Saturday Morning QB | Carolina Forest looks like its playoff bound

It appears as if Carolina Forest fans will finally get a taste of playoff football at the state’s highest level.

The Panthers, who finished the regular season with a 33-0 loss at rival Conway on Friday, are projected to be one of the last teams in the Class AAAA, Division I bracket, according to the current status of several teams and the points system used to determine at-large spots and seeding. Per Conway math teacher, baseball coach and points system guru Anthony Carroll, Carolina Forest is slated to enter the postseason as either a No. 14 or No. 15 seed, depending on the result of the Spring Valley-Blythewood game on Friday.

That game is one of two Class AAAA contests still needing to be played after October flooding delayed a large number of games from around the state. The Class AAAA playoffs, then, will open on Nov. 20.

Carolina Forest, the seventh-largest school in the state, hadn’t been this close to the postseason since a pair of 7-4 seasons in 2010 and 2011. However, in each of those years, the team’s weak strength of schedule prevented it from competing for an at-large bid.

This year, despite a fourth-place region finish, Carroll – who is responsible for tracking the numbers for the Class AAAA football committee – said Carolina Forest’s point total was enough to earn it an at-large bid.

Second-year Panthers coach Marc Morris said he preferred not to comment until anything was official, something that won’t happen until next Saturday. However, days before Carolina Forest played Conway, he said qualifying for the postseason was necessary for the team to achieve bigger goals.

“Since I’ve walked on this campus, the main thing is to get to the playoffs,” Morris said. “My goal is to win a state championship. You can’t go if you ain’t in the dance. The thing is to get a ticket to the dance.”

Looks like the Panthers can put on their dancing shoes.

Also included in those projections was further confirmation that Conway should be at home when the playoffs open on November 20. The Tigers will be either a No. 5 or No. 6 seed and will start the postseason at the Backyard.

AROUND THE AREA

▪ With its biggest weapon of the 2015 season on the shelf, Conway switched gears and relied upon the running game and a stingy defense to beat rival Carolina Forest 33-0. The Tigers led 20-0 at halftime and were able to preserve the shutout when a late scoring opportunity for the Panthers resulted in a turnover.

▪ Socastee’s injury-plagued season came to an end with a 41-0 loss to Region VI-AAAA champion Sumter. The Braves were able to muster just 50 yards of total offense against the Gamecocks.

▪ Waccamaw held on for a 24-22 win over Mullins. The Warriors’ efforts, along with Loris’ 42-20 loss at Marion, created a three-way tie for third place in Region VIII-AA behind first-place Dillon and second-place Marion.

Loris was eventually named the third-place finisher in the region and Waccamaw fourth, based on multiple tie-breakers.

Number of the week

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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

Jah’Maine Martin, RB, Conway: The North-South all-star proved his worth, rushing for 137 yards and three touchdowns in the 33-0 win over Carolina Forest. The game pushed him over 1,000 yards for the second consecutive season.

Hakeem Jackson, RB, Loris: Although it came in a loss, Lions tailback Hakeem Jackson rushed 13 times for 102 yards and a touchdown against Marion.

Kelton Grant, RB, Waccamaw: The senior finished with 161 carries and two touchdowns on just 15 carries to help the Warriors to a win over Mullins.

This story was originally published November 7, 2015 at 1:22 AM with the headline "Saturday Morning QB | Carolina Forest looks like its playoff bound."