FOOTBALL PREVIEWS: Lake City, Marlboro County set for playoff clash

A year ago, the Lake City Panthers were banned from postseason play because of an infamous brawl against Wilson.

This season, the Panthers currently sit in a place where most people thought they would reside last year — in the third round of the Class 3A football playoffs.

If Lake City wants to move further, it will have to get a win Friday night in one of the toughest places to play in the state when the Panthers travel to McAlpine Stadium to meet Marlboro County in the Morning News Game of the Week.

Coming off a road win over a previously unbeaten Airport team, Panthers coach Justin Gentry believes his team can handle the intense and raucous crowd in Bennettsville, but knows it will be his squad’s toughest test.

“You can never truly prepare for an atmosphere like McAlpine,” said Gentry, whose Panthers defeated Airport 33-22 last week. “It’s not everyday you get to play there under these circumstances.

“I think our players are ready to handle it, however.”

Marlboro County coach Dean Boyd agrees and thinks his Bulldogs will have their toughest test in their quest for a Class 3A state title.

“They’re a very good football team. They’re a very strong and quick football team,” Boyd said of Lake City. “We better have our ‘A’ game. If we don’t, it’s gonna be a long night.”

The Bulldogs hope exposure to Socastee’s wing-T offense last week prepared them to stop Lake City’s version and get the ball in the hands of their offense and quarterback Elliot Alford.

“(Facing the wing-T) helps us in the aspect that the plays are similar, but it doesn’t help us in the speed factor,” said Boyd, whose team defeated the Braves 41-3 last Friday. “Socastee can’t simulate the speed Lake City has. They’re the fastest teamwe’re playing in several years.

“You can’t stop or coach against speed.”

Boyd added his defense must contain what has been seemingly uncontainable this season — Shon Carson and the rest of the Lake City ground attack.

Carson has outran opponents all season, rushing for 2,021 yards and 32 touchdowns. In the win over the Eagles, the junior rushed for 272 of the Panthers’ 443 yards rushing with three scores.
But Carson isn’t the only Lake City player with speed. Quarterback DaShawn Butler has rushed for 519 yards and seven TDs, and Antwon Wallace has gained 475 yards with five scores. Kevin Brand has 273 yards rushing and six scores for the Panthers (11-1).

“Our ground game has gotten us through Week 12,” Gentry said. “We have to stick to our guns and do what we do best.”

“They have some really fast players,” Boyd said. “We don’t have anyone on our team that’s as fast as they are.”

There is one player on Lake City’s team that scares Boyd more than anyone else. Senior wingback Sheldon Robinson, in Boyd’s mind, might be faster than Carson.

Robinson has rushed for 577 yards and nine TDs on the season. He has also added 190 yards in receptions with two scores.

“(Robinson’s) a dangerous player,” said Boyd, whose defense has allowed just 63 points en route to a 12-0 record. “He’s made plays all year, and that’s a dangerous thing for us.”

For Lake City to gain any yards on the ground, it must go through that stingy Marlboro defense. Junior linebacker Lateek Townsend is one of the most frightening forces in the state, racking up 156 tackles (19 for loss) and a team-leading 13 sacks.

Monstrous defensive tackle Thomas Teal has made offenses think twice — and thrice — about running the ball inside, racking up 107 tackles and a team-high 27 tackles for loss. The 6-foot-3, 325-pound senior also has an interception.

Senior defensive end Lee Pegues has also blown up offensive game plans during Marlboro’s run, racking up 19 tackles for loss and five sacks.

“We have to stop Lateek Townsend. Thomas Teal and Lee Pegues are just as good,” Gentry said. “Those three guys can disrupt any offensive game plan.”

No matter what happens on Friday, a great football game is expected from both teams.

“This isn’t going to be an upset,” Boyd said. “Both teams stand on their own merits and are evenly matched.”

Other matchups:

Hemingway at Lamar
Records: Hemingway 11-1; Lamar 11-1
Notes: The Silver Foxes are making their fourth straight appearance in the lower state championship. The Tigers are making their second-ever appearance. ... Game matches strength against strength. Lamar has scored 387 points, fifth-best in Class A while Hemingway has allowed just 51 points on defense, the second-best total in the state behind Chesterfield. ... Lamar quarterback Trevor Norris has accounted for six of the Silver Foxes’ touchdowns this postseason, four passing and two rushing. ... The Tigers have scored four playoff touchdowns, all of them by running back LaMichael Pushia.

Hartsville at Northwestern
Records: Hartsville 10-2; Northwestern 7-4
Notes: Northwestern is riding a six-game winning streak, and have outscored opponents by an average of 42-18 during that span. ... Trojans’ quarterback Justin Worley has thrown for nearly 3,000 yards and more than 20 touchdowns. Northwestern also has eight wideouts with 100 or more receiving yards. ... With 33 yards against the Trojans, the Hartsville offense will break the 5,000-yard plateau for the season. ... Hartsville’s defense allowed just 169 yards to T.L Hanna last week.

Cheraw at Manning
Records: Cheraw 8-4; Manning 9-3
Notes: Both the Braves and the Monarchs pulled off upsets last week, taking down No. 1 seeds Silver Bluff and Burke, respectively. ... Cheraw’s defense forced five turnovers from Silver Bluff last week, two fumbles and three interceptions. ... Manning attempted no passes against Burke last week, rushing 71 times for 650 yards. Marcos Pearson had 329 yards and four TDs alone.

Timberland at Dillon
Records: Timberland 12-0; Dillon 10-2
Notes: The Wildcats upset the undefeated Wolves last season in double-overtime in the lower state championship en route to the Class 2A title. ... With the win last week, Dillon coach Jackie Hayes recorded his ninth straight season with at least 10 wins. In his career, Hayes’ teams have won at least 10 games in 16 of his 18 years at Dillon.

Calhoun County at Chesterfield
Records: Calhoun County 11-1; Chesterfield 12-0
Notes: Game matches two of the state’s top four defenses. Chesterfield has allowed just 32 points and the Saints have allowed 93. ... The Rams’ offense has been equally lethal, averaging 45.1 points a game.

Lake View at Scott’s Branch
Records: Lake View 8-3; Scott’s Branch 7-5
Notes: The Wild Gators are in the lower state championship for the third time in the last four season. They last went to and won the state championship in 2006. ... The Eagles are the defending state champions after winning their first-ever state title last year.