Class 3A Lower State First Round Preview

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In a little over five weeks, we're going to crowning a champion in Class 3A. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>That means the whirlwind of the postseason is officially upon us.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This week, while the top seeds of the Lower State field rest up and get ready to defend what they earned during the regular season, the first eight squads are busy preparing for their playoff openers. We're not going to be absent any drama.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>These four matchups will hold our interest right up to kickoff. They include a pair of rematches from the regular season and a couple of games that include teams who could make a serious run.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Let's get to it. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>NO. 9 AYNOR (6-4) AT NO. 8 CRESTWOOD (6-4)</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>While both of these teams have plenty of playmakers on both sides of the ball, keep a particularly close eye on the matchup between Aynor's <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1816196' first='Stathan' last='Skipper']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1664643' first='Calvin' last='Wofford']</strong> from Crestwood. In Wofford, the Knights have a tailback who has already rushed for 1,713 yards and 18 touchdowns while averaging nearly 9 yards per carry. In Skipper, Aynor has a middle linebacker capable of stopping a tailback in his tracks. But the real fun expands out even further. Crestwood sophomore <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1907293' first='Darrell' last='Epps']</strong> is going to get his carries, too, and quarterback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1816441' first='Marek' last='Yates']</strong> has the ability to hurt opponents with his arm or legs. Did we also mention that Skipper doubles as the Blue Jackets' starting quarterback? He and tailback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1822633' first='Eli' last='Allen']</strong> have some excellent chemistry running behind the interior of an offensive line that includes <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1817226' first='Roston' last='Richardson']</strong> (right guard), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1820106' first='Luke' last='Singleton']</strong> (center) and <strong>Taylor Baker</strong> (left guard).</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Underclassman to Watch:</em></strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2471036' first='Yaquarious' last='Floyd']</strong> isn't a name many know yet, but we think it's time for him to start getting more attention. The 14-year-old freshman leads Aynor in rushing yards and according to coach Jason Allen Floyd will “go down as the best Blue Jacket ever.” He won't fit into this category after this season, as the 5-foot-10, 185 pounder will be moving into the rankings in the upcoming cycle. Not only is leading the team's ground attack, he's an accomplished return man, too. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>NO. 12 DARLINGTON (4-6) AT NO. 5 LORIS (8-2)</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>When these teams played on October 2, it turned into a defensive slugfest. We're expecting the same this time around, too. Loris won that game 21-20, but only after <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2163955' first='Kenny' last='King']</strong> blocked a PAT that would have tied the game with about 6 minutes to go. Loris also got 13 tackles from linebacker <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1881794' first='Ethan' last='Shaw']</strong> and safety <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1816126' first='Antonio' last='James']</strong> had eight of his own. Darlington countered with linebacker <strong>Devion Curtis</strong> (eight tackles, sack) and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1817352' first='Jamari' last='Corbett']</strong> (eight tackles, three sacks) to keep <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1422632' first='Makel' last='Stephens']</strong> and the rest of the Lions' offense off-balance for much of the game. We didn't mention Stephens by accident. The school's all-time leading rusher put up 128 yards and a touchdown in that game, and that was one of his lesser production games of the season. In the three games since, he's gone over 150 yards twice (against Hartsville and Aynor) and added 10 more rushing touchdowns to his season tally. Darlington's <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1818632' first='Alston' last='Singletary']</strong> will also be asked to do more in the rematch. He accounted for 131 passing yards, 150 rushing yards and all three touchdowns in that one. But he also has a pair of interceptions. Ball security will be of the utmost importance the second time around. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>X-Factor:</em></strong> When these teams met the first time, Loris quarterback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2471078' first='Ayden' last='Scott']</strong> had one of his worst passing games of the season. He was five-of-14 for 21 yards. But what we also saw from him that night was an ability to adjust on the fly. The 6-foot-2, 195-pound junior was able to use his running ability to ignite the offense. His 67-yard touchdown run 64 seconds into the second half opened the scoring in that game and showed he could affect a game positively even when the passing game wasn't working. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src=u0022https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/28877598/6ada33b0f95f0d1919e5b5f1u0022 width=u0022640u0022 height=u0022360u0022 frameborder=u00220u0022 allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6ae8095b75f7c"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>NO. 10 SWANSEA (5-5) AT NO. 7 HANAHAN (8-2)</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>These two offenses couldn't look much different from each other. On one hand, you have Swansea that uses a run-heavy approach to open up first-year starting quarterback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1822308' first='Tarez' last='James']</strong> (1,024 yards, 11 touchdowns). James (pictured) has also rushed for 929 yards and 10 scores. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1819945' first='Deandre' last='Caldwell']</strong> has also run for 1,025 yards and 12 touchdowns, and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1816291' first='Trace' last='Selfridge']</strong> has added another 341 yards and six scores to go along with his 233 receiving yards and four more scores. Over at Hanahan, junior signal caller <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1615084' first='Tripp' last='Gallus']</strong> is throwing for roughly 260 yards per game and is closing in on striking distance of a 3,000-yard season. His favorite targets both get plenty of looks. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1222230' first='Quamell' last='Grant']</strong> is already over 1,000 yards this year, and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1819697' first='Grayson' last='Mathes']</strong> isn't far behind. Each of them have already hit double digits in receiving touchdowns. The Hawks also have some electricity in that passing game that's hard to replicate in terms of preparation. Both Grant and Mathes have at least one catch of 80-plus yards this season. Fellow receivers <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1819691' first='Julien' last='Washington']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1627373' first='Jesiah' last='Smith']</strong> also both have a reception of 50 yards or more this fall. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Two-Way Player to Watch:</em></strong> Swansea junior [player_tooltip player_id='1804680' first='Kevin' last='Sightler'] is a beast, and if he was taller than the 5-foot-10 he really is, a lot of colleges would have been all over him all season. But his lack of height hasn't changed his potential. Despite also starting on offense at the H-Back spot position (he started on the line last year and could easily do so again if he's needed), Sightler is often turning around and having a freakish impact on the defensive line, too. So far this year, he's got 36 tackles, nine tackles for loss, three sacks and 19 quarterback pressures. He can play multiple spots on both lines, and he shouldn't be overlooked because of what how much he can affect every snap.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src=u0022https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/22047304/6ad370a46d69232d5ba4c101u0022 width=u0022640u0022 height=u0022360u0022 frameborder=u00220u0022 allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6ae8095b75f9f"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>NO. 11 ATLANTIC COLLEGIATE (4-6) AT NO. 6 GILBERT (8-2)</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It's not difficult to see why Gilbert has already eclipsed its 2025 win tally this fall. In addition to quarterback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1672924' first='Kendall' last='Wright']</strong> making the move from nearby Swansea, sophomore tailback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1823421' first='Jaylen' last='Brost']</strong> has been a shot in the arm on that side of the ball. Receiver <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1809066' first='Chandler' last='Guthrie']</strong> has turned into a full-blown touchdown threat every time he has the ball in his hands. Kicker <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1822429' first='Noah' last='Blackwell']</strong> is getting to be pretty automatic. Safety <strong>Gavin Elliot</strong> has developed into a star. And guys like <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1822425' first='K'Mari' last='Brown']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1819914' first='Logan' last='Taylor']</strong> are at times dominant. But while the Indians have to be considered heavy favorites, ACA didn't get here by accident. The Armada will be looking to end the two-game losing streak that ended its regular season, and that means it will need a heavy dose of <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1824297' first='Angelo' last='Crescenzi']</strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1850693' first='Garrett' last='Smith']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1821585' first='Semaj' last='Wilson']</strong> playing top-shelf ball. The three defensive standouts have a combined 282 tackles this year. And while that's big, ACA has no choice but for each of them to bring about some of their huge-play ability. All three have recorded at least one interception this fall, and all of them have forced at least one fumble each. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>X-Factor:</em></strong> Atlantic Collegiate sophomore tailback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1988035' first='MJ' last='Singleton']</strong> is the team's expected tailback of the future. But the staff isn't waiting for his junior or senior year to start giving him a lot of carries. He's got 150 of them so far this fall, his first with the program after transferring over from Carolina Forest. That's 62 more than the next most-used running back (Wilson). But why he fits in here is because of how he can catch the ball out of the backfield. Singleton is fourth on the team in receptions (12), fifth in yards (116) and already has a touchdown catch. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src=u0022https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/30784357/6adcd0b6f5174c6a4b0ea9f8u0022 width=u0022640u0022 height=u0022360u0022 frameborder=u00220u0022 allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6ae8095b75fb0"} /-->