What We Saw: Willie Williams Jamboree

PAGELAND | It was a night full of love and remembrance at Central High School as they hosted the first annual Willie Williams Jamboree, honoring longtime Central Eagles fan Willie Williams.   The night was also about honoring [player_tooltip player_id='1639749' first='Sean' last='Davis'] - an Eagle senior that tragically lost his life last month.   On the field, here are some takeaways from the evening.   McBee 21, Piedmont 0   Losing three of four to finish last season under .500 was not how McBee envisioned its 2024 season.   Friday night was the first step toward not letting that happen again and several players made it known that they are going to be playmakers all season long.   Piedmont Player Notes   Freshman quarterback Caleb Love got his first action under center at the varsity level, and he looked like he belonged in the spotlight. Despite not getting his team in the endzone, Love had a great feel for the pocket and delivered his throws on time.   Senior running back Cam O'Neal was the focal point of the offense, though, with his hard-nosed running and explosiveness out of the backfield.   McBee Player Notes   Senior quarterback JJ Melton led the charge for McBee with both his arms and his legs. He was able to stand in and deliver throws as well as evade the pocket.   McBee had three different running backs in junior Lucas King, senior Darrell Harper and senior Kaiden Howard that found the endzone. All three have different running styles and they'll each bring a different look for defense.   Lamar 7, Chesterfield 0   By far the best game of the evening, Lamar was able to make a goal-line stand on the final play of the game to keep Chesterfield out of the endzone and off the scoreboard.   It was junior defensive end Messiah Simes that was able to get pressure on Chesterfield's senior quarterback Bryce Adams to force an errant throw to end the game.   Chesterfield Player Notes   The best player on the field looked like senior linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='1629002' first='Sincere' last='Hubbard']. Hubbard is highly regarded at the linebacker position around the state and for good reason. Hubbard was flying around the field throughout the game, and he is in line for a monster season.   Offensively, junior receiver [player_tooltip player_id='1367995' first='Emani' last='Welch'] made the play of the night on a 50-50 ball late in the game. Welch went up and over a Lamar defender to make a catch on a huge third-down play.   Junior safety Mark Moten also made an impact defensively with pass breakups on multiple occasions.   Lamar Player Notes   There's not much throwing involved in the Lamar offense as it is an extremely run heavy system with two separate running backs.   One of those is junior [player_tooltip player_id='1664583' first='Jaquez' last='Dargan']. Dargan is more of the playmaker back with breakaway speed that can break off a huge run at any moment.   The other back is [player_tooltip player_id='1422623' first='DQ' last='Green'], and he is the more typical downhill runner trying to run people over on his way to get a first down. He's tough to bring down individually and his change of pace from Dargan's style of play is an excellent mix.   Senior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1165108' first='Zori' last='Pierce'] was responsible for the sole scoring in the game with a seven-yard touchdown run after breaking several tackles. He has an excellent combination of speed and power, making him a big-time threat on the ground.   Cheraw 27, Trinity Collegiate 0   Cheraw handled this game from start to finish and it was in part to the excellent play from senior [player_tooltip player_id='781859' first='Kadin' last='Thomas'] at quarterback. Thomas was constantly putting balls in the chest of his receivers.   Trinity Collegiate Player Notes   Despite not scoring, Trinity had some solid performances on the field. That started with senior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1734471' first='Davidson' last='Lynch'] using his legs when he needed to escape the pocket.   When throwing the ball, his favorite targets were senior receivers [player_tooltip player_id='1343533' first='Desmond' last='Williams'] and Jy'ell Preston. They both showed nice hands and the ability to high point the ball when needed.   Cheraw Player Notes   Outside of Thomas, Cheraw had several more players showing that they were among the best on the field.   Junior receiver [player_tooltip player_id='1271257' first='Nick' last='Gordon'] almost looked like a man among boys with both his size and speed. His hands are excellent and they add to his full skillset at receiver.   Junior running back [player_tooltip player_id='1321038' first='Justyn' last='Joint'] was lightning coming out of the backfield and he was as explosive as any player on the field. His footwork and athleticism were put on display and he's in line for a huge season behind a solid offensive line.   Central 21, SC Spartans 0   In the final game of the night, Central sent the home crowd happy while cruising to a 21-0 win to end the jamboree.   The trio of [player_tooltip player_id='1639753' first='Aiden' last='Short'] (pictured), junior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1664364' first='Dwayne' last='Louallen'] and senior running back [player_tooltip player_id='1639763' first='Marques' last='Allen'] combined to put on a show.   Each of the three were responsible for a rushing touchdown and broke several tackles in the process of getting in the endzone and Short had one of the longest runs of the evening.   SC Spartans Player Notes   Junior quarterback Colin Davis was usually on the move due to pressure in his face and he did a good job of handling it. Davis was able to break off multiple big runs after escaping the pocket.   When it wasn't Davis with the ball, it was senior running back Thomas Woodward getting the carries. With some improved blocking up front, both Davis and Woodward could have big games on the ground.

PAGELAND | It was a night full of love and remembrance at Central High School as they hosted the first annual Willie Williams Jamboree, honoring longtime Central Eagles fan Willie Williams.