The Socastee Braves Varsity Football team finished with a 3-8 overall record, finishing 1-3 in the region. The Braves started the season with a win, and after that it was rough, but two late-season wins boosted them into the playoffs.
With Socastee finishing 3rd in the region, they made the playoffs, but the dream was cut short after a 1st- round loss at Fort Dorchester.
But even after that, the Braves kept a positive mindset, which helped them make a late- season playoff push.
“A positive attitude always leads to a better performance in a game,” Linebacker Ethaine Godwin (12) said. Godwin was a star player on the team, even being named to the 2023 All-Region defense.
Through having a positive mindset, the Braves were able to bounce back late in the season to make the playoffs. Despite the 1-0 start, they lost six straight games to fall to 1-6 and last in the region going into the homecoming game versus Conway. The Braves went into the game with the mindset to win, and that’s what they did. The Braves won 27-21, winning their first homecoming game in eight years.
“I think what really helped was that the kids understood that no matter how many numbers of games you lose, if you keep working, it will pay off,” Asst. Football Coach Robert Curran said.
The hard work did pay off, and the Braves ended the season with a 47-7 win over Wando to send the Braves to the playoffs. The Braves traveled to Fort Dorchester, one of the better teams in the state, for their playoff matchup. After keeping it within three points late into the game, Fort Dorchester won 40-14 to end the Braves season.
“We could have won that game,” Coach Curran said. “But our eyes are set on next year; the expectation is always to win the region.”
