Class 4A Lower State Third Round Preview

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Which one of these is not like the others?</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>That's the instant belief, anyway, as three-win Lancaster finds itself standing among three undefeated squads in the Lower State semifinals. And if you're looking at the entire body of work, that's an easy assumption to make.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>However, what the Bruins have accomplished in a very short period of time actually resonates with South Florence, not to mention the opposite side of the Lower State bracket featuring Irmo and James Island. That's because the formula for postseason success has been surprisingly similar for all three teams. Opportunistic offenses, stout defenses and some big plays on special teams.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here we are. Let's do this.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>AT-LARGE LANCASTER (3-9) AT NO. 1 SOUTH FLORENCE (12-0)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Just how good is the South Florence defense? Well, it's put the defending Class 4A state champs within striking distance of repeating. There's still work to be done, obviously, but behind <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='816736' first='Terry' last='Gordon']</strong> (71 total tackles, 15 tackles for loss), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='652832' first='Noah' last='Moore']</strong> (64.5, nine), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='996915' first='Dirrick' last='Goodman']</strong> (49.5, four forced fumbles, two picks) and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='809742' first='Amare' last='Adams']</strong> (37.5 tackles, three forced fumbles), opponents have stood much of a chance. South has allowed just 36 total points - an average of just six points per game - since the start of October. And one of those touchdowns and a safety didn't even come against the Bruins' defense; they were special teams scores.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>That's the daunting fact that this year's Cinderella squad, Lancaster, has facing it here in the third round. But if there's anything we've discovered during the first two weeks of the playoffs, it's that Marcus Surratt's Bruins aren't the same team they were in the regular season. Against Lucy Beckham in the second-round, double-digit win, quarterback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1165128' first='RJ' last='Brown']</strong> rushed for 149 yards, a touchdown and three two-point conversions. Tailback <strong>Mikel McCollum</strong> went for 145 yards and four touchdowns. Senior tailback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1142639' first='Bryce' last='Surratt']</strong> added 77 of his own.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Not enough to think this isn't a foregone conclusion? Lancaster's defense has been stout this postseason, too. Surratt had 10 tackles, three pass break-ups and a fumble recovery from his spot at linebacker, while defensive back <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1158006' first='Avery' last='Alexander']</strong> had a pick and a pair of pass break-ups and defensive lineman <strong>Keah'jay Shaw</strong> had 12 total stops, three tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. This is a team that believes in itself because of all that production - and, of course, more victories in the playoffs than the team had in the regular season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We're about to find out just how strong Cinderella's cleats are.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>NO. 3 IRMO (12-0) AT NO. 2 JAMES ISLAND (12-0)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Eventually, Irmo is going to be pushed, right? The Yellow Jackets certainly haven't been much this year. After all, the closest game <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='272713' first='AJ' last='Brand']</strong> and Co. have had in 2023 was a Sept. 15 win over Hartsville in which Irmo was leading by three touchdowns in the second quarter. Myrtle Beach did score 24 points last weekend, but it was all but negated by three touchdowns from receiver/punt returner/kick returner <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1085401' first='Telvin' last='Smith']</strong> - who had a score in each of the aforementioned categories. Tack on three more touchdowns from Brand (who has 60 total scores this season alone), 185 rushing yards from <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='267430' first='Jaden' last='Allen-Hendrix']</strong> and another strong show from receiver <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='377560' first='Donovan' last='Murph']</strong> (four receptions, 82 yards) and Myrtle Beach simply didn't have the fire power to keep itself in the game, even with a season-high 288 yards from quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1254177' first='Gibson' last='Goodroe'] or [player_tooltip player_id='402500' first='Malachi' last='Washington'] and his career ending 162 total yards from scrimmage.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Seahawks' have plenty of company in that overwhelmed feeling, and now it's up to James Island to see if it can do anything against the type of onslaught. And now here's the part where we tell you that statistically, the Trojans are the best combination of offense and defense Irmo has faced all season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>James Island's defense is second in the state to only Irmo, allowing 6.7 points per game. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='272709' first='Malachi' last='Jefferson']</strong> (pictured), Christian Glover and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1012698' first='Hendrix' last='Beran']</strong> each are into double digits in tackles for loss. Four different players - <strong>Demarcus Green</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='208346' first='Jayden' last='Whaley']</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='448987' first='Wushi' last='Ravenel']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='589055' first='Amontrae' last='Scott']</strong> - have each recorded three interceptions.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Put it all together, and the only thing we know for certain is one of these teams is picking up its first loss of the season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->