Week 9 Lower State Game Balls

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The home stretch isn't just about the playoffs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Often, it's about which players are playoff ready.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>All around the Lower State, we saw evidence that some dudes aren't simply trying to help their teams punch tickets, but also do something once they reach the most vaunted portion of the year. We had dynamic performances on both sides of the ball in Week 9.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>They included big passing and rushing figures, an offensive line that played its role to perfection, a young face showing something new and a few defensive showings that did a lot of talking.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1596856' first='Jayden' last='Alston']</strong> DB (pictured), and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1581470' first='George' last='Handley']</strong> DL, Carolina Forest</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Two of the Panthers' best defensive players were at it again Thursday night at Socastee. Alston, who had nine interceptions as a junior when teams were testing him time after time, snagged his 12th pick in the last 20 games against the Braves to go along with five tackles. Handley boosted his team-leading sack total in 2026 to nine with two more Thursday. Not surprisingly, Carolina Forest won 35-7 and held onto solid possession of second place in Regoin VI-5A.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Jhavion Smith</strong> (LT), <strong>Pierce Johnson</strong> (LG), <strong>Mikey Winters</strong> (C), <strong>JB Meadors</strong> (RG), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1818282' first='Zavion' last='Singleton']</strong> (RT) and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1824820' first='Jasper' last='Strickland']</strong> (TE), Offensive line, Waccamaw</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>While we already told you all about the Warriors' rushing attack from Friday's win over East Clarendon, we purposefully held back the driving force behind Waccamaw's 14-13 region win. The five linemen and the tight end were giving up some size to the Wolverines' front, but the totality of what the Warriors did was unmistakably vital to the victory. Behind Smith, Johnson, Winters, Singleton and Strickland, the Waccamaw ball carriers put up 353 yards in seven offensive possessions. Continuing moving the sticks and keeping the ball in their hands limited East Clarendon's opportunities and forced it off rhythm throughout the evening.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1820316' first='Tanner' last='Padgett']</strong> QB, Aiken</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Hornets' senior signal caller had one of the best games of his career - and he did it in a little over one half of football. Padgett completed 18-of-24 passes for 255 yards and three touchdowns - one each to [player_tooltip player_id='1054957' first='Gray' last='Kitchings'] [player_tooltip player_id='1840730' first='Michael' last='Francis'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1614255' first='Allen' last='Cummings'] - and connected on the front end of a hook and lateral for another passing/rushing combo score. Tack on his 21-yard touchdown run and, yeah, he had a pretty good night in the 56-14 win at Fox Creek.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='840548' first='Tre' last='Howard']</strong> QB, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1172363' first='Khristian' last='Jackson']</strong> WR, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1172370' first='Kanye' last='Reed']</strong> WR and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1603911' first='Isaiah' last='Small']</strong> WR Ridge View</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In the biggest Class 5A game of the week, the air attack was on point for the Blazers. Howard was 21-of-26 for 309 yards and three touchdowns while also rushing for one. Jackson caught nine of those passes and put up 112 yards and two touchdowns in the process. Reed added five receptions for 95 yards and Small needed five catches to record 80 yards and a score.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1822839' first='Josh' last='Bigger']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1657436' first='Colton' last='Freeman']</strong> DL, Hilton Head</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Against May River, Hilton Head flexed a bit on offense - [player_tooltip player_id='1664222' first='Derrick' last='Raniszewski'] threw for 211 yards and three touchdowns and ran for another and [player_tooltip player_id='1820333' first='Jeremiah' last='Walters'] hauled in eight passes for 130 yards and two of those scores. But the Seahawks were downright nasty on defense. Bigger finished with seven tackles, five tackles for loss, two sacks, two quarterback hurries, a pass break-up and a forced fumble. Freeman notched eight stops, a tackles for loss, a sack and a forced fumble in the 47-7 win.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2325388' first='Marshaun' last='Porchia']</strong> LB, Berkeley</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We knew Porchia was special when we unveiled him as the No. 4 overall players in the Class of 2030 rankings last month. He's a dynamic linebacker who racked up 59 tackles in his first seven varsity football games as a freshman. In the Stags' 45-6 win over Goose Creek, he showed something that only his teammates and coaches have seen during practices. On top of his 10 tackles and three tackles for loss against the Gators, he got his first two carries on offense. All he did with them was put up 56 yards and a touchdown. The staff thinks he might ultimately be a better tailback than a linebacker. The jury is out on that, but we're here for the ride to find out.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src=u0022https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/15397662/6ad3078b6d69232d5ba0c7ffu0022 width=u0022640u0022 height=u0022360u0022 frameborder=u00220u0022 allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6ad38871a7235"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1909406' first='Avery' last='Coyle']</strong> QB and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1823625' first='Tristan' last='Daniels']</strong> RB, Saluda</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A year after things didn't work out in Lexington, Coyle is making the most of his time with the Tigers. Saluda dispatched previously unbeaten Orangeburg-Wilkinson after the quarterback threw for 284 yards and a pair of touchdowns on a 14-of-20 night. Of course, he wasn't alone. Daniels helped in the endeavor by rushing for 203 yards and five (five!) touchdowns and hauled in a 64-yard touchdown reception. He's turning into a weekly touchdown factory for a team that has now dropped 40-plus points in seven straight games and is averaging 49 points every night out this season.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1809066' first='Chandler' last='Guthrie']</strong> WR, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1823421' first='Jaylen' last='Brost']</strong> RB, and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1672924' first='Kendall' last='Wright']</strong> QB, Gilbert</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>By the time Airport started winging it around to make up the point differential and the Indians recorded three picks, it was basically too later. Guthrie and Wright linked up four times for 210 yards and three touchdowns (scores of 64, 87 and 52 yards) en route to Wright's 275 passing yards on just nine completions. But that was the sweetener after Brost ran for two early touchdowns and 113 rushing yards and a 14-yard reception in the 52-0 blowout.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='485450' first='Mykell' last='Warthen']</strong> RB, and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1820390' first='Brady' last='Dantzler']</strong> QB, James Island</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Another week, another James Island beatdown. This time around, it was Ashley Ridge getting a heavy dose of Dantzler and Warthen. In the 63-14 win over the Swamp Foxes, Dantzler continued his hot first season as a starter by completing 17-of-24 passes for 284 yards and four touchdowns. He also had four carries for two more scores and 26 yards (his next touchdown this year with be his 30th of the season). Warthen needed only nine carries to score twice on his own, going along with 142 yards. In the process, he went past 1,000 rushing yards this year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1818416' first='Zy' last='Rouse']</strong> ATH, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='654821' first='Mekhi' last='Quiller']</strong> WR/DB, and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1615095' first='Kaden' last='Wigfall']</strong> ATH, Strom Thurmond&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There may not be a team in the state as good as getting in, dominating and getting out as Strom Thurmond. The Rebels needed only 27 or so minutes to force a running clock against Pelion, thanks in large part to Quiller's 85-yard punt return, Rouse's two touchdown runs and 83 yards (and a two-point conversion run) and 109 yards and a score from Wigfall. They had all that production on a combined 16 touches between the three of them.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src=u0022https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/23827953/6ad2ea3d6d69232d5b9fbc8fu0022 width=u0022640u0022 height=u0022360u0022 frameborder=u00220u0022 allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6ad38871a7272"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src=u0022https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/22997611/6ad360396d69232d5ba41cdbu0022 width=u0022640u0022 height=u0022360u0022 frameborder=u00220u0022 allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6ad38871a7294"} /-->