A’Chean Durant, McCormick High School’s all-star running back, is pretty good at outpacing tacklers and getting extra yards. He also proved adept at keeping up with a third grader in the Target toy aisles.
Durant was among 88 of South Carolina’s top high school football players selected to play in the Touchstone Energy Cooperatives Bowl, an annual all-star game played in December at Doug Shaw Memorial Stadium in Myrtle Beach. A few days before the North team’s 22–14 victory over the South, opposing players from each team partnered to assist 44 deserving kids from Horry County Schools for a Christmas shopping spree at a local Target store. Since they began sponsoring the game, South Carolina’s electric cooperatives have provided each child a $150 Target gift card to spend on clothes, toys, and other items on their Christmas list.
Durant and Lexington High’s Jonah Norris of the South team helped nine-year-old Faith Aaron, who tested the duo’s speed and athleticism by quickly going from aisle to aisle in search of the items on her list.
“It was fun, but she is pretty fast,” says Durant. “I didn’t know what to expect when they told us we were coming here to do this, but it was a great experience.”
Along with Durant, Little River Electric area all-stars that suited up for the North included Addison Nickles and Ty Cade of Abbeville High School, Josiah Jeffery of Greenwood High School, Jaylen Foster of Emerald High School and Cameron Darby of Belton Honea Path High School.
The local players were also a part of another bowl week tradition. They participated in Lineman Demo Day the night before the annual all-star game to explore careers as lineworkers through hands-on demonstrations presented by Horry Electric Cooperative electrical linemen.
