Class 4A’s Best Backfield Duos

Ian Guerin March 28, 2022 @ 03:51 PM

Come spring practice, coaches will be searching for reliable players who are most likely to have the ball in their hands during the upcoming season. These four Class 4A programs are well ahead of the curve. They each have a backfield tandem who can not only sustain, but excel in a division that is, quite frankly, loaded heading into 2022. From the Pee Dee to the Midlands to the Upstate, what’s happening behind the line of scrimmage could lead to some highlight reel from week to week. AC FLORA • [player_tooltip player_id="202726" first="Markel" last="Townsend"], RB, SR • [player_tooltip player_id="272714" first="Aiden" last="Mosley"], RB, SO Those folks getting sick of AC Flora doing some damage in the postseason certainly aren’t happy to see the Falcons’ next potential backfield star coming up the ranks while the last one is still there. In the 5-foot-8, 170-pound Townsend, AC Flora has a tailback who was crucial in the team’s state championship two seasons ago in a crowded backfield and then took over more of a solo look last year while becoming even more reliable. In the 5-foot-11, 175-pound Mosley, first-year coach Ken Floyd also has a bigger back showing all the signs of being an every-down after Townsend graduates. HARTSVILLE • [player_tooltip player_id="202738" first="J’Shawn" last="Anderson"], RB, SR • [player_tooltip player_id="208339" first="Carmello" last="McDaniel"], RB, JR We’re struggling to find a running back tandem in South Carolina that is as experienced and productive as this one. In Anderson, Hartsville has a tailback with NCAA Division-I offers who last year went over 1,100 yards on the ground with 15 touchdowns. In McDaniel, Hartsville has another back with NCAA Division-I offers who topped 1,300 yards and scored north of 20 touchdowns. Both of them averaged better than 7 yards per carry (with McDaniel flirting with a double-digit clip most of the year). The Red Foxes’ line will be top-notch again, meaning everyone should get used to hearing these two names ad nauseam throughout the rest of the year. MIDLAND VALLEY • [player_tooltip player_id="231445" first="Joenathan" last="Peeples"], RB, JR • [player_tooltip player_id="91348" first="Traevon" last="Dunbar"], RB, JR Two of the top-12 running backs in the Prep Red Zone Class of 2024 rankings are now teammates again after Dunbar (pictured) - the former Silver Bluff star - transferred into Midland Valley this semester. Obviously, adding a guy who led his team to the state championship game while piling up 2,100 yards of offense and just shy of 30 touchdowns is a boon to any program. That includes Midland Valley, which already has a potential 1,000-yard back in Peeples. The 5-foot-8, 195-pounder rushed for 614 yards and nine touchdowns last year despite the fact that the Mustangs were sort of a mess early in the year and frequently playing from behind in most of their games throughout the season. The new back-field combination helps level the playing field even more. WESTSIDE • Cutter Woods, QB, SO • [player_tooltip player_id="139310" first="Dee" last="Robertson"], RB, JR This one might be considered the wild card of the bunch. Robertson missed all but three games last year with a shoulder injury, and Woods transferred in from Eastside at the semester break. But don’t be surprised if these two click right away and start putting up some big numbers. This offense has been known to light up the scoreboard, and despite losing [player_tooltip player_id="91173" first="Peter" last="Zamora"] (Marshall) and getting put in the same region with Greenville and Greenwood, the Rams’ back