NMB Chiefs look to rebound from 0-2 start
Little River – The North Myrtle Beach football team opened the 2022 season with losses to Socastee and Loris, both close and winnable games.
That start led to a 2-9 finish. After getting their first win in their third game, the Chiefs went on a six-game losing streak.
In a remarkable case of déjà vu, the 2023 season has started in much the same way as the previous season. The Chiefs lost their first two games of this season and could have won both. They dropped a 6-0 decision to Socastee on Aug. 18 and lost a double overtime game to Loris, 27-21. Both losses came on the road.
Head coach Greg Hill, who took over the program prior to last season as he moved up from his role as an assistant to former coach Matt Reel. While disappointed again with the 0-2 start, Hill feels this year’s team is better equipped to handle the adversity. He feels his team will rebound to have a successful campaign.
“We are all disappointed, no question,” Hill said. “In both games we started really slow. That’s something we have to fix. This team really has fought their tails off in the first two weeks and I know that will continue. I am really proud of their effort. They are working hard. I think this team has a great upside and they will come out of this. We can’t change where we are at 0-2 but we can turn it around. I have confidence that we will.”
The Chiefs played their opener against Socastee without starting quarterback Landon Cloninger and the offense struggled. Cloninger was ready to play against Loris but the offense still started slowly. Turnovers have been a major issue in two games. North Myrtle Beach had six turnovers against Loris and three against Socastee. Yet, they had opportunities to win both games.
“Yes, we could be sitting here at 2-0 if we just eliminate the mistakes,” Hill said.
Falling behind 21-0 to Loris in the second quarter, the Chiefs fought back to tie the game and send it into overtime. They had chances to win the game in both extra sessions.
“We put ourselves in position to win. We just didn’t execute,” the coach lamented.
The football program has fought a numbers crunch, in terms of seniors, for the last two seasons. Last year’s team had only 10 seniors, which forced a lot of underclassmen into playing time. Most of those underclassmen return this fall with some experience but the senior class again only totals 11 this fall.
The starting two deep is littered with seniors and juniors, most with some level of experience.
Behind Cloninger in the backfield are senior Nasir Turner and junior Stephen Vereen. Evans Bellamy missed the season opener but rushed for 135 yards against Loris.
Junior Kaden Gore is the top returning receiver. Juniors Anderson White and Andrew Kreider, along with sophomore Luke Barrett also work in the receiver rotation.
Working at tight end are juniors Brown Reaves and Robert Pappano.
Three returning starters are back along the offensive line. Junior Jacqari Witherspoon (6-3, 285) returns at left guard. Junior Tyler Dohring (6-2, 245) starts at right guard but also trains at left tackle. Junior Sawyer Averitt (6-4, 250) start at right tackle. Junior Zimir Vereen (5-11, 210) is working at left tackle and senior Jared Heyman (6-0, 240) is the starting center and is listed as the backup at right tackle. Senior Isaiah Black and juniors Koleton Turner and Matthew Murphy also see time along the front.
Black (6-0, 275) is a returning starter at nose guard on defense. Senior TJ Stanley (6-2. 215) returns at one defensive end while junior DJ Gause (6-0, 215) returns at the other. Senior Aaron Bowers (6-4, 225) and sophomore Keith Allison (6-1, 235) also work in the rotation along the front.
Senior Jayden Molina (6-2, 220) and sophomore Mike Cavallini (5-10, 165) are working at WILL linebacker, Junior Sloan McIntyre (5-10, 200) returns at the MIKE linebacker, backed up by Molina,
At corner are senior Syncere Jefferson, junior Jahmaine Wilson and sophomore Bricey Gore. Gore also works at safety, along with returning starter Campbell Kingston, a junior, and sophomores Zyrion Reed and Trenton Fredricks, who was a starting linebacker last season and recorded 67 tackles.
Juniors Rhys Sturgeon and Tanner Pretila also get time on the back end.
The Chiefs are set to host West Brunswick, North Carolina in their home opener on Sept. 1. The stadium will debut a new artificial turf playing surface.
About us
Recognizing the achievements of young athletes in South Carolina since 1986.