Week 1 Game Balls Along the Coast

While this won't happen every week, the most notable individual performances from Week 1 in the Grand Strand & Pee Dee and Lowcountry were attached to wins.   When you see some of the figures below, you won't be shocked.   From a career game for an FBS commitment to some defenders putting up some ridiculous numbers to a kicker flexing his skills to the return of a would-be youthful standout after a year away from the sport, this week's Game Balls are all well deserved.   [player_tooltip player_id='1165148' first='Jachin' last='Davis'] QB, Stratford    Davis has played many opponents from the Upstate, but the Liberty commitment certainly left his mark at Daniel. In the 42-26 victory, Davis threw for 258 yards and a pair of touchdowns while rushing for another 189 yards and three scores. It's was arguably his best career game in a career that's had plenty of high points. And against the Lions, he wasn't just good; he took over the game and propelled the Knights to a second straight great showing to open the year.   [player_tooltip player_id='1267265' first='Amare' last='Reaves'] DB, and [player_tooltip player_id='816736' first='Terry' last='Gordon'] LB, South Florence   Want to talk about how individual production can carry a defense? Start with what Reaves and Gordon did in the 22-21 road win at Summerville. Reaves, who had two interceptions in 2024, reached the figure Friday alone. Gordon, one of the state's top-ranked players in the Class of 2026, had two sacks and three tackles for loss. The result was a momentous victory against a team that hadn't lost at home since October 29, 2021.     [player_tooltip player_id='1395098' first='AJ' last='Lee'] RB, Andrews (pictured)   Lee spoke during the offseason about what having another few months of prep for the Yellow Jackets' pistol offense could mean. After the 2025 season opener, it certainly appears as if Andrews has gone all in on the senior tailback. In 30-7 win over Georgetown, Lee rushed 37 times for 290 yards and three touchdowns. It was his third career game of at least 200 yards on the ground. But Lee wasn't done. He also caught three passes for 91 yards and another score.    Myjae McCoy LB, Marlboro County   Much like Richardson at Latta, McCoy is coming on at a nice time for the Bulldogs that frees up others to better do their jobs. The junior linebacker recorded 11 tackles in a seven-point victory over Cheraw. By itself, that's not a huge story. But the impact to allow the Marlboro County front four to know it can take chances with McCoy to back them up is vital. McCoy, who had 19 tackles in all of the abbreviated 2024 slate, now has that after two games this year.   [player_tooltip player_id='284135' first='Kamren' last='Long'] QB, [player_tooltip player_id='1820976' first='Nick' last='Zincone'] WR and [player_tooltip player_id='1149043' first='Cayden' last='Cole'] WR, Carolina Forest    As we broke down Friday night, the passing attack at Carolina Forest is as alive and well as its been in three seasons. Officially, Long finished off the 55-33 win against Hartsville with 296 yards and four touchdowns on a 10-of-15 passing night while adding 12 yards and a score on the ground. Zincone finished with five receptions for 193 yards and two scores. And Cole hauled in an 83-yard touchdown on another bomb from Long.    [player_tooltip player_id='1822831' first='Fischer' last='Richardson'] RB, Latta   The more pieces Latta can get this type of production from, the better off the Vikings are going to be over the course of the year. Richardson had 133 yards and three rushing touchdowns on 23 carries in the 54-19 win over Latta. On top of the immediate production, it also allowed multi-faceted players like [player_tooltip player_id='1738838' first='Jayden' last='Alford'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1639778' first='Xy'Mari' last='Bethea'] to use their resources elsewhere on defense and special teams in the lopsided victory.   [player_tooltip player_id='1869156' first='Javion' last='Hall'] DB, and [player_tooltip player_id='1592194' first='Jaemin' last='Pinckney'] DL, Woodland   The Woodland defense made quick work of Colleton County, led by Hall and Pinckney. The latter, a South Florida verbal commitment, finished off the 20-7 victory with 11 tackles, three sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. Hall, a junior transfer from Goose Creek who arrived at Woodland in June, had eight tackles, a pair of interception and a pass break up.    [player_tooltip player_id='1603757' first='Amare' last='Brown'] ATH, and [player_tooltip player_id='1823730' first='Michael' last='Cohen'] RB, Myrtle Beach   These two Seahawks carried the bulk of the offensive production in Friday's 42-38 win at West Florence. Cohen finished with 115 rushing yards and one touchdown (and a four-yard reception). Brown, meanwhile, had himself a career night. On top of 75 return yards, he caught four passes for 85 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed six times for 21 yards and two more score.    [player_tooltip player_id='1603784' first='Ryland' last='Curwen'] K, Berkeley   The teams with high-quality kickers have already seen dividends after two weeks of the seaso, and Curwen was further proof Friday night. In the 52-45 win over Winter Park (Fla.), Curwen expectedly hit all five of his PATs (He's now a perfect nine-for-nine after two weeks in extra points). Just as importantly, he connected on a 37-yard field goal and held down his end of the bargain on a converted onside-kick attempt.   [player_tooltip player_id='1165123' first='Mac' last='Burch'] LB, and [player_tooltip player_id='1639657' first='Walker' last='Willcox'] LB, Trinity Collegiate   Coming off a narrow loss and hitting the road, Willcox and Burch showed themselves to be the on-field leaders they are for the Titans. Burch finished the victory at Ben Lippen with 14 tackles, five tackles for loss, an interception and a safety. Willcox followed suit with four tackles for loss and - seriously - 23 overall tackles. After two games, those two have combined for 58 total tackles.     [player_tooltip player_id='1820108' first='Alex' last='Lewis'] QB, Aynor   Blue Jackets coach Jason Allen said it was going to take some time to morph this offense slightly into a new look. After a rough season opener, Lewis expedited it some in Week 1 at St. James. He rushed the ball 18 times for 185 yards and three touchdowns in the 38-37 victory over the Sharks. He had an 8-yard score seven minutes into the game, a 10-yarder midway through the second quarter and a 1-yard plunge just before halftime.    [player_tooltip player_id='1821338' first='D'Anthony' last='Coleman'] ATH, West Ashley   The Rashad Graham era at West Ashley needed another week to add games into the mix, and Coleman did his part to make sure it started off on the right foot. In a 31-30 overtime win over May River, Coleman returned a kickoff 95 for a touchdown, hit 167 yards on the ground and added another 26 receiving. His three-touchdown evening was also a welcome back for him after he didn't play football in 2024.    [player_tooltip player_id='1823880' first='Christian' last='Charles'] LB, Darlington    The 2027 middle linebacker has shot out of the gate this fall. After putting up 13 tackles and three tackles for loss in a Week 0 win over Lamar, he followed it up by matching those two numbers on the road at North Myrtle Beach Friday. He also added a forced fumble. Charles' role in this defense is clearly there, and it's important to note the Falcons have allowed just 20 points in their first two games of 2025.    [player_tooltip player_id='473016' first='AJ' last='Grate'] ATH, and [player_tooltip player_id='473025' first='Andre' last='Grate'] QB, Waccamaw   The twins were on their game against Hannah-Pamplico, and many opponents already know what can happen when that's the case for the Grates. Andre was five-of-six passing for 106 yards and a touchdown while also rushing four 39 yards on four carries. AJ hauled in two of those receptions for 43 yards and the score while also rushing for 77 yards and a touchdown on just five carries. Defensively, he also set the tone with seven tackles, a tackle for loss and a pass break up.    [player_tooltip player_id='1595007' first='Khayel' last='Sam Fong-Talia'] QB, Dillon    Fong-Talia's debut game last week was pretty stout, as he threw for 187 yards and a pair of touchdowns. His second game made the first look paltry. Not only did Dillon blow out Socastee (a year after falling to the Braves), Fong-Talia finished 17-of-22 for 306 yards and three touchdowns. Two of those touchdowns went to star receiver [player_tooltip player_id='1165163' first='Zamaurious' last='Robertson'] while [player_tooltip player_id='1820510' first='Rike' last='Niyongabo'] hauled in the third. Did we mention that every bit of Fong-Talia's production came before halftime?

While this won't happen every week, the most notable individual performances from Week 1 in the Grand Strand & Pee Dee and Lowcountry were attached to wins.