Stat-Stuffing Defensive Standouts Of The Pee Dee/Grand Strand

The northeast section of South Carolina will feel losses from the departing class on defenses from Class 5A right on down to the SCISA ranks.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span> What we expect from all the transition is a bunch of players to use it as an opportunity to prove just how valuable they already were. Seven players in particular will enter 2022 as seasoned veterans, ones who have already put up some nifty numbers and could use next year as either a legacy sealer or a springboard to something huge. <strong>DEFENSIVE BACKS</strong> In an age where shutdown corners are increasingly valuable, Myrtle Beach’s <strong>Mike Gillard</strong> should see his stock continue to rise. As a junior, the 6-foot, 170-pounder had 36.5 total tackles, four tackles for loss, a forced fumble and a pick. The Seahawks will be losing a chunk of their back seven/eight, meaning Gillard will be expected to hold down a large part of the field by himself. Over at West Florence, 6-foot-1, 185-pound strong safety [player_tooltip player_id="208334" first="Kelvin" last="Hunter"] blossomed as a sophomore. It was then that he had 28 solo tackles (with another 13 assisted stops), 11 tackles for loss, three sacks, two fumble recoveries and a defensive score. Hunter is adept at crashing the line from the edge, but also dropping back to help with coverage against the spread offenses the Knights frequently see. <strong>LINEBACKERS</strong> Sticking in Florence, a pair of South Florence Bruins proved there was strength together. [player_tooltip player_id="263156" first="Trokel" last="Prew"] and [player_tooltip player_id="263155" first="Jaylin" last="Davis"] piled up 120+ total tackles last year. They also combined for 26 tackles for loss, 11 sacks, three fumble recoveries, two forced fumbles and an interception. South could enter 2022 as the Region VI-4A favorite, and the speed and production of those two linebackers would be among the biggest reasons. Trinity Collegiate has at its disposal the youngest player to make the cut for this story - and for good reason. Rising sophomore [player_tooltip player_id="272703" first="James" last="Herbert"] (all 6-foot-4, 195 pounds of him) forced his way onto the field for the Titans. As a freshman, Herbert put up 35 total tackles, two tackles for loss, a pair of sacks, two interceptions, a forced fumble and a defensive score. Now, it wouldn’t be insane to think he could double all of those figures as a sophomore. The outside backer will be expected to contribute a ton after senior departures from last year’s team. <strong>LINEMEN</strong> Lake City’s defense tackle/end [player_tooltip player_id="267453" first="Andre" last="Pressley-McFadden"] is going to warrant plenty of double teams next year. And since he’ll be expected to pick up some of the slack from the departures of [player_tooltip player_id="91168" first="Shamontae" last="Burgess"] (South Carolina State) and [player_tooltip player_id="259958" first="Ja’Maurion" last="Franklin"] (East Carolina) on that side of the ball, his numbers could explode. The 6-foot-2, 280-pound hybrid lineman had 18 solo tackles, another 16 assisted stops, five tackles for loss, a sack and two blocked extra points in seven games. Another Class 3A lineman had huge numbers last year. Loris’ <strong>CJ Cox</strong> (pictured) is 6-foot-1, 215 pounds and finished his junior season with 80.5 total tackles, five sacks, four fumble recoveries, three forced fumbles and four pass break-ups - all in just 10 games. The most important stat he put up, though, was his 28 tackles for loss. The Lions have a game-breaking lineman capable of shaking things up in a hurry.