Seahawks Take Opener in Quest to Repeat as State Champs
By Terry Massey
Only a narrow stretch of the Intracoastal Waterway separates Myrtle Beach from Carolina Forest.
But when it comes to high school football, the two are worlds apart.
That point was evident Saturday night as the Seahawks successfully opened their Class AAA state title defense with a 49-0 victory over the Panthers at Doug Shaw Memorial Stadium. The game was the continuation of Friday night's season opener, which was suspended due to lightning.
But it didn't take very long for the Seahawks to shake off the delay. In fact, it only took one play for Everett Golson to hit Morgan Byrd for a 34-yard touchdown and set the tone for what was to come.
Golson hit Donte Sumpter for a 22-yard touchdown on the next series and wound up completing his first 11 passes before throwing an incompletion. He handed off to Daiquone Ford for a 26-yard touchdown to give the Seahawks a 28-0 lead at halftime.
``Really?'' Golson said when informed of the 11-completion start. ``I know my receivers did a great job of running their routes and getting open and my line did a great job of giving me time, but I didn't think we were that good.''
Golson stayed hot in the second half, hitting Sumpter for back-to-back touchdown passes. He gave the ball to Ford for another touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter before sitting out the rest of the night.
But it won't get this easy for Myrtle Beach for some time as it travels to No. 2 nationally ranked Byrnes next week then stays on the road to face Dillon, Hartsville and Conway before returning home against region rival Lake City.
``This is the toughest schedule in the history of Myrtle Beach High School but we're not going to let one win or one loss define this program,'' said Myrtle Beach coach Mickey Wilson, who won his first game as head coach of the Seahawks. ``We've got a tough road trip coming up here and we've got to play better, but it's going to make us a better team come November.''
Carolina Forest failed to score on its last drive after fumbling near the goal line and allowing Myrtle Beach to preserve the shutout. The Panthers are seeking their first win since the 2007 season.
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