Springs 44-10. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1266099' first='Broden' last='Mitcheson']</strong> also ran for three touchdowns in the win. The Jackets will finish third in the region and will await their playoff destination this afternoon.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1823705' first='Jaxon' last='Knotts']</strong> QB, Dutch Fork</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Knotts finished 9-of-14 for 182 yards and one touchdown in the Silver Foxes' 43-7 win over White Knoll. He connected with <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1818124' first='Jalen' last='Montgomery']</strong> on a 41-yard receiving score. <strong>Samajae Govan</strong> led all receivers with 69 receiving yards as <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1422528' first='Maleek' last='Miller']</strong> had 56 receiving yards. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1817820' first='Michael' last='Robinson']</strong> had two touchdowns and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1821111' first='Quintin' last='Wilson']</strong> had one rushing touchdown.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1271257' first='Nick' last='Gordon']</strong> ATH, Cheraw</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Gordon had 150+ all purpose yards for the Braves as they took down previously unbeaten Central 48-34 on Friday. <strong>Darryl Harsey</strong> had 185 yards rushing with four touchdowns as well. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Chance Bryant</strong> DB, River Bluff</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The sophomore had the <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/10/bryant-defense-lead-river-bluff-over-lexington/">game-sealing pick six in the Gators' 28-14 win over Lexington</a>. The win gets the Gators a second place finish in region III-5A as they await their playoff destination.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1816751' first='Calvin' last='McCoy']</strong> RB, Greer</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>McCoy had an explosive night, rushing for 295 yards and five touchdowns on 47 carries in a wild 55-40 shootout win over Riverside. He also had the game sealing interception. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2106784' first='Xavier' last='Sammet']</strong> was efficient at the quarterback position, going 10-of-17 for 124 yards and one touchdown while rushing for 192 yards and one touchdown.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1077186' first='Corey' last='Taylor']</strong> QB, Gaffney</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The sophomore finished 16-of-23 for 182 yards and two touchdowns in a nailbiting 28-27 win over Greenville to secure the region II-5A crown. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1036755' first='Kendaris' last='Bailey']</strong> had the game-winning two point conversion to go along with 33 yards rushing. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='755890' first='Amire' last='White']</strong> had 60 yards and one touchdown.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1881741' first='Bear' last='Woods']</strong> QB, Westside</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Woods <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/10/woods-westside-top-tl-hanna-in-thriller/">tossed four touchdowns in the Rams 28-21 win over TL Hanna on Friday night</a> to secure the region I-4A title. He went 25-of-32 for 323 yards. His&nbsp; top targets were <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='779428' first='Tajeh' last='Watson-Martin']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1817438' first='Jae' last='White']</strong> (pictured above – 9 receptions for 201 yards and three touchdowns) as they found a way to get open throughout the evening.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1608770' first='Tyler' last='Robinson']</strong> DB, Catawba Ridge</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Robinson had a 98-yard kickoff return in the Copperheads 19-14 win on the road over Clover. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1647568' first='Boston' last='Halpin']</strong> had the game-winning touchdown run in the closing seconds to secure the win as they now await their playoff position.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1818071' first='Imon' last='Mitchell']</strong> RB, York</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Mitchell ran hard and found the open holes throughout the evening. He even ran a safety over on one of four touchdowns as the Cougars ended the season with a 52-31 win over Lake Wylie. He's a junior that will be one of the focal points for the York offense in 2027. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src=u0022https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/23143192/6ae56b4f725ad3b3ecba9d75u0022 width=u0022640u0022 height=u0022360u0022 frameborder=u00220u0022 allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6ae632e8448f4"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1467825' first='Matt' last='Kucia']</strong> QB, Indian Land</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Kucia had another strong evening as he went 12-of-22 for 323 yards and four touchdowns in the Warriors' regular-season finale 49-0 win over Nation Ford. They had two receivers over 100 yards receiving in <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2044503' first='Maxwell' last='Curry']</strong> (4 receptions, 138 yards and 2 touchdowns) and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1822507' first='Kenneth' last='Wilson']</strong> (3 receptions for 103 yards and 2 touchdowns). <strong>Kylan Foye</strong> had 17 rushes for 217 yards and two touchdowns.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1036740' first='Tiyon' last='Fanning']</strong> RB, Lugoff-Elgin</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Demons senior was instrumental in helping guide Lugoff-Elgin to its first region title since 2010 with <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/10/fannings-monster-night-leads-lugoff-elgin-to-win-over-lancaster/">a 42-13 win over Lancaster.</a> Fanning ran for three touchdowns and returned a kickoff for a score. He finished with 178 yards rushing on 22 carries to go along with his 86-yard kickoff return. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1603854' first='Eric' last='Richardson']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1705036' first='Oliver' last='Coleman']</strong> also had touchdowns.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1823534' first='Ryker' last='Woolstenhulme']</strong> ATH, Mid-Carolina</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Rebels senior scored three touchdowns, kicked a field goal, excelled on defense and handled most of the kicking duties in a 43-14 victory over Newberry. That caps a 10-0 regular season for Mid-Carolina, the first since 1985. It's also the first outright region title since 1992.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1816745' first='Ty'Quarius' last='Shannon']</strong> WR, Fairfield Central</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Griffins capped an unbeaten regular season with a 56-14 win over Lewisville. Shannon caught two touchdown passes and added a kickoff return for a score. Shannon now has 11 touchdown receptions on the season and is over 800 yards receiving.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1603902' first='Angelo' last='Rios']</strong> RB, Westwood</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Rios rushed for 168 yards and three touchdowns in helping the Redhawks to a 27-13 victory over Richland Northeast. Rios missed time this season with injury but came back late in the season. This was the first win of the season for Westwood.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1819577' first='Ashton' last='Moore']</strong> QB, Chapman</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Panthers continued their turnaround in 2026, capping off their undefeated regular season with a 50-0 win over Chapman. The play of Moore has been one of the keys as he has been on point, and Friday was a good example. He went 15-of-22 for 208 yards and five touchdowns to four different receivers – <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1819573' first='Grayson' last='Murphy'], [player_tooltip player_id='1822135' first='Caden' last='Lachica'], [player_tooltip player_id='1822131' first='Keilon' last='Tucker']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1819569' first='Taylor' last='Rogers']</strong>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src=u0022https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/22564391/6ae606284c6fff75388368beu0022 width=u0022640u0022 height=u0022360u0022 frameborder=u00220u0022 allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003ern","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6ae632e844918"} /-->