High School

Loris wins region title after Marlboro County forfeit

The Lions needed a victory over Marlboro County on Friday to clinch the Region 5-AAA championship

Mike Duprez

Photo by Taylor Balkom, SBLive

Loris needed a victory over Marlboro County on Friday to clinch the Region 5-AAA championship.

The Lions won but they didn’t even have to take the field.

Marlboro County, in the latest of a series of unusual events surrounding the program this season, canceled the game Friday afternoon. The announcement was made on the Facebook page of the Marlboro County School District. No reason was given, though some media reports mentioned lighting issues with the stadium. 

We apologize for the inconvenience. #MarlboroStrong #OneDawg

Posted by Marlboro County School District on Friday, October 25, 2024

A spokesperson from the Marlboro County School District told WBTW News 13 that the game was canceled due to “electrical issues.” The spokesperson told WBTW, “I am unable to answer further questions.”

The possibility of playing during the day on Saturday wasn’t addressed.

Loris, on the school’s athletic page X account, announced a forfeit. That lifted the Lions’ record to 8-1 overall and 4-0 in the region. Marlboro County dropped to 6-2 overall and 2-2 in the region.

Events began during the offseason when Marlboro County hired then-Clinton, N.C. coach Cory Johnson as head coach. Johnson hired a star-studded staff, including some former head coaches.

In addition, some players from Johnson’s team at Clinton transferred. The two schools are 97 miles apart.

Those actions lead to dramatic changes for both programs. Clinton was 15-1 and reached the North Carolina 2-A state championship game where the Dark Horses fell 28-18 to Reidsville in a battle of undefeated teams. Marlboro County was 3-7 and didn’t make the state playoffs.

Marlboro County became an instant power in the 2024 season. On the other hand, Clinton is having one of its worst seasons in years. Clinton, a traditional state power, is 1-8 after a 49-6 loss to St. Pauls. Most of the losses have been lopsided.

Last month, after a Marlboro County student was shot, the school district opted for e-learning on Thursday and Friday. North Myrtle Beach was to have hosted Marlboro County that Friday but opted to not play the game due to safety concerns. It was treated as a North Myrtle Beach forfeit.

But that forfeit has since been rescinded with no explanation. North Myrtle Beach now has four losses instead of five.

Marlboro County slipped in a 35-12 loss to Dillon on Oct. 18 but still could have played for at least a share of the region championship. Instead, the highly anticipated game wasn’t played.

The Bulldogs are scheduled to host Waccamaw next Friday. Waccamaw coach Amondre Johnson said he had spoken with Johnson and that the game would be played.

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Mike Duprez
MIKE DUPREZ

Mike Duprez became a freelance sports journalist for Scorebooklive.com several months after retiring from the newspaper business. A native of Oakland, California, Duprez moved around as a child due to his father’s service in the United States Marine Corps. He earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1981. Duprez, who lives in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, had 30 years of experience in newspapers as well as other endeavors before retiring at the end of 2021. He covers stories in both North Carolina and South Carolina for Scorebooklive.com.

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