AAA REGION PREVIEW

Region 1-AAA

1.    Daniel

2.    Seneca

3.    Pendleton

4.    Crescent

5.    Walhalla

6.    West-Oak

Daniel after fifth straight region title

         Daniel saw its string of undefeated, state championship seasons end at two last year. However, the Lions won their fourth straight region title, and there’s no reason to doubt they’re in the driver’s seat for No. 5.

         The Lions, who were 12-1 last season, opened the year with a 48-20 road win over AAAA Greer. Junior quarterback Lee Turnipseed came off the bench to complete 9 of 13 passes for 108 yards and three touchdowns. Eight players caught passes led by senior Graydon Nix with eight catches for 35 yards and two TDs.

         Senior Kari Bennett rushed for 121 yards and two touchdowns 9n eight carries while senior Tony Shaw had 86 yards and a score on 17 carries.

         Blocking up front is Appalachian State commitment and tackle Watson Young (6-feet-3-inches, 280 pounds) and junior guard/center Rocky Herd (6-1, 275).

         Top defenders for the Lions are junior lineman Damien Parker, senior linemen Qwentin Welborn and Jaedyn Young, junior linebacker Spencer Conn, senior LB Ty Plumblee, senior defensive back Isaac Turner and junior DB Tremaine Davis Jr.

         Seneca: The Bobcats, 9-3 last season, got off to a good start with a 43-0 victory over AAAA Wade Hampton.

         Seneca returns eight starters on defense, led by junior All-State DL Avery Butler. Other key returnees are senior defensive backs Zavean Poole and Kade Long, senior linebacker Trennon Meredith, junior LB Jude Owens and sophomore defensive back Javier Ware.

         Sophomore Gavin Thomas takes over at quarterback and has Poole back to throw the football to along with three other senior wide receivers. Senior Camsley Campbell is the running back. There is just one returning starter on the offensive line, senior right tackle Kyler Hamm.

         Pendleton: The Bulldogs went just 4-7 last year, but they return a lot of skill players, including senior quarterback Luke Gray. He threw for over 2,000 yards and 23 TDs last season and completed 13 of 14 passes for 245 yards and four TDs in a 43-12 win over Wade Hampton. Senior Kory Jones caught five passes for 134 yards and two TDs, and junior Abijah Webb had four catches for 90 yards and two TDs. Senior JL Maddox caught 48 passes last year.

         Maddox is also a returning starter at defensive back. Also back to lead the defense are junior linebacker Carson Gregory, who had eight quarterback sacks last year, and senior defensive lineman Lane York is a 3-year starter

         Crescent: The Tigers opened with a 34-14 victory over AAAA Pickens. Junior Darius Lattimer rushed for 133 yards and one touchdown while junior quarterback Dylan Dale ran for 136 yards and three TDs.

         Latimer is also a key performer on defense in the secondary. Senior linebacker Landen Lecroy had 102 tackles last season. Junior Jake Duncan (6-3, 285) is a load in the middle and plays on both sides of the line.  Senior interior lineman Ahmad Powell gives Crescent a strong defensive line. Sophomore Nyterrious Geer had two INTs against Pickens.

         Walhalla: The Razorbacks lost most of their offensive numbers from a 6-5 season to graduation. They do return junior running back Landon Robinson, who missed all of his sophomore season with an injury.

         Senior Tanner Lowery will take over at quarterback in place of the graduated Bryce Payne, who had over 3,000 yards of total offense. Senior Chris Oglesby will be starting at wide receiver. Junior linebacker Silas Parrish returns after coming up with 128 tackles last year. Senior defensive end Jaden Boyd is back after recording 85 tackles and eight sacks.

         West-Oak: The Warriors opened their season with a 28-0 loss to fellow AAA school Fountain Inn.

         West-Oak, which was 3-7 a year ago and winless in region play, has senior Lane Allen at quarterback and junior Marcus Thaxton at tailback. Senior Patrick Rholetter is in the defensive backfield.

Region 2-AAA

1.    Powdersville

2.    Belton-Honea Path

3.    Wren

4.    Palmetto

5.    Southside

6.    Fountain Inn

         Powdersville favored to win region

         Powdersville ended Daniel’s reign as the AAA state champion with a third-round victory before losing to Beaufort in the championship game. While the Patriots lost standout Thomas Williams, they do have some outstanding players returning with eight starters back on offense and seven on defense.

         Quarterback Eli Hudgins is one of them, and he’ll have all-region center Jack Harris returning up front. Senior DeJuan Waddell will be starting at left tackle.

         Jayden Pepper, a senior transfer from Greenville, will be looked toward to fill the hole left by Williams at RB. Junior Elijah Huggins is back at wide receiver.

         The defense is led by junior All-State defensive back Joshaun Knuckles and senior linebacker Harrison Jeffries. Junior Javier Mills is back at linebacker as well.

         Belton-Honea Path: The Bears are coming off of a tremendous season in which they went 10-2. They return a lot of talent and could easily challenge Powdersville for the region crown.

         Junior Marquise Henderson, who has offers from Cincinnati, Georgia Tech and Vanderbilt among others, had 1,681 all-purpose yards. He has fellow senior Shaheem Robbs and junior Justin Lathon back with him after they had productive years as well. Sophomore Noah Thomas moves up from the junior varsity to take over as QB.

         The offensive line is led by sophomore Keyland Dixon. The defense is led by senior DB/LB Omari Jackson and massive lineman Exzavier Burns (6-2, 330).

         Wren: The Hurricanes are in their first season under head coach Anthony Frate, who had a successful tenure at Hillcrest.

         Colton Bagwell will be the quarterback after Mason Holtzclaw transferred to Christ Church. He will have Braden Binnicker to throw to and will have Ethan Moody and Reese Price in the backfield.

         Sophomore Cooper Sanders (6-4, 230) will be leading the way on the offensive line.

         The defense is led by junior DB Tyler Morgan, who had three picks last year. Offering help across the line are Tyron Jackson and Cam Sanders.

         Palmetto: The Mustangs are under the guidance of first-year head coach Ryan Norton, who was hired in early July. He takes over a team that went 2-8 last year and lost 28-13 to AAAAA Woodmont in its season opener.

         Palmetto has a solid defensive front with the likes of senior Krajus Mansel (6-1, 225) and junior Jayleni Putnam (6-3, 230).

         Senior quarterback Luke Dobbins had a strong performance in the opener, completing 19 of 31 passes for 247 yards. Junior Cooper Robinson had an 84-yard TD catch, while senior Taijay Evans had four catches for 70 yards. Junior DJ White had seven catches for 44 yards.

         Senior OLB Landon Newberry had 10 tackles and a sack in the opener.

         Southside: The Tigers will be looking for a new quarterback with Camron Gambrell having graduated. Seldon Peden II and Chandler McClure battling for the job.

         Senior Javontae Searles, last year’s leading rusher is back. Also back is leading receiver Speedy Taylor and Jadyn Rice, both sophomores.

         Leading tackler and senior linebacker Jamiar Houston is back to lead the defense along with junior LB Jaylen Hagood.

         Fountain Inn: The Fury has already made a big stride forward by beating West-Oak 28-0 for the first win in school history. They were 0-10 a year ago in the school’s first season playing with just freshmen and sophomores.

         Sam Holliday had a big part in that success. He had 231 yards all-purpose yards, running for two scores and passing for two more.

         Running back Ethan Rhodes and wide receiver Zach Madden will be vital pieces of the offense.

         Madden is a leader on defense in the secondary. Linebacker X Gonzalez and lineman Jackson Njoku are expected to step up on defense.

Region 3-AAA

1.    Broome

2.    Chapman

3.    Travelers Rest

4.    Blue Ridge

5.    Carolina

         Broome, Chapman to battle for region title

         Broome, 6-5 a year ago, opened the season with a 22-21 win over defending AAA state champion Powdersville.

         Quarterback Kamajay Brackett-Brannon is back under center and is a dual-threat quarterback, just missing going over 1,000 yards in both passing and rushing. Sophomore running back Jaylen McGill did go over 1,000 rushing yards along with scoring 23 TDs. He is already getting interest from South Carolina and Clemson.

         Steven O’Dell is a 6-6, 290-pound senior OT who is a Furman commitment.

         The Centurions return several key players on defense, led by all-region safety Amajai Martin, who led the team in tackles. Also back are senior DL DT Thompson, senior DE Cam Scruggs and senior LB Troy Agnew.

         Chapman: The Panthers return a slew of skill players from last year’s 8-5 team that went undefeated in region play. That includes senior quarterback Coleman Gray, who passed for 1,727 yards and 25 touchdowns and senior running back Mathai Scott who had 1,126 total yards. Also back is wide receiver Rashawn Cunningham (66 catches, 835 yards) and WR Shamon Black.

         Harrison Bridges is a 6-4, 275-pound right tackle who leads the O line. He also starts on the defensive line. Senior LB Reece Lynch (101 tackles) and senior DB Hudson Moss (4 INTs) are also back.

         Travelers Rest: The Devildogs went 4-7 a year ago and opened this season with a 49-7 loss to AAAA Riverside.

         TRHS has a couple of strong WRs in Gavin Baker and Drew McKibben. Baker also starts in the secondary with senior Ji Wiggins. Bryson Durham is a 3-year starter on the D line and made all-region last season. Sophomore Lucas Tankersley is a standout LB.

         Blue Ridge: The Fighting Tigers went 5-6 a year ago and started this year with a 41-30 loss to Chesnee.

         Sophomore QB Gavin Forrester completed 5 of 9 passes for 130 yards. Junior RB KB Henderson had 124 yards and three TDs. Junior Bryson Wyatt had 68 yards and a score. Junior Asheton Stokes had two catches for 121 yards.

                  Junior DE Eli Smith had nine tackles, senior CB Chris Williams and junior CB Cole Hastings both had eight tackles and sophomore free safety Jakorey Dodd had seven.

         Carolina: The Trojans went 2-8 last season and lost to Liberty 28-20 to open the season. However, they have several returning players from last year.

         Included in that group is junior DB Anthony Young, who had three INTs and four forced fumbles last season. Kimoiray Holland ran for 126 yards and had five tackles against Liberty. Center Desmond Chapman is back to lead the O line and KJ Blakely is a returning all-region defensive lineman.

Region 4-AAA

1.    Chester

2.    Clinton

3.    Woodruff

4.    Emerald

5.    Union County

Chester, Clinton to vie for title

         Chester finished 7-5 last year and second to undefeated Clinton. The Cyclones return several key players from that team while Clinton lost several top contributors.

         Senior RB Elijah Coleman ran for 130 yards in a 42-6, season-opening win over Lancaster. Two-way standout Reggie Heath had 87 receiving yards and two TDs, while junior QB Trooper Floyd completed 7 of 12 passes for 104 yards.

         Senior LB Antonio Hopkins is the leader of the defense. He had eight tackles and two sacks against Lancaster. Sophomore CB Dafai Taylor had 11 tackles, senior LB had 13 tackles, and senior OLB DJ Stevenson had a 37-yard INT return and recovered a fumble.

         Clinton: The Red Devils went 13-1 last year, losing in the upper state title game to Powdersville. They opened this season with a 50-28 win over Batesburg-Leesville.

         Tushawan Richardson is taking over at quarterback. Kason Copeland is one of several RBs head coach Corey Fountain will employ. Cincinnati commitment Zay Johnson is a threat as a wide receiver and kick returner as well as an All-State CB. Jaden Robinson returns at WR.

         Copeland will play at OLB along with linebacker Brett Young.

         Woodruff: Brett Sloan is in first year with the Wolverines, and they will be putting the ball in the air.

         Junior TJ Morris will be the quarterback and slot back Kory Scott will see the football come his way on a regular basis. Other key targets will be WRs Kori Moates and Nick McConnell and tight ends Cam Taylor and Trayvon Lee.

         Leaders on the defense will be LB Jordan Hood and CBs Gavin Sanchez-Duncan and Isaac Wood. Junior Hunter West is a 2-way player and at 6-1 fills a big hole at safety.

         Emerald: The Vikings lost running back Jaylan Foster, now at Georgia State, from last year’s 5-6 team, but they return a lot of talent.

         Foster’s brother, Christian, and junior AJ Anderson are the likely duo to take over at RB. Quarterback Key Holloway has targets like Carson Wright, Jordan Greene and half-back Max Divilbiss. 

         Linebackers KB Abney and Eli Shaw are among five starters back on defense.

          Union County: The Yellow Jackets have won only three games over the past two seasons. They hope to move in an upward trend this year.

         Keyshon Harden will be the quarterback operating a run-heavy offense. Jakevious Jennings, JaQuan Jeter and Cam Owens will share duties at running back.

         Defensive end Kendall Brannon will lead the defense, which gave up 47 points to Newberry in its season opener.

Region 5-AAA

1.    Gilbert

2.    Brookland-Cayce

3.    Lower Richland

4.    Dreher

5.    Swansea

6.    Orangeburg-Wilkinson

         Gilbert favored to repeat as champ

         Gilbert went undefeated in the region and finished 10-3. With eight starters back on both sides of the ball, the Indians are again the favorite.

         Drake Braddock is back at quarterback and will returning WRs Krew Morris, Chance Guthrie and Matt Edwards for targets along with TE Connor Gooding. Tackles Adam Thomas and Colton Travis and right guard Kal Garris will be back on the O line.

         Jaylen Jay will be looked to as the running back.

         Starters back on defense are linemen Caleb Strese, Kelvin Blackwell and Xavion Davenport, LBs Brenden Boatwright and Kyler Seigler and DBs Eli Mayers, Javonte Adams and Landon Browning.

`       Brookland-Cayce: The Bearcats lost three of their first four games last season before righting the ship and finishing 7-5. They opened this season with a 45-6 win over Harding University of Charlotte.

    Senior running back Deshawn Washington rushed for 1,126 yards and 11 touchdowns last season. He got off to a good start with three rushing TDs against Harding.

    Will Young will do a little bit of everything for the Bearcats, likely lining up at QB, WR and running back. He had 782 all-purpose yards last year and 47 tackles on defense.

    They will have a couple of big bodies to run behind in 6-4, 290-pound senior tackle Kamden Sox and 6-5, 320-pound senior guard Jacory Jones.

    The defense will be linemen John Allen Mower and Tyrone Jackson along with linebackers Jamorion Brown and Washington.

    Lower Richland: The Diamond Hornets are strong in the running game with senior QB Marcus Smith and senior Lamarion Pearson returning. Smith passed for 1,645 yards and 12 TDs while rushing for 664 yards and eight TDs. Pearson ran for 1,124 yards and 17 TDs.

    Massive offensive tackle Dakarai Sumter (6-8, 330) is back to lead the O line. LR will be looking for production out of new WRs Jamarious Reeves and Tykee Jones.

    Key returnees on defense are junior lineman Noah Lucas and senior DBs Jamell Patterson and Josh Sims.

    Dreher: Corey Jenkins is back for his second season as the Blue Devils’ head coach. They went 2-8 last year.

    Colby Fuller is back at quarterback. Z’yon Williams Hayes will be the RB, while Caleb Perry and Tyler Teasdell will be the WRs.

    Returning on the offensive line are Charles Jeffcoat, Trey Clarkson and Jashaun Broadnax.

    The defense will be led by middle linebacker Willie Smith, safety John Pohlmann and Jeffcoat and Trent Goodwin on the D line.

    Swansea: The Tigers went 3-7 last year and were winless in the region. They lost to Airport 36-2 to open the season.

    Key performers on a very young team are sophomore defensive end William Geddis and sophomore OLB Jordan Edmond on defense and junior quarterback Jacob Harper, sophomore wide receiver Logan O’Neal and sophomore guard Charles Moody (6-2, 280) on offense.

    Orangeburg-Wilkinson: The Bruins went 3-8 last season and lost to White Knoll 49-0 in their season opener.

    Scoring points will be something O-W will be looking to do more of this year. They averaged just over 10 a game last year.

    Tymir Chism is back at RB after rushing for 567 yards and catching 30 passes for 300 yards. DeAndre Simmons will be the quarterback while Nada Hill will be a top receiving target. David Blanchard (6-2. 290) will lead the O line.

         Region 6-AAA

1.    Camden

2.    Crestwood

3.    Marlboro County

4.    Darlington

5.    Lake City

6.    Lakewood

         Camden heavy favorite again

         Camden doesn’t know what it is lose a game in Region 6. The Bulldogs are 15-0 in region contests since being moved there prior to the 2020 season. It’s hard to think that streak will end this year.

         Camden returns Grayson White at quarterback, Averee Hickmon at RB and JaQuarius Mayrant and Aidan Heriot at WR. Senior Carter Rimpf, the son of head coach Brian Rimpf, will anchor the offensive line.

         Back leading the defense are senior linebacker Wilson Nash and junior defensive back Jo Jo Crim. Nash had 11 tackles and Crim two picks in CHS’ 43-0 win over Myrtle Beach.

         Also back on defense are senior OLBs Manny Presbot and Tyrin Macklin. Sophomore Tylin Drakeford will be in the secondary.

         Crestwood: The Knights had their best season under head coach Roosevelt Nelson. They went 8-4, finished second in the region and lost to eventual Beaufort 45-42 in the second round of the playoffs.

         Quarterback Javion Martin returns for his fourth and final season as a starter. He threw for 2,845 yards and 34 touchdowns last season.

         The Knights are having to replace their entire receiving corps. In a 49-21 win over Richland Northeast, six receivers shared in Martin’s 10 completions for 180 yards. Kyle Mitchell had three for 45 yards, Jaheim Jones two for 32, Jeremie Richardson a 56-yard TD catch and Khalil Moody an 11-yard TD catch.

         Azarian Yates returns as the lead running back. Arrange Bradford is a leader on the O line.

         Moody is a standout at corner on the defensive side of the ball. Other top defenders back are senior end Javion Lammie, senior tackle Carron Dawson and senior OLBs Jenoryen Gleaton and Brandon Cowell.

         Marlboro County: The Bulldogs went 5-6 last year, finishing third in the region. They lost quarterback Timoun Byrd and standout WR Elijah Chalmers to graduation. Tayshon Boatwright will take over at QB, while Justin Purvis, Quimale Brand and Jalen Johnson will be some of his WR targets.

         The RBs will be Christian Peguero and Corveon Gregg and Damon Short will be an H back. Working on both sides of the line of scrimmage will be Dennis Turner and Trey Gilchrist.

         Short will be at DE while Jarelle Williams and Coreyon Gregg will be linebackers. Brand and Johnson will play in the secondary.

         Darlington: With a 34-20 victory over Central on August 18, the Falcons snapped a 25-game losing streak and a run of three straight winless seasons.

         Now, in their first year under head coach Jamie Johnson, they want more.

         Jaylen Augustus is the new quarterback, allowing Keenan Dubose to move to wide receiver. Jamascus Brown, Markis Wells and Davari Wilson will also be targets.

         Returning on the offensive line will be Josh Johnson and Gabe Martinez. Jamari Wineglass will get a lot of the carries.

         Darlington returns three starters on the D line in Nydrez Walls, Trey’Viyon Johnson and Treyshawn James. Also back are linebacker Jershad Kennedy and DB Nygel McFadden.

         Lake City: The Panthers are having to do battle without head coach Ronnie Baker, who remains in intensive care after a serious traffic accident in July. Jamison Estep is the acting head coach.

         Lake Cis breaking in a new QB in sophomore Amari Hanna, who played running back on the JV last year. He has some nice targets in Treshon Burgess, Dallas Davis and Tyree Burgess.

         Treshon Burgess returned a punt and a kickoff for touchdowns in a 21-20 loss to Laurence Manning Academy.

         Torrance Wilson is the running back. Andre McFadden-Pressley (6-0, 295) is at left tackle, Jacari Fullard at RT and Shemar Thomas at center.

         All three play on defense as well with McFadden-Pressley a commit to Old Dominion as a DT. Wilson and Tyree Burgess play linebacker and Davis is a DB along with Desmond Cockfield.

         Lakewood: The Gators are in their first season with Willie Offord as head coach. They suffered a 53-8 loss to AAAAA power Sumter to start the season.

         Sophomore Jaden Greene is starting at quarterback with Camayri Workman lining up in the 1-back set. The WRs are Justin Greene, Donte Boykin and Javelle Jones.

         Kenyon Garrett and Hunter Dillinger start on both lines, while Jeremiah Christmas starts on the O line and at LB. Workman, Justin Greene, Boykin and Jones make up the secondary, leaving Lakewood thin in depth.

         DeAngelo Mack returned the opening kickoff 85 yards for a TD against Sumter.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           Region 7-AAA

1.    Dillon

2.    Manning

3.    Loris

4.    Aynor

5.    Waccamaw

6.    Georgetown

         Dillon again the favorite

         Losing and region are two words that don’t go together for Dillon. The Wildcats, the No. 1 team in AAA in the High School Sports Report Sweet 16 poll, have lost only one region game in the last 14 years. That one loss did cost them a region title, so they’ve only won 13 crowns during that time.

         Dillon has gone undefeated in the regular season the last three years, including 13-1 last season in which it lost to Beaufort in the lower state championship game. With a lot of talent returning, the Wildcats have a shot at another undefeated regular season along with much more.

         Dillon’s top player is senior left tackle Josiah “Big Cat” Thompson. The 6-7, 290-pounder is considered by many to be the top tackle in the country. He will attend USC in January.

         Lake View transfer Jayden Benjamin (6-4, 315) will be the other tackle. Sophomore Josiah Oxendine will return at quarterback after passing for 1,200 yards last year. Jamarian Fling will be called upon to replace Ty Martin, who ran for 2,655 yards last year,

         Pass targets will be Kamarion Singletary, Rahmond Hamilton, Rike Niyongabo, Zamaurious Robertson and Ty Kennedy-Bruce.

         Defensively, Azavion Deberry returns up front along with Simrod McCallum, who led the team with 136 ½ tackles last season, and Ian Meyers at LB

         Fling will also play in the secondary along with standout Zay Davis.

         Manning: The Monarchs had a bounce-back year, going 9-3 after being affected immensely by the coronavirus pandemic the two previous years.

         Manning will have to replace All-State perform Justin Daniels at QB. Transfer junior JaRae Mitchell will have that task. Senior RB Tristan Thames is back and ran for 145 yards in the 24-8 win over Kingstree.

         Junior Jeffrey Ceasar is back at WR along with Ryan Atkinson. Center Mark Locklear returns to anchor the O line along with senior right tackle Jamon Brock.

         Head coach Reggie Kennedy calls the line the strength of the defense. Junior Jaylnn Coard returns at noseguard. The rest of the line is Javon Murray, Jarron Hammett and Jontarious Canty.

         LB Lamar Hilton had 10 tackles in the opener. Ceasar and senior Jamani Wilson lead the secondary.

         Loris: The Lions were 7-4 last year and opened this season with a 41-0 victory over Green Sea-Floyds.

         Loris returns junior Jackson Huff at QB. He threw for just under 1,000 yards in seven games before being injured. Senior Tray Knox will be back at RB. Zhimire Herring had two TD catches against GSF

         Junior DL Javon Johnson is back after recording 17 TFLs. Junior DB Taquawn Cox had five INTs.

         Aynor: The Blue Jackets were 6-5 a year ago and lost to Wilson 21-20 in their opener. They only return six total starters.

         Senior Rivers Johnson will take over at QB. Cole Johnson will be the running back. The O line is led by tackle Andrew Thompson and guard Bryan Ortega.

         Junior FS Shileek Nash is a leader on defense.

         Waccamaw: The Warriors are coming off a 3-7 season and lost to St. James 49-0 to open the season.

         Andre Grate will start at QB with Chatham Walters and Zaireon Skinner in the backfield. Ben Cohen is back at WR and senior RG Kamron Jackson is back to lead a good-sized O line.

         Blake Nash is listed as a starter on DB, but he will also see time at the offensive skill spots, including QB, and returning kicks.

         Cohen will also start in the secondary while Tyler Williams (6-3, 240) will be down front. Walters and AJ Grate will lead the LBs.

         Georgetown: Bradley Adams is back as head coach at Georgetown after it didn’t win a game last season. The Bulldogs lost to Hanahan 45-34 in their opener.

         Owen Powell is back at QB. Other key contributor on offense will be Ty Stanley, Shaborne Manigualt and Andrew Merritt.

         Key defensive returners are CB Joshua Greene, FS Tayquan Holmes and MLB Terry Reed.

Region 8-AAA

1.    Beaufort

2.    Philip Simmons

3.    Hanahan

4.    Battery Creek

5.    North Charleston

Defending state champ Beaufort region choice

Beaufort won the state title with a 13-1 record. While the Eagles return just four starters on offense and five on defense, they are the pick to win the region title.

         Beaufort has to replace stud RB Kacy Fields. However, they have junior QB Samari Bonds back along with senior RB Caleb Ulmer back, Dorrell DePass will be a key receiving target. Two starters return up front LT Adrian Lamb (6-5, 300) and RT Kenshon Speaks (6-3, 280).

         Jayden Simmons and Robert Johson (both 6-1, 220) return on the D line with Lamb playing there as well. Senior Quion Rivers returns at LB along with senior Dominic Camacho and Isaac Smalls in the secondary.

         Philip Simmons: The Iron Horses were 7-4 last season and opened with a 52-28 victory over Andrews.

         Tavien Orellana is at QB and threw two TD passes against Andrews. Both of them went to Michael Spignardo. Markellis Asbury ran for 136 yards and two TDs, while Sharod Williams had 96 yards and two TDs.

         Troy Stephenson, an All-State Georgia Tech commit, is back at WR. The O line is led by sophomores Quamaine Vaughn and Steven Pickard.

         Bryce Smalls, a 4-year starter, and 3-year starter Josh Gant return at LB. Three-year starter Russell Dickerson is the line leader. Stephenson returns in the secondary along with Marcus Townsend, Spignardo and Elijah Riley.

Hanahan: Milan Turner is the Hawks’ new head coach. He inherits a team that went 6-4 and won its season opener over Georgetown.

         Kevon Rivera is a 4-year starter at RB with over 3,000 career yards. Sophomore Julius Hippenshiel will start at QB. Jonathan Tumbri and Rhett Bagwell return up front.

         The defense is inexperienced. Jay Meadows returns at LB while Taje Hartwell and Hunter Gomes will be in the secondary.

         Battery Creek: The Dolphins also have a new head coach in Ed Susi.

         Sophomore Chase Olsen is the starter at QB. Junior Damien Freeman is the top returning RB, but seniors Donyae Brown and Savion Simmons will get some carries. Junior Derrick Smalls and senior Juju Gordon will be WRs. Senior Leroy Tyus is the top returning lineman.

         Brown, Simmons and Gordon will all perform at LB as well, while Freeman and Smalls will be DBs.

         North Charleston: The Cougars have a new head coach as well in Curtis Walker after going 3-8 a year ago.

         Their top player is DE/TE Samuel Priddy Jr., an East Carolina commitment.

         Quarterback Tyrell Gadsden returns with senior Xzavion Capers as his top target.