Saturday Morning QB | Half of area’s teams still alive after first slate of playoff games

After one week of the state playoffs, the Grand Strand has just half of its football teams remaining.

Three of the area’s teams from the state’s lower three classes lost on Friday. In addition to three that didn’t qualify for the postseason, that leaves just Myrtle Beach, Georgetown, St. James and Loris, as well as Class AAAA teams Carolina Forest and Conway, which open their playoffs next week.

But the exodus has the makings of one that will slow dramatically.

Courtesy of seeds breaking in both the Class AAA and Class AA, Division I brackets, Georgetown and Loris, respectively, each earned another home game against lower-seeded teams. And with the addition of Conway’s home game against Westwood, four of the six remaining teams will be playing at home. Traditionally, home teams have fared extremely well overall, although St. James was one of a handful of teams across the state to – once again – prove that matchups and game-planning can buck the trend in a hurry.

Even if there is one road upset and one home defeat, there’s little reason to believe at least four Grand Strand teams couldn’t be around after next week.

AROUND THE AREA

▪ After getting a big spark at the end of the first half, Myrtle Beach’s offense came to life in the second half en route to a 41-26 win over visiting Dreher. The Seahawks got 210 passing yards and three touchdowns from Drayton Arnold and 158 yards and a pair of rushing touchdowns from Brandon Sinclair in the win.

▪ In its third-ever home playoff game, Georgetown took care of Darlington 31-14 by getting two touchdown passes from Jarvis Brown and two rushing scores from Tony Lara. And with an upset in the paired second-round game (Brookland-Cayce over Hanahan), the Bulldogs will now have an additional home game next week in the second round.

▪ St. James wasn’t ready to let the fun end. Two weeks after the Sharks clinched their first guaranteed winning season and third trip to the playoffs in their 12-year history, Robby Brown’s team won the program’s first postseason game 27-18 at Marlboro County.

▪ North Myrtle Beach kept it interesting in the opening half before Class AAA No. 1 Hartsville blew the game wide open in the second half in the Red Foxes’ 42-13 win. The Chiefs’ season ended in the opening round of the playoffs for the second straight season.

▪ Loris jumped out to a three-touchdown lead and then held on for a 21-7 win over Wade Hampton in the first round of the Class AA, Division I playoffs. The Lions ran for 219 yards on 40 carries and controlled the game from start to finish.

▪ Much like two weeks ago, Dillon jumped all over Waccamaw early and then rolled to a 51-0 victory to end the Warriors’ season.

▪ In a rematch of the 2013 Class A, Division I Lower State final, Allendale-Fairfax defeated Carvers Bay 14-8 to end the Bears’ season.

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POWER RANKINGS (all classes)

1. Conway

2. Myrtle Beach

3. Georgetown

4. St. James

5. Carolina Forest

WEEK 12 GAME BALLS

Ta’Jay Williams, QB/WR, Loris: The multi-dimensional senior caught a touchdown reception from Clay Faircloth and ran in a pair of scores in the Lions’ 21-7 win over Wade Hampton. Williams completed a pass, ran the ball 15 times for 131 yards and had four receptions for 39 yards.

Elijah Rice, WR, Myrtle Beach: The senior played a role in the final 30 yards of an electric hook-and-lateral at the end of the first half, but he was once again big in two facets of the game. Rice finished with four carries for 72 yards and four receptions for 73 yards in the Seahawks’ victory.

This story was originally published November 14, 2015 at 1:00 AM with the headline "Saturday Morning QB | Half of area’s teams still alive after first slate of playoff games."