Week 1 Grand Strand high school football capsules

Wando at Conway

When: 7:30 p.m., Friday

Radio: WGTR-FM, 107.9

Records: Wando, 0-1; Conway, 1-0

Last year: Did not play

Scouting report: OrTre Smith is used to having all eyes on him. On Friday night, the Wando receiver can rest assured the entire Conway back seven will have an eye on him, seeking to keep the dynamic pass catcher in check. “There is no way you are going to stop him, you can only really hope to contain him,” Conway head coach Chuck Jordan. “(Wando) is going to try to get the long ball to him, and we need to make sure someone is always over the top. They’ll try to get him involved in the screen game, too. Simply, we just need to know where he is.” If there is one thing that helps in limiting Smith’s impact, it is having an experienced secondary — which Conway is fortunate to have. Possessing the ability to score points in bunches also helps. Despite scoring 41 points a week ago, Jordan believes his offense can play much better. “It felt like the typical first game, in that we were a bit sloppy,” the Conway coach said. “Yeah, it is nice to score points, but we were ugly in doing so. Hopefully, we can play with much better rhythm and be more consistent.” To do so, the Tigers must handle themselves in the trenches against Wando’s 3-4 defensive alignment. “The key to their defense is the outside linebacker will tend to be run and pass guys, in that they will sometimes go into coverage and other times come as another rusher off the edge,” Jordan said. “It can present problems for us. But if we can handle them up front, we will be alright.”

Andrew Jackson at Aynor

When: 7:30 p.m., Friday

Radio: None

Records: Andrew Jackson, 0-1; Aynor, 1-0

Coaches: C.J. Frye, Andrew Jackson; Jody Jenerette, Aynor

Last year: Did not play

Scouting report: Aynor’s smashmouth approach did its job last Friday night, racking up nearly 300 yards in downing former region foe Marion. While the Blue Jackets’ philosophy will not change this week against Andrew Jackson, will the results? Despite falling to Lewisville last week, Aynor football coach Jody Jenerette was impressed with the front the Volunteers will bring from Kershaw, particularly their size on both lines of scrimmage. “(Andrew Jackson) is a big team on both sides of the line of scrimmage,” Jenerette said. “We’ve tended sometimes to struggle with teams like that, it’s tough getting a push up front. We may have to scheme, maybe double team to keep them out of our backfield.”

Favorite: Aynor

Carolina Forest at Fairmont (N.C.)

When: 7:30 p.m., Friday

Radio: WSEA-FM, 100.3

Records: Carolina Forest, 0-0; Fairmont 0-1

Coaches: Marc Morris, Carolina Forest; Mark Heil, Fairmont

Last year: Did not play

Scouting report: While most teams around the state kicked off their regular season slate, Marc Morris and Carolina Forest used the week for additional evaluation and preparation. It also allowed the Panthers an opportunity to scout the team that will be opposite them in the season opener. Despite falling last week to Fayetteville (N.C.) Westover, the Golden Tornadoes offered dangerous tendencies that perked the interest of the Carolina Forest coaching staff. Senior receiver Jarique Moore hauled in seven balls for 265 yards and three touchdowns last week, making up for the large share of his team’s offensive production. “Their quarterback threw for around 3,700 yards last year and (Moore) had 1,800 yards himself,” Morris said. “Their skills guys are good, and we have to make sure we come to play, because (Fairmont) presents a solid test.” What may help Carolina Forest is the battle of attrition, though, a lot of the Golden Tornadoes’ personnel playing on both sides of the ball — something that is not necessarily the case for the Panthers.

Favorite: Carolina Forest

Loris at North Myrtle Beach

When: 7:30 p.m., Friday

Radio/TV: WLSC-AM, 1240 (Loris); WRNN-FM, 99.5 and nmbchiefs.com (North Myrtle Beach); HTC Channel 4 and HTCConnect.com

Records: Both teams are 1-0

Coaches: Jamie Snider, Loris; Blair Hardin, North Myrtle Beach

Last year: North Myrtle Beach won, 27-26

Scouting report: Both teams coming off of big wins a week ago, Loris’ Jamie Snider and North Myrtle Beach’s Blair Hardin have emphasized the importance of staying humble coming into this week’s matchup, one with a history of close results. This game has been decided by a touchdown or less the past three seasons, largely due to the sheer amount of athleticism featured by both teams. “(Loris) is a very balanced team in terms of the run and the pass,” Hardin said. “The quarterback does a good job of managing the game, and their defense does a good job of forcing turnovers.” Snider is preaching the importance of his players “doing their job” this week. “North Myrtle Beach makes you play a lot of responsibility-based football,” Snider said. “You have to constantly be on the look out for the counters, the reverses, the options. They are just as aggressive on defense, as they are extremely fast to the football and extremely physical.” In such a rivalry, there is a lot of chatter — not only from one side of the line of scrimmage to the other, but in the communities as well. Both coaches have spent the past week making sure their players’ sole focus is on the task at hand. “Our sole focus is on this game and not what is said in the community or in Loris, for that matter,” Hardin said. “We have to go out there and execute.”

Favorite: North Myrtle Beach

New Hanover (N.C.) at Myrtle Beach

When: 7:30 p.m., Friday

Radio: WYNA-FM, 104.9

Records: Both teams are 1-0

Coaches: Earl Smith, New Hanover; Mickey Wilson, Myrtle Beach

Last year: Did not play

Scouting report: The Myrtle Beach defense proved it was up to the task last week, forcing six turnovers against a vaunted Byrnes attack en route to a surprising 35-19 victory. With another week comes another test, though, as Wilmington (N.C.) New Hanover pays a visit to Doug Shaw Stadium. The Wildcats feature a balanced attack, one blessed with several weapons capable of taking it to the end zone on any play. Chief among them is senior wide receiver Lamont Howard and junior running back Wiz Vaughn, the duo combining for 257 yards in a season-opening win over Hoke County. However, those two are not the only ones New Hanover bring to the table. “(New Hanover’s) overall team speed and size is what first pops out at you. We’ll certainly have our hands full with that,” Myrtle Beach head coach Mickey Wilson said. “Plus, they built plenty of momentum from last year that helped them win their first game. They’ll certainly be ready to play, and we must as well.” Following a rather pedestrian effort on offense, Wilson hopes that another week of reps will help it gain traction. “The best thing is, those are fixable mistakes (on offense),” Wilson said.

Favorite: Myrtle Beach

North Brunswick (N.C.) at Socastee

When: 7:30 p.m., Friday

Radio: WSYN-FM, 103.1

Records: North Brunswick, 1-0; Socastee, 0-1

Last year: Did not play

Scouting report: Mistakes told the tale last week for Socastee, as a litany of errors led to a 43-28 defeat at the hand of West Brunswick. Fortunately, a new week offers the Braves a new chance to right those wrongs. “Offensively, we had two fourth downs in the red zone we did not convert, we had an offensive turnover, and a special teams turnover,” said Socastee football coach Doug Illing. “And to lose by two touchdowns, those turnovers were the difference.” There was plenty that Socastee did right, however. Quarterback Hunter Illing threw for 283 yards — 119 of which went to wide receiver Aeneas Green. Running back Edward Tucker also ran for 89 yards on 17 carries, racking up four touchdowns in the process. Illing knows his team will have its hands full, though, referring to North Brunswick as the most athletic group his team will see. “(North Brunswick) tends to get the ball in the hands of playmakers and let them make plays,” Illing said. “We have to tackle in space. Last week on the sweeps and traps we didn’t adjust well until it was too late. North Brunswick is a tough offense to prepare for, but hopefully we’ll adjust a bit quicker.”

Favorite: North Brunswick

St. James at Waccamaw

When: 7:30 p.m., Friday

Radio: None

Records: Both teams are 0-1

Last year: Did not play

Scouting report: As if the stakes could not be higher for a pair of teams eager for a win. Both coming off losses in their respective season openers, St. James and Waccamaw seek not only to get on the winning side of the ledger, each side wants a victory in this South Strand rivalry — the first contest between the foes since 2012. “Our kids know the ones at St. James, and vice versa,” said Waccamaw head coach Tyronne Davis. “Their zone is adjacent to ours, and in some cases, (players) live right across the street from each other.” A 21-point outburst by Loris in the second quarter proved too much for St. James to dig out of last week, while the inability to prevent the big play hurt Waccamaw in its loss at the hand of Andrews. According to St. James head coach Robby Brown, the Warriors’ ability to move the ball with such young personnel last week impressed him most. “The little trap plays they run, Waccamaw has good line play and a solid back,” he said. “They moved it a lot last week.” Davis expects a similar physicality on offense from St. James. “They’re physical, which is kind of what you expect to see from them each year,” the Waccamaw head man said. “Some of their skill guys are dangerous and quick, and the Sharks give so many looks that you have to prepare for them all.” As tends to be the case in most games, both coaches have put the onus on tackling, believing the squad that does the best job of it will come away with a win.

Favorite: St. James

Georgetown at Carvers Bay

When: 7:30 p.m., Friday

Radio:WGTN-AM, 1400 (Georgetown)

Records: Both teams are 0-1

Last year: Georgetown won, 34-27

Scouting report: Physicality will be a must when Carvers Bay and Georgetown face off on Friday night. Despite being underdogs last week, both teams were able to give their opponents fits before falling in defeat. There are high stakes beyond victory in this one, however, the team’s fighting for Georgetown County pride in the process. “I think we both teams are trying to improve, get better,” said Georgetown head coach Ken Cribb. “This game is going to come down to turnovers and who can tackle the best.” Georgetown received a boost last week with the return of running back Tony Lara, who ran 11 times for 69 yards and a touchdown. He’ll face a tenacious Carvers Bay front in this one, however. “It’s a typical Carvers Bay team, they’re talented and physical,” Cribb said. “It’s almost a carbon copy every year. They get after it, and they’re going to hit you.”

Favorite: Georgetown

This story was originally published August 25, 2016 at 7:39 PM with the headline "Week 1 Grand Strand high school football capsules."