Week 9 Upper State Game Balls

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Just glancing at the football landscape, Week 9 of the season bright us several outstanding performances. Teams are getting playoff ready and what that means is we're starting to see more and more talented players step to the forefront.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We have some huge offensive numbers in this week's addition of Upper State Game Balls with a few defensive stars sneaking in as well. Two weeks remain in the regular season, and we believe there's a lot more to come.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>But here are this week's selections.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1051192' first='Nydarrian' last='Allen'] RB, Hillcrest</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Allen rushed for 179 yards on 15 carries and three touchdowns as the&nbsp;Rams routed Eastside, 52-6. One of those runs was a coast-to-coast run, a 97-yard run in the third quarter. With the win, the Rams picked up their first region win of the season and will look to keep it going next week at home against Woodmont.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='463113' first='Gideon' last='Merhib'] QB, Byrnes</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Merhib had a great night for the Rebels, going 17-of-24 for 320 yards and four touchdowns in Byrnes's 50-10 rout over Woodmont. Jacobie Fullerhad three catches for 137 yards and three of those scores, along with a rushing score. The Rebels have put up 40+ points in region play with wins against the Wildcats, Mauldin and two weeks ago against Hillcrest.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1809307' first='Shaun' last='Carvalho'] LB and <strong>Jamias Gist</strong> DB, JL Mann</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Patriots needed overtime to defeat Mauldin 17-14, and it took a solid defensive effort to reach that point. Carvalho and Gist did the bulk of the damage. Carvalho racked up 10 tackles and a tackle for loss to go along with two QB pressures, a pass defended and one of three fumble recoveries. Gist chipped in with nine tackles, .5 tackles for loss and a pass defended. [player_tooltip player_id='1720507' first='Philip' last='Georgopoulos'] kicked the game-winning field goal in the extra period.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src=u0022https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/22554715/6ad3c8849d2df81bb9c79755u0022 width=u0022640u0022 height=u0022360u0022 frameborder=u00220u0022 allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6ad4ccad9ffd4"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='232624' first='Xavier' last='Means'] QB and [player_tooltip player_id='1823352' first='Daylen' last='Shankle'] RB, Northwestern</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Means had another efficient night, following up his three touchdown performance last week against Dorman with another three touchdown night in the air. This time, it was on a 64-10 rout of Spartanburg. He went 9-of-11 for 174 yards while rushing for a touchdown as well. Two of the three scores went to [player_tooltip player_id='1718680' first='Payton' last='Vining'](3 receptions, 92 yards, two touchdowns) and the other went to [player_tooltip player_id='1476906' first='Kadin' last='Vassel'](4 receptions, 103 yards, 1 touchdown). Shankle turned in a very solid night, leading the Trojans' rushing attack with 148 yards and one touchdown on 16 carries, averaging 9 yards per carry. That performance puts him just shy of 700 yards rushing total for the season. They head into next week's region championship on the road against Fort Mill.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2210109' first='Charlie' last='Howell'] RB and [player_tooltip player_id='1818504' first='Harper' last='Ellerbee'] RB, Chapin</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Howell and Ellerbee combined to rush for 313 yards and three touchdowns in helping the Eagles snapped a three-game slide with a 49-36 victory over White Knoll. Howell accounted for 202 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries while Ellerbee chipped in with 111 yards on 19 carries and a touchdown as well. That rushing attack helped [player_tooltip player_id='1824394' first='Tyler' last='Black'] throw for 149 yards and three touchdowns to three different receivers.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1823705' first='Jaxon' last='Knotts'] QB, [player_tooltip player_id='1422528' first='Maleek' last='Miller'] WR and [player_tooltip player_id='1818124' first='Jalen' last='Montgomery'] WR, Dutch Fork</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There was talk this week about what was wrong with the Silver Foxes offense coming off back-to-back weeks in which they scored 28 and 21 points respectively. It's fine after a 42-0 win over River Bluff. Knotts threw for 393 yards and two touchdowns, one each to Miller and Montgomery. Knotts also ran for a TD. Miller was returning from missing two games due to a concussion and he finished with 11 receptions for 201 yards and a 43-yard scoring touchdown. Montgomery hauled in three passes for 123 yards and a 58-yard score.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src=u0022https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/18525370/6ad2ffee6d69232d5ba07990u0022 width=u0022640u0022 height=u0022360u0022 frameborder=u00220u0022 allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6ad4ccada003e"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1881741' first='Bear' last='Woods'] QB, Westside</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Woods continues to grow as a young sophomore and Friday's game against Fountain Inn was a great example. He went 20-of-33 for 382 yards and five touchdowns. [player_tooltip player_id='779428' first='Tajeh' last='Watson-Martin'] was his main target with nine receptions for 215 yards and three touchdowns. That backed the running of [player_tooltip player_id='1822339' first='Damauri' last='Robinson'], who finished with 98 yards and two scores in the 56-42 win over Fountain Inn. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>JT Campbell</strong> ATH [player_tooltip player_id='2106782' first='Logan' last='Bragg'] ATH, Laurens</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Campbell and Bragg did a little bit of everything in the Raiders 64-20 offensive explosion over Easley. Campbell completed 3-of-5 passes for 41 yards and two touchdowns while added 183 yards rushing and two additional scores on just nine carries. Bragg added that effort by going 7-of-11 passing for 133 yards and two touchdowns. Bragg also added a rushing score and 16 yards on five carries. Seven different Raiders scored as they rolled up 536 yards of total offense.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1077186' first='Corey' last='Taylor'] QB and [player_tooltip player_id='1604058' first='Kareem' last='Shaw'] RB, Gaffney</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Taylor continues to be efficient, as he threw for 157 yards and three touchdowns as the Indians cruised to a 49-0 win over Travelers Rest. Shaw ran for 135 yards on just four carries for two touchdowns in the win as well. Shaw also added an interception and two tackles on defense as Indians have been rolling as of late with two consecutive&nbsp;shutouts.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1301740' first='Ra'Sean' last='Brown'] RB, South Pointe</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Brown found the end zone four times in the Stallions' 35-17 win over Catawba Ridge. The sophomore carried it 17 times for 102 yards. The Stallions have won three in a row after dropping consecutive games earlier in the season. They can wrap up the region next week against York.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src=u0022https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/26509793/6ad44cd66b5e77a19ff5a353u0022 width=u0022640u0022 height=u0022360u0022 frameborder=u00220u0022 allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6ad4ccada0071"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1467825' first='Matt' last='Kucia'] QB, Indian Land</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Kucia and the Warriors bounced back from last week's loss to South Pointe in a big way. He tossed three first half touchdowns, two to [player_tooltip player_id='1819399' first='Isaiah' last='Thomas'], including a 23-yard pass as the Warriors routed Lake Wylie 42-6. Kenneth Wilsonwas the recipient&nbsp;of one touchdown pass as well.&nbsp;Maxwell Curryfound the end zone on a run play from 19 yards out along with Kylan Foyefrom&nbsp;29 yards out. All the points were scored in the first half.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1822266' first='Caleb' last='Sanders'] RB, York</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sanders had three touchdown runs, including an 11-yard score as the Cougars defeated Nation Ford, 28-19. The Cougars ended a five-game losing streak with the win as well with two games left in the regular season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1672851' first='Ziggy' last='Offord'] ATH, AC Flora</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Falcons snapped a five-game losing streak with a 24-6 victory over Richland Northeast. Offord caught a touchdown pass from [player_tooltip player_id='1821802' first='Riggs' last='Scott'] and also returned an interception for a touchdown. Running back [player_tooltip player_id='2083700' first='Jaylin' last='Simmons'] is working his way back into the rotation after missing the majority of the season due to an injury. He added a scoring run.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1823858' first='Zach' last='Williams'] QB, Lugoff-Elgin</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Williams finished with more than 300 yards of total offense and accounted for five touchdowns as Lugoff-Elgin ran away from Dreher in the second half for a 43-16 victory. It was tied at 13 at the half, but the Demons outscored the Blue Devils 33-0 over the final two quarters. [player_tooltip player_id='1603854' first='Eric' last='Richardson'] caught two of the TD passes with [player_tooltip player_id='2416194' first='Tyree' last='Lindsay'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1036740' first='Tiyon' last='Fanning'] each catching one.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1608532' first='Kingsten' last='Bibb'] RB and [player_tooltip player_id='1094520' first='Jace' last='Grass'] QB, Daniel</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Grass threw five touchdowns to five different receivers, which included Bibb, Owen Houstonand Clemson commit [player_tooltip player_id='1467841' first='Trey' last='Wimbley']&nbsp;in the 49-21 win over Pickens. He went 16-of-23 for 270 yards in the win as the Lions continued to put up points in bunches. They have not been held under 42 points in all of their contests this season. Bibb rushed the ball eight times for 117 yards and one receiving touchdown a 32-yard rushing touchdown. The Lions remain unbeaten and can wrap up the region with two regular season games on the road against Southside and Berea.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src=u0022https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/26248117/6ad315406b5e77a19fea94f9u0022 width=u0022640u0022 height=u0022360u0022 frameborder=u00220u0022 allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6ad4ccada00a0"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1817642' first='Holden' last='Powell'] QB and [player_tooltip player_id='1819624' first='Braylon' last='Edwards'] WR, Blue Ridge</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Powell and Edwards connected for three touchdowns in the Tigers 47-18 victory over Union County. Powell, a junior, was 19-of-28 for 263 yards and four touchdowns. His fourth TD was to Brylon McCoy on a 51-yard strike. Edwards, a junior, caught five passes for 67 yards and three scores.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1823372' first='Mack' last='Rambo'] RB, St Joseph's</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Rambo helped lead the Knights to a 52-6 victory over Carolina. The senior rushed for 141 yards and three touchdowns on just 12 carries. Rambo is nearing the 1,000-yard mark (932 yards) and is averaging 116 yards rushing per game to go along with 6.2 yards per carry. [player_tooltip player_id='1666952' first='Josh' last='Lyons'] added a 95-yard interception return as well.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Brymier Miller</strong> RB, Chesnee</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Miller had a record-shattering night as the Eagles soared past Woodruff by a 71-54 margin. The sophomore ran for 433 yards to lead a ground attack that finished with 713 rushing yards and 721 yards of total offense in improving to 6-2 on the season. Chesnee hasn't scored less than 35 points in a game this season and is averaging 43.6 points per game. Miller and junior [player_tooltip player_id='1809771' first='Marquez' last='Franklin'] both average over 100 yards rushing per game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='293593' first='Michael' last='Martin'] RB and [player_tooltip player_id='1308879' first='Jaylen' last='Samuel'] RB, Southside Christian</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Martin made his debut for the Sabres and looked in midseason form as he rushed for 201 yards on 21 carries for three touchdowns in their 56-0 win over Landrum on Friday. Following a record night last week for Samuel, he rushed for 127 yards and two touchdowns in the win as well. It will be interesting to see how the Sabres divvy&nbsp;up carries between the two as they head into the final regular season games, with a big one at Chesnee this week.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1615103' first='Conrad' last='Hampton'] DE and [player_tooltip player_id='1822186' first='Jaemon' last='Benson'] DB, Keenan</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Raiders rebounded from an upset loss the week before with a 28-16 victory over Newberry. Hampton led the defensive effort with 15 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, a half a sack, seven quarterback pressures and a bass deflection. Benson was nearly as impressive with 14 tackles. This sets up a huge showdown with Mid-Carolina this coming Thursday.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src=u0022https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/23639019/6ad2ffc49d2df81bb9bf3a13u0022 width=u0022640u0022 height=u0022360u0022 frameborder=u00220u0022 allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6ad4ccada00ce"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Terrance Cook</strong> QB, Batesburg-Leesville</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Cook is becoming a regular in this weekly column. The Panthers JUNIOR ran for 47 yards and three touchdowns and added a 44-yard TD pass to Jayvier Hill-Nelson to help Batesburg-Leesville win its fourth in a row after a 42-0 victory over Eau Claire. It was 7-0 at the half but Cook scored twice in the third quarter to propel the rout. He had TD runs of 3, 2 and 1 yard.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1953815' first='Malachi' last='Jackson'] RB and <strong>Chad Kea</strong> QB, Clear Dot Charter</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Bats finished with 621 yards of total offense in a 46-12 victory over Ridge Spring-Monetta and these two did the bulk of the work. Jackson ran the ball 18 times for 250 yards and three touchdowns. He also added two receptions for 55 yards. Jackson is well over 1,000 yards rushing on the season. Kea was 10-of-12 for 210 yards and two passing touchdowns and added 161 yards rushing and two scores on the ground.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1603786' first='Trevon' last='Clark'] RB, Blacksburg</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Clark ran for 103 yards and two touchdowns in the Wildcats' 24-8 win over Buford. The Wildcats improved their region record to 2-1 and will look to keep it going on the road in their regular season finale against Fairfield Central next Friday night.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1816586' first='Jermaine' last='Derricott II'] ATH, Hunter-Kinard-Tyler</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Derricott II was all over the field in a 62-21 win over Barnwell that was played on Thursday night. The junior ran for two touchdowns and caught a 90-yard bomb from [player_tooltip player_id='1824353' first='Keiondre' last='Bell']-Casteal right before the half that proved to be the backbreaker. He finished with three receptions for 114 yards and 30 yards on two carries (both went for touchdowns). Derricott II also played most of the game in the secondary and played well in run support as well as pass coverage.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src=u0022https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/26746624/6ad1aefe6759e92a6ae001acu0022 width=u0022640u0022 height=u0022360u0022 frameborder=u00220u0022 allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6ad4cd26e748f"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1664364' first='Dwayne' last='Louallen'] (pictured above) QB, Central</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Eagles remained undefeated with a 60-0 pasting over McBee. This sets up a huge matchup with Lamar next week. Louallen led the offensive charge, accounting for four touchdowns total. The senior threw for 244 yards and three touchdowns and added a 24-yard rushing TD. [player_tooltip player_id='1815900' first='Blake' last='Sowell'] caught two touchdown passes and finished with three receptions for 122 yards. [player_tooltip player_id='1822060' first='Jaden' last='Robinson'] carried the ball three times for 69 yards and two TD's.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1822295' first='Jaylen' last='Morris'] QB, Lamar</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Morris was outstanding in the 59-33 victory over North Central. The senior threw for six touchdowns and 262 yards in the win. Morris was efficient on his throws. He finished 9-of-15 for 262 yards and added 38 yards rushing on five carries. [player_tooltip player_id='1652321' first='Jackson' last='Scott'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1816096' first='Mont' last='Williams'] each caught two TD passes and [player_tooltip player_id='1422623' first='DQ' last='Green'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1818641' first='Robert' last='Cooper'] each added one.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->