WHAT WE SAW: Myrtle Beach Rallies Past May River

Wes Kerr

November 8, 2022 @ 12:00 PM

The Myrtle Beach Seahawks knew that they needed special playmaking from their stars to fend off a gritty May River squad on the road, and they did just that for a massive first-round playoff win. After losing six regular-season games including four in a difficult Region 6-4A slate, the Seahawks are moving on to the Class 4A second round. Let's take a final look at some of the standouts back on Friday night.   After struggling to find much rhythm early on, Myrtle Beach's offense came through with several key conversions in the second half. The Seahawks were stymied by the Sharks' impressive run defense led by senior linebacker Thomas Raisch, but Mickey Wilson decided to get the ball out in space and ditch a run-heavy approach for an offense built from quick passes to the outside and to the flats. Both Seahawk quarterbacks stepped up, as juniors Wyatt Cannon and Tristan McGee made the quick and accurate throws needed to operate the offense. And when they needed to be great, they came through. Wyatt Cannon sizzled a 44-yard pass to Kenny Brown to open the scoring in the second quarter, fooling the May River defense on a play-action fake and placing the ball right in the arms of the speedy Brown. Both quarterbacks came up huge on the game's go-ahead drive, converting an incredible three straight fourth-down plays to keep the drive - and the season- alive in Bluffton. McGee came up with the biggest play of them all, floating a lob to senior standout [player_tooltip player_id='336119' first='Jake' last='Doty'] who used his terrific athleticism to extend to make the grab and keep his feet in bounds. The Seahawks were an impressive 4-for-4 on fourth down, and it was the difference that got them the victory. Myrtle Beach's defense came up huge as well, making a massive stop early in the fourth quarter to help set up the go-ahead drive. Led by senior sensation Michael Gillard and linebacker LeRon Favorite, the Seahawks stuffed a Shark fourth-and-four run to keep the deficit at four points and set the tone for the comeback. May River threatened again with under two minutes left looking for the win, but an unheralded sophomore making his first start of the season saved the day for Myrtle Beach. The physicality and strength of Auntay Campbell helped dislodge the football after a reception and force the game-sealing fumble. The stars that the Seahawks needed showed out, and a new one emerged to punch their ticket to a rematch with West Florence. It was a strong effort from the Sharks at home and a brilliant finale from a pair of reliable seniors. Thomas Raisch delivered a masterpiece on defense, clogging up an excellent Myrtle Beach run game and adding a huge sack late in the second half. An excellent athlete with the motor and physicality to stuff the run and excel in coverage, Raisch will be a major loss for the Sharks going forward. They'll also have to find a new piece at running back to replace Jaiden Jones, who was the driving force of the Sharks' rushing attack. He was rock-solid again on Friday, rushing for 176 yards and two touchdowns on 27 carries. Replacing [player_tooltip player_id='1360121' first='Tanner' last='Macy'] at quarterback, Gerrett Diemel performed admirably with 75 rushing yards and a touchdown while converting a key pass to [player_tooltip player_id='1592214' first='Andrew' last='Johnson'] in the Sharks' final comeback bid of the night. And [player_tooltip player_id='1575350' first='Ethan' last='Sprinkle'] delivered a breakout showing at linebacker for May River, flying to the backfield and making some key stops on Myrtle Beach's excellent backs. He'll be a key piece going forward with Raisch gone next year.

The Myrtle Beach Seahawks knew that they needed special playmaking from their stars to fend off a gritty May River squad on the road, and they did just that for a massive first-round playoff win. After losing six regular-season games including four in a difficult Region 6-4A slate, the Seahawks are moving on to the Class 4A second round. Let's take a final look at some of the standouts back on Friday night.