North Myrtle Beach Times Serving our Community and the Grand Strand for over 50 years
By Kaye Collins
The Loris Lions varsity football season ended Friday, Nov. 28, with a final score of 38 to 7. The Lions made the trip to Charleston to compete against the Oceanside Collegiate Academy Landsharks in the Class 3A state championship game. The Lions, along with their coaching staff, had an outstanding season leading up to the game, boasting a perfect 13-0 record, which marks the highest number of wins in Loris High School’s history. For the second consecutive year, the Lions have claimed the title of Region Champions and advanced to the Lower State finals in the 2024 and 2025 seasons.
Oceanside quickly opened the scoring in the first quarter with a 60-yard touchdown run by Terence Johnson on a fourth-and-one play up the middle. Following a punt from Loris, Oceanside’s standout quarterback Aiden Manavian delivered a swift pass to Ethan Ranew, extending the Landsharks’ lead to 14-0 just moments into the second quarter.
Loris scored on a 2-yard touchdown rush by Moon Gerald, but Manavian orchestrated two additional touchdown drives with accuracy before halftime, giving Oceanside a 28-7 lead at the break.
The Loris offense attempted to present various strategies to the Landsharks, yet they could not overcome the size and speed of their opponents on the opposite side of the field.
Loris triumphed over Dillon on the road on October 3, with a score of 23-22, contributing to the team’s second consecutive Region V-3A championship. Victories in the playoffs against Battery Creek (59-19), Orangeburg-Wilkinson (56-20), and Newberry (51-21) set the stage for Friday’s game against Oceanside.
Oceanside demonstrated its potential as the top team in South Carolina, irrespective of classification. As a public charter school, it has the ability to enroll students from regions beyond the confines of conventional attendance zones.
The Landsharks consistently participate in various sports reaching the state championship games. This year on the football field was no different. Earlier this year Oceanside triumphed over Dutch Fork, a strong contender for the Class 5A Division I title, and the highest classification in the state.
This year, the SCHSL (South Carolina High School League) implemented the one-time transfer rule for other public schools, permitting any student a single “free transfer” to a public school beyond their usual attendance area.
Although they faced defeat, Mance expressed pride in his team, which achieved a school record 13 victories and secured a second consecutive appearance in the lower-state championship game.
At the end of the game Head Coach Greg Mance called the Lions to ‘circle in’ where he told them, “You have a lot to be proud of,” he shared, “I know you’re hurting right now and disappointed.” He continued, “I am so proud of each one of you, you battled and you competed, we just lost to a better team.” When his pep talk ended he called for the team and coaches to ‘touch a shoulder as Pastor Tommy Shelley of Crossway Church offered a prayer.
Emotions ran high as tears were shed and players felt disappointment, with nearly 20 seniors on the team leaving the field after their final game as a Loris Lion.
The team made their way back to the charter bus for the journey home. The atmosphere on the bus was subdued, with the players lost in their thoughts. A number of players turned to Facebook to express their feelings during this less stressful time, sharing their reactions.
Senior Tyler Brown (10) as you all know the season ended in a heartbreaker. But for me the heartbreaker wasn’t the loss, it was knowing this was the last time going to war with my brothers, it was saying a final goodbye to more than just a game. He stated 10 years of blood, sweat, tears, pain and sacrifice he was willing to make to become a Lion. He is taking life lessons with him to carry throughout his life. He thanked his coaches, parents, supporters, my ‘brothers’ and my family for pushing me to keep going. He gave much of the credit for his success on the field to Coach Fernandez who ‘placed me in situations to benefit me and for guiding me to be a leader and a man’. He finished with, “You taught me that being a leader goes further than stats. With that being said his is a farewell to Loris Football.”
Damarea (Baby Grady) Thurmond (74) wrote, “Thanks to Loris high school for a great four years of football, I greatly appreciate everyone who supported the times I had on the high school field and hope to see you all at my college games, Baby Grady, Out”.
Quarterback Moon Gerald (7) wrote, “Man first off I want to start by thanking God, without Him who am I.” he continued, “We’ve been at it with the same guys since rec, I wouldn’t want to do it with nobody else, all the guys got a special place in my heart. I hate the way it ended but I know we are all going to do big things in life. I’m going to miss suiting up with ya’ll and going to war. I want to thank all of my coaches and everyone around me for bringing out what I didn’t know I had in me forever grateful for ya’ll shout out to the Loris community for all the love this season. With that being said ‘5 out’
The team extended their appreciation to the cheerleaders, marching band and the terrific Loris Lions fans for their support during the 2025 campaign.
The Loris Times would like to express gratitude to Glenn Hardee and Mike Suggs from LBI Radio Sports for supplying the game statistics, which greatly facilitated the reporting process. We also extend our thanks to Brandon Day, the Athletic Director at Loris High School, for permitting the writer to travel on the bus to the championship games. Additionally, we appreciate the football coaches for allowing photos to be taken without disrupting the game or the players. It has been an amazing season and the Loris Times is thankful to all of you.
