An extraordinary May River football season came to a screeching halt under the pouring rain Friday night.
Tavarius Hooks and Elijah Vereen dominated on the ground for a combined 374 yards, and the fifth-seeded North Myrtle Beach Chiefs forced three fumbles to stun Region 7-4A champion May River 27-7 on the road Friday in the first round of the SCHSL Class 4A playoffs.
The Sharks got a jump on the visitors early, as quarterback Garvin Douglas weaved through the NMB line and dashed 40 yards to the end zone for a 7-0 lead. After struggling on their first few offensive drives, the Chiefs found a spark from their trusty senior back. Vareen probed the right side and made a Shark miss before outrunning the rest for a game-tying 58-yard touchdown run. North Myrtle Beach’s defense made a fourth-down stop to get the ball back with under a minute to go in the first half but missed a 41-yard field goal attempt to keep the score level at the midway point.
It didn’t take long for the Chiefs to grab the lead after halftime, as Hooks found daylight on the first play from scrimmage and raced to the goal line for a go-ahead 62-yard score before a blocked extra-point attempt kept the score at 13-7. The defense fed off the newfound energy, stopping a Shark run up the middle on fourth-and-1. With a terrific effort from the offensive line, Hooks and Freeman led a methodical nine-play drive capped off by a one-yard Freeman quarterback sneak to extend the lead to 20-7.
Douglas and company couldn’t find an answer, and a hungry Chief defense pounced on a pair of fumbles on successive May River drives to derail the Sharks’ comeback bid. The Chiefs kept the ball on the ground to salt away the fourth quarter before Freeman found the end zone for the second time to put the game away.
Hooks delivered a monster game for the Chiefs, rushing for 223 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries. In his second game back from an ankle injury, Vereen racked up 124 yards and a score on 17 attempts. Despite a tough game through the air, Freeman delivered late on the ground with 28 yards and two touchdowns. After an early explosive run, the Chiefs held Douglas to just 67 rushing yards on the night.
May River finishes the season with an 8-3 record that included a six-game winning streak and the Sharks’ second region title and their first in two seasons in Class 4A.
By Wes Kerr
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