GSPD Week 2 Players To Watch

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The deeper we get into the season, the more we can extrapolate the consistency of trends and not just one-off big-time performances.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Enter the third week of the SCHSL slate, and that's what we're noticing.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Between the names we heard last fall and the ones we're just starting to know, this weekend will be another stop toward seeing which players on the Grand Strand and Pee Dee will continue to carry their weight and then some for the duration.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Jared Serrato</strong> LB, Carolina Forest</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 6-foot, 210-pound linebacker has opened 2024 with an interception in games against West Brunswick (N.C.) and Hartsville. The Panthers would surely like for that streak to reach three games. Against Hough (N.C.), Carolina Forest will be facing a quarterback in <strong>Trey Blakeney</strong> who threw for 323 yards and six touchdowns in last week's win over Myers Park. The Panthers will try to keep him off the field with their ground game that features tailbacks [player_tooltip player_id='1148537' first='Jaryn' last='Fox'] (252 yards, two touchdowns) and [player_tooltip player_id='1149046' first='Chris' last='Livingston'] (105 yards, four touchdowns), but eventually Blakeney is going to be between the lines.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1254005' first='Treyshawn' last='James']</strong> DL, Darlington&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>James (pictured) has carried all of his offseason momentum from the Carolinas Coaches Combines and weight room into viable in-season production. The Falcons are 2-0, and his three sacks, four tackles for loss and forced fumble have big a big part of the early success. On Friday at home against Lugoff-Elgin, James is going to have to keep it up against arguably the best line he'll face all season. Offensive tackles <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1236332' first='Daniel' last='Mccaskill']</strong> (6-foot-5, 280) and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='790770' first='Christian' last='Smith']</strong> (6-foot-4, 275) each have a size advantage. James will have to bring every bit of his explosiveness off the edge to get into the backfield. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1303846' first='Cam' last='McClendon']</strong> RB, Cheraw</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>While there wasn't a ton for the Braves to write home about in a lopsided loss to Marlboro County last weekend, McClendon was a huge factor in the Week 0 win over McBee. He rushed for 153 yards and a score in that one, and he could be in line for a similar effort against Conway this week. The Tigers are a Class 5A team, of course, and players like <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='732833' first='Louvensky' last='Auguste']</strong> will be trying to slow McClendon down. However, Conway is also working through some positional issues and are coming off a game in which they allowed 298 rushing yards. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1025782' first='Jordan' last='Jenkins']</strong> WR, Conway</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Tigers aren't quite in panic-button mode just yet. After all, they knew this was only year two of a pretty big rebuild. But if they want this season to include the playoffs, they're going to need to find some offense before region play begins. Jenkins the best threat to help that cause, and Conway needs to put the ball in his hands any way they can. He only had two receptions in the shutout loss to Loris last week. His touches need to increase, even if they aren't coming directly from <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1399640' first='Noah' last='Legg']</strong> passing plays.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1267317' first='Daniel' last='Capehart']</strong> LB, Dillon</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Wildcats' defense is built around how well the linebacking corps of Capehart, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1172360' first='Kelvion' last='Manning']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1025771' first='Keryien' last='Brown']</strong> can smother opponents. They all move well sideline-to-sideline, taking stretch plays out of the equation. Last week against Socastee, Capehart not only had 10 tackles, a sack and a tackle for loss, he also blocked a punt. If he puts up a couple more of those high-profile plays, this game will be difficult for Wilson to stay in after halftime.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1592447' first='Jacobien' last='Lewis']</strong> WR, Loris</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Lions haven't had to throw much to Lewis or anyone else through two shutout victories to start the season. But they will. And Friday's game against South Columbus (N.C.) will be a better look at what Loris will have to navigate when the tougher portion of its schedule starts in October. Lewis has caught only five passes, and even though three of those went for touchdowns, quarterback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='797160' first='Moon' last='Gerald']</strong> and Lewis need to expand on their on-field relationship in games like this one. Eventually, the lockdown defense built upon defensive linemen <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='464883' first='Javon' last='Johnson']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1395062' first='Demarea' last='Thurmond']</strong> and linebacker <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='464897' first='Avery' last='Todd']</strong> will be pushed much more than they've been.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1158009' first='Jonathan' last='Goswick']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1467828' first='London' last='Wilder']</strong>, Socastee</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Goswick and Wilder and the rest of the Braves lost the team's best player last week when <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='413888' first='Josh' last='Brown']</strong> went down late in the loss to Dillon with a broken arm that might sideline him for the rest of the year. Now, how these two talents take more snaps, handoffs and targets remains to be seen. But they're not the focal point of the offense. Goswick can play quarterback (he might have to depending on the extent of the injuries to starter <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1429140' first='Christian' last='Royals']</strong> from last week), slide into a wildcat set or play receiver. Wilder will split time between tailback and receiver. Either way, the offense now runs through them.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1269581' first='Austin' last='Tanyika']</strong> RB, Aynor</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Tanyika's video game-like numbers after two weeks of play aren't a fluke, even if he a relative newcomer to the job. The converted lineman is a natural at fullback in this offensive system and he's proved it by running for seven touchdowns and 13-plus yards per carry through his first 15 rushes. He's also got a 25-yard reception to his credit. He's going to feast on teams that aren't beefed up in the trenches, and Socastee is definitely a team that isn't after also losing a starting interior defensive lineman in Week 0. If Tanyika and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1188517' first='Matthew' last='Kerby']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1734403' first='Luke' last='McCracken']</strong> get going again, the Blue Jackets will remain perfect after three games.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1165108' first='Zori' last='Pierce']</strong> QB, Lamar&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After we saw Pierce's greatest attributes shine during his sophomore year, we shouldn't be surprised to see some of his best traits carry on through to this fall. Pierce doesn't make big-ticket mistakes. When he misses his primary targets such as <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1253894' first='Zoom' last='Jackson']</strong> or <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1462573' first='Alvion' last='Ward']</strong>, it's in a way where defenders can't pick it off and the drive continues or the Silver Foxes punt it away and have a field-position advantage. He's only thrown one interception in 145 varsity pass attempts over the course of his 12-game career. Meanwhile, he's thrown or rushed for 32 touchdowns, something that gives Lamar an advantage over Central this Friday.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->