Class A Playoff Notebook

Photo by Scott Powell/ The Gaffney Ledger

Abbeville's defense corrals Shrine Bowler Chase Hames of Blacksburg during the teams' first round contest won by the Panthers, 56-7. The defensive unit hopes it has one more brilliant performance left in it as it faces Lamar for the Class A Division I Upper State championship.

I guess revenge is a dish better served cold.
Ironically, for the first time since 2006 it was Chesterfield left out in the cold, the Golden Rams' three-year reign atop Class A's top division brought to an end by Lamar, 28-13.
Last November, the shoe was on the other foot, with the Silver Foxes having to swallow the bitter pill of defeat in the Class A Division I title game. Lamar head coach J.R. Boyd ensured last week's match-up would not be the same, setting a physical tone from the game's outset.
The Silver Foxes ran the ball 32 times for 150 yards on the night, while the team's stifling defense never allowed Chesterfield's aerial attack to take flight.
Lamar will meet the Upper State's top seed Abbeville, which dismantled a talented Calhoun County team, 24-0.
As if there was any doubt Ridgeland had Bamberg-Ehrhardt's attention. In the teams' earlier meeting, the Red Raiders used a frantic fourth quarter rally to escape with a 35-33 win.
None of that was needed last week, as B-E pounded its Region V-A rival to submission, defeating the Jaguars 49-6 to remain undefeated and advance to the Lower State title game. Meeting them in that game will be Hemingway, which used its swarming defense to shut out Burke, 20-0.
The script went pretty much according to plan in Class A's smaller division, with each of the brackets top four seeds — Christ Church, Scott's Branch, Williston-Elko and Hardeeville — advancing to the state semifinal round.

Games to watch:
— Hemingway (12-0) at Bamberg-Ehrhardt (12-0): Offense wins games, defense wins championships. Arguably no team has been better on the defensive side of the ball this season than Hemingway, the Tigers yielding a total of 54 points this year. That is quite the task for Bamberg-Ehrhardt, yet one not too tall for the Red Raiders, who have handed out their share of blowouts as well as endured long enough to claim close, hard fought victories over the likes of Class AAAA's Orangeburg-Wilkinson and region rival Ridgeland.
Look for B-E to attempt to put points on the board early, putting Hemingway somewhere it has not been much this season — behind.
—Williston-Elko (11-1) at Christ Church (12-0): Points seem to come relatively easy for Williston-Elko, which has scored as many as points in a game this season. Slowing the Blue Devils down is the assignment for Christ Church, which earned the Upstate's top seed by sweeping through its schedule by way of its power running game. However, the Cavaliers must do their best to keep this one from becoming a track meet; if so, it is a contest they are sure to lose.
Getting off the field on third down will be key for both teams in this one.
— UPSET ALERT— Lamar (11-1) at Abbeville (11-1): No doubt, Lamar has to be riding high after eliminating three-time Class A Division I champion Chesterfield. Yet with another week comes another challenge, this time in the form of Abbeville. The Panthers have been dominant thus far in the playoffs, smothering the likes of 2,000-yard rusher Chase Hames and the Blacksburg offense in addition to totally shutting down a talented Calhoun County team.
For the Silver Foxes, the question will be whether they can match Abbeville's intensity and toughness at the line of scrimmage. If Lamar cannot somehow get ahold of the Panthers' tough, shifty defensive line, it could be a long drive home to the Pee Dee for the team and its fans.