Small-School Matchups Highlight GSPD Week 7 Slate

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Grand Strand &amp; Pee Dee is going to get some pretty definitive answers sooner than much of the rest of the state.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Up and down the zone, particularly with some matchups between smaller schools, certain teams are going to be able to start creating some distance between themselves and some of their region mates. For others, this is about some key results that will drastically alter the region and playoff races.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Starting with three of those such match-ups, there are reasons galore to envision what might happen and which players will have a huge role.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>From there, we've got some of the more interesting big-school games and players to watch.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>MANNING (3-3, 1-1) AT MULLINS (3-3, 2-1)&nbsp;</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Last year:</strong> Manning 33-6</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Top players:</strong> MAN - LB/RB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1811132' first='Daniel' last='Robinson']</strong> (2027) DB/RB <strong>Isaiah Baxter</strong> (2028) WR/DB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1820895' first='CJ' last='Robinson']</strong> (2027) DL/LB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1824521' first='Lovon' last='Stevenson']</strong> (2027). MUL - QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1592515' first='Ka'Nazzion' last='Bethea']</strong> (2026) RB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1817569' first='Tyron' last='Allen']</strong> (2026) WR <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1821690' first='Amir' last='Lee']</strong> (2026) LB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1822778' first='Andre' last='Littlejohn']</strong> (2026) LB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1604041' first='Nathan' last='Peracki']</strong> (2027).&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Wildcard to watch:</strong> Manning junior quarterback <strong>Lovell Stevenson</strong> has done well picking his spots. And while he's had some issues with hanging onto the football (seven fumbles, three lost), his ability to impact games is there every time he steps foot onto the field. He's rushed for 132 yards and four touchdowns while throwing for another 589 yards and eight more touchdowns. When he and [player_tooltip player_id='1820895' first='CJ' last='Robinson'] get into quick-strike rhythm, it can be difficult for opponents to get the Monarchs' offense off the field.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>WACCAMAW (5-1, 1-0) AT LORIS (6-0, 1-0)&nbsp;</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Last year:</strong> Loris 40-14</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Top players: </strong>WAC - QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='473025' first='Andre' last='Grate']</strong> (2026) RB/LB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='473016' first='AJ' last='Grate']</strong> (2026) RB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1822699' first='Bryce' last='Holloway']</strong> (2026) DL <strong>Greg Hall</strong> (2026) LB/TE <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1667256' first='Ben' last='King']</strong> (2027). LOR - QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='797160' first='Moon' last='Gerald']</strong> (2026) WR/DB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1592447' first='Jacobien' last='Lewis']</strong> (2026) OL/DL <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1639761' first='Jamarious' last='Wilson']</strong> (2026) DL <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1395062' first='Damarea' last='Thurmond']</strong> (2026) OL/LB <strong>Landon Connor</strong> (2026)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Wildcard to watch:</strong> Loris junior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1656668' first='Khalid' last='Sherman']</strong> (pictured) has flashed brilliance in several different ways as the Lions need him to play a variety of positions. He picked off a pass and had three tackles against Conway. He then turned around a week later and caught four passes for 139 yards and two touchdowns against South Columbus. Two games after that, he ran for 139 against Socastee. Loris is determined to use his speed one way or another, and that's not going to change any time soon.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>EAST CLARENDON (5-1, 1-1) AT KINGSTREE (3-4, 2-1)</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Last year:</strong> East Clarendon 42-36</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Top players:</strong> EC - RB <strong>Skyler Cornelius</strong> (2029) RB <strong>Tyquan Wilson</strong> (2026) QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1819758' first='Gavin' last='White']</strong> (2028) LB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1819760' first='Thomas' last='Fitts']</strong> (2026) DL <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1819754' first='Michael' last='Woods']</strong> (2026). KING - RB/DB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='473015' first='Tyleek' last='Dukes']</strong> (2026) LB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1036769' first='Maleek' last='Dukes']</strong> (2027) LB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1592634' first='BJ' last='Washington']</strong> (2026) LB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1821472' first='Mark' last='Pickard']</strong> (2027) QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1825539' first='Randy' last='McFadden']</strong> (2027)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Wildcard to watch: </strong>East Clarendon senior defensive end <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1819753' first='Jaylon' last='Barron']</strong> and corner <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1819755' first='Picasso' last='Brown']</strong> have each had a major hand in the Wolverines' 5-1 start. Barron is leading the charge with 12 tackles for loss while Brown has a team-best two interceptions. Neither one of these teams are going to be throwing it around a ton, but it stands to reason they'll both give it a shot when the opportunity arises.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>AROUND THE GSPD</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Blythewood-West Florence:</strong> Can <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1025773' first='Romello' last='Patterson']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='617662' first='Jamie' last='Williamson']</strong> flat out take over a game? This would be a good time for the pair of Knights seniors to do just that.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>North Myrtle Beach-Socastee:</strong> In what might just turn out to be a playoff elimination game, quarterbacks <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1822553' first='Will' last='McNeely']</strong> (North Myrtle Beach) and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1429140' first='Christian' last='Royals']</strong> (Socastee) both need a huge game.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Myrtle Beach-Conway:</strong> The Victory Bell got some spice with both teams pulling off victories last week. Either way, we're expecting the Seahawks to dole out a heavy does of tailback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1823730' first='Michael' last='Cohen']</strong> - especially if this one turns into a grind-it-out type of game. And if he and quarterback <strong>Tanner Gaddy</strong> start linking up on passes, it should open up some pieces for a high-paced game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->