By Thomas Grant Jr.
Fresh off completing an undefeated season, Newberry opened its quest last Friday for the Class 3A title.
The second-seeded Bulldogs rolled past Aynor 54-14 in the first round.
Trailing 14-7 in the second quarter, Newberry erupted for 47 unanswered points to improve to 11-0 on the season. It scored 21 points in the second quarter with two rushing touchdowns by quarterback Kenton Caldwell.
In the third quarter, B.J. Jones added his second touchdown run by Caldwell threw a 43-yard scoring pass to Jamere Crooks to make it 41-14.
The Bulldogs added two more scores in the fourth quarter. Up next is a second-round home matchup with Hanahan, a 38-21 winner over Waccamaw.
The winner faces either Loris or Orangeburg-Wilkinson in the third round.
Panthers roll in opener
Senior running back Amadre Wooden was back in the 200-yard club.
The Panthers’ all-time rushing leader had 238 yards and four touchdowns in the 49-14 home win over Ninety-Six in the Class 2A playoffs.
Fellow senior tailback K.D. Whitt scored three touchdowns from three different positions. He caught a 28-yard touchdown pass from Reese Boehnke in the second quarter, had a 66-yard scoring run and returned an interception 57 yards for a touchdown both in the third quarter.
The Panthers head on the road Friday to face Chester.
Class 2A also featured an All-Lake Murray playoff matchup. Mid-Carolina was playing its first home post-season game since 2010 against Saluda.
The Rebels were unable to slow down quarterback Brayden Williams. He accounted for 269 total yards and four touchdowns (three rushing, one passing) in the 33-13 win.
Running back Tristan Daniels had 195 rushing yards and a touchdown for the Tigers. They next travel to defending champion Clinton.
Mid-Carolina’s scoring came from Ryan Woolstenhulme and Davis Ruff.
Indians, Gators win on the road
Lexington School District One schools went 2-1 in their opening round playoff games.
River Bluff defeated Cane Bay 24-13 in The Swamp. Darius Carter caught three touchdowns from quarterbacks Brayden Moore, who completed 5-10 passes for 116 yards, and Davis Taylor and Liam Flynn hit a 35-yard field goal for the Gators (7-4).
Hayden Myers had a team-high 156 rushing yards and Reece Hufstetler led River Bluff with 14 tackles. Up next for River Bluff is a second-round Class 5A Lower State Division I matchup at Berkeley.
Lexington played Fort Dorchester close for all four quarters. It rallied from a 17-7 deficit to take a 21-17 lead on a touchdown catch by Sawyer Hadley.
The Patriots got a late score with 1:03 left to defeat the Wildcats 24-21.
In Class 4A, Gilbert pulled off one of the most notable upsets in the first round. Facing an 8-2 Bluffton team which placed second in Region 6-4A on the road, the Indians pulled away for a 38-21 victory.
Quarterback Kit McLaurin and Chandler Guthrie connected on two touchdown passes and Wynn Meetze threw a 40-yard touchdown pass to Gray Gunter in the fourth quarter.
The Indian defense forced three turnovers. Both teams combined for 25 penalties for 246 yards.
Gilbert will stay on the road to face a familiar opponent in Region 4-4A rival North Augusta. The Indians are 0-3 all-time against the Yellow Jackets, including a 56-14 loss on Sept. 19.
White Knoll, W.W. King open playoffs after bye
After getting a one-week break, both the Timberwolves and Knights will begin the playoffs in the S.C. High School League and SCISA.
A fourth seed, White Knoll will play host to Lucy Beckham in the second round of the Class 5A Division II playoffs. The Timberwolves have won two straight games and are facing the Bengals for the first time.
The winner gets either Lugoff-Elgin or top-seed Irmo in the third round. A win by the Timberwolves and Yellow Jackets would set up a fourth meeting in the past 12 months between the two Region 4-5A rivals.
In SCISA, undefeated W.W. King Academy is a victory away from reaching the 8-man final. They play host to Jefferson Davis Academy in the semifinals.
This is the first meeting since 2023 between the two schools. The all-time series is tied at 9-9 with the Raiders winning the last two meetings.
The winner faces Holly Hill Academy or Laurens Academy in the final.
