2024 Preview: Goose Creek Gators

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>GOOSE CREEK |</strong> Over the past two years, Goose Creek have had a “tale of two seasons.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Gators finished first in Region VI-5A in 2022 for the fourth straight year and second last year. In both seasons, however, they had an under .500 overall record. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With Goose Creek moving over to Region VII, head coach Jason Winstead is taking the same approach but aspiring for better success both in and out of region play.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“Our kids work hard at Goose Creek,” he said. “We pride ourselves in running a tough program. It's not for everybody. We don't really worry if we have 80-90 kids on the football field. As long as we can get about 35 or 40 of them, they're going to be tough kids and they're going to play as hard as they can for as long as they can, and this group has been working really hard this summer.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Winstead will count upon his junior leadership to guide the program. Running back <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='473027' first='Meliq' last='McGowan'] </strong>is in that group and looks to repeat or surpass the production which earned him a Class 5A All-State selection.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='402499' first='Kymani' last='Clary'] also returns after throwing for 2,104 yards and 19 touchdowns with only two interceptions. His offensive line returns virtually intact with <strong>Tre Adams</strong>, <strong>Kingston Hughes</strong>, <strong>Dallas Lee</strong> and <strong>Xzavier Johnson</strong> and tight end <strong>Micah Adams</strong> available as an extra blocker.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Rising junior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='402495' first='Jaylin' last='Grant']</strong>, rising senior <strong>Alexander Ravenel</strong> and rising freshman <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1061146' first='Teru' last='Davis']</strong> will look to continue the passing offense's success at wide receiver.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“It's going to take everybody to play their role,” Grant said.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After the growing pains of last season, the Gators' eight returning starters on defense will look to show growth. <strong>Doran Smith</strong>, <strong>Kaden Gadson</strong>, <strong>KJ Smalls</strong> lead the linebacking corps, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='402500' first='Malachi' last='Washington']</strong> and <strong>Zion Freeman</strong> are the lone returning starters on the defensive line and <strong>TJ Clary</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1267287' first='Jordan' last='Ravenell']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='480120' first='Jacquez' last='Jenkins']</strong> will roam the secondary.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>STARS SET TO SHINE</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='402495' first='Jaylin' last='Grant']</strong>&nbsp;WR, 2026 – With the mid-season injury loss of senior Davion McCoy, the 5-foot-10, 170-pound rising junior helped fill the void. He finished with 23 receptions for 376 yards and three touchdowns. He's continued to show improvement this summer during passing camps at the University of South Carolina. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Dallas Lee </strong>OL, 2025 – At 6-foot-3 and 240 pounds, he's an effective run blocker at tackle and pass protector at the guard position. The All-Region VI-5A lineman often uses his arm power to knock down defenders and is constantly moving forward in clearing the way for the running backs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='402500' first='Malachi' last='Washington'] </strong>DL 2026 – Injury limited the rising junior to eight games in 2023. He still made a strong impression with 31 tackles, 5.5 sacks and a fumble recovery.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>FILM REVIEW</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='473027' first='Meliq' last='McGowan'] </strong>RB 2026 – At 6-feet and 180 pounds, he's coming off a sophomore season in which he amassed close to 2,000 yards and 16 total touchdowns. The Region VI-5A Player of the Year, he has an explosive burst off the line of scrimmage through even the smallest open space for long touchdown runs. Along with elusiveness, his lower body strength makes his difficult to tackle and ability to catch the football out of the backfield makes him a one-man offensive weapon for the Gators.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/15159526/653df723da5c260cc400535e' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-668b48533b404"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>BIGGEST LOSS (es)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Davon Malloy, Evan Daniels, and Shy'Juan Grant </strong>WRs – The senior trio provided a bevy of passing targets to new starter [player_tooltip player_id='402499' first='Kymani' last='Clary'].All three signed letters of intent to play in college.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Maurecio Summers</strong> OL – The North Greenville signee was a mainstay at center.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>UP-AND-COMING POTENTIAL</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Alexander Ravenel </strong>WR 2025 - At 6-foot-6, he plays both at wide receiver and strong safety for the Gators. Head coach Jason Winstead said he's shown vast improvement during the summer and could start commanding attention. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Andrew Joseph</strong>&nbsp;DL, 2025 – At 300 pounds, the 5-foot-11 senior is the largest offensive lineman on the Gators.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1061146"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-668b4e8572103"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">The rising freshman recently caught the eyes of prep football observers during practices for the Future Stars Games. At 6-foot-1, 170-pounder makes quick slants, turns short passes into long runs and runs clean routes. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/20844737/6694a499c126b5f9def08d25' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-668b4e857228e"} /--> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block -->