Myrtle Beach High’s two-quarterback attack will be a thing of the past when the Seahawks hit the gridiron this fall.
The Seahawks held their annual spring game on Monday night, unveiling a more traditional one-QB set led by rising senior Tyler Keane.
Last season Keane alternated snaps with fellow junior C.J. Cooper, who is moving to wide receiver and defensive back to help ease the pain of several key losses to the Seahawks.
Keane and Cooper had almost identical passing stats last season, throwing for nearly 3,000 yards and more than 40 touchdowns. Cooper also led the team in rushing with 286 yards, but Keane will get the call in 2012.
“C.J. is one of our better athletes and we felt we needed to get him more involved,” Myrtle Beach coach Mickey Wilson said. “Last year C.J. played just 50 percent of the snaps and none on defense, so he should be able to help us out a lot more this year.”
The need for increased production and playing time from the players left behind is a consistent theme for the Seahawks this season. Myrtle Beach’s high-flying passing game loses two of its top targets in wide receivers Tramond and Jaquan Wilson, and four offensive linemen are gone, including Kentucky signee T.J. Jones.
The Seahawks lost four college-bound players on the defensive side of the ball, including bookend defensive ends Tyler Knox (N.C. State) and Kerry Chestnut (Louisburg JC), defensive back Lavandrick Wilson (Louisburg JC) and safety Daquarius Wilson (N.C. Central).
“We lost a lot of good players on both sides of the ball and they’re going to be hard to replace,” Wilson said. “We’ve got some young guys coming up that can be good, but they’re going to have to work hard and hit the weight room to help us out this fall.”
Myrtle Beach, which had its streak of three straight Class AAA state title game appearances snapped last year, opens the season in the Surf & Turf Kickoff Classic against Irmo on Aug. 25.
- Photo by Joel Beachum
