By MONTE DUTTON

Chester (5-5) is neither the team ranked No. 1 in Class 2A before the season nor the one that lost its first three games.
The visitor in Friday night’s playoff game at Wilder Stadium just knocked off Strom Thurmond, dominating the fourth quarter. While the Cyclones were eliminating the Rebels, 44-23, Clinton (8-2) was annihilating Pelion, 56-0.
A year ago, Clinton and Chester were rivals in Region 4-3A, where the Red Devils’ 14-6 victory settled the region title. The teams first played in 1922, and Clinton’s 16-14 series advantage is spiked by five victories in the last six meetings, four of which were decided by eight or fewer points.

Clinton plays Chester in all sports because both schools are in Region 3-2A except for football, where the Red Devils inexplicably compete in Region 1.
Chester quarterback Trooper Floyd passed for 161 yards and rushed for 40 in the victory over the Rebels, scoring a touchdown both ways. Zy Whitlock made 18 tackles at linebacker.
In their first-round playoff victories, the Red Devils rushed for 373 yards and the Cyclones for 301. In the season, Clinton averages 324.9 and Chester 202.2.

Tushawan Richardson breaks away at Liberty (Monte Dutton photo).

Since Chester fell to region champion Fairfield Central, 22-6, on Oct. 11, the Cyclones have won three straight, all at home and two over teams, Mid-Carolina (42-0) and Thurmond, nicknamed Rebels.
Clinton faces an evil wind standing in its way to further advancement.
Injuries hindered the Cyclones early, when they lost to Lancaster (23-20), Catawba Ridge (21-14) and Saluda (16-12) right off the bat.

Union County should have been a common opponent – Chester thumped the Yellow Jackets, 54-12 – but Clinton’s scheduled home game versus Union County was canceled by weather.
Jevan Cook leads a prolific and versatile Red Devil rushing attack with 1,240 yards and 17 touchdowns. He is averaging 8.4 yards a carry.
Quarterback Tushawan Richardson is second in rushing with 485 yards and has passed for 996 yards and 11 touchdowns, completing 52/98 52/98. He has thrown only one interception all season.

Clinton’s leading tackler is Brett Young, who returns after missing the Pelion game with a shoulder injury. Young is averaging 9.1 tackles. His brother, Luke, averages 7.6. Both are linebackers.
WPCC’s coverage begins at 7 p.m. from Wilder Stadium, where the game kicks off at 7:30. Buddy Bridges, Gene Simmons, Harold Nichols and B.J. Gardner are on the call at 96.5 FM, 1410 AM and largetime.net.

Nathan Bell, the unsung hero of Laurens Academy’s overtime upset of Jefferson Davis in the SCISA eight-man semifinals, is the Laurens County Touchdown Club’s Player of the Week.
A junior linebacker and tight end, Bell was all over the field in the Crusaders’ 34-28 victory over the Raiders. He had 18 total tackles, 4-1/2 of them for losses, a sack, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. Bell played every snap on an offensive line that opened the space for 350 yards from scrimmage.

Stated head coach Jolly Doolittle, “Nathan is a tireless worker and a relentless competitor. He has played nearly every snap of every game. He is a team-first guy and a true throwback player. The tougher it gets, the better he is.”
WLBG (104.1 FM, 860 AM, wlbg.com) is broadcasting the Laurens Academy-Richard Winn state championship game from Batesburg, beginning at 7 p.m. with the game at 7:30.

This week’s TD Club meeting is at noon on Thursday at The Ridge in Laurens. Player of the Week awards are presented by Farm Bureau Insurance of Laurens County.
This is the annual Carolina-Clemson meeting. USC sideline reporter Chet Tucker and Voice of the Tigers Don Munson represent the rivals.
The Laurens County Touchdown Club meets every other Thursday throughout the football season at The Ridge, located at 301 Exchange Road. The public is invited. Tickets can be purchased at the door for $15. All meetings are at noon with the food service line opening at 11:45 a.m. Whiteford’s of Laurens is catering the meal on this week.

The South Carolina Basketball Coaches Association released its top boys’ and girls’ high school basketball players to watch this season, and there’s a Red Devil on the Class 2A boys.
Tushawan Richardson, currently quarterbacking the football team, made the team along with Emmanuel “Manny” Davis, Eau Clarie; Ja’ Kease Salley, Woodland; Jamie Brooks, Atlantic Collegiate Academy; and Bryce Peterson, Andrew Jackson.
Freshman quarterback Collin Hurst is Offensive Player of the Week in the Pioneer Football League.

Completing a game without turning the ball over for the fourth straight weekend, Presbyterian’s Hurst picked apart the Marist Red Foxes in a 42-23 pounding. He found his target nearly 80 percent of the time in the team’s third consecutive win, responsible for four touchdowns overall.
The Floridian piled up 280 yards from scrimmage while zipping a pass to eight different receivers, throwing 11 straight completions in the first half, as the Blue Hose gained their third consecutive double-digit victory.

Ex-Clinton High running back Bryson James, a Cross Hill product who is Anderson University’s leading rusher with 411 yards in 93 carries, topped the century mark for the first time, gaining 114 yards in 17 carries in a 27-24 loss at Lenoir-Rhyne.
Anderson, which began its football program this season, finished off with a 3-8 record, 1-7 in the South Atlantic Conference of NCAA Division II. Three of the losses were by three points or less.

James, like most of his teammates, is a red-shirt freshman.
Presbyterian College women’s wrestling thrashed everyone in its path on Sunday in the Blue Hose Challenge, winning eight out of the 10 matches.
The championship match in three different weight classes was two Blue Hose against each other.
Chloe Dearwester, Alyssa Mahan, Cassia Zammit, Carina Giangeruso, Paige Wehrmeister, May Cuyler, Lexi Fornshell, and Maria Aiono were the first-prize winners.
Davidson thwarted the men’s team, 27-13, also on Sunday at Templeton Center.

Heavyweight Morvens Saint Jean won over the Wildcats’ D.J. Spring in a four-minute pin. Also winning were Caleb Roe at 184 pounds and Tyler Rodier at 133.
Mister Dean is the Big South freshman of the week in men’s basketball.
That’s Mister to you. The USC Upstate guard from Miami, Fla., is named Mister Dean. Honest to gosh. He averaged 19 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.5 offensive rebounds, 1.5 steals and a 59.3 field goal clip in losses to Wake Forest and UNC Wilmington.

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