After long wait and trying times, high school football set to return to the Grand Strand

Don’t call it a comeback, but football season is finally upon us.

Yes, it’s a shortened season.

Yes, the summer practice schedule was wonky and teams will be rusty.

Yes, most teams are starting off with region play and need to start fast because, as the SEC so aptly put it, “It just means more.”

But, no matter what, it’s football season once again.

You may have already gotten your football fix from Clemson starting its season two weeks ago; perhaps you’re looking forward to South Carolina taking the field this Saturday, but there’s nothing that can compare to those Friday night lights. From Conway to Green Sea, North Myrtle Beach out to Aynor, the crisp air will be upon us and those bright lights will be shining.

The players will be ready. The coaches will be ready. Lord knows the fans are chomping at the bit.

This year, we’ll hopefully get seven games from each team before the playoffs start. For our local teams, that amounts to three or four guaranteed home games in the regular season and a shortened playoffs where only the top two region finishers make the field.

But hey, it’s football season.

There’s plenty to look forward to as the leaves begin to fall from the trees and shoulder pads crash into each other. Myrtle Beach may have its best offense of the past few years. Carolina Forest had an amazing season last year and comes back as a defensive minded team, rather than an offensive juggernaut. Aynor went undefeated in the regular season and has 13 starters back. Green Sea Floyds has the opportunity for a three-peat with a new coach at the helm in Joey Price. St. James narrowly missed the playoffs, but Tommy Norwood continues to build. Socastee, Loris and Waccamaw welcome new coaches, while Conway replaces big names on its defense. North Myrtle Beach continues to build under Matt Reel, who has won 26 games in three years at the helm of the program.

It’s an exciting time in the area and the players will be able to showcase it on the field starting Friday. JJ Jones and Adam Randall will begin their assault on Class 4A secondaries with Ryan Burger slinging the rock to each Power 5-bound target. Jaquan Dixon will continue to smash the record books at Green Sea Floyds and look to retain his title as the best player in Class A. The Janacks at Carolina Forest look to pace the Panthers, while Noah Jones spears the Blue Jackets attack in Aynor.

A new season is upon us, and after much uncertainty, we should be thankful for the games we’re getting. We’ll hope for a full and complete return in 2021, where games like Carolina Forest vs. Myrtle Beach and North Myrtle Beach vs. Conway may return. But, for now, in 2020, we’ll take the slate we’ve been handed.

Spot the ball, it’s time for Grand Strand area football.

Team capsules

Aynor Blue Jackets

Coach: Jason Allen (18-3 in two years at Aynor)

2019 record: 10-1, 5-0 Region VI-3A (lost to May River in second round of Class 3A playoffs)

Radio station: None

Carolina Forest Panthers

Coach: Marc Morris (40-30 in six years at Carolina Forest)

2019 record: 11-2, 5-0 Region VI-5A (lost to Dutch Fork in fourth round of Class 5A playoffs

Radio station: WSEA-FM 101.9

Conway Tigers

Coach: Carlton Terry (16-16 in three years at Conway)

2019 record: 3-7, 3-2 Region VI-5A (lost to Wando in first round of Class 5A playoffs)

Radio station: WGTR-FM 107.9

Green Sea Floyds

Coach: Joey Price (first season at Green Sea Floyds)

2019 record: 12-1, 4-0 Region VI-A (Class A state champions)

Radio station: None

Loris Lions

Coach: Greg Mance (first season at Loris)

2019 record: 1-9, 0-5 Region VI-3A (did not make Class 3A playoffs)

Radio station: WLSC-AM 1240

Myrtle Beach Seahawks

Coach: Mickey Wilson (123-28 in 11 years at Myrtle Beach

2019 record: 13-1, 4-0 Region VII-4A (lost to Wren in Class 4A state championship game)

Radio station: WYNA-FM 104.9

North Myrtle Beach Chiefs

Coach: Matt Reel (26-10 in three years at North Myrtle Beach)

2019 record: 6-5, 1-4 Region VII-4A (lost to Myrtle Beach in second round of Class 4A playoffs)

Radio station: WRNN-FM 99.5

Socastee Braves

Coach: Ben Hampton (first year at Socastee)

2019 record: 1-8, 0-5 Region VI-5A (Did not make Class 5A playoffs)

Radio station: WSEA-FM 100.3

St. James

Coach: Tommy Norwood (6-12 in two years at St. James)

2019 record: 5-5, 2-3 Region VII-5A (Did not make Class 5A playoffs)

Radio station: None

Waccamaw

Coach: Amondre Johnson (First year at Waccamaw)

2019 record: 7-4, 3-2 Region VII-3A (Lost to Dillon in first round of Class 3A playoffs)

Radio station: WGTN 1400 AM

10 story lines

• How does COVID impact this already shortened season? While we’re thankful for any amount of football, this season begins with us feeling a little bit cheated. Gone are rivalry matchups like Conway vs. Myrtle Beach, stellar games like Fort Dorchester vs. Myrtle Beach has been wiped out, and will instead be kickstarting football season with critical games out of the gate. There won’t be any tune-ups this year, just region play and local games to round out a season we’re thankful to see come to fruition. The unknown still exists: what happens if there is an outbreak within a locker room? Coaches across the area are hopeful, but battling an invisible enemy makes for an unfair fight.
• Can Green Sea Floyds keep up its title runs? Gone is the architect of the Trojans’ past two championships, as coach Donnie Kiefer took the West Ashley job. Also gone is the quarterback and strong safety in Bubba Elliott, all-everything athlete Anwain Graham, North-South game participant A.J. Campbell, and critical pieces in the trenches. But what returns for new coach Joey Price? Only the Toast of the Coast Preseason Player of the Year in Jaquan Dixon, uber-athletic quarterback Aaron Graham, and Xavier Edwards to anchor the offensive line. There may be other contenders in Class A, but the road to Columbia runs through Green Sea Floyds.
• What do we make of Carolina Forest? The Panthers made the most of a senior-laden roster last year, making a deep playoff run and winning a region title in the state’s largest classification. Along with that, the Mason Garcia-led squad came within one game of playing for a state championship in a season where they racked up 11 wins. Judging from the result of the Panthers’ preseason scrimmage against Myrtle Beach last Friday, a totally different unit will be in charge. Rather than bludgeoning opponents with deep passes and a potent rushing attack, the 2020 edition of Carolina Forest will rely on a deep defense that can take the ball away from opposing offenses. Leading the way will be defensive back Adam Janack and linebackers Nevon Tyler and Latrell Pitts. As the old adage goes, offense fills seats (though this season capacities are limited) but defense wins championships. We’ll see if that holds true for the Panthers.
• How far will the Seahawks fly? The passing attack taking the field at Doug Shaw Memorial Stadium has the potential, a dangerous word, to be the best in South Carolina regardless of classification. Sure, Ryan Burger hasn’t started a regular season game at quarterback, but he’s got playoff experience. JJ Jones is a hungry four-star wideout who wants to win before going off to the University of North Carolina. Adam Randall was robbed of much of his sophomore season, but is one of the top wide receivers in the class of 2022 with huge offers under his belt. Throw in the reliable Ryan Burch in the slot and Ben Herriott out of the backfield and you’ve got a recipe for a lot of points on the board. A third trip to Columbia isn’t out of the realm of possibility for Mickey Wilson and Co.
• New coaches take over with challenges aplenty. While a core nucleus of Mickey Wilson at Myrtle Beach, Marc Morris at Carolina Forest, Matt Reel at North Myrtle Beach, Carlton Terry at Conway, Tommy Norwood at St. James, and Jason Allen at Aynor return in 2020, there are new faces around the Grand Strand to build and advance programs. In Loris, Greg Mance comes with a championship pedigree, having won the big one in Virginia. He takes over a 1-9 program that won an unorthodox Monday-night game in Week 2, which was hurricane’d out for the rest of the area. He’ll have a daunting task, but plenty of athletes to turn the Lions around. You never want to be the guy who follows the guy, but Joey Price isn’t your average head coach. Taking over at Green Sea Floyds for back-to-back state champion coach Donnie Kiefer, Price is no stranger to the coaching ranks with more than 30 years of experience under his belt. His plan for this year is simple: feed Jaquan Dixon. That’s not a bad strategy for the Trojans. Socastee has had its share of troubles over the past half-decade, churning out good players to the next level but missing out on successes on the field. New head coach Ben Hampton is charged with changing the culture of the under-performing Class 5A program, bringing with him a 42-21 record. He’s instilled an era of competition, allowing his young players to compete for playing time and starting roles going into the season. Shane Fidler built Waccamaw seemingly from the bottom up, finding ways to motivate players and put point on the board. His departure for Ashley Ridge came as a surprise, but presented the opportunity for interim coach Amondre Johnson to prove his chops. Luckily for Johnson, he’ll bring back quarterback Denson Crisler, one of the top passers in the area, to help keep the Warriors on the ascend.

• Can Aynor do it again? The Blue Jackets had what some would call a miracle season in 2019. They beat Dillon and snapped a 50-plus game region winning streak; they won the region; they went undefeated into the playoffs. Now, Jason Allen has to do it all again, but without the leadership and grit of Andrew Brown at quarterback and Riley Phipps on the outside. Luckily for Allen, the run-heavy offense is a bit like Novocain: just give it time and it always works. For Blue Jacket fans, the hope is for the offense to hit the ground running, as a trip to Dillon looms in Week 2 and a new look region presents some challenges to a second consecutive region championship.

• Does on-field play suffer from the lack of summer training? Football is a game of repetition, with increased reps in practice leading to results on the field. So, when those reps are shorter or altered, will the on-field product be different? We’d have to think timing will be off, players may not be in shape as much as year’s past, and teams will be rusty. Those new head coaches – and coordinators – haven’t had the benefit of a spring practice, full summer, or a traditional preseason to prepare their teams for competition. Couple all of those issues with region play coming quickly and we have a recipe for parity across the board. Look for teams with great leadership and experience in the coaching ranks and backfields to storm out of the gates while young teams may initially struggle.

• What should we make of the playoff structure this season? The SCHSL did its best to make sure football happened in the fall, but a shortened season and window to participate in games meant something had to suffer. This year, that’s the playoffs. In 2020, only the top two region finalists will make the playoff field, cutting a full round from the bracket and eliminating two teams from each region in the field. The best teams should still rise to the top, but no team can afford a slow start to the season and expect to rebound to make the playoffs. This format eliminated the Cinderella story, but also takes away first-round games in which top-ranked teams blow out squads that barely make the field. In 2020, we’re getting more action much faster across the board.

• Can we play our entire (abbreviated) season, Mother Nature? We’ve dealt with COVID for more than six months, it has impacted the football schedule far more than any hurricane over the past few years. That’s not a challenge, Mother Nature. With a hyperactive hurricane season that doesn’t seem to want to end, any stoppage to the high school football season would be catastrophic. Region games are already at the top of most schedules, with no real wiggle room in the plans from the SCHSL. So, fingers crossed, we can get our abbreviated season in without intervention from the weather.

• The chase for Toast of the Coast Player of the Year: There are some strong contenders for the Toast of the Coast Player of the Year, but Jaquan Dixon at Green Sea Floyds has a slight edge heading into the season. His production over the past two state championship winning seasons has catapulted the Trojans into the top of Class A. However, Carolina Forest’s Adam Janack showed incredible prowess on both sides of the field in the preseason; his teammate Kyle Watkins will line up at quarterback and has the tools to impact the race. JJ Jones, Adam Randall, and Ryan Burger of Myrtle Beach are worthy of praise and have the stuff to put up huge numbers. There are always dark horse athletes that come along, like North Myrtle Beach’s Zyer Belle, Conway’s Carlton Terry II, Loris quarterback Brice Faircloth, or a defensive standout can claim the area’s top prize.

10 players to watch

• Jaquan Dixon, RB – Green Sea Floyds: Now that the target is solely on the back of Dixon, we’ll see how he responds. To this point, he’s been a key cog in an immensely talented and hardworking team. In 2020, expectations will be high and Dixon will shoulder much of the offensive load for the back-to-back Class A state champions. His resume says that’s not too much to ask.

• Adam Janack, DB – Carolina Forest: While the offense got many of the headlines for Carolina Forest last season, the Panther defense put together a great season and looks to be the strength of the team going into 2020. Janack will play a major role in the success of the Panthers and will be tasked with locking down half of the field. His 15 career interceptions aren’t by accident, and he’ll have plenty of opportunities to add to that total this season.

• JJ Jones, WR – Myrtle Beach: Draw up your prototypical NFL wide receiver, now drop him into the Class 4A ranks in South Carolina – that’s JJ Jones. At 6-foot-3, Jones has the size and speed and hands to dominate on the field in his last ride for the Seahawks before he graduates and enrolls early at the University of North Carolina. With another top threat on the other side of the field from Jones in Adam Randall, the Seahawk passing attack will be tough to match.

• Denson Crisler, QB – Waccamaw: Crisler is the top returning passer in the area, having battled tooth and nail with Luke Doty and Mason Garcia a season ago. With 1,600-plus yards and 19 touchdown passes, Crisler scorched through the air and will have one of his top targets back in Kam Green on the outside. Watch out for Wacamaw’s passing attack.

• Adam Randall, WR – Myrtle Beach: In an injury-shortened season, Randall showed phenomenal ball skills and an aptitude for the complex Myrtle Beach offense. This year, he’s fully healthy and has visions of being a double-digit touchdown machine. The only thing stopping him is time.

• Billy Barlow, LB – North Myrtle Beach: A tackling machine wouldn’t have as much success as Barlow did a year ago, and he returns to lead a scrappy Chief defense. His double-digit tackles per game average will be the minimum this season.

• Ryan Burger, QB – Myrtle Beach: We got a glimpse of the future without Luke Doty during the Class 4A playoffs a season ago and it looked to be bright in the oversized hands of Burger. While he doesn’t have a full season under his belt, his command of the Seahawk offense and rapport with Jones and Randall will help continue the state championship game or bust ways for the Seahawks.

• Kyle Watkins, QB – Carolina Forest: Moving from his wideout position of a season ago to the backfield, Watkins will give another wrinkle to Marc Morris and the Carolina Forest offense with his athleticism.

• Noah Jones, QB – Aynor: A battering ram as a tight end and one of the top tacklers from his linebacker position a year ago, Jones will now take the reigns as the signal caller for the Blue Jackets. He showed his quarterback skills and athleticism as a fill-in at the position a year ago and will be the trigger man for a run-heavy attack.

• Kam Green, WR – Waccamaw: Posting nearly 500 yards and a quartet of touchdowns, Green was the second-favorite target of QB Crisler, but will step into the featured role this season. New coach Amondre Johnson should dial up Green’s number multiple times per game to keep the Warriors’ dynamic offense going.

Honorable mention

Thomas Johnson, DL – Aynor

Anthony Eaddy, RB – Aynor

Trevor Larrimore, OL – Aynor

Lander Harrelson, LB – Aynor

Caleb Godfree, OL – Carolina Forest

Lucas Giovansanti, OL – Carolina Forest

Nevon Tyler, DL – Carolina Forest

Josh Harris, DL – Carolina Forest

Chris DeWitt, WR – Conway

Carlton Terry II, QB – Conway

Aaron Graham, QB – Green Sea Floyds

Chris Gilchrist, WR – Loris

Brice Faircloth, QB – Loris

Sullivan Hardin, K – Myrtle Beach

Zyer Belle, WR – North Myrtle Beach

Zane Smith, K – North Myrtle Beach

Bra’Lyn Smith-Sapp, DE – St. James

D.J. Willard, LB – Socastee