Socastee enters season with young squad in transition

On paper, nearly everything points to Socastee football going through some struggles this fall.

The Braves have one of the smallest groups of returning starters in the area while playing in the state’s largest class. There’s also the further implementation of a spread offense and a noticeable lack of size.

“That’s scary, because they haven’t developed yet,” third-year coach Doug Illing said when asked about the uphill climb it appears his team is facing. “We’re just one game removed from a JV season. A lot can go wrong. You have to prepare the kids for that. You have to keep them in it. There are going to be some tough times and we’re in the developmental stages of it. But we can still have some success.”

The Braves have proved overcoming seemingly long odds isn’t impossible in recent years.

In 2012, Socastee was fighting a string of recent losing seasons but still won 12 games and advanced to the third round of the playoffs. The Braves repeated that record the next year despite a head coaching change.

Then, last fall, during the team’s first season back in Class AAAA in more than a decade, Socastee managed to finish third in Region VI and make the playoffs.

Playing against the odds has sort of become old hat, even if the new faces have adopted their coach’s cautious-yet-optimistic approach.

“I know that we’re inexperienced. We have a lot of young people,” starting quarterback Brandon Goswick said. “We hear it a lot. We try not to listen to that stuff. We try to get better every day. I look at it as I want to prove them wrong.”

In order to do that, Socastee is going to have to adjust to an offense that is as far away from its traditional triple option as it’s been since the 1990s. Illing never hid his intention to eventually switch Socastee away from it. But when a reporter at the CNB Kickoff Luncheon asked him about a roster that includes just one listed running back, the not-so-well-kept secret was let out of the bag.

A large turnover from a year ago was the perfect impetus for the change. Only two starters returned. In Illing’s mind, if you’re going to start fresh, doing it with new personnel is as good a time as any.

Goswick, who can rattle off the names of five receivers in mere seconds, agreed.

“I believe that this year, we can show people that Socastee is not just a running team. I definitely have the weapons for us to do that,” he said. “It’s hard to get away from it when you’ve been so effective with it. When Hunter Renfrow was here, it was the best thing. I wanted to run triple option when I grew up.”

Change won’t be relegated to the offense.

The other side of the ball was dealt several significant blows due to graduation. The unit will have to make up for the losses of Sam McKinney (63 tackles, seven interceptions), Hunter Thacker (83 tackles, three forced fumbles) and Finn Melko (72 tackles, four forced fumbles).

Back will be linebackers Cole Renfrow and Zach Shear, as well as defensive backs Dalton Jonas and Aeneas Green.

Along with a bunch of players getting their first significant varsity playing time, it will be their job to exceed expectations at Socastee.

Again.

This story was originally published August 18, 2015 at 4:35 PM with the headline "Socastee enters season with young squad in transition."