Helmet stickers: Week 9 Grand Strand high school football’s top performers

TEAM OF THE WEEK

North Myrtle Beach: Digging deep in the depth chart — specifically at the quarterback position — tends to be a risky proposition. But with a coach whose modus operandi is to be prepared for any and everything, you can rest assured the Chiefs would be ready. Stepping in for an injured Ronnie Bass, sophomore quarterback Cason McLendon had five total touchdowns — three passing and two on the ground — leading North Myrtle Beach to a 35-14 victory over Marlboro County in a crucial Region VII-4A contest. With the win, the Chiefs not only earn their first victory in league play this season, but also moved into a prime position to earn a home date for the first round of the playoffs.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Anthony McAfee, Carolina Forest: It’s become a common refrain this season — "It doesn’t matter who Carolina Forest head coach Marc Morris puts in the backfield, the Panthers are going to run the football." The latest beneficiary of that approach was senior running back Anthony McAfee, whose 12 carries for 190 yards and three touchdowns helped Carolina Forest overcome a halftime deficit to down West Florence, 28-16. McAfee is the third different Panthers running back to cross the century mark for rushing yards this season.

FRIDAY’S TOP PERFORMERS

▪ Deakidd Anderson, Georgetown: Taking on a solid Dillon defense, the Bulldogs wide recover caught six passes for 159 yards and a touchdown in their 36-22 loss.

▪ Kevliq Bennett, North Myrtle Beach: Taking on an added role in the Chiefs defense, he had seven tackles and three assists in his team’s 35-14 win over Marlboro County.

▪ Sheldon Billings Georgetown: The Bulldogs linebacker had four solo tackles while lending a hand on six more. He also forced a fumble in his team’s 36-22 loss to Dillon.

▪ Henry Blake, Georgetown: Blake had five solo tackles and two assists for the Bulldogs in their 36-22 loss to Dillon.

▪ Peyton Derrick, Conway: The Appalachian State commit completed 22 of 33 passes for 213 yards and four touchdowns in the Tigers’ 38-31 triple-overtime loss to Sumter.

▪ Clay Faircloth, Loris: His best performance statistically this season, the Lions quarterback completed 10 of 20 passes for 207 yards and two touchdowns in his team’s 21-18 win over Waccamaw.

▪ Sam Gould, Waccamaw: The sophomore wide receiver hauled in his first touchdown pass of the season on Friday night, one of three catches for 63 yards in the Warriors’ 21-18 loss to Loris.

▪ Mahammud Graham, Green Sea Floyds: The Trojans running back ran the ball 30 times for 130 yards in his team’s 18-12 loss at Hemingway.

▪ Aeneas Green, Socastee: The Braves wideout caught five passes for 110 yards and three touchdowns in a 47-44 loss to South Florence.

▪ Hunter Illing, Socastee: Completing 19 of 28 passes for 299 yards, the Braves quarterback threw for four touchdowns in his team’s 47-44 loss to South Florence.

▪ Zach Jordan, Loris: The Lions linebacker had eight solo tackles while assisting on six more in his team’s 21-18 victory over Waccamaw.

▪ Ethan Martin, Aynor: The Blue Jackets’ top rusher had 12 carriers for 98 yards and a touchdown in their 37-14 loss to Lake City.

▪ Malachi McClendon, Socastee: The Braves’ all-purpose man did exactly that against South Florence, racking up 154 total yards and two touchdowns in his team’s 47-44 loss.

▪ Cason McLendon, North Myrtle Beach: Making his first start at the varsity level, he completed 10 of 14 passes for 114 yards and three touchdowns, in addition to two more scores on the ground in the Chiefs’ 35-14 win over Marlboro County.

▪ Jaylen Moody, Conway: Doing his part against a vaunted Sumter running game, the Tigers defensive end had 11 solo tackles and two assists — four of which came in the Gamecocks’ backfield — in his team’s 38-31 triple-overtime loss.

▪ Jay-Mion Pressley, St. James: The Sharks running back had 17 carries for 115 yards in his team’s 32-7 loss to Wilson.

▪ Zach Shear, Socastee: One of the area’s top tacklers did nothing to hurt that reputation, racking up eight tackles while assisting on eight more in the Braves’ 47-44 loss to South Florence.

▪ Janaz Sumpter, Carvers Bay: The Bears quarterback scored a pair of touchdowns to lead his team to a 20-6 victory over Johnsonville.

▪ Ladarious Taylor, Waccamaw: Though in a losing effort, the Warriors linebacker had 10 solo tackles while assisting on five more in a 21-18 loss to Loris.

▪ Cameron Williams, St. James: A key cog in the team’s defense, he had six solo tackles and had a hand in seven more in the Sharks’ 32-7 loss to Wilson.

This story was originally published October 26, 2016 at 1:53 PM with the headline "Helmet stickers: Week 9 Grand Strand high school football’s top performers."