Here’s how area high school football teams fared in Week 9
Week 9 serves to separate the contenders from the pretenders; the valedictorians from the class clowns; the complete teams from those lacking in a major way. We saw that and plenty more on the Grand Strand.
Myrtle Beach and Conway continued their winning streaks, Aynor got back on the right side of the column and Waccamaw picked up its first win in the Shane Fidler era. Green Sea Floyds pulled out a solid road win and looks to be playoffs bound. Socastee, North Myrtle Beach, St. James, Loris and Carolina Forest found themselves on the wrong end of the scoreboard this week.
Conway 37, St. James 14: Conway continues its undefeated run in Region 6-5A play, knocking off St. James at The Backyard. The Tigers take on Carolina Forest in Week 10, in a game that will help shake out the region come playoff time.
Myrtle Beach 49, Wilson 7: Wilson looked to be on the upswing coming into the week, having been ranked in the S.C. Prep Media Football poll in Class 4A and beaten North Myrtle Beach already this year. In stepped Luke Doty, who showcased his skills with right arm, slicing up the Wilson defense.
Waccamaw 57, Academic Magnet 0: The Warriors picked up their first win for second-year head coach Shane Fidler and now find themselves in the hunt for the playoffs. Fidler and company travel to Hanahan next for a chance to start a winning streak.
Aynor 47, Loris 22: Aynor took a big loss in Week 8, but rebounded in a rivalry game against Loris. Loris is still in the playoff hunt, but needs to wash this game away quickly to prepare for a home game against Marion next week, while Aynor will host Lake City, with a shot to win the region still in play.
Green Sea Floyds 22, Hemingway 21: Green Sea Floyds has shown toughness all season under Donnie Keifer, and its grit was on full display in upsetting Hemingway. The Trojans host Creek Bridge on Friday in a big region battle.
South Florence 42, Socastee 18: The Braves struggled from the jump against South Florence and couldn’t muster much to make it a close game. Socastee travels to St. James next week, when each team still will be looking for its first region victory.
West Florence 51, Carolina Forest 44: While neither defense was invited to this game, West Florence and Carolina Forest put on a show in a game that was billed as a pathway to the region title. Each team still must play Conway this season, but West Florence is firmly in the driver’s seat in the region.
Hartsville 35, North Myrtle Beach 12: Hartsville looked every bit the part of the top-ranked team in Class 4A, running over, through, and around North Myrtle Beach in a game the Red Foxes physically dominated. North Myrtle Beach faces another tough test on Friday, when it travels to Doug Shaw Memorial Stadium to play Myrtle Beach.
This story was originally published October 20, 2018 at 1:34 PM.