Four downs: Secret to turnaround of Myrtle Beach defense no secret at all, coach says

They may not have admitted it, but Myrtle Beach players last week grew tired hearing about Conway and the college scouts paying visits to the school.

Man-for-man, the Tigers may be more talented. But for one night, at least, Myrtle Beach proved that only what occurs on the field matters.

Given little chance of beating the No. 5-ranked team in Class 5A, the Seahawks limited a vaunted Conway attack to one offensive touchdown in a 13-12 upset win.

The Tigers were never able to get in an offensive rhythm thanks to Myrtle Beach, held to less than 170 yards of total offense. It was also the worst game of the season for quarterback D’Wuan Grainger, who completed 10 of his 23 passes for 66 yards and an interception.

Not bad for a team that gave up more than 50 points in three of its first five games, huh? Against two of its fiercest non-region foes, the Seahawks gave up a total of 26 points to Carolina Forest and Conway — both wins.

Myrtle Beach head coach Mickey Wilson said the credit goes to his young defense, which seems to finally have figured things out after a rough start.

“We just have a lot of young guys, a lot of juniors and sophomores,” he said. “They’re getting better and we are seeing a lot of growth. Playing the schedule we have, our goal was for them to hopefully get better so we can be rounding into form come region.

“We’re excited to see the progress they are making, but we also must continue to get better.”

Things don’t get much easier this week, though. Myrtle Beach travels to Little River for a clash with the No. 2-ranked team in Class 4A, North Myrtle Beach, as both start Region 7-4A play.

“It’s another big game, another important week for us,” Wilson said. “(North Myrtle Beach) is a great team with a lot of talented players. We’ll have our work cut out for us.”

As Grainger goes, so goes Conway

Some nights you have it, and others you don’t.

Thursday night was not one for the books for Conway’s D’Wuan Grainger, who completed only 10 passes for 66 yards in his team’s loss to Myrtle Beach.

The Conway offense engineered one scoring drive against the Seahawks, coming midway through the fourth quarter and centered around the team’s running game.

Prior to Thursday night, Grainger was hitting on 60 percent of his passes for eight touchdowns. On Thursday, he was off the mark.

Some of those struggles can be attributed to good scheming by Myrtle Beach defensive coordinator Jason Owens. But even when given an open target, Grainger was unable to hit passes that came so easily in the four previous games.

By no means was he the only Conway player who struggled, there being much blame to go around. But when you’re the quarterback, sometimes you tend to get too much credit for victories and a bulk of the blame when things go awry.

Fortunately, the only thing lost for Grainger and Conway is the Victory Bell and an undefeated record. Each of their goals — a Region 6-5A, Lower State 5A and state titles — still remain in front of them.

Yet, it’s become readily apparent the Tigers will only go as far as his arm will take them.

Next man up

Socastee was without a pair of its best weapons on Friday night, with Edward Tucker out due to injury and Dashaun Myers suspended due to an ejection the previous week.

Though they may be small in number, the sum of the Braves’ parts has been mighty early this season.

Nick Carnucci was the latest to step up, rushing for 112 yards and two touchdowns, along with a 21-yard catch for another score. His contribution played a key role in Socastee routing rival St. James in the ‘Battle of 707,’ 65-14.

“Down to your third guy really, and (Carnucci) really stepped up. I’m really proud of him for carrying the load and staying focused,” said Socastee football coach Doug Illing. “It says a lot about our kids and the work they are doing.”

The victory was even sweeter for Carnucci, who previously attended St. James.

“I can tell you this, it feels so much better to be on this side than to be over there,” he said to teammates and coaches in the Braves’ postgame huddle.

Wild night in Georgetown County

While Carvers Bay cruised and Georgetown enjoyed its bye week, fellow Georgetown County football teams labored well into the night.

Andrews intercepted Latta’s Hail Mary attempt to end a wild 35-28 affair. The win helped the Yellow Jackets avoid an 0-2 start in Region 7-2A play.

R.J. Knowlin had a big game for Andrews, rushing for 185 yards and two touchdowns. Bryce Johns also had three receptions for 98 yards and a score.

“Ultimately, it came down to making one more play than (Latta) did,” said Andrews football coach Scott Durham. “It was a wild, nutty game. There was big play after big play.

“An 0-2 start in region play would have dealt us a big blow, and might have done us in. Thankfully, we battled back and won.”

In Pawleys Island, it seemed Hannah-Pamplico would put a damper on homecoming for Waccamaw. In the second half, the Raiders held a 28-0 lead.

Tyfiq James helped spearhead a Waccamaw rally, however, rushing for 115 yards and two touchdowns. As a result, the Warriors were able to tie the game at 35-all at the end of regulation.

Unfortunately, the night would end in heartbreak as a Hannah-Pamplico 10-yard touchdown allowed it to walk off with a 41-35 win.

This story was originally published September 24, 2017 at 7:41 PM with the headline "Four downs: Secret to turnaround of Myrtle Beach defense no secret at all, coach says."