By Chris Sokoloski

csokoloski@gtowntimes.com

Waccamaw High School senior Taylor King signed a scholarship offer Tuesday to play soccer at the University of South Carolina - Sumter.

"It has the small school feel I was looking for," King said. "It's a great school to branch off from."

Soccer players from USC - Sumter, which is a two-year junior college, have gone on to play at Erskine and Coker colleges and USC - Aiken, among other schools.

"There are kids that will fly under the radar and come to a small school and stand out," USC - Sumter soccer coach Otis Holloway said.

Holloway first heard about King from a recruiting service. King then send him some game tapes and visited the school last month. Holloway expects him to start in goal as a freshman.

"Taylor is real mature for his age," Holloway said.

King is about to start his second season as Waccamaw's starting goalkeeper.

"Taylor has a great work ethic," Waccamaw coach Ben Schoen said. "He earns everything he gets. He bided his time as a backup."

Schoen has known King since he was 5 years old. At the time, King and his mom, Chris, who is a guidance counselor at Waccamaw High, lived next door to Schoen and his wife, Jill.

"Any coach who has him is very lucky," Schoen said. "He represents the [Waccamaw] soccer team as well as anybody can."

King played football in the fall because he "enjoys hitting people," and is wrapping up the basketball season, but soccer is No. 1.

"It's fast paced," he said. "When I'm playing I get a good rush."

King is anticipating his senior season to be a great one.

"Out of the four years, this is probably the best talent," King said. "We're stacked."