Myrtle Beach continues late season roll with win over rival Chiefs
Since starting the season with a 2-3 record, the Myrtle Beach football team has been on a tear.
The Seahawks showed no signs of slowing down Friday night, either.
Myrtle Beach senior quarterback Drayton Arnold tossed four touchdown passes to four different receivers and the Seahawks held off a pesky North Myrtle Beach squad for a 35-28 victory to finish 5-0 in Region VII-AAA.
“I’m proud of our players and our coaches,” Myrtle Beach coach Mickey Wilson said. “Going 5-0 in the region after a 2-3 start to the season is something to be really proud of. This team has faced a lot of adversity and we’re going to get ready for the playoffs.”
Friday’s game was good preparation for the Seahawks, too, already having qualified for the playoffs. Myrtle Beach wrapped up the Region VII-AAA title with a 42-7 win over Georgetown last week.
With the Seahawks’ playoff berth secured, Wilson said it offers an opportunity to wipe the slate clean.
“Now everybody is 0-0,” Wilson said. “We have to be prepared. We’ve got some things to work on and we’re just going to come out [in practice] on Monday and try to get better.”
Meanwhile, North Myrtle Beach’s future is a bit less certain. Finishing fourth in Region VII-AAA, the Chiefs did not earn one of the conference’s three automatic playoff spots.
Despite the circumstances, the team is in prime position to qualify for an at-large bid, putting it on the road for the first round of the Class AAA playoffs.
“We’ve [faced] a lot of adversity this year. The biggest thing is – with the loss – I think our kids came closer to each other,” Chiefs coach Blair Hardin said. “It doesn’t happen often. I’m not a fan of the loss, but I’m a fan of how our kids played the game and how they responded.
“In the postseason, anything can happen. We’ve got new life and a new season coming up here soon.”
On Friday, though, North Myrtle Beach fought until the very end. Down by 14 points in the third quarter, Chiefs halfback Kered Class scored on a 3-yard run to bring North Myrtle Beach within 21-14 with about five minutes left in the stanza.
Myrtle Beach would answer with a pair of touchdowns of its own, Cortez Brown hauling in a 14-yard TD pass from Arnold, and running back Brandon Sinclair scoring on a 1-yard run to put the Seahawks up 35-14.
Despite the deficit, North Myrtle Beach continued to fight back, with Class again finding the end zone – this time on an explosive 89-yard run – cutting the deficit to 35-21 with 10 minutes left.
As time expired, Reece Finch caught a 10-yard touchdown pass from Chiefs quarterback Ronnie Bass to bring North Myrtle Beach within seven points.
Class finished with a career-high 225 yards on 15 carries, with Bass going 17-for-24 passing for 187 yards and a touchdown.
Hardin gave his kids some motivation after the loss and told them to keep their heads up.
“Our kids played their tails off. We just made some mistakes and played a good football team,” Hardin said. “... Our kids laid their bodies on the line out on the field and that’s fun to watch. We never gave up, [but] three turnovers killed us. They got 21 points off three turnovers. We missed some opportunities but there were some good things that happened tonight and we can’t hang our heads.”
Said Wilson: “My hat goes off to [North Myrtle Beach] coaching staff; they do a great job. They played hard for four quarters and that’s what it’s all about.”
Meanwhile, Arnold was 19-for-25 for 285 yards and four touchdowns. Myrtle Beach’s Elijah Rice led all receivers with seven catches for 115 yards and a touchdown, with Sinclair running the ball 30 times for 127 yards and a score.
“[Arnold] is a very good football player, he made some great throws and we tried to pressure him but couldn’t,” Hardin said. “They’re a good football team. [They’re] well-coached.”
Wilson admitted he’s pleased with his squad’s progress as the Seahawks accomplished all their goals for region play.
“I like where our team is at,” Wilson said. “We still have some room for improvement, but once again, I’m really proud of our players and coaches for going 5-0 in the region.”
Myrtle Beach | 0 | 21 | 7 | 7 | — | 35 |
NMB | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 | — | 28 |
SECOND QUARTER
NMB -- Kered Class 16 run (Andrew Smith kick), 10:44
MB -- Keyonte Sessions 19 pass from Drayton Arnold (Matthew Card kick), 9:07
MB -- Elijah Rice 21 pass from Arnold (Card kick), 5:19
MB -- Will Vereen 33 pass from Arnold (Card kick), 1:42
THIRD QUARTER
NMB -- Class 3 run (Smith kick), 5:21
MB -- Cortez Brown 14 pass from Arnold (Mitchell McCrackin kick), 1:41
FOURTH QUARTER
MB -- Brandon Sinclair 1 run (McCrackin kick), 10:54
NMB -- Class 89 run (Smith kick), 10:00
NMB -- Reece Finch 10 pass from Ronnie Bass (Smith kick), 0:00
▪ RUSHING: MB: Brandon Sinclair 30-127, Drayton Arnold 7-27, Elijah Rice 3-47. NMB: Kered Class 15-225, Daquan Montgomery 8-65, Ronnie Bass 10-60, Tyler Gore 1-18.
▪ PASSING: MB: Arnold 19-25-0, 285 yards, 4 TD. NMB: Bass 17-24-0, 187 yards, 1 TD.
▪ RECEIVING: MB: Elijah Rice 7-115, TD, Cortez Brown 5-60, Keyonte Sessions 4-58, Sinclair 2-19. NMB: Tyler Gore 6-86, Xavier Clarida 3-34, Reece Finch 2-40, Montgomery 2-29.
Max McKinnon: 843-626-0302, @mmckinnonTSN
This story was originally published October 31, 2015 at 1:09 AM with the headline "Myrtle Beach continues late season roll with win over rival Chiefs."