Joe Wedra – JMC

Mickey Wilson shut off the lights and walked out onto a dark, silent field.

In the hours before, a beautiful chaos that especially a football coach could appreciate unfolded. Thousands of fans filtered into Doug Shaw Memorial Stadium, all to cheer on their favorite local high school football teams at the 35th annual CNB Kickoff Classic, the unofficial “ringing in of the new year” for football teams across Horry County.

On Friday night, the field at Myrtle Beach High School saw it all. 

Fans painted head to toe in their school colors.

Cow bells with loud ringing as far as ears could hear. 

Hundreds of high school football players, playing under the lights of their hometown for glory-filled plays and memories that will be etched into their memories for decades to come.

For the Myrtle Beach High School head coach, it was a sort of heaven.

“You don’t ever appreciate it enough until it’s over,” Wilson said, sitting on the bench on the sideline after Friday’s event unfolded. “But, that was paradise. It was a coach’s paradise.

“Where else would you rather be to kick off a new football season?”

A place where community feels ‘old school’

Chase Johnson has been attending the CNB Kickoff Classic for over 20 years — first as a youngster, then as a player, and now as a proud supporter of the Aynor Blue Jackets.

Aynor is one of ten teams that has been a part of the Classic for all 35 years, and the Blue Jacket pride is felt loud and proud at the preseason event every season.

The premise of the event is a rather simple one: all ten of Horry County’s teams suit up for a preseason jamboree in one final tune-up to the season. And on the field, there’s nothing out of the ordinary or special about the football action that takes place. If anything, some area coaches treat the event as a true preseason scrimmage, not wanting opponents to “see too much” on film before the real season begins.

But competitive juices aren’t what the event is truly about. 

As Johnson describes, it’s about the opportunity to make the entire county — filled with various high-school rivalries — feel like family for one night every year. 

“This is the community event that we circle on our calendar every year,” Johnson said. “It’s the time when you can count on seeing your friends from all across the county. Your cousin from Conway will be there. Your old friend from Myrtle Beach will be there. And then our little ole’ family from Aynor will be there, too. That’s what this is all about. It’s never about the football. We don’t remember the final scores. But, we do remember the memories we make.”

As players and coaches gather on the field to put their finishing touches on preseason work, fans in the stands are treated to a wide variety of entertainment that expands far beyond the play that takes place between the white lines.

Carnival-style games are located in the crowd. 

Food vendors with unique, southern fare like fried green tomatoes and boiled peanuts line the track. 

And large open spaces with picnic tables and music surround the stadium for tailgate-style parties to take place under the setting South Carolina sun.

For Johnson’s fiancee, Emily Hamilton, the event reminds her of something far more important than football — the reason why she and Chase have decided to settle down in Horry County. 

“Honestly, there’s just something about this event that brings out the very best in where we are and where we have decided to live,” Hamilton said. “I remember when Chase and I were thinking through where we wanted to start our life, and I think one of the moments that solidified our decision was being here at the Classic. 

“You’re surrounded by your closest friends. You see the excitement everyone in the community has in supporting their hometown. And above everything else, everyone is smiling the whole time and so happy about where they are in life and in this world. I’m not really sure how you beat it.”

On-field importance

As much as those in the stands enjoy their funnel cake and French fries, coaches like Wilson say the value of the Kickoff Classic, which is always set exactly seven days prior to the county’s regular season schedule, is vital.

For young teams, like Wilson has with Myrtle Beach this year, the Classic provides a chance to get things moving in the right direction with stress-free experience.

“I think one thing that people don’t understand about this event is that it does help the coaches and players and all the teams exponentially,” Wilson said. “This gives us an opportunity to put our guys under the lights and see how they shine. You can’t replicate that on the practice field or in the offseason. This is it.”

One young quarterback who played in Friday’s action, Aynor’s Alex Lewis, agreed with Wilson’s assessment of the Classic’s on-field value.

Lewis, a junior, is playing the starting quarterback role for the very first time in 2025. He isn’t used to playing in big moments, something he admits. 

After Friday’s matchup with Socastee, in which Lewis and the Blue Jacket offense was dealt many learning opportunities, the junior signal-caller said he was thankful to have had the opportunity to have the “thrown into the fire” experience.

“I definitely don’t think I’d be going into next week with as much confidence as I have now if I hadn’t played tonight,” Lewis said. “That’s the truth. There were things I saw tonight, hits I took, schemes I saw, that I just don’t see in practice. This is my second time playing in this event, but the first as the starting quarterback… This was the thing I needed, for sure.”

Wilson said he hears the same thing from all of his young players — every single season.

“Our guys consistently tell me that this is the most important date in our preseason,” the coach said. “Every time. Every time. I wish every county in our state did this. I think the state of football across South Carolina would improve ten-fold if everyone committed to doing this. It works, plain and simple. It works.”

A bright future

The CNB Kickoff Classic isn’t slowing down. 

Even the local rivals don’t want the games to quit. Just ask North Myrtle Beach coach Tony Heilbronn, whose team lost to Myrtle Beach in rather lopsided fashion, 21-0.

The community connection far outweighs the rivalry.

“Yeah, we lost pretty bad tonight. And yeah, I don’t love losing to Myrtle Beach,” Heilbronn said with a laugh. “But how do you beat this? How do you beat getting everyone together, for one great night across Horry County? I’d like to see you try.”

By every indication, the Classic is moving forward with as much momentum as ever. Final attendance numbers haven’t been released by Myrtle Beach High School, but initial indications are that the event had its best numbers in years. 

For guests like Johnson, there’s a clear reason why.

“We love football, we love good food and we love our community,” he said, looking over at Hamilton with a smile. “When you put those things together, good things tend to happen.”

It’s safe to say a big number of Horry County residents feel just the same as Johnson.

Another successful Kickoff Classic is in the books. 

And as Wilson took in some of the final moments of the night after hitting the off switch on his light system, he appreciated the moment in a way that only a veteran coach could.

“That was fun,” he said. 

“Now, it’s time to get to work.”