It was a weekend to remember for the top senior high school football players in Chronicle Country.

For the first time, All-Star games took place over a succession of three straight days around the Palmetto State. Even without the Shrine Bowl for the second consecutive year, there were plenty of opportunities for senior players to suit up one last time against their peers.

The Palmetto I-20 Classic at Zemp Stadium in Camden kicked things off this past Friday. Team Nasty (Lexington County and Richland School District 1 players) took an 8-7 win over Team Savage (players from Richland District 2, Kershaw and Lee counties).

White Knoll running back Jaquez Frederick ran in the game-winning two-point conversion with 1:49 left for Team Nasty. He was named the game’s overall Most Valuable Player and wide receiver Austin Harris of Class 2A champion Gray Collegiate was named team Offensive MVP.

The following day, Harris’ teammate running back K.Z. Adams and 10 other Chronicle Country players headed to Doug Shaw Stadium in Myrtle Beach for the Touchstone Energy Cooperatives All-Star Game.

In addition to suiting up for the North team, Adams was one of five finalists for South Carolina’s Mr. Football Award. Despite the Georgia State commit posting state record numbers for rushing in a season (3,446) to go with 42 touchdowns and playing on both sides of the football, the honor was awarded to Hilton Head linebacker Jaylen Sneed.

“It’s okay lol, you know accolades don’t matter to me,” Adams tweeted. “I rather have JESUS than any award. He is preparing me for GREATER THINGS.”

As for the All-Star Game, Adams accounted for 118 yards for the North squad. However, four turnovers forced by a defense which saw Brookland-Cayce linebacker Owen Plane account for the second-most tackles in the game (nine) enabled the South to claim the 20-17 victory.

It was the third straight win for the South, who still trail the North 39-31-2 all time in the game.

All-star weekend for prep football concluded Sunday at the home of the new Class 5A champions. The Carolina Bowl Senior Showcase was played at Gaffney High School with North Carolina posting a 34-7 victory over South Carolina.

The lone score for South Carolina came on a 50-yard touchdown pass by Greenville quarterback Promethius Franklin to Fort Dorchester wide receiver Davion Joyner. Joyner was named the South Carolina Offensive MVP.

Todd Helms of Gray Collegiate Academy was one of the coordinators for the event.

Clemson Commit Wins Top Honor

A week after Dutch Fork lost in the Class 5A final, the news was much brighter this week for wide receiver Antonio Williams.

High school sports website Maxpreps named him the South Carolina Player of the Year. Williams was previously named Richland County Player of the Year after amassing 1,625 receiving yards on 85 receptions and 20 total touchdowns as a senior.

Williams made additional news on social media as he announced his commitment to Clemson University. The four-star prospect was also heavily recruited by the Tigers’ archrival South Carolina, Auburn and Ole Miss.

Williams is scheduled to play in the Under Armour All-American Game set for Jan. 2, 2022 in Orlando, Fla.