Class 3A Lower State Second Round Preview

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After a week of waiting around, the top four seeds in the Class 3A Lower State playoffs get to see if some additional rest and prep time will be enough to hold their seeds. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It just so happens that every seed held in the first round, too.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Crestwood, Loris, Hanahan and Gilbert kept the opening Friday of the postseason super chalky. And now they'll have to buck the trend they helped set against some of the classifications' best teams.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bishop England (third in the regular-season RPI), Camden (fifth), Oceanside Collegiate (eighth) and Hartsville (12th) only lost nine total games all season. They're battle tested, having each played some high-quality foes.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>But now, these eight teams will have to earn it when it matters most - and against another team that isn't exactly known for laying down when it counts.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>NO. 8 CRESTWOOD (7-4) AT NO. 1 CAMDEN (8-2)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>For as much as Camden loves to air it out - quarterback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1354590' first='Greyson' last='Rimpf']</strong> has already thrown for 2,189 yards and 27 touchdowns against just two picks this year - what makes the Bulldogs so scary is how well they can run the ball. Junior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2267937' first='Aaden' last='Manning']</strong> has put up 669 yards and 11 touchdowns. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1720755' first='Jaden' last='Manning']</strong> (also one of the team's better defensive players) has another 391 and seven. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1772703' first='Bernard' last='Green']</strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1825202' first='Lavay' last='Penny']</strong> receiver <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2246636' first='Isaiah' last='Smith']</strong> and Rimpf each have gone over 100 each. That brings us to what Crestwood is going to try to counter with when it heads a bit northwest this week. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Linebackers <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1664498' first='Yachin' last='Gamble']</strong> (pictured) <strong>Quezhon McMillan</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1664603' first='Ahmadre' last='Ricks']</strong> defensive lineman <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1036757' first='Peyton' last='Grant']</strong> can be an absolute force when they're all on. While that's not always the case, they've been closer to what they need in the last three weeks in regular-season games against Darlington and Lakewood and Friday's opening-round victory against Aynor.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Underclassman to Watch:</em></strong> When the season was just getting started, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1561642' first='Matthew' last='Lewis']</strong> was expected to start at one of the corner spots. But some shifting to maximize his potential meant a move to safety. All he's done with it is bring his ball-hawking skills front and center. He picked off three passes prior to the playoffs, broke up five more and proved he could aid in run support. He's already got more than 40 tackles, which is saying something given the linebackers playing in front of him. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src=u0022https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/28496327/6ab40c34c12b8bcd8f19cc8fu0022 width=u0022640u0022 height=u0022360u0022 frameborder=u00220u0022 allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6aef9a3eda7d2"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>NO. 5 LORIS (9-2) AT NO. 4 BISHOP ENGLAND (9-1)</strong> </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1422632' first='Makel' last='Stephens'] has made his mark. He's already broken a bunch of school records this fall, including single-game yardage (307), career rushing yards (3,866), single-season rushing touchdowns (33), career rushing touchdowns (65), career total touchdowns (66) and single-season rushing yards (2,022). Needless to say, he's done some work that has allowed the rest of the offensive skill guys plenty of nights off. That won't be the case against Bishop England. The Bishops' defense will make someone else beat it. So the Lions will need [player_tooltip player_id='2471078' first='Ayden' last='Scott'] (1,457 yards, 14 TDs, 5 INTs) and [player_tooltip player_id='1422629' first='Roderick' last='Purcha'] (542 yards, six TDs) to get into the mix, too. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>If not, the talented Bishop England run stoppers - [player_tooltip player_id='1582108' first='Trevor' last='Tonon'] (92 tackles, 19 TFL), [player_tooltip player_id='1674089' first='Chase' last='Tonon'] (62 tackles, two TFL) and Henry Verner (53 tackles, 10 TFL) will be burying deep into the box with all eyes on No. 1 Friday night. Loris is OK with a slow start, but if it drags on too long, others will need to get into the mix.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Game Within the Game:</em></strong> The matchup between Loris left tackle <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1821580' first='Jeffery' last='Williams']</strong> and Bishop England defensive lineman <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1172361' first='Matthew' last='Ponkow']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1640504' first='Luke' last='Russell']</strong> might be worth the price of admission all by itself. Russell and Ponkow have 44.5 combined tackles for loss this year heading into their postseason opener, and Williams is a Shrine Bowl selection who has wowed folks all season after transferring over from Atlantic Collegiate in the offseason. Get your popcorn ready. They're going to be attacking each other all night. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src=u0022https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/29695592/6ab87ebf843aae486122ce2du0022 width=u0022640u0022 height=u0022360u0022 frameborder=u00220u0022 allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6aef9a3eda805"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>NO. 1 OCEANSIDE COLLEGIATE (6-3) AT NO. 7 HANAHAN (9-2)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>EDITOR'S NOTE:</em></strong> <em>Oceanside Collegiate is not allowed to host a playoff game in 2026 due to penalties from last year's state championship post-game altercation.</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Landsharks' defense is starting to look like it could lead this program to a fourth straight title game, and the way it operates is the pure definition of overwhelming without just one player doing all the work. Need proof? Back on October 2 when these region foes met for the first time this year, Hanahan was held roughly 18 points below its season average. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2098783' first='Tyler' last='Stafford']</strong> (six tackles), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1824235' first='Michael' last='Strickler']</strong> (five tackles, two sacks, two tackles for loss), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1646866' first='Isaiah' last='Brock']</strong> (four tackles) and others continued to swarm and never let up.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Hawks - one of the highest-scoring teams in Class 3A - still managed 21 points. Quarterback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1615084' first='Tripp' last='Gallus']</strong> threw for 122 and a touchdown. Sophomore tailback <strong>Nevaehus Gourdine</strong> went for 68 and two scores. And <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1222230' first='Quamell' last='Grant']</strong> snagged five receptions for 68 yards and that one passing touchdown. Those are all highly respectable numbers, and yet Hanahan knows it will need to be special. That's easier said than done against Oceanside, as everyone in each of the past three postseasons has learned. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>X-Factor:</em></strong> Speaking of all-hands on deck, the same will be true for the Hawks' defense if they want to advance. Hanahan will likely employ a steady rotation to stay fresh, and in his reserve minutes so far this year, we've seen <strong>Troy Davis</strong> have a noticeable impact. A couple quarterback hurries and two stops against Philip Simmons to open the season were huge, and his three overall sacks and a fumble recovery show he's capable of putting up some of those high-impact plays capable of changing momentum.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src=u0022https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/29932170/6adcb144f5174c6a4b0d81cbu0022 width=u0022640u0022 height=u0022360u0022 frameborder=u00220u0022 allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6aef9a3eda828"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>NO. 6 GILBERT (9-2) AT NO. 3 HARTSVILLE (6-3)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The story of this game is clearly going to be how well the Gilbert defensive lines and linebackers handle <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1672833' first='Trace' last='Hillian']</strong> (1,409 yards, 21 touchdowns) and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1820418' first='Quamel' last='Prescott']</strong> (387, five), not to mention what quarterback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1615056' first='Ford' last='Wallace']</strong> (314 yards, nine) can do with his legs or how receiver <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1672848' first='CJ' last='Hickmon']</strong> (267 yards, six) can accomplish the same. Yes, Wallace and Hickmon are a big threat through the air, as well, but when offensive line leader <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2238751' first='Fred' last='Turner']</strong> and his buddies up front start running downhill on people, well, it's easy to see why the Red Foxes average nearly 47 points per game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Gilbert knows this, too, and defensive tackles <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1819917' first='Dallas' last='Duke']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1822423' first='AJ' last='Doria']</strong> and end <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1819915' first='Cory' last='Dennis']</strong> will have to hold the fort so linebackers <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1822425' first='K'Mari' last='Brown']</strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1819914' first='Logan' last='Taylor']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1822427' first='Kelsyn' last='Felton']</strong> can operate sideline-to-sideline without having to cram the box. That's what Hartsville is hoping for so the Red Foxes can take some deep shots. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Injury Watch:</em></strong> Gilbert sophomore tailback [player_tooltip player_id='1823421' first='Jaylen' last='Brost'] missed nearly all of Friday's win over Atlantic Collegiate while he was nursing an ankle injury. He played a few snaps late, but the Indians elected not to push it. Clearly, the hope was that he'd be ready for this week, and while it appears Brost will be ready, it can't be oversold how vital he'll be. He's roughly 40 yards shy of 1,000 for the season, and the balance he gives this offense will be a key in keeping Hartsville offense standing on the sidelines as long as possible. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src=u0022https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/20836567/6ab94c178316c689362f6a9eu0022 width=u0022640u0022 height=u0022360u0022 frameborder=u00220u0022 allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6aef9a3eda848"} /-->