Here are the teams and players who shined in Week 2 of Grand Strand high school football
STARS OF THE NIGHT
Michael James, SR, RB, Socastee: Helping coach Ben Hampton earn his first victory for the Braves, Michael James put the scoring load on his back. Down 14-7 in the fourth quarter, James scored twice in the final frame to push the Braves ahead of St. James for good, bringing home a Region 6-5A win for Hampton and Socastee.
Kyle Watkins, SR, QB, Carolina Forest: Watkins is an uber-athlete playing quarterback for Carolina Forest, but showed that he’s not just a rushing threat. While putting up 90 rushing yards and a pair of scores, he also hit on the deep ball against Conway, connecting on a 50-yard score and a 30-yarder to pummel the Tigers 42-0.
Jaquan Dixon, SR, RB, Green Sea Floyds: You can’t keep a star player down long and Dixon is the area’s brightest star. After a pedestrian Week 1 effort and result, the senior exploded for 140 yards and 3TDs in Green Sea Floyds’ 28-12 victory over Hannah-Pamplico.
PLAY OF THE WEEK
Socastee defense, fourth down stop in the final minute
Facing a fourth down play with under a minute left in a tight contest, the Braves buckled down to stop a St. James trick play, securing its first win in the process. St. James had the ball in Socastee territory, driving for a potential game winning touchdown down 20-14. Facing fourth-and-14, the Sharks brought out a double pass, looking to catch the Braves in over-aggressive pursuit that would leave a wide open target downfield. Instead, Socastee stayed home, defending the first pass by St. James and the trickery downfield to put a bow on a victory for coach Ben Hampton.
BEST GAME
(1) Dillon 40, Aynor 36
Dillon raced out to a 14-0 lead on Aynor, building a 34-18 advantage by the time halftime hit. Jason Allen and Co. wouldn’t lay down against the top ranked team in Class 3A, fighting back to tie the game at 34 with three minutes left in the game.
While Dillon emerged victorious, the Blue Jackets showed they can play with the best of the best in Class 3A and that last year’s stunning victory over Dillon wasn’t a fluke. It chalks up as a loss in the record books, and Allen won’t take a moral victory, but Aynor should feel no shame in standing toe-to-toe with a perennial power in its classification.
WEEK 1 RESULTS
Aynor 34, @ Dillon 40
@ Carolina Forest 42, Conway 0
@ Socastee 20, St. James 14
Myrtle Beach 41, @ Georgetown 7
@ North Myrtle Beach 35, South Florence 7
@ Green Sea Floyds 28, Hannah-Pamplico 12
Loris 12, @ Waccamaw 7