Zone Read: Pee Dee/Grand Strand Players Repping The 843

In total 18 of the 93 players in the Class of 2025 come from the northeastern pocket of South Carolina.   The Grand Strand and Pee Dee have had varying levels of success in recent years, but the constant replenishment of talent has been on display for some time. What we're starting to see during a relatively recent dip is even more players getting opportunities to shine earlier.   From the western edges of the Pee Dee all the way to the Atlantic, a large number of schools recognized talent and got certain guys on the field.   These are the trends we're seeing with the crop of ranked players from the Pee Dee and Grand Strand.   SKILL ON THE OUTSIDE   On both sides of the ball, the Prep Red Zone team is noticing quickly that we're about to enter another high-water mark for players in both the receiver spots and lining up against them in the secondary.   Let's start on offense.   It was there that [player_tooltip player_id='464881' first='Jayden' last='Sellers'] (pictured) entered the 2022 season seen as little more than [player_tooltip player_id='146356' first='LaNorris' last='Sellers']' little brother. And while the younger Sellers clearly benefited from his soon-to-be college QB big brother, Jayden has continued to get better every step of the way. He finished last year with 827 yards and 12 scores.   During that South Florence title run, [player_tooltip player_id='272701' first='John' last='Simmons'] at Myrtle Beach faded into the shadows some, even if it was little of his own making. The Seahawks' quarterback situation was disastrous thanks to injury after injury. Simmons, though, kept working, finishing with a respectable 28 receptions for 335 yards and five touchdowns amid the chaos. Those numbers won't repeat themselves this year, unless you're only looking at the first few games of the season.   Much like Simmons, Socastee receiver [player_tooltip player_id='413888' first='Josh' last='Brown'] was limited in that his outside mate, [player_tooltip player_id='771237' first='Quadir' last='Scott'], was moved to quarterback after an injury and it broke up what could have been a dynamic duo running wild on both sides of the field. Scott is back at receiver now, and Brown has the pieces in place to do what we expected last year.   Granted, all three of those players are going to have to get through two of the better defensive backs in the area, as well.   Hartsville's [player_tooltip player_id='272699' first='Da'Marion' last='Coe'] is a safety who is about to enter his third year starting for the Red Foxes' varsity squad. He's attracting plenty attention as a return man, but it would be impossible to ignore his coverage skills deep or in a more traditional corner role (when the occasion arises).   Likewise, Myrtle Beach [player_tooltip player_id='605530' first='Israel' last='Brown'] is coming on quick. He was pretty good last season, when he was just a sophomore. But all he's done since is improve his burst and start to fine-tune his athletic ability.    When all is said and done, don't be surprised if all five of these players are top 50 in the class.   POWER UP FRONT   We've got a couple of new faces to our list of linemen now included in the Class of 2025.   Lamar offensive tackle [player_tooltip player_id='762756' first='Kendall' last='Walton'] (6-foot-4, 280 pounds) and North Myrtle Beach defensive end [player_tooltip player_id='809755' first='DJ' last='Gause'] (6-foot-1, 215 pounds) have done enough to warrant their spots alongside some players who have done their thing for the past 12 months, if not longer.   Gause's teammate, North Myrtle Beach offensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id='459924' first='JacQari' last='Witherspoon'], joined Gause in picking up some hardware during the Palmetto Combine Series East event in April. Clearly, the two have been building off each other.   Head west from Little River, and two more players will have another couple years to line up against each other. Loris edge [player_tooltip player_id='464883' first='Javon' last='Johnson'] already has 28 career tackles for loss despite being just 6-feet tall. It's a testament to his motor and great footwork getting into position.   The same can be said for Dillon offensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id='272711' first='Carlos' last='Miller']. Playing primarily right guard last year, Miller has the benefit of playing alongside [player_tooltip player_id='139295' first='Josiah' last='Thompson']. Still, we're not naive to what Miller brings to the table.   RUNNING INTO THE THICK OF IT   The budding tailback crop from the northern chunk of the 843 is a great storyline in itself.   Hannah-Pamplico's [player_tooltip player_id='464882' first='Jamarcus' last='Williams'] just ran for 2,000 yards as a sophomore, while both [player_tooltip player_id='346196' first='Jamarion' last='Fling'] at Dillon and West Florence's [player_tooltip player_id='272717' first='Tre' last='Leonard'] will be replacing such backs at their respective schools (both of them will get carries galore this fall).   And Carolina Forest's [player_tooltip player_id='272722' first='Zion' last='Gilbert'] may ultimately have the best physical make up of all of them. Even though he's playing in Class 5A, Gilbert is adept at breaking interior tackles and then getting into the open field.    THE REST FROM THE PEE DEE/GRAND STRAND   North Myrtle Beach kicker [player_tooltip player_id='346192' first='Jackson' last='Garstka'] could develop into the best two-way specialist along the Grand Strand in 2023. He's got plenty of camp experience to go along with his sprinkling of varsity reps from last fall.   Meanwhile, three squads are making the most out linebackers who are already more than established.    A stout Loris defense that only continues to get better has its next linebacker in already place in [player_tooltip player_id='464897' first='Avery' last='Todd']. As a sophomore, the middle linebacker recorded 48 total tackles.   Over in Myrtle Beach, [player_tooltip player_id='395980' first='Ashton' last='Keith'] is about to be surrounded by tons of talent on that side of the ball. It will free up the combo linebacker to do more of what he does best, which is cause commotion.   We didn't leave out [player_tooltip player_id='272703' first='James' last='Herbert'] by accident.   Trinity Collegiate's 6-foot-4, 215-pound linebacker has every measurable you'd want from someone in the position, and he's only a few months away from a potentially record-setting campaign.

In total 18 of the 93 players in the Class of 2025 come from the northeastern pocket of South Carolina.