Class 3A Lower State Second Round Preview

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The eight remaining teams in the Class 3A Lower State bracket have averaged 8.9 wins this season already.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Four of them have already reached the double-digit mark, and another could join them this week.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Translation: There's no slouch in the bunch.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The second round of the playoffs, then, is shaping up to a four pack of slobberknockers. The eight remaining teams have been delivering big blows to opponents for most of the season, and we see a few more coming in round two.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>NO. 2 CAMDEN (8-3) AT NO. 1 DILLON (10-1)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>For the third year in a row, Camden and Dillon are going to meet in the playoffs, and the latest match-up will break the 1-1 tie between them. Oddly enough, the two quarterbacks from last year's game will be back at it again. Camden senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='139311' first='Grayson' last='White']</strong> has driven the Bulldogs' offense with his 41 total touchdowns, including five more in the first-round playoff victory over Dreher. On the flip side will be <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='205556' first='Josiah' last='Oxendine']</strong> - a sophomore who is getting more and more opportunities to run the offense in more of his image. Oxendine has been much more vital that his 1,210 passing yards, 351 rushing yards and his 11 total touchdowns. Simply, he rarely makes mistakes. He's completing better than 58 percent of his passes and had just three turnovers all year (two picks, one fumble) despite 144 pass attempts and 43 carries. It provides even more opportunities for huge offensive tackles <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='139295' first='Josiah' last='Thompson']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1142578' first='Jayden' last='Benjamin']</strong> (pictured) to pave the way for the Wildcats' huge rushing attack.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>NO. 2 GILBERT (10-1) AT NO. 1 HANAHAN (7-4)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We're really looking forward the the head-to-head matchup between Gilbert safety <strong>Wynn Meetz</strong> and linebacker <strong>CJ Browning</strong> and Hanahan tailback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='91352' first='Kevon' last='Rivera'] </strong>and everything he brings to the table. It's safe to say all three had monster first-round performances. In the win over Darlington, Browning finished with 10.5 total tackles, a tackle for loss and a quarterback pressure, while Meetz had 11 total tackles, two pass break-ups and a forced fumble. Rivera, meanwhile, diced up Aynor to the tune of 260 yards and five more rushing touchdowns to an already hefty haul over the course of his career. All the attention on Rivera might just be the right time for junior receiver <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1359150' first='Dru' last='Goldsmith']</strong> to strike again. The Hawks will benefit from getting the passing game going much like they have most of the season.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>NO. 2 PHILIP SIMMONS (10-1) AT NO. 1 BROOKLAND-CAYCE (9-2)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Philip Simmons tailback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='997204' first='Sharod' last='Williams']</strong> appears to have overcome the knee injury that slowed him down some in and after the loss to Hanahan on October 20. Against Manning last week in the first round, he averaged more than 11 yards per carry and reached the end zone three times. Here's why that's important: Fellow tailback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='589051' first='KJ' last='Asbury']</strong> is even more potent when he's got his backfield mate. Asbury cruised to his sixth 200-yard game of the season last week, too. The trick for the Bearcats will be to keep the Iron Horses off the field. That only happens if <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='771224' first='Will' last='Young']</strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='771089' first='Kamden' last='Sox']</strong> <strong>Deshaun Washington</strong> and the rest of the Brookland-Cayce offense keep moving the chains. Clearly, that isn't foreign to them. The Bearcats are a 40-point game waiting to happen every time they take the field.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>NO. 3 BEAUFORT (7-4) AT NO. 1 CRESTWOOD (10-1)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The defending Class 3A state champs proved they weren't ready to dethrone just yet last week, running away from Loris using a heavy dose of senior tailback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1025738' first='Jadyn' last='Andrews']</strong>. He carried the ball 25 times for 139 yards and four scores. All of the touchdowns came after the Lions had built a 13-0 lead. That's also about when the Beaufort defense turned it on. Loris failed to convert a third down in the final 33 minutes of game time. A big part of that was defensive tackle [player_tooltip player_id='816738' first='Jayden' last='Simmons'] (6.5 total tackles, three TFL, sack). The ask this week is much bigger. Crestwood is averaging 44.5 points per game. Everyone knows about quarterback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='589009' first='Javion' last='Martin']</strong> - but don't sleep on tailback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='997149' first='Azarian' last='Yates']. </strong>The senior has rushed for 25 touchdowns and 1,209 yards this season and has already topped 2,100 yards in his career. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->