Zone Reads: 2023 Pee Dee/Grand Strand LBs Left Lasting Impression

The final Class of 2023 rankings showed us several trends along the way.   The Upstate and areas around York County have produced a bunch of offensive linemen. Running backs flourished in the CSRA and Midlands. And the Lowcountry was pretty good in churning out top-end defensive backs.   When it comes to the Grand Strand and Pee Dee, though, no position held a greater impact in our rankings than at linebacker. It was there that six players in particular carved their niche over the years - often while playing other positions or making slight adjustments along the way.   [player_tooltip player_id='146360' first='Cam' last='Ward'] Myrtle Beach   Two things are important to know about Ward's career. First, he's only 5-foot-4. Not exactly a traditional size for a linebacker. Second, while chipping away carries from starting tailbacks each of the last three seasons, he ran for 970 career yards and 21 touchdowns. Not bad for a guy who missed time with a long-term forearm injury. It puts the oft-blitzing linebacker's 104 career tackles and 46.5 tackles for loss into even better perspective.    [player_tooltip player_id='202730' first='Cameron' last='Faircloth'] Loris   Midway through his sophomore season, Faircloth (pictured) was inserted into the starting lineup and made sure that he was never replaced. Now, considering that the Loris defense had a ton of interchangeable parts, Faircloth's staying power was all the more vital. In 26 career games, he had 117 solo tackles, another 84 assisted stops, 27.5 tackles for loss, five sacks, 10 passes defended, three fumble recoveries and three forced fumbles.    [player_tooltip player_id='263156' first='Trokel' last='Prew'] South Florence   As the Bruins' championship season went on, it was apparent that the defensive staff was taking more chances with other players, simply because Prew was able to cover so much ground and was a sure-fire tackler who rarely missed. The 5-foot-8, 185-pound is a potential wrestling star, too, but let's not forget he finished the year with 106.5 total tackles (83 solo) and 10 tackles for loss despite missing a game.    [player_tooltip player_id='91146' first='Roshad' last='McAllister'] Lamar   After leading the Pee Dee in total tackles as a sophomore, McAllister never let up. He was a force that first year, then adjusted to a relatively new set of personnel as a junior (while still earning an all-state nod) and again finished near the top of the area's tackling charts this past fall as a senior. McAllister's film is a big lacking, but these three plays were indicative of how solid of a linebacker he was for Lamar for the better part of three seasons.    [player_tooltip player_id='336149' first='Mike' last='Gillard'] Myrtle Beach   Even during the preseason, it wasn't clear that Gillard was going to move up to linebacker from his old spot at safety (where he was pretty good, mind you). But after some early losses, Myrtle Beach transitioned him fully. In that short time, the 6-foot-1, 170-pounder developed into one of the hardest hitters on the Grand Strand and earned plenty of postseason accolades, including a trip to the Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas.    [player_tooltip player_id='263155' first='Jaylin' last='William Davis'] South Florence   Davis' performance in the Class 4A state finals was only eye-opening to those who hadn't seen him play all season. Against one of the most difficult schedules in the state, the 5-foot-11, 220-pound wrecking ball floated around the middle of the defense and frequently right into the offensive backfield. Those 28 tackles for loss were a hell of a complement to his 79 solo stops and 35 assisted tackles.

The final Class of 2023 rankings showed us several trends along the way.