Back to the gridiron: 5 questions as HS football practice begins

Friday’s start of fall football camps for area teams brings plenty of excitement, players and coaches understanding the first game is only three weeks away.

Between now and then – a span that includes the CNB Kickoff on Aug. 12, a number of other all-important scrimmages and plenty of practices – teams will have to iron out many of the kinks to ensure they are ready for the regular season. No, not every issue will be addressed before Week 0. But considering this will be the first time teams can don pads (after a brief heat acclimation period) since abbreviated spring drills in May, the competitive nature of the sport is about to go full throttle.

Here are five key questions we’ll start to get answers to before the Friday night lights turn on for real.

WHAT MYRTLE BEACH QB GETS THE GIG?

Seahawks coach Mickey Wilson has been adamant since the end of last season – when Drayton Arnold’s touchdown-laden career ended – that he would have a dynamic quarterback battle on his hands.

Senior Austin Riggs, junior Lawson Cribb and freshman Luke Doty would all have a chance to get maybe the highest-profile high school job along the Grand Strand. And as the team enters Friday, no decision has been made.

Riggs and Cribb have a leg up in that they not only were part of the varsity squad last year, but they were able to practice in the spring, too. Doty got his share of reps during Myrtle Beach’s 7-on-7 schedule, but until he puts on the pads, Wilson is tempering expectations of the first-year player who already possesses a college offer from Coastal Carolina.

The coach has said he wouldn’t rotate three quarterbacks, so the next two weeks isn’t just about finding a starter, but a valuable No. 2. At the same time, the Seahawks haven’t had a quarterback start every game since Everett Golson’s junior year (2009), so the value of having three options is a good problem to have.

HOW DOES THE CONWAY OFFENSE SHAPE UP?

When Conway lost Bryan Edwards near the end of the regular season last year, it wasn’t all doom and gloom.

That’s because the Tigers also had a record-setting quarterback in Peyton Derrick, a two-time 1,000-yard rusher in Jah’Maine Martin and a slew of young offensive players on the outside and on the line. It stands to reason then, even with Edwards now at South Carolina and Martin at Coastal Carolina, that Chuck Jordan’s offense could again do some damage this fall.

In order for that to happen, Conway obviously needs to fill the running back spot that Martin covered so well, but the Tigers likely also need to find a way to take advantage of Derrick’s skill set. That’s where seniors Darren Stanley (579 yards, seven touchdowns last year) and Malachi Miller (149, two), as well as junior Juwon Moody (234, six) come into play. Those three, any of whom have the athletic ability to slide over to defense, present a match-up problem with their overall speed. They also present a solution to Edwards’ absence, albeit as a group effort.

CAN ST. JAMES’ NUMBERS STAY HIGH?

There is no mistaking what Robbie Brown has done in a short time at St. James. In two seasons, one as the interim head coach after some time off from the game, the Sharks coach helped inspire some of the best athletes at the school to play football and then led the team to the best season in St. James’ brief history.

Much of that, though, could also be traced back to a strong class that stuck out some tough years. In total, 29 seniors were a part of the team last fall that went 7-5 and won a playoff game for the first time ever.

If nothing else, at least 18 seniors could be on the roster this year. That could be crucial. Because as much as Brown’s energy carried some of the holdovers from the previous coach to new heights, he is now charged with doing it with mostly players who have only suited up for him.

IS AYNOR’S TIP OF THE SWORD READY?

Last fall, Caleb Jenerette led the Blue Jackets in carries (108), rushing yards (481) and touchdowns (nine). The 6-foot-2 quarterback sacrificed his body time and again, and he was eventually ruled out late in the basketball season after an injury needed extensive care.

An eager Jenerette has recently been cleared to return to full drills. And while the Blue Jackets don’t throw the ball much – an average of just six times per game last season – his ability to digest information quickly and make the right call in the Blue Jackets’ tight offensive package is key to the team’s success. When running smoothly, it can chew up yards and time of possession, a two-pronged benefit forcing opposing teams into mistakes with their limited possessions.

Finding out just how ably Jenerette can get back to full strength will be Aynor’s most important detail of the next few weeks.

HOW WILL GEORGETOWN ADJUST TO SIGNIFICANT TRANSITION?

When Ken Cribb was given the head coaching job at Georgetown in the spring, it meant the school was committed to keeping momentum rolling. Cribb has an outstanding resume, and after one year at the school as an assistant, he already had a rapport with players.

But the issue at hand is the departure Cribb eventually filled is only one concern. In addition to former coach Bradley Adams –the school’s all-time winningest coach – the Bulldogs also lost offensive coordinator Brian Mahan (who accompanied Adams to Union County), quarterback Jarvis Brown and two-way star Cavonte Gamble.

As a senior, Brown threw for 2,569 yards and 26 touchdowns while rushing for another 660 yards and 10 scores. Gamble had 950 yards worth of receptions with nine touchdowns and picked off six passes and recorded 35 tackles from his spot in the defensive secondary.

There are a number of other holes to fill, specifically on the lines, meaning that Cribb has his work cut out for him while preparing for 2016.

This story was originally published July 28, 2016 at 4:17 PM with the headline "Back to the gridiron: 5 questions as HS football practice begins."