What We Saw: 2025 CNB Kickoff Classic

MYRTLE BEACH | The 35th edition of the CNB Kickoff Classic accomplished exactly what it was supposed to.   With weather normally being an issue for recent versions of the event, Friday went off without a hitch, as all 10 teams got in their full complement of work prior to the start of the regular season next Friday.   Here's what we took away from all five sessions.   St. James 21, Green Sea Floyds 0   For a St. James squad that needs more playmakers beyond its Big 3, Jakye Graham made his case Friday.   The junior got plenty of snaps at both tailback and defensive end. His night included a 20-yard carry on the Sharks' second series and a pair of quarterback hurries that helped keep the Trojans in check early. He was called for a pair of offside penalties, but his penchant for getting behind the line wasn't over.   Grant then forced Green Sea Floyds sophomore quarterback Jack Shelley into another uncomfortable situation that resulted in an international grounding penalty on a third down.   Graham finished the 2024 season as the Sharks' top rusher (138 carries, 652 yards, four touchdowns), but he was only credited with seven total tackles. It appears that will change.   Green Sea Floyds Player Notes   Junior Judah Lee gave the Trojans their biggest highlight of the opening scrimmage when he picked off an errant pass while in coverage. Lee also was on the field during most of the team's offensive snaps as well.    Junior fullback Thomas Gunnells will give GSF another look that he put on display against St. James. The diminutive Gunnells is able to take direct snaps and did so Friday. He's also going to be getting his share of traditional handoffs.    St. James Player Notes   While teams weren't kicking off Friday, junior kicker/punter Woods Herring was able to knock through an extra point early before giving way to his backup. Herring, one of the top developing kickers in the Class of 2027, has solid range from 40-plus and should have opportunities to try som long ones from all the turf fields in Horry County.    Defensive tackle Jefferson Sterling was partially responsible for pinning the Trojans during one of their offensive series. The 6-foot, 245-pound interior lineman shed two tacklers and got to the ball carrier two yards behind the line of scrimmage.   Ayden Smith took an end around for an early first down and caught another first-down reception a couple drives later. Then, on a second end around with under 5 minutes to go, he recorded another first-down carry.    Senior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1267347' first='Alex' last='Sandt'] threw two touchdown passes - a 30-yarder to Josh Harnish and another to [player_tooltip player_id='1592675' first='Zack' last='Zurawski'] in the closing minute - but his running ability was the more impressive part of his game against the Trojans. On top of a couple designed runs, Sandt also scrambled out of a busted play, caught the corner and dove to the pylon for the first points of the CNB Kickoff Classic.    Conway 14, Waccamaw 7   [player_tooltip player_id='1399640' first='Noah' last='Legg'] suffered a bad knee injury in 2024. Consider Friday his first steps toward making up for some lost time.   The Conway junior quarterback led Conway down the field in six plays before capping it off with a nifty RPO pass to classmate Aden Day from seven yards away. Legg, who also completed a 40-yard pass to Javon Smalls and had a pair of designed runs that went for six and seven yards, respectively, certainly appeared to be back to full strength.    That's a good sign for Conway, which had a large experience drop off at the position from the big lefty. After a 3-7 finish a year ago, the Tigers will badly need Legg and his playmaking ability behind center in 2025.    Waccamaw Player Notes   Senior star [player_tooltip player_id='473016' first='AJ' last='Grate'] led off each of the Warriors' first two series with long runs out of the Warriors' bunch package.    Fellow senior Bryce Holloway will again be a load for opponents after rushing for north of 500 yards as a junior. Holloway, listed at 5-foot-8 and 210 pounds, is Waccamaw's primary inside rushing threat to complement anything that bounces outside. He clearly knows how to use his low center of gravity to his advantage.    Conway Player Notes   Backup quarterback Makhai Canty got some valuable in-scrimmage reps just as the lights were starting to come on Friday at Doug Shaw. In his one drive, he led Conway 70 yards with a good mix of passes and runs. He finished it off with a rollout pass to [player_tooltip player_id='1371931' first='Jordan' last='Jenkins'] - the team's top receiving threat.   Tramaine Hunter looks to be a really solid third receiver option for the Tigers. Probably better known as a defensive back, Hunter is an active skill guy who should further help Conway open up the offense.   Senior defensive back Erick Warren-Moody sealed the Conway win when he picked off a contested desperation pass intended for Grate as time expired.    Myrtle Beach 14, North Myrtle Beach 0   Myrtle Beach has never needed a big-armed quarterback to make it's offense go. Just someone who can make the quick short and mid-range passes to let the Seahawk receivers do their thing.   Enter Tanner Gaddy and what is now a huge slew of pass catchers.   The left-handed senior connected with Amare Brown on a short route, and Brown did the rest for a 70-yard score less than 5 minutes into the third scrimmage. Gaddy then found [player_tooltip player_id='1664545' first='JJ' last='Brown'] on a long reception to the 1-yard line that set a second Myrtle Beach score.   Considering Myrtle Beach also has senior [player_tooltip player_id='1267320' first='Jon' last='Kelly'] and [player_tooltip player_id='816753' first='Rayvon' last='Green'] in the mix, and the high-flying Seahawks built some positive momentum just prior to the start of the season.   North Myrtle Beach Player Notes   While most teams wouldn't even inker with moving a starting defensive end to quarterback, North Myrtle Beach had no issue doing just that. Will McNeely had 8.5 tackles for loss and three sacks a season ago. This year, he's going to be charged with getting the Chiefs into the end zone. The 6-foot-1, 215-pound quarterback opened his quarterback era with a pair of runs that moved the sticks. McNeely didn't throw a ton against Myrtle Beach, but we've seen his arm before and it should be a nice starting point for this offense.    Myrtle Beach Player Notes   [player_tooltip player_id='1267229' first='Antonio' last='Brown'] might just be one of the most active linebackers in the Grand Strand and Pee Dee, but he also spent a portion of Friday reminding everyone that he's a touchdown machine on offense, too. The senior punched in Myrtle Beach's second touchdown of the scrimmage from 1 yard out and made it look easy in the process. He recorded 17 touchdown runs on 52 carries out of the team's Rhino package last year.   Much like we noticed last week in another scrimmage, Jamarcus Carroll swapping from linebacker to safety gives Myrtle Beach some much needed backside help. The 6-foot-2 senior can stay back to allow teammates such as [player_tooltip player_id='816754' first='Tyree' last='Cauthen'] to move around more pre-snap.   Socastee 14, Aynor 7   Socastee came out like gang busters, and only some miscues prevented the Braves' scrimmage from being more one-sided.   Receiver Marcus Brown appears to be a game-changer all of the offense, as he was able to mix up his starting spot and then stayed extremely active when things broke down. That second part is important, because quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1429140' first='Christian' last='Royals'] rarely stays stagnant in the pocket.   The Braves also mixed in sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='1467828' first='London' last='Wilder'] in several different formations, much like we started to see last year before he was lost for much of the season to an injury. Wilder briefly went down against Aynor but walked off on his own and should be a weapon this fall.   Aynor Player Notes   While Aynor doesn't throw much, two defensive backs were vital in keeping this one close. Senior Blaise Hucks broke up a pass on a Socastee two-point conversion attempt, and Ian Knowlin made up for getting burned off the line to bat down another Braves pass that would have been a walk-in touchdown had he not got his hand on it.    First-year starting center Conner Rabon (5-foot-11, 285) played pretty good in his starting debut at the position. The Blue Jackets' misdirection rushing attack only works when the center is the most efficient player in the offense. Rabon isn't peaking yet, but there are signs eh can handle all the asks.    Socastee Player Notes   If you're looking for a newcomer to follow intently, look no further than defensive end Evan Floyd. The 6-foot-1, 215-pound sophomore put constant pressure on Aynor every time it attempt to bounce runs outside. On one play, he was stood up at the line, only to fight through his blocker with one arm while making a tackle for loss with the other.    Carolina Forest 14, Loris 14   [player_tooltip player_id='1422632' first='Makel' last='Stephens'] made sure Loris didn't go home from CNB with an L.   The Loris junior kept his feet churning enough on a short-yardage carry with just under 1 minute to play in the final scrimmage of the evening and managed to cross the plane to tie the game at 14-14.   His scoring run capped off a nice drive orchestrated by quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='797160' first='Moon' last='Gerald'] and a long heave that went to speeders Khalil Sherman for 45 yards. Carolina Forest had already inserted backups into its offense by that point and was more than content with a scrimmage tie.    Loris Player Notes   Roderick Porcha caught two two long receptions - one a 70-yarder where he came across the middled on a busted play, found some open space and a [player_tooltip player_id='797160' first='Moon' last='Gerald'] pass waiting for him. The first was erased from an offensive penalty, but going up against two Carolina Forest defenders and coming down with the ball looked pretty good nonetheless. Porcha, a converted tailback, will be able to put his speed to better use on the outside.    Defensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id='1639761' first='Jamarious' last='Wilson'] is starting to really take advantage of all the attention given to teammate [player_tooltip player_id='1395062' first='Damarea' last='Thurmond'] in the middle of the line. At one point against Carolina Forest, Wilson fought his way through for a big stop behind the line.    Carolina Forest Player Notes   New starting quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='284135' first='Kamren' last='Long'] (pictured) won't be going air raid any time soon, but the first-year starter put the Panthers in the end zone twice courtesy of his arm. He found Tashaun Grainger for one and [player_tooltip player_id='1149043' first='Cayden' last='Cole'] on the other.    Star tailback [player_tooltip player_id='1148537' first='Jaryn' last='Fox'] was used sparingly against Loris, but he did break one longer run up the left side that set up Long's first touchdown pass. We weren't shocked to see him limited in the final scrimmage before the season begins.    [player_tooltip player_id='1576586' first='River' last='Thayne'] caught just three passes last year, and while he's going to be mostly blocking vs. catching passes, his 17-yard reception Friday was another sign that he's gained even more trust from the coaching staff and they're willing to reward him for all his dirty work in the trenches.

MYRTLE BEACH | The 35th edition of the CNB Kickoff Classic accomplished exactly what it was supposed to.