Midseason Report: GSPD

The Grand Strand & Pee Dee has reason for optimism in the second half of the 2025 football season.   Of the 37 programs we consider to be part of this zone, 13 of them are either ranked or receiving votes in the South Carolina State Media polls. That's more than a third of the programs who have already made their share of impact on the Palmetto State.   And the crazy part is, the movement we're about to see up and down the zone with region play hitting its stride this week. Surprises are coming. But what we've already seen is some rosters doing exactly what we thought they would.    South Florence, Loris, Dillon, Johnsonville and Lamar are all on par with how they played last fall. Meanwhile, teams like Wilson, Latta and Carvers Bay have exceeded any expectations.    What's left for the rest of the 2025 season? We're about to find out.   In this midseason report for the Grand Strand & Pee Dee, we're going to break it all down. We've got the players who have elevated themselves to the top of the charts. We've got some more who are primed to do just that in the second half and some underclassmen its time to formally recognize.   When looked at with a wider lens, the GSPD has some more noise to make.    BIGGEST SURPRISES   Two teams in particular have caught our eye early and often in 2025, and coincidentally they're part of the same Class A region and will play each other Friday night.    Latta and Carvers Bay have each started the year on a tear, the Vikings opening with a 5-0 record while the Bears stand at 6-0 after dispatching Green Sea Floyds last weekend. What these teams have done right so far have far exceeded any deficiencies.    Let's get into Latta first.   Two-way player [player_tooltip player_id='1822831' first='Fischer' last='Richardson'] is leading the charge on offense. He rushed for 743 yards through the team's first five games and got into the end zone 14 times. Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='1817573' first='Irangabiye' last='Johnson'] is providing a strong second option, having put up 433 yards and six touchdowns of his own.    Senior [player_tooltip player_id='1639778' first='Xy'Mari' last='Bethea'] has 36 tackles and five tackles for loss. Ryion Gurely has gone a step further, racking up 46 stops and 10 tackles for loss. Zamarion Monroe (31 tackles) and [player_tooltip player_id='1816923' first='Gavin' last='Aubin'] (25 tackles, two interceptions) have been consistent on that side of the ball, too. [player_tooltip player_id='1738838' first='Jayden' last='Alford'] picked off a pair of passes.    Together, they've given coach Brandon Iseman reason to believe this season could be different. The Vikings have had some good runs, most recently with their nine-win campaign in 2023, but most of Iseman's tenure has also included early playoff exits.    “The key this year is to get over the hump,” Iseman said. “It's not good enough to win six, seven games. When it comes from a win-loss standpoint, that's what we preach to these kids. Let's stop finishing second in our region or third in our region. We have good kids. We've got a good cycle. Are we going to get over that hump?”   Carvers Bay's start to the year has been driving by [player_tooltip player_id='1820181' first='Kenard' last='Heyward'] on offense. Through just the Bears' first five games, he had rushed for 1,349 yards and 10 touchdowns. He was given the ball an average of 31 times per game and the production value made it difficult for coach Matt Richard to dole out carries to others.   Quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1822697' first='Christian' last='Simmons'] (211 yards, five touchdowns) and Tyrion Reed (265 yards, one touchdown) have been in the mix, too. Figuring out why the Bears are so intent on the run isn't a shock. Offensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id='402516' first='Zyon' last='Guiles'] has been even better than his standout junior season. Often, those guys carrying the ball are just following his lead.    ZONE'S BEST   [player_tooltip player_id='797160' first='Moon' last='Gerald'] QB, Loris    The Lions made their non-region slate look easy. Green Sea Floyds, Conway, South Columbus, North Myrtle Beach and Socastee had no answer for Gerald as he led Loris to a five-pack of wins, all by three touchdowns or more. For the second straight season, the quarterback is proving to be highly dangerous throwing the ball. Through non-region play, he'd completed 69.6 percent of his passes for 973 yards and 19 touchdowns while rushing for another 193 yards and two more scores. He also converted three two-point conversions, just for fun. The most important part of his game, though, is that he's doing all that without turning over the football. He's yet to throw an interception and hasn't lost a fumble.    [player_tooltip player_id='816736' first='Terry' last='Gordon'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1592462' first='Willie' last='Kennedy'] LBs, South Florence    These two have teamed up to form one of the best linebacking units in the state. Yes, sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='1615015' first='Warnell' last='Prew'] is a part of that mix. But in Gordon and Kennedy, the Bruins line up a senior duo who can effectively change the dynamic of any game on any given play. Kennedy is leading the team in tackles (48). Gordon, a top-20 player in our rankings, has developed into the guy who often prevents opposing offenses from getting going. He had 14 tackles for loss and six sacks after just five games, a span where he also had 33 tackles.    [player_tooltip player_id='1148537' first='Jaryn' last='Fox'] RB, Carolina Forest    By Week 4 of the 2024 football season, Fox had 97 carries for 527 yards and four touchdowns. This year through Week 4, he'd put up 81 carries for 561 yards and six touchdowns. Here's the caveat: He's played in one less game as a senior through the same date. Fox is already feeling it. His yards per carry are up, his touchdowns are up and he's needed fewer reps to do more damage. Based on his history, we wouldn't be shocked to see him absolutely go off over the next five weeks of the regular season and whatever playoff games the Panthers have. After all, that's exactly what he did last year, too.    [player_tooltip player_id='1165163' first='Zamaurious' last='Robertson'] WR, Dillon    The North Carolina commitment has been a double threat, but maybe not in the way you would have thought heading into the season. His 30 receptions for 692 yards and seven touchdowns through the Wildcats' first five games was impressive, of course. But in the process, he's helped freshman quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1595007' first='Khayel' last='Sam Fong-Talia'] get comfortable in a big hurry. Dillon lines up Robertson around the field in different looks, but opposing defenses have been next to helpless to slow him down, even in the two narrow losses the Wildcats had during the non-region slate.    [player_tooltip player_id='1422635' first='Anthony' last='Strong'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1172365' first='Crawford' last='Poole'] Cheraw   Cheraw was just fine nestled near the bottom of the Class 2A rankings as September came to an end. Because most 2A programs didn't put together a slate of non-region games like the Braves faced. Still, Strong and Poole were borderline special talents against the likes of Marlboro County, Conway, Darlington and River Bluff. Those two players were even more productive than expected. Poole, a hybrid edge, had 11 tackles for loss and four sacks. Strong, a more traditional defensive lineman, had seven tackles for loss, three sacks and a nifty 60-yard pick six against River Bluff last week.     SECOND HALF PREDICTIONS   [player_tooltip player_id='1166986' first='Messiah' last='Jackson'] QB, South Florence    In terms of individual production, Jackson was limited somewhat during the non-region slate and into the Bruins' first region game. But let us tell you what “limited” means in his terms: He threw for 645 yards and five touchdowns while rushing for another 233 yards and 10 scores. We think that was only scratching the surface. South Florence has one of the best quarterbacks in the Class of 2026 in terms of him executing exactly what his team needs. It's not always flashy, but we're about to see a lot more of that, right along with a bunch more wins for this squad. Jackson is even better than his “limited” numbers might suggest. And we think we're about to see it.    [player_tooltip player_id='473015' first='Tyleek' last='Dukes'] RB, Kingstree    Dukes briefly flirted with a move to another school before electing to remain at Kingstree. That was one hurdle he had to overcome. The second was that the Blazers were breaking in a new head coach who needed some time to adjust to the team's best player from last fall. Now, it certainly feels like Dukes is ready to take that next step. He has been steadily growing his production and it looks like it could be all-in on him the rest of the way.    [player_tooltip player_id='1025808' first='Chris' last='Stewart'] DL, Andrews    Stewart was briefly committed to Elon during the spring before deciding he wanted to keep his options open. He's since taken other visits and has six DI offers in his pocket. We mentioned all that first because it now appears as if Stewart has settled back into form after his whirlwind summer. He's charged with taking on some of the best offensive linemen in the state and he's already got one pretty good showing out of it. He's on pace to smash the 31.5 tackles for loss he had a year ago. And entering region play, he'll have every chance to re-set the school record.    [player_tooltip player_id='1820292' first='Jaden' last='Boston'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1827461' first='Jordan' last='Davis'] LBs, Wilson   The pair of Wilson upperclassmen have been a boost to a Tigers program that underwent a coaching staff change of its own and then jumped out to a 4-1 start and a quick region win over Lakewood. (The lone loss was a one-point overtime defeat at Gilbert.) Boston and Davis have been making their impact behind the line of scrimmage. Boston, a senior, had eight tackles for loss and a sack through the team's first five games. Davis, a junior, countered with five and two. By the end of this season, their names should be resonating outside Florence.    [player_tooltip player_id='1615056' first='Ford' last='Wallace'] QB, Hartsville    No matter what, Wallace was going to have a hard time replicating his success from last year's playoff opener (his first career start) during the opening weeks of 2025. Let's not forget that the entire roster had significant turnover, on top of the sophomore quarterback. He started relatively slow, completing less than 50 percent of his passes for 572 yards and six touchdowns while getting picked off a couple times through his first five contests. But we've seen this act before, and every part of the Red Foxes' offense should be trending upward over the second half of the season.     UNDERCLASSMEN TO THE FRONT    [player_tooltip player_id='1817499' first='Jay' last='Todd'] LB, Loris, 2028   Todd is the Lions' back-up quarterback, and if all goes to plan this season, his only offensive snaps will have to come in garbage time. That's important because of the role he's already had not he other side of the ball. He finished the non-region slate tied for the team lead in tackles (30) after also picking off a pass in the season opener. Go ahead and get ready to hear his name a ton in the second half.    [player_tooltip player_id='1824195' first='Kameryn' last='Davis'] LB/RB, Marion, 2028   The Swamp Foxes are still finding their way back after a rough 2024 season, but the youth movement is clearly the entire plan and Davis is a big part of the design. His primary requirement is his role as the team's middle linebacker, and his ability to keep his head up has already netting him more stops than he had as a freshman. He's also giving the team some reps at tailback and should start to see more carries as the season progresses.    [player_tooltip player_id='1817711' first='Nico' last='Miller'] K/P, North Myrtle Beach, 2028    Besides [player_tooltip player_id='1822553' first='Will' last='McNeely'] at quarterback, Miller has been the Chiefs' biggest weapon so far in 2025. He connected on all eight of his PATs (chasing six of McNeely's rushing scores), hit all three of his field goals (34 yards, 37 yards, 25 yards) and his leg is strong enough to give the staff a reason to let him try from much further. If that's not enough, he's also starting to look like one of the zone's most effective punters.

The Grand Strand & Pee Dee has reason for optimism in the second half of the 2025 football season.