Hunter Renfrow is Socastee High’s National Champion.

So with six seconds left on the clock and trailing by 3 points in the National Championship game? What play would you call and who would you trust to make a play?

Well for the Clemson football team the answer was simple. Run “Orange Crush” and have Deshaun Watson, Artavis Scott, and Hunter Renfrow execute the play. With so much on the line and “Big, Bad” Alabama standing in their way of a title, the Tigers’ execution was flawless.

Watson made the perfect pass, Scott rubbed his man, and Hunter Renfrow, the little guy from Socastee High in Myrtle Beach, SC made the big catch to crush the hearts of the Alabama faithful.

Renfrow finished the game with 10 catches, 92 yards, 2 touchdowns, and a touchdown saving tackle on linebacker Ryan Anderson.

On Tuesday night, I spoke with Socastee head football coach Doug Illing, the man who once told me that teams would regret passing on Hunter Renfrow, because “He’s going to burn a bunch of them.”

Describe your reaction when Hunter caught the pass to win the game and what did you feel leading up to the last play?

Coach Illing: I was high-fiving my daughter, jumping up and hitting my head on the ceiling-just fired up man! We were sitting on the edge of our seats. They got up, and Alabama came right back to score. But it was good that they scored quickly because it left some time on the clock. I knew they had enough time to get back down the field. But they were going against the best defense in the country. I think they kind of figured them out and found some holes to exploit. That’s what they did in the second half. I knew they were going to double cover Mike Williams, and I thought they might have a chance at calling Hunter’s number in that situation and dang, if they didn’t.

What was the atmosphere like on Tuesday morning at Socastee?

Coach Illing: Oh man, it was electric.  It was fun. It was exciting. Everybody was high-fiving, pumped up and talking about the game. Some of us had texted back and forth during the game too. It was pretty cool.

I talked to you last season about having a former athlete compete in a National Championship game. Well, how does it feel to have a National Champion from Socastee High?

Coach Illing: We are mighty proud of Hunter. We are privileged and honored to cross his path and be a small part of his life. It was kinda cool to watch TV and watch someone be an integral part of the game. He’s from Socastee, and we know him.

Hunter was a phenomenal athlete at Socastee, but he still had to take the hard road to Clemson. Is that a good teaching tool for your kids?

Coach Illing: That’s a story for millions of kids in the United States and the world to take what he did and apply it to their own life-you know being underrated and being a nobody. You can just take what he has done and see that anything is possible, if you work hard at it and keep a positive attitude. Keep working for the opportunity and when your opportunity comes, then you got to be ready to make the most of it. That’s the road he took and that’s his story. He turned down scholarships, turned down Appalachian State, because he had a dream. Gosh, what an inspiration, he is to have for kids.

He went from being a superstar in high school to a walk-on at a big university and becoming a nobody. But he made the most of his moment during the spring, got a scholarship, and then earned a starting position. It’s just an inspiration to any athlete. You don’t have to be a 5 star recruit. You just have to work to get a chance and an opportunity. Now, he has a lot of fans who are inspired by what he has done. That’s who he is, he has always been a person who cares about other people and tries to encourage them.

Does Hunter get a chance to come around the kids and if so, what do they ask him?

Coach Illing: I think they are just in awe around him. Wanting to get pictures with him. They want to know what it’s like being in that atmosphere. He’s got a busy schedule and is up at Clemson a lot, and when he’s here at the school, he doesn’t get to spend a whole lot of time with people.

In his post game interview, Hunter said that he wants to be a coach. Does that surprise you? 

Coach Illing: He’s kind of tinkered around it. He said he wanted to study engineering, when he went up there. But he was always intrigued by coverages and schemes and wanted to know more about them. He enjoyed being able to out-execute a defensive scheme offensively. He would be great to have back into the profession to give back to the sport. If he did decide to coach that would be awesome.

His hard work is paying off and many people think that he has a great chance to play in the NFL. I’ve even seen fans on Twitter say that he is a New England Patriots’ slot receiver. What do you think about the NFL and the association with that Patriots position? 

Coach Illing: That’s what he looked like last night with the hitch routes, out-routes, and the shallow cross for the first touchdown. That’s the Patriots offense right there with Tom Brady throwing to Edelman(Julian). He fits that role. I watched him a couple days in practice and when he made a break and put his foot in the ground. He got at least a two step separation and it didn’t matter who was covering him. That innate ability to get open will give him a shot in the NFL. That’s a special talent that he has found. It’s crazy, but he is always getting open.

Have you had a chance to talk to him?

Coach Illing: I just texted him last night. I knew he was going to be swamped with all of his family and friends that were there, so I just texted him. I knew once he got settled on the bus that he would get back to me. He finally got back to me and said thank you. I just told him how proud I was and congratulated him. I said, “Hey you’re a national champion man and you were a major part of it. He said, “Thanks, Coach. I appreciate you.”

When you get to talk to him, what will you say?

Coach Illing: I would like to ask him what their mentality was at the beginning of the game and relive the moment with him. That’s the highest of the high, the intensity, the emotion of the environment. Just hear him talk about what it was like.