Thursday, Oct. 29, 2009

Area lands three in Shrine Bowl

Omission of Alabama signee Hill baffles Trojans' coach

Three area players were selected to participate in the 73rd annual Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas on Thursday.

Myrtle Beach cornerback Khiry Watts, Carvers Bay corner/tailback Davious Chestnut and South Columbus (N.C.) tight end/defensive lineman Ethan Farmer will play in the game, which is Dec. 19 at Wofford College. Timberland quarterback Cody Craig, who has committed to Coastal Carolina, will also represent the Palmetto State.

The area's biggest surprise was West Brunswick (N.C.) standout Alfy Hill, who was left off the Tar Heel roster.

The Shrine Bowl is a collection of 88 of the top senior high school football players from North Carolina and South Carolina. The 44-man rosters were selected by the North and South Carolina Shrine Bowl coaches from nominations from the states' head coaches.

Watts becomes the 19th Seahawk named to the Shrine Bowl, following receiver Jamere Valentine and safety Demazio Skelton from last season, when the area had five players selected to the bowl.

Watts, 5-foot-10 and 170 pounds, has 27 tackles, 31 assists, five for loss, and seven pass breakups - including an interception - this season. He also runs in the 4.5-second range in the 40. Wilson said Watts has a scholarship offer from Western Carolina, but Watts may need to attend a junior college before entering a four-year school.

"[Watts] has done such a great job over the years," Myrtle Beach coach Mickey Wilson said. "When he was a sophomore he started for us at safety. Last year he was moved to corner, and once he settled in he has become our lockdown corner. We feel like whoever the other team's best receiver is, we can put him on that guy and he will shut them down."

Chestnut, who is committed to Central Florida, is also a shut-down defensive back. The 6-foot-3, 185-pounder may not be the best player on his team, but fellow corner and UCF commit Clayton Geathers has been hurt for much of the season.

Still, Chestnut is highly regarded. He has 48 tackles and three interceptions on defense and has rushed for a team-high 987 yards and 15 touchdowns on offense.

Farmer is rated by rivals.com as North Carolina's ninth overall prospect. The 6-3, 260-pounder, who plays on both sides of the ball, plans to make official visits to Clemson, Tennessee, North Carolina, N..C State and Virginia Tech. Farmer is the fourth Stallion named to the Shrine Bowl, joining Justin Smith (2002), Bryan Dixon (2004) and Pat Worley (2008).

Hill's exclusion was a shock for West Brunswick coach Jimmy Fletcher. The Alabama commit, who will play outside linebacker or defensive end in college, is rated the state's third overall prospect.

Hill has already committed to play in the Under Armour All-America Game, which brings together some of the nation's best players, Fletcher said. That game will will be played on Jan. 2, 2010, and televised live on ESPN.

"He is good enough to play at Alabama, but he isn't good enough to play in the Shrine Bowl?" said Fletcher, who hasn't had a Shrine Bowler in his time with the Trojans. "That really surprises me.

"I'm totally shocked. I pretty much thought he was a lock, but I know it's a tough job and I know there are a lot of great players out there."

The Shrine Bowl is scheduled for 1 p.m. Dec. 19 at Wofford College's Gibbs Stadium in Spartanburg. North Carolina's head coach will be Jim Oddo of Charlotte's Catholic High School while South Carolina's head coach will be Lewis Lineberger of Johnsonville. North Myrtle Beach's Denver Cromer and Carvers Bay's Nate Thompson will serve as assistants for the South Carolina team.

The area could have several representatives in the North-South All-Star game, which should release its selections sometime within the next week. The North-South game will be played Dec. 12 at Myrtle Beach's Doug Shaw Stadium.