Prep Football First Round Playoff Preview Capsules
Class AAAA Upper State
Easley (4-6) at Midland Valley (10-0)
This is the first meeting between the two programs.
Keys to the game
When the Midland Valley football team talks about its goals being bigger than the CSRA, this is the start of what that means. The Mustangs have set out to prove they can compete on a statewide level, and now the undefeated Region 4-AAAA champions begin their push toward a state championship against Easley in the program's first home playoff game since 2015. The Mustangs will turn to their devastating run game, which is averaging 363.4 yards per game and 9.3 yards per carry this season. Senior running back Traevon Dunbar (2,187 yards, 28 touchdowns) surpassed 2,000 yards for the season in last week's region-clinching win over North Augusta, and junior Preston McNair (976 yards, 16 touchdowns) shouldn't take much longer to get to 1,000. Easley may be reeling a bit after back-to-back blowout losses to end the regular season, so a quick start Friday may put Midland Valley well on its way to the second round.
Greenwood (5-5) at North Augusta (7-3)
Last time they played
North Augusta defeated Greenwood 49-40 on Sept. 8, 2023.
Keys to the game
It's bounce-back time for North Augusta following last week's 49-48 heartbreaker to Midland Valley in the Region 4-AAAA title game. The Jackets host a familiar first-round opponent in Greenwood, the Region 1-AAAA No. 3 seed that North Augusta beat on the road early in the season. It's been nearly two months since that game, but a few items from the box score have repeated themselves in the weeks since. North Augusta quarterback Corey Tillman had his best game of the season last week, accounting for 405 yards of total offense and four touchdowns, Michael Doe scored three and Beans Hunt had two. The Jackets gashed the Eagles for 494 yards last time, so Greenwood will obviously need a better defensive performance. North Augusta's defense will also be looking for improvement, particularly against the pass.
South Aiken (3-7) at Greenville (7-3)
Last time they played
This is the first meeting between the two programs.
Keys to the game
The key to this game for South Aiken is to not leave anything in the tank. The T-Breds know they're big road underdogs against a Greenville team with some Division I talent, and the most important thing may be to just not get caught up the new environment and bright lights that come with it. Junior running back Jevon Edwards had a game for the ages in last week's win over Aiken, rushing for 442 yards and six touchdowns on 37 carries to help the T-Breds extend their win streak in the rivalry and get into the playoffs as Region 4-AAAA's No. 3 seed. The T-Breds continue to give up a lot of points, though, and will have to perform better than their average of 47.7 allowed per game if they want to pull off the upset. Region 1-AAAA runner-up Greenville has a balanced offense with a variety of contributors, and South Carolina commit Mazeo Bennett (14 carries for 217 yards and 6 touchdowns, 23 catches for 445 yards and four touchdowns) is the headliner.
Class AA Upper State
Landrum (5-5) at Strom Thurmond (8-2)
Last time they played
This is the first meeting between the two programs.
Keys to the game
For Strom Thurmond, it still and will continue to be all about playing Rebel football. That's what has produced their current five-game winning streak, during which they've outscored their opponents by a total of 173 points. Quarterback Quan Edmond has been on a roll of late, completing 64.9% of his passes for 985 yards and 13 touchdowns with no interceptions during region play. Tennessee commit Braylon Staley, Demarius Tolen and Jay Sewell form one of the best wide receiver trios in the state, so Landrum's defense will have its hands full trying to keep them covered while also committing enough defenders to stop a run game that's averaged 5 yards per carry for the season. A smothering Strom Thurmond defense will turn its attention to Landrum's Colton Link, who has rushed for 1,622 yards and 23 touchdowns on 172 carries this season.
Mid-Carolina (2-8) at Silver Bluff (7-3)
Last time they played
Silver Bluff defeated Mid-Carolina 27-14 on Nov. 4, 2022 in the first round of the Class AA playoffs.
Keys to the game
Silver Bluff is entering the playoffs with new life. The Bulldogs looked to be stuck as Region 3-AA's No. 3 seed, at best, following back-to-back losses to Saluda and Strom Thurmond. Then came some help in the form of Batesburg-Leesville, which beat Saluda in the regular-season finale to force a three-way tie for second that the Bulldogs ultimately topped. They face a Mid-Carolina team that had lost three consecutive games in blowout fashion before finishing the regular season with a 38-6 win over Eau Claire. The Rebels will have to find a way to continue to generate positive yardage against a Silver Bluff defense that doesn't allow much of it - the Bulldogs' big three of Jordan Boyd, Jaydon Eason and Jayden Fuller has combined for 77 tackles for loss and 21 sacks this season. Silver Bluff rushed for 321 yards in last week's 45-0 win over Pelion, and five different backs reached the end zone. Mid-Carolina should expect to see a similar deep, physical ground game this week.
Class AA Lower State
Lake Marion (2-7) at Barnwell (6-4)
Last time they played
This is the first meeting between the two programs.
Keys to the game
The playoffs begin following a long week for Barnwell, which played the second half of a postponed game at Woodland last Monday and then turned right around to host Hampton County that Friday for the Region 6-AA title. The Warhorses split those results, losing the latter one to enter the playoffs as a No. 2 seed. The Warhorses have been at their best when they've been able to control the line of scrimmage and run the football, and they've averaged 5.3 yards per carry this season. As the stakes increase, so does the responsibility of dual-threat quarterback Cameron Austin, who has passed for 1,427 yards and nine touchdowns while rushing for 618 yards and 17 scores this season. The key will be to take care of the football and limit turnovers while also forcing some of their own against a Lake Marion team that's averaging 10.7 points per game.
Class A Upper State
McCormick (3-7) at Blackville-Hilda (8-2)
Last time they played
McCormick defeated Blackville-Hilda 22-20 on Sept. 8, 2017.
Keys to the game
Blackville-Hilda had a bye last week to rest and recover to get ready for the playoff grind, and up first is a McCormick team that finished fifth in a tough Region 1-A that includes three of the top six teams in the state rankings. The Fighting Hawks have a punishing run game that's averaging 261.1 yards per game, led by Jaquel Holman (1,459 yards and 23 touchdowns on 135 carries). Quarterback Samari Williams has scored a total of 16 touchdowns, and speedster Tamari Daniels is averaging 17.7 yards per touch with nine touchdowns this season. The defense is allowing 16.9 points per game, which will present a challenge to a Chiefs team that averaged 20.5 points in games played against playoff teams.
C.A. Johnson (6-4) at Wagener-Salley (7-3)
Last time they played
Wagener-Salley defeated C.A. Johnson 26-20 on Nov. 12, 2022 in the second round of the Class A playoffs.
Keys to the game
Wagener-Salley's playoff outlook increased significantly last week, though that doesn't mean this week's game is an easy one. The War Eagles were looking at the No. 4 seed from Region 4-A, which would have sent them up to Greenville to face St. Joseph's Catholic School in the first round. Instead, the South Carolina High School League forced Hunter-Kinard-Tyler to forfeit its Sept. 15 win over the War Eagles due to using an ineligible player in that game. What was a three-way tie for first in the region then became two two-team ties for first and third, and Wagener-Salley moved up into the No. 3 spot. The War Eagles will lean on their powerful run game, led by Kentrell Brown, against a C.A. Johnson offense that can also rack up rushing yards in a hurry. Caleb Pearson is the focal point, with 1,746 yards and 22 touchdowns on 193 carries this season to go along with 34-for-85 passing for 450 yards with five touchdowns and four interceptions.
Ridge Spring-Monetta (1-9) at Christ Church (8-2)
Last time they played
Christ Church Episcopal School defeated Ridge Spring-Monetta 49-6 on Nov. 5, 2010 in the first round of the Class A, Division II playoffs.
Keys to the game
Ridge Spring-Monetta's reward for making it into the playoffs is a trip to Greenville to face defending champion Christ Church Episcopal School, the second-ranked team in Class A. The Cavaliers have won six consecutive games, and their only losses this season were to Class AA No. 2 Gray Collegiate Academy and Class AAAA Riverside. Tucker Hendrix is 92-for-139 passing for 1,709 yards and 26 touchdowns, Dashun Reeder has rushed for 1,204 yards and 16 touchdowns on 185 carries, and Jackson Repp has caught 43 passes for 971 yards and 17 scores. The Cavaliers are averaging 41.5 points per game, while the defense is only allowing 17.1. That will be tough sledding for an RS-M team allowing 48.1 points per game, so the offense will have to connect on big plays early and often to keep pace.
The T-Breds ran visiting Catawba Ridge out of the gym, treating the Copperheads like a first-round opponent and not a fellow state semifinalist. South Aiken needed only an hour to slam the door on a 25-13, 25-5, 25-17 victory, and then the T-Breds celebrated on their home floor after watching their rivals do the same at their expense across town a year ago.
