Predicting Every Team’s MVP: Region V-3A

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 2024 football season is less than four months away.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>But taking a stab at which players will have every opportunity to blow up during the 10-game regular season and postseason doesn't need to wait.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Inside all parts of the Grand Strand &amp; Pee Dee, the newest faction of Region V-3A will be comprised of the old Region VII-3A and Marlboro County. It will be much of the same for all six teams, as many of their established stars are back in uniform for another go.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We have little doubt these six will be headliners this fall.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>AYNOR BLUE JACKETS</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1188517' first='Matthew' last='Kerby']</strong> RB/LB, 2025</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jason Allen is always prioritizing toughness in his three yards and a cloud of turf burns offense. Kerby was earmarked for the spot at tailback a season ago, thanks in large part to everything he was already doing at linebacker. He finished 2023 second on the team in rushing touchdowns (10), and he accomplished that with just 78 total carries. Not surprisingly, Kerby was an all-region selection for his duel role. Could he even take on the team's run-first quarterback job? It's not out of the equation. Even if he doesn't, his carries might just double, if not more.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/13566930/6600f124f31c53176029ac2e' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-66311b6e868d0"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>DILLON WILDCATS</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='346196' first='Jamarion' last='Fling']</strong> RB, 2025</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>While the development of quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='205556' first='Josiah' last='Oxendine'] or the potency of defensive standouts [player_tooltip player_id='1025771' first='Keryien' last='Brown'] or [player_tooltip player_id='1172360' first='Kelvion' last='Manning'] will all ultimately help tell the tale of the Wildcats' 2024 season, Fling's reliability and power is what gives everyone else the leeway to make Dillon a dangerous team. Last fall, he rushed for 1,584 yards and 34 touchdowns despite missing two games. He averaged 8.3 yards per carry. The Wildcats absolutely need him to repeat the feat after the team lost its two all-star tackles. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/16821698/65ce60f65ef76807449e0c82' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-66311b6e8691b"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>GEORGETOWN BULLDOGS</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1734397' first='Trenton' last='Parker']</strong> ATH, 2026</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>No one is going to kid you into believing Georgetown is going to ruffle a whole lot of feathers in the region this season. This is a team that's riding a 30-game losing streak, and only three of those games have been decided by single digits. The Bulldogs are also on their third coach in the last 17 or so months. Translation: They need playmakers and some hope to break the run. Parker has shown some homerun potential out of very little. Georgetown is likely going to have him all over the field for the next two seasons. Don't be surprised to see him factoring into all three phases of the game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/15203362/6309a3a864df5c0aa0e1acc3' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-66311b6e8695b"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>LORIS LIONS</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='464883' first='Javon' last='Johnson']</strong> DL, 2025</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Lions are going to feel the loss of [player_tooltip player_id='976815' first='Tray' last='Knox'] during spring ball and have very little time to make up for their outgoing tailback who chewed up so many yards and overall offensive productivity. How Loris replaces him remains to be seen. What isn't is how much more crucial its defense is. Enter Johnson. The spry defensive end/tackle first appeared in our ranking in October of 2022. And while his latest film is somewhat limited, you're going to have to trust us after we've spent the last three seasons watching him blow up everything. He will begin with senior season with 241 career tackles and 44 career tackles for loss in 29 games.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/16819811/64f40285da5bbb09c8269d15' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-66311b6e8699a"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>MARLBORO COUNTY BULLDOGS</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1013109' first='Justin' last='Purvis']</strong> ATH, 2025</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On Purvis' bad days, he's still better than most. At 5-foot-8 and 175 pounds, he's an absolute blazer (verified 22.56 miles per hour) who is in love with the weight room. He uses both liberally, breaking tackles in space to get to the open field and then almost never caught from behind. If that wasn't enough, he changes directions better than even some of the state's top-shelf receivers. Purvis is going to catch passes, take end arounds, cover opposing receivers and return punts and kicks.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/16483344/654d2f98578d9203d8c54211' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-66311b6e869d4"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>WACCAMAW WARRIORS</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='473016' first='AJ' last='Grate']</strong> ATH, 2026</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Waccamaw and its fans were robbed a little bit of Grate's electricity last season when he missed four games due to injury. Yet, he still finished second on the team with 43 total tackles, while contributing a sack and an interception. He also threw three handfuls of passes, had 47 carries (215 yards, three touchdowns) and caught three passes in that short span of games. Grate (pictured) and his twin brother - [player_tooltip player_id='473025' first='Andre' last='Grate'] - both being healthy for the full complement of contests makes this a dramatically different team.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/16318506/653d38b5478cf5046ca4c914' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-66311b6e86a12"} /-->