WHAT WE SAW: Carolina Forest 41, St. James 21
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MYRTLE BEACH | Scott Saylor Scott Saylor 6'1" | 200 lbs | QB Carolina Forest | 2023 State SC had a big role in beating St. James a year ago in dramatic fashion. This time around, the Carolina Forest senior…
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Continue ReadingMYRTLE BEACH | Scott Saylor Scott Saylor 6'1" | 200 lbs | QB Carolina Forest | 2023 State SC had a big role in beating St. James a year ago in dramatic fashion.
This time around, the Carolina Forest senior quarterback did his part to make it a blowout.
Saylor threw for 404 yards and three touchdowns, almost exclusively in the first half, to push the Panthers to a huge lead at the break and lock down the No. 2 seed out of Region V-5A in advance of the start of the playoffs next week.
“They were stopping the run, so they kind of made us go to the pass,” Saylor said after Carolina Forest won 41-21. “But we knew we were capable of doing that all week. We knew the pass was there.
“That was crazy.”
Saylor has now throw for 2,249 yards and 18 touchdowns this year to go along with another 510 yards and five scores on the ground. If he hits his per-game averages in the first-round home game against River Bluff, he’ll cruise right on by the 3,000 combined yardage mark this fall.
More importantly, it would probably mean good things for Carolina Forest.
Either way, don’t expect the Panthers to stick with just one or the other. Friday, even though the rushing attack was held to a minimum, Carolina Forest still gave emerging tailback Zion Gilbert Zion Gilbert 6'0" | 190 lbs | RB South Florence | 2025 State SC 14 carries (for 55 yards and two scores). Saylor also worked Gilbert into the passing attack with a pair of receptions for 19 yards.
As for the rest of those receiving yards, Saylor certainly spread the wealth.
ALL THOSE RECEPTIONS
Saylor attempted 32 passes against the Sharks, completing 21 of them. Here’s the breakdown:
Nathan Schuessler – Five receptions, 137 yards, touchdown
The senior pushed his season tally to 864 yards by recording his third 100-yard game. He caught a 42-yarder in the opening quarter before going off for three more in the second. The most impressive was his 63-yard touchdown when he took a simple out near the sideline and took off in a dead sprint where he might have hit his top speed of the season. That play should be atop his highlight reel for the year.
Owen Hall – Five receptions, 109 yards
The staff had big plans for Hall this season. However, he’s mostly been kept in check, having never put up more than 42 yards prior to the regular-season finale. This was his breakout game. By the end of the first quarter, he had a pair of catches for 35 yards, then added a couple more for 51 yards in the second. Not bad for a kid who played his first varsity game in the playoff opener last year only out of need.
Anthony Aponte – Two receptions, 59 yards, touchdown
In many ways, Aponte is the safety valve of this offense. He’s a great third-down receiver who plays above his listed height (he might be 5-foot-9). But every time we cover Carolina Forest, Aponte is finding a way to make an impact. Against the Sharks, it was an early bomb in which he shook off a defender on the fourth snap from scrimmage and took it to the house.
Nazair Thompson – Two receptions, 48 yards, touchdown
Thompson is a bigger receiver, at least by Carolina Forest standards. We’re guessing he’s in the 6-foot-1, 190-pound range (the team refuses to release height/weight info). Every now and again, though, he’s a potent target. He was targeted five times Friday, and he hauled both of his catches in the second quarter. The first was a 28-yard jump ball at the front of the end zone – when he took it away from the defensive back – and the second was a 20-yarder that helped set up a field goal as the game went to halftime.