Prep Capsules: State semifinal spots on line for area's 3 remaining teams

Nov. 18—Class AA

Upper State

Saluda (10-2) at Strom Thurmond (10-2)

Last time they played

Strom Thurmond defeated Saluda 6-3 on Oct. 7, 2022.

Keys to the game

The key for Strom Thurmond, and it's what has been key during the Rebels' current 10-game win streak, is to play with focus, effort and discipline. The Rebels want to control only the things they can control, especially in a game of this magnitude. It will be the biggest test the Rebels have faced this season on both offense and defense, and they have to treat Friday night as its own game and only focus on what happens between the lines — what happened earlier this season doesn't matter, and they can't waste time focusing on that result (the Rebels' win was the Tigers' first of the season and knocked them from the No. 1 spot in the state rankings) or get too caught up in the emotion of this long-time rivalry.

The Rebels' defense has been stout all season, racking up sacks (35.5) and turnovers (24) and not allowing more than 14 points in a game since their Sept. 16 win over Evans. They previously held the Tigers to just a single field goal, but that was the regular season. Now it's win-or-go-home time, and the Rebels should expect to see as much of Tyleke Mathis as the Tigers can throw at them. As such, the big picture for Friday is for the Rebels' defense to get 11 helmets to the football as quickly as they can. Mathis is a special talent that can go the distance whenever he touches the ball, so the Rebels can't let him get free. The offense has run the ball better the last few weeks, and as a whole the team did a good job of bouncing back from a tough first half in last week's 21-6 win over Keenan. Nate Nordeen's two field goals in the previous meeting were enough to beat Saluda, but the Rebels know they're going to have to score more this time.

Lower State

Barnwell (12-0) at Andrew Jackson (10-2)

Last time they played

This is the first meeting between the two teams.

Keys to the game

This is the time of year when teams just want to win and advance, no matter what it looks like. That was the case last week for Barnwell, which didn't look much like the typical Warhorses but still got the stops and scores necessary to stay undefeated and extend the season. The Warhorses again relied on the run game with Tyler Smith, the state Mr. Football finalist who is now at 2,795 yards and 45 touchdowns on the ground for the season. Andrews committed as many bodies as possible to stopping him up the middle, and if Andrew Jackson does the same the Warhorses may again have success getting backs like Jordan Peeples to the edges. The Warhorses have run for 327 yards per game this season, but they still have playmakers at receiver like Clay Pender who make the most of their touches.

Across the field will be an Andrew Jackson team that is just about as run-heavy as Barnwell. The Volunteers run it on about 75% of their offensive snaps, averaging 8 yards per carry and 290 yards per game this season. They lean on highly-touted junior running back Trey Thompson, who at 5-foot-11 and 205 pounds has run the ball for 2,285 yards and 34 touchdowns this season. The Volunteers have attempted about 12 passes per game this season and have thrown 14 touchdowns to nine interceptions, so the Warhorses may have some opportunities to force turnovers should they stop Thompson enough to force the Volunteers into obvious passing situations. The Warhorses have given up some big passing plays this season, but the Volunteers would be wise to not let Pender and Shea Whitfield have too many opportunities to get their hands on the ball.

Class A

Upper State

St. Joseph's (10-2) at Wagener-Salley (9-3)

Last time they played

This is the first meeting between the two teams.

Keys to the game

There's no secret about what either of these teams wants to do when on offense, so this will come down to how well each defense is equipped to stop it. For Wagener-Salley, that means stopping a St. Joseph's offense that will line up in an option-based offense and dare the defense to stop it — or, basically the exact opposite of what the War Eagles faced last week against C.A. Johnson's multi-formation attack. Structurally the War Eagles are built to stop the option, so it's a matter of the defenders playing assignment football and making the right reads. They have reason to be confident after giving up two offensive touchdowns last week and turning in their best performance in several weeks.

The War Eagles' ball-control offense did its job against C.A. Johnson and will need to again this week. The War Eagles have the ability to break off long scoring runs on any play, and throughout the season they also showed that they can be patient and grind out short gains to move the sticks before eventually breaking free. That's been a big reason they've won eight consecutive games and are the last team standing from Aiken County and Region 4-A. Up now is a St. Joseph's team that has fared much better against Class A public schools (which they've outscored 288-31) than their fellow private schools (which have outscored them 119-57).