Chris Chestnut
The Wildcats will be hosting the Loris Lions for the lower state championship, making them the third straight Region 8 team the Wildcats have faced in the playoffs. All four Region 8 teams entered the Division I bracket, with Dillon as the top seeded team, Loris as the third, Waccamaw as the fifth seed, and Aynor as the eighth. Dillon defeated Aynor 41-16 in the first round and shut out Waccamaw 56-0 in the second.
Loris, ranked third in the state in the statewide polls, shut out Wade Hampton 42-0 in the first round, and defeated Ridgeland-Hardeeville 14-6 to advance to the lower state title game. The Lions will have their work cut out for them against the Wildcats, though. Loris fell 49-7 to the Wildcats on October 24, and Dillon hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down as the state championship draws closer.
The Wildcats continue to shatter school records, with Avery McCall setting the school’s single-season touchdown passing record in Friday’s win over Waccamaw. McCall completed 12 of 16 pass attempts for 214 yards, bringing his season total to 2,647 yards and 34 touchdowns with 146 completions and just one interception.
Eri’Reon Hayes also ran his total up to 21 touchdowns on Friday night with two receiving touchdowns of seven and 56 yards. Hayes has just over 1,200 yards receiving this season on 55 receptions.
Johnny Allen and Jamison Chapman also continue to be rushing threats, with Allen rushing for 65 yards on seven carries Friday night. The two running backs have a combined total of over 1,500 yards and 24 touchdowns.
Friday night also saw receiving touchdowns from Randal Davis, Chrishan Jordan, and Que Bethea, and rushing touchdowns from McCall, Daeshawn Davis, and Austin Moody. Kicker Drew Covington was also perfect on the extra points, hitting eight of eight attempts.
The Wildcats are 13-0 on the season and have a 21-game win streak heading into Friday’s lower state championship. The Wildcats are 10-0 against Loris since 2006, including five shut outs.
Loris enters the game with an 11-1 record, with their only loss coming from the Wildcats.
The Lions are led by Tajay Williams with 1,363 yards passing with 77 completions and 13 touchdowns. Levi Moody leads the team in rushing with 573 yards on 116 carries for nine touchdowns, and Williams is second with 461 yards rushing and nine touchdowns on 92 carries. Stacy Dozier also has 423 yards rushing for the Lions on 73 carries with two touchdowns. Desmond Dozier has 484 yards receiving on 21 receptions for five touchdowns, with Marquell Bellamy adding 386 yards and Sigfried Long with 358.
Stacy Dozier leads the Lions’ defense with 87 solo tackles, and Long leads the team in sacks with five on the season. The Lions have allowed only six points in the playoffs and allowed only 69 in region play, with 49 of those coming in their loss to Dillon.
In the upper state bracket, Fairfield-Central defeated Strom Thurmond 34-7 to advance to the upper state championship, and Newberry defeated Woodruff 42-28 to advance. Fairfield-Central will host Newberry on Friday night. Last season the two teams faced each other in the third round with Fairfield-Central earning a 28-27 win.
Fairfield-Central faced Dillon for the state title in 2013 and fell 41-3 to the Wildcats. This season the Griffins are 11-1 and entered the playoffs as the top seed in the upper state bracket. They defeated Mid-Carolina 55-14 in the opening round of the playoffs and have allowed only 21 points in the playoffs so far.
Newberry entered as the third seed in the upper state and possesses a 10-2 record. The Bulldogs defeated Indian Land 52-10 in the first round to advance and have allowed 38 points in the playoffs.
In the Class 2A, Division II bracket, Woodland defeated Andrews to advance to the lower state championship, and Timberland defeated Whale Branch 31-7. In the upper state, Keenan defeated Chesnee 60-39 and will host Ninety Six, who defeated Abbeville 21-18.
Game time is set for 7:30 p.m. this Friday night with Dillon hosting Loris. Make plans to attend to support our Wildcats!
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