CNB Kickoff Classic notebook: Myrtle Beach’s Wilson finally has his man at QB

Maybe it was the summer sun, or possibly it was because all were trying to get to the same place.

Noticeably, the crowd was a tad late to Doug Shaw Memorial Stadium on Friday night for this year’s edition of the CNB Kickoff Classic. However, when they did arrive, those in attendance were treated to the gridiron action they had savored for the past several months.

The event served as the perfect liftoff for a football season that will boast its share of highs, lows and everything in between. Most importantly, though, teams received their final tuneup just ahead of next week's games and their debuts under the famed Friday night lights.

Here are a few observations from what transpired during Friday night's festivities:

Cribb gets the nod

Following the departure of veteran quarterback Drayton Arnold to graduation, Myrtle Beach head football coach Mickey Wilson knew he would have a dilemma on his hands.

Three signal callers would vie for the job, two of which had previously seen action at the varsity level — Lawson Cribb and Austin Riggs — and a talented freshman with a load of potential — Luke Doty.

Throughout the preseason, Wilson did his best to evade questions about the quarterback competition, merely mentioning it “is a work in progress,” or that “the best kid will earn the job.”

Wilson’s poker face loosened a bit Friday night, however, allowing Cribb to get the large share of the snaps during the Seahawks’ 27-8 win over Aynor in the CNB Kickoff Classic finale. The junior quarterback threw two touchdown passes in the game, while contributing to a third.

Following the game, Wilson made his decision official — Cribb will be Myrtle Beach’s starting quarterback heading into its Week 0 clash with Byrnes.

“Moving forward, Lawson is our starter as of right now,” the Seahawks head coach said. “He’s doing great. He’s had a great summer and a great preseason, so he’s going to be our starter going into the season opener.”

Doty and Riggs also saw time in Friday night's contest, alternating plays on Myrtle Beach's final touchdown drive.

NMB sends a message

After a solid 2015 campaign, there certainly was reason for much excitement and anticipation for this year’s group of Conway Tigers.

But on Friday night, the question wasn’t “How good can this year’s Conway team be?” Rather, it was “Can this North Myrtle Beach team really be this good?”

It may have been in a jamboree setting, but the Chiefs turned a game expected by most to be the best at this year’s CNB Kickoff Classic into a one-sided 20-0 rout.

Versatile in its play calling, the Chiefs kept Conway off balance — and its offense off the field, for that matter.

For the game, Conway ran only 12 plays on offense — less than what North Myrtle Beach ran on its final touchdown drive.

What most impressed North Myrtle Beach head coach Blair Hardin was his team’s effort.

“The effort was great by our kids, that effort has been great in spring, summer and during this preseason,” he said. “We were sloppy at times, just we have to fine tune some things.

“... We have a great core of coaches, and they’re all in, and our kids are buying in. Our best is yet to come, and I'm excited about this team.”

Smallest giant gets job done

It’s often easy to overlook Green Sea Floyds.

The smallest of 12 public high schools in Horry County, not much was expected of them as it took the field Friday night at the CNB Kickoff Classic.

For the Trojans, it was the one time in which it would be able to make an impression on a crowd the size of the one at Doug Shaw Memorial Stadium. It would turn out to be an opportunity the team would not let go to waste.

Controlling both lines of scrimmage, Green Sea Floyds was dominant in an 8-0 victory over St. James.

Taking on a school three rungs higher in terms of class, the Trojans outgained their opponents from Murrells Inlet 184-38. And if not for a pair of untimely penalties, the final result could have been more lopsided in their favor.

Though a jamboree, Green Sea Floyds head coach Tony Sullivan is using the win as one his team can hang its hat on, motivation for the grueling season ahead.

“It’s got to let them know that all this hard work is finally paying off,” Sullivan said. “These seniors are my babies; I’ve had them since eighth grade. They deserve to get paid. For them to have the success we’ve had, it’s just really special it’s really, really good.”

Ian Guerin contributed to this report.

This story was originally published August 13, 2016 at 5:32 PM with the headline "CNB Kickoff Classic notebook: Myrtle Beach’s Wilson finally has his man at QB."