WHAT WE SAW: CCU’s Ball At The Beach 7-On-7
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While we already highlighted some of the reasons Spartanburg won Coastal Carolina’s Ball at the Beach 7-on-7 tournament on Thursday, it was clear from the get-go that Raheim Jeter Raheim Jeter 6'3" | 220 lbs | QB Spartanburg | 2023…
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Continue ReadingWhile we already highlighted some of the reasons Spartanburg won Coastal Carolina’s Ball at the Beach 7-on-7 tournament on Thursday, it was clear from the get-go that Raheim Jeter Raheim Jeter 6'3" | 220 lbs | QB Spartanburg | 2023 State SC and Co. weren’t the only reason the event was held.
That wasn’t much of a surprise, as the 12 invited teams all had players CCU’s on-hand coaching staff was wanting to evaluate in person. Obviously, we weren’t privy to which guys the Chants’ coaches were looking at, but we did see standouts all day.
THE SURPRISE
West Florence earned the No. 1 seed for tournament play via its pool play run and made it to the semis before losing to Winter Park. There wasn’t any way to disguise the Knights’ success Thursday, especially given that this is normally a run-first team.
We chalked it up to Franklin Emerson.
You know, West Florence’s best linebacker.
Only thing was, he was playing quarterback.
After normal starter Deuce Hudson Deuce Hudson 6'0" | 165 lbs | QB West Florence | 2023 State SC (illness) was unable to go more than the team’s first couple sessions, Emerson came in and went off. He was airing out deep balls with precision and had some serious pop on his mid-range passes.
Not bad for a back-up signal caller who threw all of seven pass attempts last season.
Emerson wasn’t trying to create some sort of a quarterback controversy. For starters, Hudson has already proved he can run this offense pretty darn well. Also, Emerson is a priority at linebacker. Last year, he led the Knights with 107 tackles (80 solo, 54 assisted) to go along with all sorts of other high-impact numbers.
During Ball at the Beach, he played both ways for the majority of the day, all the while showing that West has one heck of a back-up plan should it ever require it.
AROUND BALL AT THE BEACH
Passing leagues like this one tend to favor the quarterbacks. They don’t have to worry about a blitz, and scanning for receivers is much easier without linemen in front of you.
Regardless, we took note of a few quarterbacks who have made some strides since last season.
Conway’s Devin Grainger Devin Grainger 6'1" | 170 lbs | QB Conway | 2024 State SC (pictured) is going to be spreading the ball around much more this season now that all-star receiver Carlton Terry II is off to Wofford. He’s going to be targeting Cameron Alston, Jamarious Woodbury and Aiden Brantley with much more consistency, and Grainger showed he has no issue scanning into his reads.
Much like Jeter, South Florence quarterback LaNorris Sellers LaNorris Sellers 6'3" | 215 lbs | QB South Florence | 2023 State SC is also coming back from an injury (albeit, an on-field one). Sellers’ arm strength isn’t questionable. On one throw toward the back end of pool play, he hit a receiver in the chest with a ball, and the receiver let out an audible gasp for air. The Syracuse commit has been in the weight room since getting cleared from shoulder surgery, and it showed.
Clover’s Joe Boyd Joe Boyd 6'2" | 195 lbs | QB Clover | 2023 State SC and Goose Creek’s Drew Moore Drew Moore 6'3" | 175 lbs | QB Goose Creek | 2023 State SC also had solid showings, although they exited the tournament phase earlier than they’d hoped.
Myrtle Beach receiver John Simmons John Simmons 6'3" | 200 lbs | WR Myrtle Beach | 2025 State SC had what might have been the catch of the day off a pool-play pass from Wyatt Cannon. Simmons, the No. 4 player in the Prep Red Zone Class of 2025 rankings, got behind a defender on a deep route, fended him off with his right arm and then made a one-handed catch at the brink of the end zone with his left.
West Florence receivers Trevor Milliken and Stephen Smalls were also a hot pair Thursday, making a few nifty grabs from Emerson.
On the flip side of the field, we’d be remiss to not mention South Florence corner Kemonte Rose. He might be the next fleet-footed Bruins defensive back on a team loaded with all sorts of speed. Rose notched a pair of interceptions, including one off a throw from Spartanburg’s Jeter during the semifinals. On the play, he had to think fast and move faster.