Carolina Forest football builds momentum with 7-on-7 win

Did area football fans see something truly special from Carolina Forest on Thursday night or was it simply fool's gold for the Panthers?

In case you missed it, coach Drew Hummel's team won Myrtle Beach's 4th of July Shootout, Carolina Forest's first seven-on-seven passing league title. Quarterback Danny Daly and receiver Jarvez Holmes put up numbers even Hummel couldn't predict when he was talking about his team in the spring.

With receiver Darren Williams and running back Harold Atkinson in addition to Daly and Holmes, the Panthers beat Conway twice and then Myrtle Beach in the title game.

"It's not a game; it's not football. It doesn't mean anything yet," Hummel said. "But it breeds confidence and shows you athletically you can compete with those people.

"I think this group right here has always been a confident group. When they played together on the JV teams, they went undefeated in the region. These guys have grown up competing with these people and have had success against those people."

Last season, Carolina Forest won seven games - the most since it moved to the state's largest class. It beat Sumter and Conway and missed out on the playoffs only via the point system. This year, though, everything is shaping up even better.

Atkinson, a junior, is highly rated by several recruiting Web sites and already has an offer from Minnesota out of the Big 10 while receiving interest from most of the regional big boys, including South Carolina, Clemson, Georgia Tech and N.C. State.

Daly has had close to two full seasons around the varsity squad.

There's also Holmes. In addition to being arguably the best receiver in the area, he's continuing to develop into one of the best defensive backs. He had eight interceptions last season, and he had five alone in last Thursday's shootout.

The one possible thing the Panthers were missing last year was a stout tight end. Ryan Elko missed 2010 with an injury, but he's now healthy and ready to go.

Now, the question is whether or not that added confidence - led by the skill guys - will continue to grow into more production on the field. Camp opens July 29, and the Panthers' first full-squad scrimmage (complete with offensive linemen) will come Aug. 5, when Carolina Forest, Conway and Georgetown will head to Loris for a set of mini-games.

"Winning passing leagues is great; it's fun and everything," Hummel said. "But you have to put those big guys in there, too, and go play."

Football coming

The 22nd annual CNB Kickoff Classic, the annual preseason high school football jamboree that features 10 area teams, will take place Friday, Aug., 12, at Doug Shaw Memorial Stadium in Myrtle Beach. The event starts at 6 p.m.

The schedule is the same as last year with only the Myrtle Beach game switching with Conway to become the final contest of the evening since it is on the Seahawks' home turf.

The game order and matchups are as follows: Socastee vs. Waccamaw, Aynor vs. North Myrtle Beach, Carolina Forest vs. Green Sea Floyds, Conway vs. St. James, and Myrtle Beach vs. Loris.

Pre-sale tickets are $5 and can be purchased at all CNB locations. Tickets will be $6 at the gate. Proceeds will be evenly divided between the participating schools.

Tanner English update

Former St. James center fielder Tanner English made his predetermined move, but he's still not sure if another one is in his near future.

English, who signed to play baseball at South Carolina in November, was selected by the Tampa Bay Rays in the 13th round of June's Major League Baseball first-year player draft. He said he's got no issue waiting until the Aug. 15th deadline to decide between college and the pros.

"It's got to be the right decision for me," English said this weekend. "I don't want to force myself into a decision. There's really no wrong way to go. I just want to make sure it's the right thing to do. If I decide before Aug. 15, I do. If I don't, I don't."

English enrolled for a summer school Spanish course at USC, and he's rooming with potential Gamecock freshmen teammates Grayson Greiner, T.J. Costen and Joel Seddon. The former St. James star said they are mostly getting to know the city. Exactly how long English will be there, though, is yet to be determined.

He is using the Beverly Hills Sports Council as advisors during the process with the Rays.

Triple Crown baseball tournament

Triple Crown Sports, a Colorado-run organization of youth sports leagues, is holding its Summer Nationals baseball tournament at 18 Grand Strand locations this week and next, with the first champions to be crowned Wednesday.

Approximately 230 teams from 25 different states are qualified to play in the nine age divisions: 19-year olds (wood bat), and then 8-year olds through 15-year olds. The Triple Crown national championships for 18s, 17s and 16s are taking place this week and next in Richmond, Va.

Each of the teams in the TCS Summer Nationals qualified via a separate tournament. Each team is guaranteed a minimum of five games, and the championship rounds for each age division are double-elimination.

Games will be played at Grand Park, Aynor High School, BB&T Coastal Field, Carolina Forest Baseball-Softball Complex, Carolina Forest High School, Central Park, Coastal Carolina University, Conway High School, the grounds of the former Myrtle Beach Air Force Base, Waccamaw Park (S.C. 90), Loris High School, Mike Johnson Field (Georgetown), Myrtle Beach High School, Pepper Geddings Recreation Complex, Socastee High School, St. James High School, Waccamaw High School and West Brunswick High School (N.C.)

Admission to each venue is free.

This is the ninth year the tournament has been held in Myrtle Beach, and it appears numbers have jumped back up to 2009 totals after a major dip last year.

Next week, the TCS tournaments will conclude with the Rising Stars Summer Nationals. Those games will be played July 28-31 and includes approximately 50 teams.

That tournament will be played at Grand Park, Central Park, Coastal Carolina and Pepper Geddings.