Why Green Sea Floyds is eyeing two weeks off following its Region 6-A finale on Friday

Green Sea Floyds is in the midst of one of its best football seasons in school history, but has a unique challenge in front of it following Friday’s 7:30 p.m. home game against Hemingway.

The Trojans (7-1, 3-0 Region 6-A) have breezed through their schedule, with their only loss coming to unbeaten Class 3A program Aynor, which just knocked off Dillon last week.

Once the clock hits zero on Friday, the Trojans will not be back on the field for a meaningful game until Nov. 9, the second round of the playoffs. This is due in part to Creek Bridge closing as a school and thereby falling off the schedule and a first round bye in the playoffs for winning the region title.

“We kind of had the same situation last year, with the bye in the first round and the makeup games from the flooding,” said GSF head coach Donnie Kiefer. “It will be beneficial for us to get all of our guys healthy and refocused going into the playoff time of year.”

If experience from last year is the teacher, Kiefer and the Trojans might be destined for a second straight Class A state championship, as they made the run to Columbia a year ago.

This year, much of the offense is back and hasn’t lost a step from last years’ production, where running back Jaquan Dixon was named the Toast of the Coast Offensive Player of the Year as a sophomore.

“Jaquan is more mature and patient hitting the holes this year,” Kiefer said of his stud running back. “He’s grown from being a 15-year old sophomore to a junior and all of the maturity that comes with that. He’s stronger physically, and has a better understanding of what we want him to do in the offense.”

Through eight games, Dixon has amassed 1,099 yards and 14 touchdowns on only 91 attempts, good for more than 12 yards a carry. Though Dixon is the name to watch, Kiefer was quick to point out that Bubba Elliott is the straw that stirs the drink for the Trojans.

“We try to make it simple for our guys and a no-win situation for the defense with our options. Bubba does a great job of making the right reads and doing the right thing with the ball,” Kiefer said. “The game has really slowed down for him and he’s taking full advantage of what he’s seeing in the defense.

“We like to put them in a situation where we have two, three, four options of where the ball can go on any play. Bubba does a good job of putting it in the right spot.”

With the unique situation in front of his team, Kiefer has tried to keep his team focused on the game in front of them and going 1-0 each week to ensure there are no opportunities to look ahead.

“Hemingway is a dangerous team because of all of the athletes they have on the field,” he said. “We want to be able to say we can go 1-0 each week because of our execution and production on the field in all phases of the game. This is the last time we’ll be on a field where it’s not do-or-die for the season, so we want to make sure everything is running smoothly and that we’re a well-oiled machine.”

To ensure Elliott isn’t seeing ghosts on the field, much like the New York Jets’ Sam Darnold did on Monday Night Football, Kiefer has his team prepare as if they are facing their toughest opponent each week because, in his eyes, they are.

“At this point of the season, we can’t afford to take anyone lightly,” he said. “No matter who we play from here on out, we’re going to prepare as if we’re facing the New England Patriots on the opposing sideline. Every team deserves our respect and the full effort of this team. If we can’t provide that each week, we won’t deserve to win.”

Week 9 Schedule

Loris at Aynor

West Florence at Carolina Forest

Conway at St. James

Hemingway at Green Sea Floyds

North Myrtle Beach at Hartsville

Socastee at South Florence

Waccamaw at Academic Magnet

Myrtle Beach at Wilson (Thursday)