What Lincoln is Thinkin’ - Playoff Preview

What Lincoln is Thinkin' -

In every class but AAAA we're set to start the playoffs this week, so I break down each team's chances of taking home the hardware from Death Valley.

The Favorite: Lake View - There are teams better than Lake View in the Eastern Carolinas, but the Wild Gators have just one bump in the road to get through to win their 10th state title. In the second round they have to travel to Blackville-Hilda, the team that knocked them out last year. If they get past B-H, the Lower State Championship and the State Championship should be cake.

Championship Quality: Myrtle Beach - The Seahawks are one of the most explosive offensive teams in the state and may have as good a chance as anyone in AAA to win the title. The one hurdle is to get past Crestwood, the team that knocked them out last year. If Myrtle Beach can do that, they should be favored in the Lower State Championship, even though they may have to go on the road. There's some talented teams in the upstate, so the title game would not be a walk in the park.

Central (Pageland) - The undefeated Eagles face a giant test having to go to Strom Thurmond in the semifinals. That game will be a knock-out drag-out throwdown. Then in the Lower State Finals, they'd have to play Abbeville, who's equally as impressive. Of course, the state championship game would then feature a game against Cheraw, Timberland, Dillon, or Manning. AA is simply a beast this year.

Chesterfield - The Rams have a good shot at repeating, but there's a reason why they're the second seed. Calhoun County has had an impressive year (including a win over AAA 1-seed Hilton Head), and will be incredibly tough to beat. But they'd be favored in the title game if they got that far.

I wouldn't count them out: Cheraw - Braves are coming into their own with a win over Dillon, and have more experience than any other team in AA. But the rest of AA is better than it was the last two years when the Bears won the state championship.

Marlboro County - The Bulldogs definitely can piece together a state championship run. In fact, I think they're shoo-ins for the Lower State Championship. But I do not like their matchup against Myrtle Beach there. But, hey, anything can happen.

Dillon - Hey, it's Dillon, and you never know when the bounces are going to go their way in the playoffs and they'll take home a state championship. But they had three tough games against good teams this year, and they lost all three. They're going to have to win three in the playoffs to take home a title.

Manning - I think Manning might actually be a little bit better than Dillon. But I think some of these other AA teams may be much better than the both of them.

Need some Wilson-like magic: Hemingway - It's sad for the Tigers, because if Denzell Wedgeworth was healthy, they might be a state championship favorite. But they do have the talent to piece together enough wins to challenge for a title.

Carvers Bay - The same deal as Hemingway. C-Bay also lost it's quarterback, and the winner of this game in the second round between C-Bay and H-Way may go to Orangeburg. Of course, they'd then have to play either Chesterfield or Calhoun County.

Conway - I still believe that Sumter is a better team then Conway, so the fact that the Tigers beat them last week shows me that Conway has some of the intangibles that can lead them to a deep AAAA run. Unfortunately, there are some really good AAAA schools all over the state.

ALMOST no chance: Timmonsville - You know, I'll give them a chance because Class A Division II is not that hard to get through. I think they can beat Scotts Branch in the second round, but would need plenty to go right to upset Lake View.

West Florence - They've got the size, but just not the offensive firepower, to hang with the big boys in AAAA.

Thanks for playing: Lamar, North Myrtle Beach, Socastee, Georgetown, CE Murray, Hannah-Pamplico, Aynor, McBee, Waccamaw and Marion.


What do you think about the playoffs?

Posted by on 11/06 at 03:17 PM