2022 Non-Region Games To Watch: The Pee Dee & Grand Strand
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The first few weeks of the season don’t mean much in terms of the playoffs.
That doesn’t mean the Pee Dee and Grand Strand won’t give us reason to tune in early.
Four games in particular that are being squeezed into the first several Fridays of the 2022 regular season will be packed with the type of individual talent storylines that may just outweigh the meaning of a non-region game that won’t affect any standings.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>
<strong>Myrtle Beach at Camden (Aug. 19)</strong>
One of the bigger name-recognition games in the state will take place at Camden to kick things off, when the defending Class 3A state runners-up take on one of the state’s most prominent Class 4A programs. And this one could shape up to be a rare low-scoring affair. Myrtle Beach will bring returning defensive starters <strong>Vinnie Cavalante</strong>, [player_tooltip player_id="146360" first="Cam" last="Ward"], [player_tooltip player_id="267459" first="Ricky" last="Escobar"] - some of the team’s best tackler to town. The Bulldogs will counter with one of the state’s most recruited defensive tackles in [player_tooltip player_id="89338" first="Xzavier" last="McLeod"] and fellow defensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id="91155" first="David" last="Copley"] and [player_tooltip player_id="139311" first="Grayson" last="White"].
<strong>Kingstree at Aynor (Aug. 26)</strong>
In 2022, Aynor’s heavy package will be led by quarterback <strong>Daniel Stanley</strong> (585 yards, four TDs last year) and new starting running backs <strong>Emmanuel Deas</strong> and <strong>Wyatt Cody</strong> - the next men up in Jason Allen’s offense. In ‘new’ Kingstree, though, there is an unknown after the the combination of the old Kingstree and C.E. Murray. Coach Brian Smith will take over the combined venture, and he’ll have six elite athletes at his disposal: TE/DE [player_tooltip player_id="89347" first="Nic" last="Brown"], WR/DB [player_tooltip player_id="123264" first="Amond" last="Myers"], OL <strong>Taylor Wilson</strong> and <strong>Jafari Slay</strong> and receivers <strong>Khamis Wilson</strong> and <strong>Henry Evans</strong>, the last two who are each 6-foot-4 or taller.
<strong>Oceanside Collegiate at South Florence (Aug. 26)</strong>
You better believe college scouts will be lining up to see this one. And it’s not just because South Florence has easy access points to the state’s highways. Between quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="146356" first="LaNorris" last="Sellers"], linebackers [player_tooltip player_id="263156" first="Trokel" last="Prew"] and [player_tooltip player_id="263155" first="Jaylin" last="Davis"] and offensive lineman <strong>Hunter McClary</strong>, the Bruins will have some star power to counter the likes of Oceanside offensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id="89337" first="Monroe" last="Freeling"], tailback [player_tooltip player_id="89344" first="Vaughn" last="Blue"] and defensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id="146357" first="Tim" last="Castain"].
<strong>Dillon at Hartsville (Sept. 9)</strong>
By now, we know that Dillon finds ways to reload year after year, and that will be the case in 2022 after the departure of yet another strong senior class. The center piece of this offense, top-flight OL recruit [player_tooltip player_id="139295" first="Josiah" last="Thompson"], will be encircled by relative newcomers or expected standouts like <strong>Jamarion Fling</strong> at tailback and <strong>Rahmond Hamilton</strong> at quarterback. Hartsville, meanwhile, is believed to be well-positioned to challenge for another huge year behind quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="208342" first="McKendrie" last="Douglas"], tailbacks [player_tooltip player_id="208339" first="Carmello" last="McDaniel"] and [player_tooltip player_id="202738" first="J’Shawn" last="Anderson"] and offensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id="208333" first="Slayton" last="Stokes"].
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