Perhaps the nation's No. 1 team, No. 1 senior and No. 1 junior will all take the field at the same time this September. And they might do it on national TV.
Myrtle Beach and Byrnes have inked a contract to play in each of the next three seasons, starting with a Sept. 4 matchup in Duncan. The Rebels will visit Doug Shaw Stadium in 2010 before a third game at Byrnes in 2011.
Byrnes, the defending Class AAAA, Division I state champion, is likely to open 2009 as the nation's top-ranked team, especially with the return of All-American tailback Marcus Lattimore, quarterback Chas Dodd and a strong supporting cast.
Lattimore, the reigning South Carolina Player of the Year, is considered by many publications as the nation's top rising-senior prospect. Myrtle Beach quarterback Everett Golson has been labeled by several recruiting experts as one of the nation's top juniors.
The coaches believe that alone could be enough to lure a potential TV deal for this year's game.
``There are a lot of storylines,'' Seahawks coach Scott Earley said. ``Lattimore is the No. 1 player in the country, and they'll probably be the No. 1 team in the country.
``But for us it's an opportunity to get better. We're by no means at that level, but I don't think you get to that level unless you play people like Byrnes. Playing Conway all those years and getting our eyes beat out helped us get to this point. Now it's what can we do in the future.''
Myrtle Beach figures to open the season as the top-ranked team in Class AAA, although the Seahawks will have to replace several key components from last year's state championship team. But Golson, a sophomore All-American with a bevy of major-college scholarship offers, returns after throwing for 3,570 yards and 44 touchdowns.
All three games in the series will be played in Week 2 of the regular season. Myrtle Beach dropped West Brunswick (N.C.), which begins a new four-year realignment next fall, from its future schedules to make room for Byrnes. Since West Brunswick was scheduled to visit Doug Shaw Stadium this year, the Seahawks will only have four home games in 2009.
After opening with Carolina Forest and Byrnes next fall, the Seahawks face Class AA state champion Dillon, Hartsville, Conway and Lake City, the only team to beat them in 2008, before beginning the Region VII-AAA slate.
Byrnes has agreed to split the revenue from this year's game with Myrtle Beach. The home team would then pocket all the profits in the final two years of the series.
Earley said the two programs have been trying to play each other for several seasons, but their schedules never meshed. The discusssions were restarted after former Byrnes coach Bobby Bentley resigned his post as the head coach at Presbyterian College earlier this month to become the offensive coordinator at Byrnes. He is also now the district-wide athletic director.
The Seahawks understand the mountain in front of them, but Earley sees the long-term benefits of the series.
``We're by no means going to go to Duncan and beat Byrnes, but we'll get better and the next year Byrnes has to come here,'' he said. ``Plus, it's great exposure for your kids.''
