Class 5A Upper State First Round Preview

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The tale of the 5A Upper State bracket: battling through tough schedules.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>River Bluff and Fort Mill posted 8-2 seasons, but challenging regions have them playing the first week of the postseason. Boiling Springs landed in a similar boat, getting pushed down the standings by Dorman and Northwestern.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Rock Hill was hardened against the likes of South Pointe, Ridge View and four region teams seeded ahead of it. There's even a Spartanburg team that had a rough go against one of the very toughest schedules in the state.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Even Hillcrest had a top-10 opponents' winning percentage in Class 5A. The Rams needed a three-game winning streak at the end of the season to force a three-way tie in the standings to earn their spot. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There are plenty of stories with seasons on the line. So let's break down the four games that open this half of the Class 5A bracket.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>No. 9 ROCK HILL (5-5) at No. 8 BOILING SPRINGS (7-3)</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This is a rematch of an early October game the Bulldogs pulled out in overtime. Boiling Springs boasts a balanced attack with quarterback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1819429' first='Imri' last='Logan']</strong> as a run-pass threat and a group of playmakers that includes the likes of receiver <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1665369' first='Djay' last='Leak']</strong> and running back <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1819841' first='Kyron' last='Tobler']</strong>. But the group has only produced 23.8 points per game, and that might be a challenge against a stingy Rock Hill group led by dangerous pass rusher <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1615102' first='Jay'Sean' last='Culp']</strong> and a talented secondary with <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1088328' first='Nigel' last='Lightner']</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='952537' first='Ashton' last='Carter']</strong> and James Madison commit <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1816894' first='Myles' last='Brooks']</strong>. The Bearcats offense has been hamstrung by multiple quarterback injuries across the season, but <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1822769' first='Jalen' last='Culp']</strong>, who didn't play in the first meeting, returned to the field in recent weeks. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>X-Factor</em></strong>: The main path to a competitive game is probably a low-scoring one, and that means Rock Hill athlete <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1036779' first='Kaiden' last='Watkins']</strong> looms larger. The team's leading rusher was also the top passer heading into the final week of the regular season, despite being the No. 3 quarterback. He's the most dynamic playmaker for an offense usually looking for more pop as an underdog.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src=u0022https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/19935211/6aa80eb67e3f3a7dd5db5bdbu0022 width=u0022640u0022 height=u0022360u0022 frameborder=u00220u0022 allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6ae7e246dd6b7"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>No. 12 SPARTANBURG (2-8) at No. 5 RIVER BLUFF (8-2)</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Gators have been a steady operation this season, producing with a pair of quarterbacks in <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1600293' first='Davis' last='Taylor']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1344583' first='Brayden' last='Moore']</strong> throwing to top target <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1078102' first='Darius' last='Carter']</strong>. Taylor, the more productive runner of the two passers, has seen his share of the workload grow more in recent weeks. Spartanburg had a challenging regular season with a range of strong opponents but snuck into the postseason on the strength of that road. Tailback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1172345' first='Trenton' last='Lynch']</strong> - a Rutgers commit - is the bell cow of the offense with more than 1,300 yards, but the defense has been an issue, giving up 39.4 points per game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>X-Factor</em>:</strong> To get this to be a game, the Vikings will need to be able to get something from their passing game to keep up. That may fall to quarterback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1579471' first='Aryan' last='Desai']</strong> - senior who can run a bit and has split work behind center with junior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1816641' first='Chris' last='Colin']</strong> through the season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src=u0022https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/29425944/6ac6dba1880c5991bf6849a0u0022 width=u0022640u0022 height=u0022360u0022 frameborder=u00220u0022 allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6ae7e246dd6e1"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>No. 10 LEXINGTON (6-4) at No. 7 FORT MILL (8-2)</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Yellow Jackets just wrapped up one of the better regular seasons in program history, with the only losses coming to powerhouse Northwestern and Dorman. The connection between quarterback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2075873' first='Harper' last='Love']</strong> and receiver <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1820446' first='Jameson' last='Terrell']</strong> has been key, along with running back <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1266099' first='Broden' last='Mitcheson']</strong> carrying the load on the ground. Lexington had a rougher road and lost a regular season finale to rival River Bluff with a home playoff game on the line. Sophomore quarterback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1848408' first='Easton' last='Crocker']</strong> (pictured) relies primarily on a pair of targets in receivers <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2205159' first='Victor' last='Kaczenski']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2371139' first='Ian' last='Danson']</strong> and tailback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1191778' first='Shannon' last='Lytes']</strong> is the most dangerous threat in the running game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>X-Factor</em></strong>: The key to making this a more competitive game will likely center on disrupting the Fort Mill passing game that helped power the Yellow Jackets to 34.1 points per game. The top option to do that is Lexington edge rusher <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1820739' first='Cross' last='George']</strong>. He's not the biggest, at 5-foot-11 and 195 pounds, but the former safety is quick and has posted nine sacks and 18 hurries.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src=u0022https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/16661084/6aa434ce471d2c56f24c8ab9u0022 width=u0022640u0022 height=u0022360u0022 frameborder=u00220u0022 allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6ae7e246dd6f2"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>No. 11 CHAPIN (5-5) at No. 6 HILLCREST (4-6)</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Rams escaped a three-way tie for second place in Region I-5A to earn a home game, while Chapin did its work in the non-region slate before going 1-3 in Region III-5A. Hillcrest is balanced on offense, with <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1604046' first='Jackson' last='Free']</strong> as a solid passer and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1051192' first='Nydarrian' last='Allen']</strong> carrying the workload on the ground. The Eagles have relied on a two-headed backfield pairing of <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2210109' first='Charlie' last='Howell']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1818504' first='Harper' last='Ellerbee'],</strong> while <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1824394' first='Tyler' last='Black']</strong> has been an efficient and solid passer. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>X-Factor</em></strong>: If the Rams are able to corral that Chapin running game, it'll go a long way toward setting the tone of the game. That likely starts with linebackers <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1615047' first='Kyle' last='Jackson']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1819156' first='Oliver' last='Boland']</strong>. Hillcrest's top two tacklers can make some disruptive plays in both the run and pass game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src=u0022https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/18665522/6ab4a8c9272c1e7a1f3b4219u0022 width=u0022640u0022 height=u0022360u0022 frameborder=u00220u0022 allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6ae7e246dd701"} /-->