Conway’s Edwards selected to play in Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas

Bryan Edwards recognizes that the final few weeks of his time at Conway are going to be a blur.

The standout receiver is planning on graduating early so he can enroll at the University of South Carolina in January. On Monday, an expected yet still humbling bit of news was added to the list.

Edwards was named to the Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas roster, an honor that stemmed from his stellar football career.

“It’s all gonna happen in a hurry,” Edwards said after receiving official word he had earned a spot on the 44-player South Carolina team. “You don’t realize it. You’re like ‘Man, I’m gonna graduate and then go to college and further my career.’ ”

The game, which will be played Saturday, Dec. 19 at Wofford’s Gibbs Stadium in Spartanburg, will pit the best players from the Palmetto State against their counterparts from North Carolina. Even before this year, it appeared Edwards was on the short list of receivers who would make the cut.

What he’s done as a senior made him an obvious choice. Through six games this year, Edwards has 36 receptions for 732 yards and seven touchdowns. He’s stepped in occasionally on defense and special teams, as well.

But where he’s made his mark is on offense. In three and a half seasons, he’s tallied 2,325 yards and 30 touchdowns on 171 receptions.

Conway coach Chuck Jordan has said since Edwards was a 13-year old starting on the varsity that he was steering a player with next-level talent.

“He was a very deserving young man,” Jordan said. “To have the body of work that Bryan has is pretty phenomenal. That’s the key to Bryan – he’s just has constant, steady progress. … There’s just not enough good things you can say about the kid.”

In some regards, Edwards will be carrying the banner for the entire Grand Strand. One year after Waccamaw’s Tyler Davis was the area’s lone Shrine Bowl selection, Edwards is in a similar position for the state’s top all-star event.

Finding out he was the only local name on the roster was a bit of a surprise.

“There’s a lot of great players in this county,” he said. “I feel like we had a player who could have made it.”

Regardless, Edwards will be suiting up for the Sandlappers in December. He’ll be joining a long list of Conway stars who also were selected. Most recently, Mykal Moody and Malcolm Green played in the game in 2012, with Green sharing MVP honors in the game that year.

The difference for this Tiger is the whirlwind that will accompany his selection. Already a full NCAA qualifier, he’ll be preparing to graduate and move to Columbia shortly after the Shrine Bowl.

He said none of that will stop him from enjoying the ride.

“I’m really excited for it to come around,” Edwards said. “I feel like it will be a great way to end my career, playing with the best players in South Carolina.”

This story was originally published October 5, 2015 at 3:56 PM with the headline "Conway’s Edwards selected to play in Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas."