As the second half of the season begins, I reflect upon the season thus far and I conclude that there was Fun, Focus, Fantastic, Fans, and the Flu. The fun of course is watching the teams and players develop as the season goes on. The focus has been evolving from the lack of focus in the pre-season to the increased focus on teams and individual players. The fantastic part has been the extraordinarily plays that have been put together. The fans have been very supportive and the flu was a foe to contend with in the beginning of the year. Over all, the first half of the season has been great for everyone who enjoys the game. Now for the region breakdowns;
Carolina Forest
The #11 ranked Carolina Forest Panthers are currently 6 - 2 and the combined W-L-T record of their opponents is 55-45-2 . Second year Coach Jason Schipper has to be very happy with his team thus far and they have improved dramatically. Their potent left side attack has proven to be difficult to defend and as the season progresses, I look for them to be even better. Junior Forward Noah Lascell is a player to watch.
Georgetown
The Georgetown Bulldogs are currently 1 and 4. The combined W-L-T record of their opponents is 45-17-1 and they have only scored 6 goals to their opponents 22. Their only this year has been against Andrews however, it is there first regular season win in over 2 years. Second year Coach Mike Morgan still has his work cut out for him if Georgetown wants to be competitive in the future.
Myrtle Beach
The #10 ranked Myrtle Beach Seahawks are currently 7-3 and the combined record of their opponents is 66-45-3. The Seahawks had a key loss to North Myrtle Beach (1-3) but the NMB goals were primarily in the opening minutes. The second half was much closer and Coach Jason Himmelsbach will have to keep his senior-laden team focused for a run in the playoffs. The Seahawk goal production will also have to increase in order to be competitive with the toughest part of their schedule coming up. Senior standout Chris Dixon continues to be a dominant force in the midfield.
North Myrtle Beach
The #6 ranked North Myrtle Beach Chiefs ard currently 10-2-1 and the combined W-L-T record of their opponents is 74-67-4. The Chiefs had a key loss to Socastee (1-2) but showed that they are definitely going to be a competitive force over the next coming weeks. In addition, the Chiefs won their hosted Nash tournament in the beginning of the season. Although the chiefs have posted 46 goals thus far, Coach Newt Merricks players have had numerous opportunities and their finishing needs to improve. Their defense appears to be very strong though and this will be a key component moving into the playoffs. NMBâ?Ts outstanding senior players Scott Winedell and Jesse Graham will need to push their teammates harder to get over the Socastee hump.
St. James
The St. James Sharks are currently 3-6-0 and the W-L-T record of their opponents is 73-32-3. I had hoped that first year coach Robert Bramble would have been able to steer his talented group to a better performance this year, but a key injury to Matt Mitchell may have thwarted his efforts. In any event, the Sharks have one of the toughest schedules and hopefully the second half of their season will be more improved. The key for this team will be goal production due to the fact that they have only posted 13 goals thus far and their remaining games are not going to get any easier.
Socastee
The #4 ranked Socastee Braves are currently 13-1 and the combined W-L-T record of their opponents is 73-54-2. The Braves have slipped in the rankings possibly due to the perception that their schedule is weaker than it has been in the past. However, the Braves have posted quality wins over NMB, Pinewood, and Dreher. Without question, the Braves have a very potent attack posting 63 goals thus far and their defense has been solid and have only allowed 12. As a result, the Braves should once again be a dominant force in the playoffs. Coach Memo Suarez has to be very happy with the teams progression and the play of his standout players Bobby Belair, Justin Watson, and Orlando Clark.
Aynor
The Aynor Blue Jackets are currently 1-5 and the combined opponent W-L-T record is 27-19-1. Coach Altman has his work cut out for him if he expects to improve this squad which has only posted 3 goals thus far.
Loris
The Loris Lions are currently 1-5 and the combined opponent W-L-T record is 38-22-2. The Lions must continue to improve their overall game and Coach Will Todd must find some way to improve his defense while simultaneously improving the offense.
Marion
The Marion Swamp Foxes are 5-2 and their opponents have a combined W-L-T record of 20-36-1. The weaker schedule has given the Swamp Foxes the opportunity to develop confidence as the season has progressed. Coach Joel Kovitch must work to push his team harder if they want to be more competitive in the future.
Mullins
The Mullins Auctioneers continues their run of losses and are currently 0-2. Coach Candace Daigneault continues to try and build a program in Mullins despite the limited talent in the area. The Auctioneers did however post a goal against #2 ranked Waccamaw and this was their first goal in many years. Albeit the goal was scored against Waccamawâ?Ts younger players.
Waccamaw
The #2 ranked Waccamaw Warriors are currently 10-2-1 and the combined record of their opponents is 69-62-2. Although their weak region schedule doesnâ?Tt really help the development og their team, Coach Ben Schoen has been able to put together a competitive out of region schedule that includes NMB, MB, Chapin, Pinewood, and Stratford. These games will be pivotal for them as they move into the playoffs and hopefully an eventual match against their rival Bishop England. Waccamawâ?Ts standout forward Justin Blomdahl continues to have a good season but it will be up to Allstate midfielder Rhyne Garrity and defensive standout Luke Ellerbe to step up their play if the Warriors want to be successful.
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