Saturday Morning QB | Playoff picture becoming clearer for area teams

The postseason picture is a heck of a lot more clear following Friday’s game than it was heading into the evening.

Here’s what we know so far via region standings and necessary existing tie-breakers.

Area teams Conway, Myrtle Beach, Georgetown, St. James and Carvers Bay can start planning for the playoffs.

North Myrtle Beach and Loris appear to be in, although that won’t be finalized until after this week’s final few regular-season games that were originally delayed by Hurricane Joaquin and the ensuing flooding that took place earlier this month.

Carolina Forest has to beat Conway, and Waccamaw needs to defeat Mullins at home this week to stay alive.

Socastee, Aynor and Green Sea Floyds have been eliminated.

Five area teams will have games this week. That includes Grand Strand Class AAAA squads Carolina Forest at Conway and Socastee’s season finale against already-crowned Region VI-AAAA Sumter. Class AA teams Waccamaw (vs. Mullins) and Loris (at Marion) will also be looking to bolster playoff bids in their regular-season closers.

We’ll know even more then, and the playoffs will be set in stone.

AROUND THE AREA

▪ The de facto Region VI-AAAA title game between Sumter and Conway got out of hand early, as the Gamecocks rolled to a 51-14 win. The Tigers couldn’t contain running back Quentin Richardson, who finished with six touchdowns on the night.

▪ Despite South Florence missing its regular starting quarterback, Socastee couldn’t get past a big night from Bruins receiver and defensive back David Vereen. The senior scored three touchdowns in a 25-13 South Florence win that officially knocked the Braves out of the playoff picture.

▪ Carolina Forest kept its playoff hopes alive with a 41-3 victory over West Florence. It came after another strong night from running back Dyverse Simmons and one of the team’s best defensive efforts of the season.

▪ St. James secured its third playoff berth in 12 seasons with a 16-14 road win at Lake City. It was the fourth time in six games the Sharks held an opponent to 14 or fewer points. The team won all four of those games, three of which came in region play.

▪ Myrtle Beach avoided a repeat of the regular-season finale loss it suffered against North Myrtle Beach last year with a 35-28 victory. The Seahawks finished Region VII-AAA with a perfect 5-0 record and will be a No. 1 seed when the playoffs open in two weeks.

▪ Loris’ defense bowed up in a 27-0 shutout over Aynor. The Lions defense made sure none of the 70-plus plays the Blue Jackets ran ended up in the end zone, a particularly valiant effort considering all seven of Aynor’s drives crossed midfield.

▪ Waccamaw put up little resistance against Dillon, Class AA’s top-ranked team, in a 58-0 loss. It was the Wildcats’ fifth shutout this season, with four of those coming against Region VIII-AA opponents.

▪ Carvers Bay continued its in-region turnaround by defeating nearby rival Hemingway 12-2. The win gives the Bears a third-place finish in Region VIII-A and two weeks to prepare for a first-round playoff matchup.

▪ Green Sea Floyds’ season effectively came to a close with a 30-14 loss at home against Latta. The Trojans’ season ended with three victories, a nice step forward for a team that went winless a year ago.

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POWER RANKINGS (all classes)

1. Conway

2. Myrtle Beach

3. Georgetown

4. Carolina Forest

5. St. James

WEEK 10 GAME BALLS

Cavonte Gamble, DB/WR, Georgetown: In one of the most dominant games of any local player all season, the senior caught eight passes for 195 yards and three touchdowns and recorded four interceptions in the Bulldogs’ ultra-meaningful win over Wilson.

Desmond Dozier, WR, Loris: The Lions’ top pass catcher took a pair of short passes in for touchdowns and had 80 receiving yards in the victory over Aynor. He also returned a punt 81 yards for a score.

Dyverse Simmons, RB, Carolina Forest: The Panthers’ workhorse went for 224 yards and three touchdowns on just 18 carries in a lopsided win over West Florence.

Robby Brown, Coach, St. James: In leading his team to a 16-14 win over Lake City on the road, the second-year Sharks coach becomes the first man in his job to say his St. James team will finish with a winning record.

This story was originally published October 31, 2015 at 2:12 AM with the headline "Saturday Morning QB | Playoff picture becoming clearer for area teams."