If there were any doubts about the strength of Region 6-4A, the playoffs are proof
Region 6-4A is showing its depth in the second round of the playoffs, as five of the six teams in the region are still alive in the Class 4A Lower State bracket, with two games featuring rematches from the region slate of games.
On Friday, Myrtle Beach will host Marlboro County and Wilson will travel to North Myrtle Beach, with both games kicking off at 7:30. Myrtle Beach defeated Marlboro County 21-0 on the road on Oct. 12, while Wilson beat North Myrtle Beach 14-9 at home on Oct. 6.
“Our region showed how tough it is from top to bottom in the first round of the playoffs,” said Myrtle Beach coach Mickey Wilson. “I mean, we got five teams in the playoffs and they are all still alive in the second round. That’s almost unheard of in football.”
To get to this point, North Myrtle Beach had to travel to South Aiken, where the Chiefs (8-3) dominated the Thoroughbreds 52-21. Wilson took out a No. 1 seed in Bluffton by a 28-3 score.
“We felt like everybody in our region would win their first round games and that we would have a home game in the second round,” said North Myrtle Beach head coach Matt Reel. “We looked at the bracket and saw how it ended up shaking out (after the first round) and we knew we would have a tough contest on our hands with Wilson coming to town. We lost to them early in the season, so we know what they bring to the table; they’re a tough team.”
In a mash-up of timing, sloppy play, and plain bad luck, the Chiefs fell to Wilson to drop their first region game of the season in Week 7. The game on Oct. 5 was the first game back from the Hurricane Florence break, with the Chiefs coming off an uninspired win against St. James in Week 3.
“I don’t look at it as a revenge game, I just want to play well,” Reel said. “My players, on the other hand, can look at it however they need to. (The first game against Wilson) we didn’t have any business losing. We didn’t play well and really gave them some opportunities that cost us the game. We had some turnovers on offense, but our defense played well and we had a chance to win the game. I’m hoping we play a much better game this time around.”
For Myrtle Beach, playing a tough Marlboro County team for a second time is no easy task.
“They’ve got some really good skill players that are tough to stop,” Wilson said. “Their quarterback really gave us fits the first time around and we’ll have to do our best to contain him against this time. Offensively, we’ve got to put points on the board, we had some red zone opportunities last time that we didn’t convert and that’s not something we can repeat.”
The revenge factor doesn’t play into the motivations for Myrtle Beach, but playing at home is enough to get the Seahawks amped up, Wilson said.
“We want to keep playing at Doug Shaw as long as we can,” Wilson said. “Right now, we have the opportunity to host the next couple of games and that’s something that’s special for these players. They love playing in front of their home crowd and on their field.”
Both coaches marveled at the bracket and said the de facto region tournament going on speaks to the level of football they played all season.
“The next couple of weeks can be rematches if everything goes like we think it will,” Reel said. “If we are able to win this week, we would either go to Myrtle Beach or host Marlboro County next week, and then Hartsville would probably be the opponent the week after that, I don’t see anyone beating them until Lower State. So, if you look at that, we’re in a bit of a region tournament where there are no surprises. You’ve just got to line up and execute.”
While they play different styles of offense, with Myrtle Beach spread out and slinging the ball all over the yard and North Myrtle Beach looking to pound the ball, both teams are looking forward to the challenges they will face throughout the playoffs.
“You don’t get to this point and change who you are, you just have to get your players ready and give it everything you have to win a game,” Wilson said. “At this point, execution is critical, so we just need to take care of the football and play sound defense.”
“For us to be successful, the run game has to be on our side,” Reel said. “We dominated round one because of our running game, so if we can keep that going it will be big for us. We expect our guys to perform well and get us to the third round, which has been the ceiling for this program in the past. Maybe this year we can find a way to get past the third round.”
Friday’s Area Games
Wilson at North Myrtle Beach, 7:30 p.m.
Marlboro County at Myrtle Beach, 7:30 p.m.
Carolina Forest at Summerville, 7:30 p.m.
Aynor at Hanahan, 7:30 p.m.