Class 5A Upper State Second Round Preview

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The familiarity is there in the Upper State portion of the Class 5A bracket this Friday, and it might just come with a bit of that contempt.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Three of the four second-round games are rematches from the regular season, all within the region and with plenty of local history. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>At the top, No. 1 seed Northwestern plays host to a No. 9 Rock Hill team that pulled an upset in its playoff opener and fell 44-0 to the Trojans to end the regular season. No. 4 seed Dorman rallied from down two scores for a city championship against No. 12 Spartanburg, and then the Vikings pulled off the biggest upset of the first round, stunning River Bluff.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>No. 3 seed Byrnes blew out Hillcrest to open region play, and now the Rams are back after escaping a three-way tiebreaker to secure a playoff spot and decisively winning the fourth quarter of a shootout with Chapin.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The only non-rematch is No. 2 Dutch Fork and its fearsome defense trying to put an end to one of the best seasons in Fort Mill history. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Each of these contests has some intrigue, so let's break them down.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>No. 9 ROCK HILL (6-5) at No. 1 NORTHWESTERN (9-1)</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Trojans are a force to say the least. The offense is topping 50 points per game, led by dynamic dual-threat quarterback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='232624' first='Xavier' last='Means']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1823352' first='Daylen' last='Shankle']</strong>, a speedy, smaller tailback, plus <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1718680' first='Payton' last='Vining']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='513067' first='Malik' last='Ratliff']</strong> as explosive receivers. A stingy defense has <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1823343' first='Malik' last='Darby']</strong> as a top pass rusher, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1301735' first='Dash' last='Holley']</strong> as a dynamic linebacker with three interceptions and <strong>Zahyden Ratliff</strong> as a key on the back end with 12 pass breakups. Rock Hill has been a defense-first team most of the season, but got a massive day from top athlete/No. 3 quarterback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1036779' first='Kaiden' last='Watkins']</strong> in the first-round upset of Boiling Springs, which included touchdown passes to <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1088328' first='Nigel' last='Lightner']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1816894' first='Myles' last='Brooks']</strong>, a James Madison commit. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>X-Factor</strong>: Linebacker <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1823455' first='Triston' last='Nelson']</strong> has been an anchor inside for the Bearcats all season, piling up more than 120 tackles, helping corral ball carriers on the perimeter and getting into the pass rush. If the Bearcats are going to be able to slow the Trojans, he'll have to be a big part of it.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src=u0022https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/20615392/6aef851f003a637b23bbead9u0022 width=u0022640u0022 height=u0022360u0022 frameborder=u00220u0022 allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6af124fb0e4bb"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>No. 12 SPARTANBURG (3-8) at No. 4 DORMAN (8-2)</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Dorman offense starts with a powerhouse running game of senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1664350' first='Nick' last='Means']</strong> and sophomore <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2106758' first='Carter' last='Nash']</strong> in the backfield. They're balanced out by a passing game that runs through first-year starting QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1820160' first='Cooper' last='Patterson']</strong> and heavily features <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1820158' first='Dai'Shion' last='Watkins-Hymes']</strong> on the outside and sometimes in the slot. The offensive front includes a sophomore already picking up high-level offers in <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1818345' first='Jordan' last='Lewis']</strong> at tackle. The defense, which has allowed 19.8 points per game, is anchored up front by ECU commit <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1702151' first='James' last='Porter']</strong> as an inside player and edge. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1708614' first='Jabez' last='Thomas']</strong> is a useful defensive back and also a bit of a gadget player on offense. The Vikings have spent most of the year relying on Rutgers-bound tailback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1172345' first='Trenton' last='Lynch']</strong> to handle the heavy work on offense, with 175 yards last Friday. Senior quarterback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1579471' first='Aryan' last='Desai']</strong> was at the helm in the playoff opener, after splitting time much of the year, and linebacker <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1858266' first='Isiah' last='Lipscomb']</strong> is one of the key parts of a defense that will have to slow Dorman's attack.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>X-Factor:</em></strong> Although Lynch is the engine of the Viking attack, wide receiver <strong>Tregan Mickler</strong> adds an extra dimension as a No. 2 playmaker. He was the top target all season and exploded for 227 yards and three scores in the Round 1 upset of River Bluff. If the Vikings are going to crack a tough Cavaliers defense, Mickler almost assuredly has to be a big factor.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>No. 7 FORT MILL (9-2) at No. 2 DUTCH FORK (9-0)</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Dutch Fork attack starts with <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1823705' first='Jaxon' last='Knotts']</strong> at quarterback, averaging 233.6 yards per game while primarily throwing to a highly recruited pair in <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1422528' first='Maleek' last='Miller']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2106772' first='Corey' last='Miller']</strong> at receiver. The defense, which has allowed fewer than 10 points per game, has Clemson-bound defensive lineman <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='409882' first='Jaden' last='Wuerth']</strong> menacing quarterbacks up front, while <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1821952' first='Kareem' last='Dupree']</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1172353' first='James' last='Smith']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1823718' first='Noah' last='Legette']</strong> patrol the secondary. Fort Mill is usually pass-forward, with QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2075873' first='Harper' last='Love']</strong> throwing to a deeper group that includes [player_tooltip player_id='1820446' first='Jameson' last='Terrell'] and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1823023' first='Kieran' last='McCormack']</strong> at receiver. Love threw four scores to four different pass-catchers in the playoff opener, but the run game also took over, with the pairing of [player_tooltip player_id='1266099' first='Broden' last='Mitcheson'] and Aiden Ohara combining for 250 yards and four touchdowns. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Underclassmen To Watch</em></strong>: The junior defensive back trio of <strong>Eli Cheske</strong>, <strong>Keegan Heisler</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1648649' first='Jerrell' last='Douglas']</strong> have been disruptive, with 20 combined pass breakups and seven interceptions in the regular season. The Yellow Jackets have allowed just 16.4 points per game this season, and that secondary is going to be heavily challenged by the Silver Foxes' dynamic aerial attack. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src=u0022https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/23020887/6aedeae226535f95a193bca4u0022 width=u0022640u0022 height=u0022360u0022 frameborder=u00220u0022 allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6af124fb0e50f"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>No. 6 HILLCREST (5-6) at No. 3 BYRNES (8-2)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Byrnes took a pair of non-conference losses to two of the state's best teams before romping through its region, including a 28-point win against Hillcrest. The tip of the offensive spear is LSU commit <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1036721' first='Tre' last='Segarra']</strong> at running back, along with <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1604062' first='Jacobi' last='Fuller']</strong> as a talented No. 2. Senior wide receiver <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1271241' first='Chanin' last='Harris']</strong> is bound for Syracuse, but the receiving group is pretty balanced for <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='463113' first='Gideon' last='Merhib']</strong> at QB. The defense seems balanced and deep. Defensive back <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1667977' first='Aidyn' last='Wiggins']</strong> has a pair of picks and is bound for Auburn, while sophomore outside linebacker <strong>Lamire Adams Jr</strong> leads the team in tackles (54) and sacks (six). Hillcrest has been led by the ground game for much of the year, and that was the case in the playoff opener, as junior running back <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1051192' first='Nydarrian' last='Allen']</strong> posted 196 rushing yards and five TDs. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Offensive lineman to watch</em></strong>: Senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1603877' first='Max' last='Barnes']</strong> is a versatile lineman who will be a key part of trying to again spark the Rams' ground game. He plays center, but can also slide over in unbalanced Wildcat formations. He's not the tallest lineman, but is sturdy at 285 pounds and will very much be in the thick of things. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->