Class 3A Upper State First Round Preview

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Round up the usual suspects.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>That's the scenario in the 3A playoffs. After a lot of talk about the changes realignment would make, here we are at the beginning of the postseason, with most of the teams who have had success of late in the running. Two-time defending state champion Daniel has a No. 1 seed, along with Chapman, Clinton, and last year's upstart Powdersville. Chester and Belton-Honea Path are also strong contenders in a bracket that looks like its going to be a lot of fun.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Crescent (4-6) at Powdersville (9-1)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Powdersville backed up the first undefeated regular season in school history with a 9-1 campaign, the only loss a close one to 5A Top Ten team Hillcrest. The Patriots are loaded, with offensive weapons including QB [player_tooltip player_id='448984' first='Eli' last='Hudgins'], WR <strong>Drake Sloan</strong>, and RB [player_tooltip player_id='91152' first='Thomas' last='Williams']. On defense, [player_tooltip player_id='89333' first='Jalen' last='Rambert'] leads the way, with Williams seeing time in the defensive backfield. The Tigers have a ton of young talent on both sides of the ball, including RB [player_tooltip player_id='391251' first='Darius' last='Latimer'] and DL <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1254123' first='Jake' last='Duncan']</strong>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Edge: Powdersville</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Blue Ridge (5-5) at Chester(6-4)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Tigers won a thriller over Travelers Rest last week to get to the No. 3 seed, and they'll travel to take on the Cyclones. QB <strong>Tucker Massey</strong> has accounted for more than 2,000 total yards for the Tigers, rushing for just more than 1,000 and throwing for more than 900. Sophomore <strong>Bryson Wyatt</strong> is nearing the 1,000-yard rushing mark, and <strong>Hayden Brown</strong> provides a spark defensively, with 80 tackles, 8 tackles for loss, and 5 sacks. Chester's [player_tooltip player_id='457973' first='Trooper' last='Floyd'] has thrown for almost 1,800 yards and 17 TDs, with <strong>Reggie Heath</strong> accounting for nearly half of those yards as a receiver.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Edge: Chester</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Southside (4-6) at Daniel (10-0)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Tigers rely heavily on the talents of QB <strong>Cameron Gambrell</strong>, who has nearly 1,300 yards of total offense. They feature a balanced running, game with four backs over 200 yards on the year, led by <strong>Javontae Searles</strong>' 459. Defensively, [player_tooltip player_id='91157' first='Kazi' last='Bland'] is a stud. He's got 52 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, and a forced fumble. Daniel, the two-time defending champs, seem to have reloaded. They're definitely loaded on offense, with WRs [player_tooltip player_id='91140' first='Eli' last='Merck'] and [player_tooltip player_id='204866' first='Jaylen' last='Brown-Wallace'] turning in eye-popping numbers, combining for more than 1,300 receiving yards and 26 touchdowns, despite exiting most games early. Defensively, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1157945' first='Spencer' last='Conn']</strong> boasts 92 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, and 9 sacks.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Edge: Daniel</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Woodruff (5-5) at Broome (6-4)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This is a bitter Spartanburg County rivalry, and is usually a region contest, but this year's realignment put them in different regions. Broome won the regular season meeting 27-20, and has put together a dynamic offense behind QB<strong> Kamajay Brackett-Brannon</strong> and freshman RB sensation [player_tooltip player_id='473001' first='Jaylen' last='McGill']. <strong>Carlos Cohen</strong> has come on as a gamebreaker at receiver in recent weeks. Woodruff has benefited from the return of starting QB <strong>Carson Tucker</strong>, and from the emergence of WR <strong>DJ Nash</strong>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Edge: Broome</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Travelers Rest (4-6) at Clinton (10-0)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Devildogs have made some strides under first year head coach Michael Lancaster, and have a bunch of talent, led by North All-Star <strong>Lawton Clamp</strong>. Clinton, though, looks like a different animal this year. The Red Devils are undefeated and have outscored their opponents by more than 300 points. Mr. Football finalist <strong>Bryson James</strong> is a leader for Clinton on offense, on defense, and on special teams.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Edge: Clinton</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Wahalla (6-4) at Belton-Honea Path (9-1)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Razorbacks QB <strong>Bryce Payne</strong> is the type of player who gives his team a chance any time he's on the field. He's thrown for more than 2,000 yards and run for nearly 800, accounting for 38 TDs. The problem is that BHP's <strong>AJ Pendleton</strong> is the same type of QB, with more than 1,900 total yards and 33 total TDs. Add to that the talents of RB <strong>Marquise Henderson</strong>, who brings 1,118 rushing yards, 15 TDs, and 4 receiving scores, and the Bears are a handful.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Edge: BHP</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Emerald (5-5) at Chapman (6-4)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Emerald got four wins in non-region play but struggled in Region IV-3A before beating Union County to make the playoffs. The Vikings will be led by QB<strong> Key Holloway</strong> and RB [player_tooltip player_id='91151' first='Jaylen' last='Foster']. Chapman, meanwhile, struggled to put things together early but haven't looked back once they started rolling. The Panthers are sparked by QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='998700' first='Coleman' last='Gray']</strong>, who has almost 2,000 yards of total offense. <strong>Matthai Scott</strong> and <strong>Keanu Na </strong>power the Panthers on the ground, while <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1142680' first='Rashawn' last='Cunningham']</strong> and [player_tooltip player_id='448811' first='Devin' last='Roe'] provide deep threats.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Edge: Chapman</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Wren (3-7) at Seneca (8-2)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Hurricanes made huge strides with a freshman QB learning on the job, and [player_tooltip player_id='212418' first='Mason' last='Holtzclaw'] has put them in a good position. He's thrown for 1,100 yards and nine scores. Wren has a three-man attack at RB, led by senior <strong>Travon West</strong>. Seneca has put together a solid season, and has a dynamic player in <strong>Cade Eavenson</strong> - he's thrown a TD pass, caught a TD pass, and rushed for 7 scores on the year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Edge: Seneca</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->