Myrtle Beach to host Surf and Turf Kickoff Classic next year

Myrtle Beach football is hoping to take the next step when it comes to its non-region opponents.

The Seahawks have agreed to host a four-team event, dubbed the Surf and Turf Kickoff Classic, next August at Doug Shaw Memorial Stadium. The games, which will coincide with Week 1 of the 2012 season, will be the first in what is expected to be a long-term deal that could eventually mimic one of the Grand Strand’s high school sports staples.

“We’re going to have a big deal here with football,” Myrtle Beach coach Mickey Wilson said Wednesday. “It’s going to be very similar to the Beach Ball Classic. We’re going to bring a lot of the top teams in. We’ll have a big-time atmosphere for football.”

The three visiting teams for the 2012 event have yet to be announced. However, Wilson did confirm that all three are from South Carolina.

Starting in 2013, however, the event is expected to branch out beyond the Palmetto State, as well as add to the number of participating squads each year. With the absence of college and NFL football that weekend, it also stands to reason that it could lead to national television coverage.

The official announcement for Surf and Turf will take place Wednesday, Sept. 28 at the Breakers Resort. All four coaches for the 2012 event and school and city officials are expected to be in attendance.

Wilson said the event was organized by a number of people, including Myrtle Beach Mayor and Beach Ball Classic director John Rhodes. Rhodes did not immediately return a call seeking comment Wednesday evening.

As far as the Seahawks, however, the timing of the start of the event couldn’t be better. Wilson said Myrtle Beach and the rest of Horry County schools are under a temporary limit on how far they can travel for non-playoff games in accordance with several cost-cutting measures the district has taken.

The mandate was put in place after Myrtle Beach’s most recent contract with Byrnes was signed. However, that contract has now been fulfilled, and finding opponents isn’t easy for a team that has won two state titles in three seasons.

Surf and Turf will not only fill that void, it guarantees an extra home game for the Seahawks every year.

“That’s one thing we always want to do here is play top opponents, especially in our non-region schedule,” Wilson said. “We want to play the best teams we can, and this gives us the opportunity. It also gives us a chance to bring some great high school football to this community from the outside for our fans.”