Area teams’ football schedules feature some new quirks for 2016

Realignment for the South Carolina High School League’s move to a five–class system is going to require an adjustment period when it comes to the annual football schedules.

That probably goes for the area’s soon-to-be Class AAAA programs more than most.

Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach and St. James – which will be a part of the newly formed Region VI–AAAA alongside regular foe Wilson and Marlboro County – will have four games inside the division. And each Friday during the final five weeks, one of those teams will sit idle.

That is just one of the newsworthy items associated with the upcoming football season.

▪ The annual rivalry game between North Myrtle Beach and Myrtle Beach, to be played at Doug Shaw Memorial Stadium this season, will be Sept. 30. It will be the first time the teams did not faced each other in the final game of the regular season since 2007.

▪ As the five classes go to at least a slightly more streamlined scheduling process, the state’s largest class will now play 10 regular–season games instead of 11. For Grand Strand programs Carolina Forest, Conway and Socastee, that means the schools needed to only sign five non–region game contracts.

▪ Carolina Forest would struggle to find many games against schools as big as it is. However, the Panthers did set a non–region schedule against only teams that qualified for their respective playoff divisions last season. The first four games will all come on the road, including two trips to North Carolina to face Fairmont and Hoggard. Adding in Myrtle Beach and St. James, and those first four opponents won a combined 37 games in 2015.

▪ Two other area schools, Waccamaw and Carvers Bay, will play only non-region games against teams that made the playoffs last fall. Meanwhile, seven of the 12 teams in The Sun News coverage area will play at least one game against a North Carolina school.

▪ After final considerations and appeals, the Grand Strand will have at least one team in each of the five classifications. In addition to the aforementioned groupings, Aynor, Georgetown, Loris and Waccamaw will be in Region VI–AAA; Carvers Bay will compete in Region VII–AA; Green Sea Floyds will be Horry County’s lone Class A team, playing in Region VI.

2016 TEAM–BY–TEAM FOOTBALL SCHEDULES

All games on Fridays unless otherwise noted

*–Denotes region game

AYNOR

Aug. 19 – at Marion

Aug. 26 – vs. Andrew Jackson

Sept. 2 – at Green Sea–Floyds

Sept. 9 – vs. Creek Bridge

Sept. 16 – at West Columbus (N.C.)

Sept. 30 – vs. Georgetown*

Oct. 7 – at Waccamaw*

Oct. 14 – at Dillon*

Oct. 21 – vs. Lake City*

Oct. 28 – vs. Loris*

CAROLINA FOREST

Aug. 26 – at Fairmont (N.C.)

Sept. 2 – at St. James

Sept. 9 – at Hoggard (N.C.)

Sept. 16 – at Myrtle Beach

Sept. 23 – vs. Loris

Sept. 30 – at Socastee*

Oct. 7 – vs. South Florence*

Oct. 14 – vs. Sumter*

Oct. 21 – at West Florence*

Oct. 28 – vs. Conway

CARVERS BAY

Aug. 19 – vs. Marlboro County

Aug. 26 – vs. Georgetown

Sept. 2 – at Waccamaw

Sept. 9 – vs. North Myrtle Beach

Sept. 16 – at Andrews*

Sept. 23 – at Kingstree*

Sept. 30 – at Marion*

Oct. 7 – vs. Mullins*

Oct. 21 – vs. Johnsonville*

Oct. 28 – vs. Latta*

CONWAY

Aug. 19 – vs. Georgetown

Aug. 26 – vs. Wando

Sept. 2 – vs. Wilson

Sept. 9 – at Hartsville

Sept. 23 – vs. Myrtle Beach

Sept. 30 – at West Florence*

Oct. 7 – Socastee*

Oct. 14 – at South Florence*

Oct. 21 – vs. Sumter*

Oct. 28 – at Carolina Forest*

GEORGETOWN

Aug. 19 – at Conway

Aug. 26 – at Carvers Bay

Sept. 2 – vs. Andrews

Sept. 9 – vs. Stratford

Sept. 16 – vs. St. James

Sept. 30 – at Aynor*

Oct. 7 – vs. Lake City*

Oct. 14 – at Loris*

Oct. 21 – vs. Dillon*

Oct. 28 – at Waccamaw*

GREEN SEA FLOYDS

Aug. 19 – at East Columbus (N.C.)

Sept. 2 – vs. Aynor

Sept. 9 – at Loris

Sept. 16 – vs. Military Magnet

Sept. 23 – vs. Camden Military

Sept. 30 – vs. Lake View*

Oct. 7 – vs. Creek Bridge*

Oct. 14 – at East Clarendon*

Oct. 21 – at Hemingway*

Oct. 28 – vs. Hannah–Pamplico*

LORIS

Aug. 19 – vs. St. James

Aug. 26 – at North Myrtle Beach

Sept. 2 – at South Columbus (N.C.)

Sept. 9 – vs. Green Sea–Floyds

Sept. 23 – at Carolina Forest

Sept. 30 – vs. Lake City*

Oct. 7 – vs. Dillon

Oct. 14 – vs. Georgetown*

Oct. 21 – at Waccamaw*

Oct. 28 – at Aynor*

MYRTLE BEACH

Aug. 20 (Sat.) – vs. Byrnes

Aug. 26 – vs. New Hanover (N.C.)

Sept. 1 (Thurs.) – at West Florence

Sept. 9 – vs. Socastee

Sept. 16 – vs. Carolina Forest

Sept. 23 – at Conway

Sept. 30 – vs. North Myrtle Beach*

Oct. 7 – at St. James*

Oct. 14 – at Marlboro County*

Oct. 28 – vs. Wilson

NORTH MYRTLE BEACH

Aug. 19 – vs. Timberland

Aug. 26 – vs. Loris

Sept. 2 – vs. West Brunswick (N.C.)

Sept. 9 – at Carvers Bay

Sept. 16 – at Socastee

Sept. 23 – at Camden

Sept. 30 – at Myrtle Beach*

Oct. 14 – vs. Wilson*

Oct. 21 – vs. Marlboro County*

Oct. 28 – at St. James*

SOCASTEE

Aug. 19 – at West Brunswick (N.C.)

Aug. 26 – vs. North Brunswick (N.C.)

Sept. 9 – at Myrtle Beach

Sept. 16 – vs. North Myrtle Beach

Sept. 23 – at St. James

Sept. 30 – vs. Carolina Forest*

Oct. 7 – at Conway*

Oct. 14 – vs. West Florence*

Oct. 21 – vs. South Florence*

Oct. 28 – at Sumter*

ST. JAMES

Aug. 19 – at Loris

Aug. 26 – at Waccamaw

Sept. 2 – vs. Carolina Forest

Sept. 9 – vs. Lake City

Sept. 16 – at Georgetown

Sept. 23 – vs. Socastee

Sept. 30 – at Marlboro County*

Oct. 7 (Thurs.) – vs. St. James*

Oct. 20 (Thurs.) – at Wilson*

Oct. 28 – vs. North Myrtle Beach*

WACCAMAW

Aug. 19 – at Andrews

Aug. 26 – vs. St. James

Sept. 2 – vs. Carvers Bay

Sept. 16 – at Hemingway

Sept. 23 – at Hannah–Pamplico

Sept. 30 – at Dillon*

Oct. 7 – vs. Aynor*

Oct. 14 – at Lake City*

Oct. 21 – vs. Loris*

Oct. 28 – vs. Georgetown*

This story was originally published April 18, 2016 at 4:33 PM with the headline "Area teams’ football schedules feature some new quirks for 2016."