HORRY COUNTY FOOTBALL ROUNDUP: Carolina Forest Rolls Into Playoffs, Myrtle Beach Wins OT Thriller, Socastee Captures Battle Of The 707

HORRY COUNTY FOOTBALL ROUNDUP

The regular season came to a close Friday night across Horry County with dominant performances, rivalry drama, and playoff positioning on the line.

Carolina Forest continued its march toward the postseason with another dominant victory, Myrtle Beach survived an overtime battle against North Myrtle Beach, and Socastee claimed bragging rights in the Battle of the 707 with a dramatic one-point victory over St. James.

CAROLINA FOREST 49, CONWAY 0

Carolina Forest left no doubt who currently sits atop the Horry County football landscape.

The Panthers shut out rival Conway 49-0, improving to 9-1 on the season and extending their winning streak to seven consecutive games.

Carolina Forest dominated from the opening kickoff, building a 28-0 halftime lead before tacking on three more touchdowns after intermission. The Panthers scored 14 points in each of the first three quarters and added a final touchdown in the fourth.

The victory highlighted a dominant second half of the season for Carolina Forest. During its seven-game winning streak, the Panthers have overwhelmed opponents with a balanced offense and aggressive defense, routinely winning by large margins.

Meanwhile, Conway closes the regular season at 2-8 after dropping its fourth consecutive contest.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Carolina Forest improved to 9-1.

• The Panthers recorded their second shutout in four games.

• Carolina Forest enters the playoffs riding a seven-game winning streak.

• Conway finished the regular season 2-8.

MYRTLE BEACH 29, NORTH MYRTLE BEACH 23 (OT)

One of the best games of the night came in Myrtle Beach, where the Seahawks needed overtime to turn back rival North Myrtle Beach 29-23.

The long-running rivalry delivered exactly what fans expected as neither team could pull away during regulation. North Myrtle Beach battled back repeatedly before Myrtle Beach finally sealed the victory in overtime.

The win improved Myrtle Beach to 7-3 on the season and continued the Seahawks’ recent dominance in the rivalry.

North Myrtle Beach closes the regular season with a 3-7 mark.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Myrtle Beach improved to 7-3.

• The Seahawks earned their third consecutive win over North Myrtle Beach.

• The rivalry game required overtime before being decided.

• North Myrtle Beach finished the season 3-7.

SOCASTEE 22, ST. JAMES 21

The most dramatic finish of the night belonged to Socastee.

The Braves edged St. James 22-21 on Senior Night in the annual Battle of the 707 and secured the No. 3 seed in the SCHSL Class 5A Division II playoffs.

Quarterback Christian Royals played a major role in the victory. Royals threw a touchdown pass to Paul Livingston, added a rushing touchdown of his own, and connected with BJ Floyd on a two-point conversion.

Livingston contributed two touchdowns, scoring once through the air and once on the ground.

The game ultimately came down to one final play.

With less than 13 seconds remaining, London Wilder broke multiple tackles on a jet sweep and crossed the goal line for the game-winning two-point conversion that gave Socastee the one-point victory.

Defensively, Landon McKee came up with a key interception as the Braves held on for the win.

The victory gave Socastee its second straight win to close the regular season and provided a major boost heading into the playoffs.

KEY PERFORMERS

• Christian Royals, Socastee: Passing touchdown, rushing touchdown, two-point conversion pass.

• Paul Livingston, Socastee: Receiving touchdown and rushing touchdown.

• London Wilder, Socastee: Game-winning two-point conversion.

• Landon McKee, Socastee: Interception.

HORRY COUNTY SCOREBOARD

Carolina Forest 49, Conway 0

Myrtle Beach 29, North Myrtle Beach 23 (OT)

Socastee 22, St. James 21

Marlboro County 52, Waccamaw 14

Johnsonville 21, Loris 8

PLAYOFF OUTLOOK

Carolina Forest enters the postseason as Horry County’s hottest team and one of the top programs in South Carolina. The Panthers have won seven straight games while outscoring opponents by substantial margins and appear capable of making a deep playoff run.

Myrtle Beach also heads into the postseason with momentum after winning five of its last six games and surviving a tough rivalry matchup against North Myrtle Beach.

Socastee may be the county’s most dangerous dark horse after securing the No. 3 seed in Class 5A Division II. The Braves closed the regular season with consecutive victories and showed plenty of resilience in their dramatic win over St. James.

As the playoffs begin, Horry County will once again be well represented, with Carolina Forest, Myrtle Beach, and Socastee all carrying legitimate postseason aspirations into November.