Class 3A Lower State Third Round Preview

Ian Guerin November 14, 2023 @ 07:00 AM

The knock-down, drag-out fight we expected out of the Class 3A Lower State bracket has not disappointed.   And as we've whittled 16 teams down to four, the expectations for the third round are as high as we could have imagined. A pair of second-seeded teams will face off opposite a pair of No. 1 seeds. What's more, all four squads come from Region V and Region VI, so they've got plenty of familiarity with each other.   They've all lasted this long, and they have no intentions of bowing out on Friday.   NO. 2 GILBERT (11-1) AT NO. 2 CAMDEN (9-3)    Camden has gone all in quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='139311' first='Grayson' last='White'] all season, and the Bulldogs aren't going to stop now. Last week against Dillon, the senior threw for 269 yards, ran for another 100 and added three more combined touchdowns to his distinguished career. Obviously, Gilbert knows this, which is why any production tailback [player_tooltip player_id='448993' first='Averee' last='Hickmon'] can contribute will go a long way. If Hickmon is able to chip away a few first downs and/or catch a pass or two out of the backfield, White will have more time to find his favorite targets, [player_tooltip player_id='448982' first='Jaquarius' last='Mayrant'] (1,180 yards, 11 touchdowns) and Maxwell Ford (640 yards, eight touchdowns) or chew up yards on the ground.    But the most important Bulldog in this game might just be linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='448983' first='Wilson' last='Nash'] (131 total tackles). That's because of what Gilbert is marching into town.    Tailbacks [player_tooltip player_id='1036777' first='Trevon' last='Williamson'] (1,269 yards, 19 touchdowns) and [player_tooltip player_id='1012653' first='Jaylen' last='Jay'] (975 yards, 15 touchdowns) haven't exactly taken turns having standout games. Look at last week, for instance. Against Hanahan in the second round, Williamson had 312 yards and three scores while Jay countered with 141 and three touchdowns of his own. The fact that they're averaging 8.3 and 6.7 yards per carry is indication enough that Nash is going to have his hands full.    NO. 1 CRESTWOOD (11-1) AT NO. 1 BROOKLAND-CAYCE (10-2)   For all the deserved attention doled out on a Crestwood offense led by quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='589009' first='Javion' last='Martin'] (2,792 total yards, 32 total touchdowns) and tailback [player_tooltip player_id='997149' first='Azarian' last='Yates'] (1,309 yards, 27 touchdowns), the Knights' defense has been downright filthy. Crestwood has allowed fewer than 14 points per game and enters this one having shut out three straight opponents. They get it done with linebackers [player_tooltip player_id='1142845' first='Brandon' last='Cowell'] (80 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, four sacks), Robert Pugh (57 tackles, eight tackles or loss) and [player_tooltip player_id='448977' first='Seneca' last='Moore'] (58 tackles, 24 tackles for loss, nine sacks, six forced fumbles, pictured), not to mention defensive back [player_tooltip player_id='589062' first='Khalil' last='Moody'] (three interceptions, eight pass break-ups).   But there's no guarantee this one doesn't turn into a track meet, either, since these two teams have already combined to top 40 points 15 times this season, including three such occurrences in the postseason.   Brookland-Cayce is coming off a second-round win over Philip Simmons in which the Bearcats ran for just shy of 350 yards - including 214 and four touchdowns from De'Shaun Washington - so that Crestwood defense is going to be tested maybe unlike any other game in the last two months. Fellow Brookland-Cayce standouts [player_tooltip player_id='771224' first='Will' last='Young'] and Jvonn Edwards will also look to get into the action; they added a combined 113 yards last week, as well.

The knock-down, drag-out fight we expected out of the Class 3A Lower State bracket has not disappointed.