Posted on Oct 04, 2009 - 04:39 AM

Seahawks Subdue Regional Rival

By Terry Massey

The long-anticipated football matchup between state powers and region foes Myrtle Beach and Lake City was almost over before it started.

The fifth-ranked Seahawks scored 21 unanswered points in the first quarter and coasted to a 35-14 victory over the No. 2-ranked Panthers on Friday night at Doug Shaw Memorial Stadium. An early interception for a touchdown by P.J. Thomas and a 30-yard touchdown run by Morgan Byrd gave Myrtle Beach a 14-0 lead out of the gate. Quarterback Everett Golson added a touchdown pass to Steven Cobb to make it 21-0 just 10 minutes into the game.

"We came out ready to play and took advantage of a few breaks,'' said Myrtle Beach High coach Mickey Wilson. "I'm not happy that we got a little comfortable after getting that big lead. We can't take our foot off the gas (pedal).''

Myrtle Beach stretched the lead to 28-0 and the quick start allowed the Seahawks to play solid defense the rest of the way to preserve the win. Star running back Shon Carson rushed for 164 yards and a touchdown to cut the deficit to 28-14, but it was as close as the Panthers could get.

Golson added his second touchdown pass of the game to seal the victory and finished by completing 15 of 26 passes for 192 yards and two touchdowns. He also threw his first interception of the season on a deflected pass. Byrd had a pair of scoring runs out of the "Wild Hawk'' option attack.

The victory was sweet revenge for the Seahawks, who suffered their only loss to Lake City in last year's march to the Class AAA state championship. With the top team in their region out of the way, the Seahawks may be able to cruise the rest of the way to the region title and, perhaps, a repeat state title.

"We've had a tough stretch of games over the past month,'' said Wilson, whose team has rattled off big wins over Dillon, Hartsville, Conway and Lake City after falling to nationally ranked Byrnes. "We've still got to stay focused on (the region schedule), but this will make us a better team in November.''