What We Saw: Washington fuels Myrtle Beach win over Marion

MYRTLE BEACH | [player_tooltip player_id='208336' first='Malachi' last='Washington'] knew he was better than his season-opening performance against Camden back in August.   The Myrtle Beach senior tailback has spent the last four games proving it, Thursday's showing against Marion being the latest example. Washington ran for 233 yards and five touchdowns in the 59-20 victory, running for two long scores but also three more in heavy traffic near the goal line.   The combination of speed and power is exactly what he believed was possible all along.   “We really did play sorry that game,” Washington said of the loss to Camden that is now starting to feel like a distant memory. “But the last few weeks [coach Mickey] Wilson had us ramping it back up. We had to come back to work.”   Washington also had to take something to heart.   Wilson and first-year running backs coach Carlton Terry had to convince Washington (pictured) that his speed was more important to this team than brute force. They told him repeatedly that at 5-foot-8 and 160 pounds, he needed to pick his aggressive spots better in traffic to reduce the sheer contact he taking.   The win over Marion was a perfect example of practicing what his coaches had preached.    Washington scored on runs of 6, 84, 4, 1 and 92 yards. All five came during the second and third quarters - a stretch of time when the Seahawks went from trailing 8-0 to leading 52-20. Oddly enough, on his final carry of the night (the 92-yard run in the third), Washington nearly did something he so rarely has.   After pumping out the first 30 or so yards of the run, a Marion defender spun him and the ball popped out slightly. Washington re-grouped, got control and then took it to the house. How odd would that have been?   In his last 351 carries, he has fumbled it away just three times.   It's partially a credit to his underlying strength, and also ball-security drills he goes through every day in practice. And also how he's re-focused himself since his latest fumble, which came in that 43-0 loss to Camden.   Since being held out of the end zone and to a meager 71 yards, Washington has followed it up with these stat lines:   Conway - 214 yards, three touchdowns   St. James - 221 yards, two touchdowns   Socastee - 103 yards, two touchdowns   Marion - 233 yards, five touchdowns   “He's a lot more elusive in the second and third level,” Wilson said. “He's really done a good job of that.”   Not enough? How about the fact that he scored a sixth touchdown against Marion when he blocked a second-quarter punt, picked it up and raced to the end zone.   That gives him 13 total touchdowns in Myrtle Beach's first five games. Of course, the Seahawks would love nothing more than to see that type of production out of him starting next week, when Myrtle Beach opens Region VI-4A play at West Florence.   For now, he's laid a new foundation.   OTHER MYRTLE BEACH NOTABLES   Myrtle Beach's defense took advantage of Marion starting a freshman center by pressuring the middle of the line, and it showed in how uncomfortable the Seahawks were able to make standout Swamp Foxes quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='295367' first='Gabe' last='Cusack'].    The senior signal caller was picked off by Jamick Sinclair in the first half, and then by Antonio Brown and [player_tooltip player_id='395980' first='Ashton' last='Keith'] on Marion's first and third series of the second half. Sinclair ended Cusack's evening by snagging a second interception on a would-be Hail Mary attempt late in the third quarter.    Brown also got into the offensive action late in the game with his 36-yard run during the running-clock portion of the fourth quarter.    MARION NOTABLES   Cusack's night still included the senior still included him rushing for 92 yards and a score to go along with 88 passing yards and two first-half touchdown passes.   [player_tooltip player_id='771088' first='Quay'Sheed' last='Scott'] didn't have the type of night he hoped for, either. The University of Kentucky verbal commitment jammed his thumb during pregame and was taped heavily just prior to kickoff. He did manage to catch one of Cusack's touchdown passes, a 20-yarder late in the second quarter. Scott also added a 36-yard run that set up Cusack's rushing score.    Linebacker Jamorius Wilson recorded a first-half sack, while defensive linemen Ya'Veon Brunson and Jabari Swinney combined for another while the game was still in question.

MYRTLE BEACH | Malachi Washington Malachi Washington 5'9" | 160 lbs | RB Myrtle Beach | 2024 State SC knew he was better than his season-opening performance against Camden back in August.