These Grand Strand football players were selected for North, South in all-star game

Four Grand Strand area players will head to Conway on Dec. 15 to take part in the 2018 Touchstone Energy Cooperatives Bowl, formerly the North-South All-Star Game.

Socastee’s Kenney Solomon, Waccamaw’s Trey Davis, and Myrtle Beach’s JB Favorite and Marcus Grissett will suit up for the South team in the game, which is taking place at Coastal Carolina University, rather than Myrtle Beach’s Doug Shaw Memorial Stadium. The South team will be coached by Barnwell’s Dwayne Garrick, while Christ Church’s Don Frost will head up the North squad.

Solomon, a do-everything player for Socastee, brings track-star speed to the team. Having played defensive back, running back, wide receiver, wildcat quarterback, punt returner and kick returner for the Braves, Solomon can do anything needed for his team.

“He’s an athlete and a playmaker,” Illing said of Solomon earlier this season. “He’s a guy who has a chance to change the score anytime the ball is in his hands. Our jobs as coaches is to get the ball in his hands as many times as we can. If the defense has to prepare for him and account for him in a lot of different situations and positions that helps us. We want him to get the ball in open space, on offense and kick returns, to let him make plays for us.”

Waccamaw’s Davis is another stellar athlete who can make a multitude of plays on the football field. Along with his dominant offensive line play, Davis is a standout wrestler and track and field participant. His coach, Shane Fidler, said Davis has been a constant for his teams the past two years.

“Trey is a kid who works his butt off in the weight room and classroom,” he said. “He is one of the first kids when I got here that bought into the culture we’re trying to build. He comes from a great family of athletes and has been an anchor on the offensive line for us.”

The duo from Myrtle Beach, Grissett a wide receiver and Favorite a defensive lineman, have helped build the Seahawks into a bully on both sides of the ball. While the offense is scoring points in bunches, Favorite and the defense are working to keep the opposing offense in check and have done so to the tune of a 6-0 record on the season.

“Those guys have worked so hard to get better at their crafts,” said Mickey Wilson, Myrtle Beach’s head coach. “They came in as young players, saw where they could make an impact and really worked to contribute to this team. Now, as seniors, they are the guys I can lean on to make big plays and keep their teammates in check. They do the right things and make our jobs as coaches that much easier.”

The Touchstone Energy Cooperatives Bowl pits 88 seniors from South Carolina against each other in a week of friendly competition, giving back, and fun in Myrtle Beach.

“We’re really excited about the players selected this year,” said Keith Richardson, co-coordinator of the Touchstone Energy Cooperatives Bowl, in a press release. “Not only are they outstanding athletes, they’re also young men of character.”

Due to scheduling conflicts, the Touchstone Energy Cooperatives Bowl will take place at Brooks Stadium on the campus of Coastal Carolina University at noon on Dec. 15. For more information, visit TouchstoneEnergyBowl.com.