Week 7’s Best Position Battles For Pee Dee/Grand Strand

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>By now, we know that big statistical nights don't always equate to victories.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>But they usually don't hurt.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>From the beach over to Florence, four Week 7 games pit some of the zone's most effective offensive weapons at their individual positions against each other. We've got quarterbacks and tailbacks and receivers.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Any of them can do some damage. And there's a strong possibility several of them will have big nights in the same game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='208332' first='Devin' last='Grainger'] vs. [player_tooltip player_id='202739' first='Scott' last='Saylor']</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Grainger, Conway's junior quarterback, has struggled some in recent weeks after the starting the season pretty hot. Some of that can be attributed to player losses around him. Still, he's close to 1,000 yards passing and 500 rushing this year despite the Tigers' 3-4 record. His eight total touchdowns account for half of Conway's offense totals, and discounting the highly touted lefty is a mistake.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>No one is overlooking Saylor. Carolina Forest's senior and two-year starter is a driving force for the Panthers this year. His 1,332 passing yards leads the entire Grand Strand/Pee Dee zone, and he's thrown for 11 touchdowns while rushing for another three (as well as a team-high 346 yards). Saylor has also adjusted to not have his full complement of tailbacks this year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>EDGE: Saylor</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='402500' first='Malachi' last='Washington']/[player_tooltip player_id='146360' first='Cam' last='Ward'] vs. [player_tooltip player_id='208339' first='Carmello' last='McDaniel']/[player_tooltip player_id='202738' first='J'Shawn' last='Anderson']</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Who are these Seahawks and what have they done with Mickey Wilson's normally pass-oriented offense? The answer lies with Washington (840 yards, 11 touchdowns) and Ward (383, five). Washington is the every-down back - if they is one - with Ward serving as the change of pace. Both are averaging right at 6.6 yards per carry this year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>No running back tandem in the state probably came into the season with expectations higher than McDaniel and Anderson. The Hartsville duo rushed for 2,552 yards and 37 touchdowns a year ago aren't way off that pace this fall. Anderson was held below 20 yards in a loss last week against South Florence, so he'll be chomping at the bit to get back into the swing.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>EDGE: McDaniel/Anderson</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='336114' first='Zandae' last='Butler']/[player_tooltip player_id='139297' first='Jyron' last='Waiters'] vs. [player_tooltip player_id='336150' first='Evin' last='Singletary']/[player_tooltip player_id='464881' first='Jayden' last='Sellers']</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The thing that has helped Wilson's top two receivers this year has been the development of Zechariah Nobles, a third receiver with 300-plus yards. But Butler and Waiters are still the top-billed pass catchers. They've combined for 53 receptions for 941 yards and 16 touchdowns. Very few defenses have been able to keep up with both of them for extended periods.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Over at South Florence, Singletary came into the season as an established product, having put up 748 yards and eight scores last fall. Sellers joining the fray (13 receptions, 219 yards) has been a big plus for the Bruins, and he's caught some huge passes in big games already. He could lead to some fireworks against the Tigers, too.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>EDGE: Butler/Waiters</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Quadir Scott</strong> vs. [player_tooltip player_id='91513' first='Connor' last='Schwalm']</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Socastee had different plans in mind for its quarterback position until [player_tooltip player_id='139313' first='Rocco' last='Wojcik'] went down with a season-ending shoulder injury in August. In stepped Scott, and he immediately showed he could put up some big numbers. In roughly four-and-a-half games as the starter, he's rushed for 388 yards, passed for 498 and combined for nine touchdowns.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>St. James's Schwalm isn't as much of a dual threat. In seven games, he's attempted 141 passes (completing 82), thrown for 936 yards and nine touchdowns. He has a scrambling component, too, as he's gone for 195 yards and four scores on the ground. But his biggest strength is his arm, even when he's moving outside the pocket to make it happen.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em><strong>EDGE: Scott</strong></em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->