Battery Creek baseball team runs up against familiar foe
By Stephen Prudhomme
Staff Writer
Beaufort - The Battery Creek High baseball team’s season ended the way it started – with a loss to Hilton Head High.
Hilton Head, which shut out Battery Creek 13-0 in the season opener, topped its Region 8-AAA rival 16-7 on May 1 in the Lower State playoffs That followed Battery Creek’s 11-1 loss to Lake City in the opening round of the playoffs.
The Dolphins finished their season with a 6-15, 5-6 record.
Hilton Head proved to be one of Battery Creek’s tougher opponents this season. The Seahawks, along with the aforementioned wins, also shut out the Dolphins 11-0 on April 14. Battery Creek did extract a measure of revenge by edging Hilton Head 2-1 on March 22. One team Battery Creek did have success with was North Charleston, which it shut out 17-0 and 11-0.
Battery Creek had a number of players who had outstanding seasons.
Junior second baseman C.J. Jenkins was the team’s leading hitter. He batted .345 with a team-high 20 hits and 19 RBIs. He also was one of three players who hit a home run.
Senior outfielder/catcher Mike Kaneshige had a .333 batting average with 17 hits and 14 runs scored. Sophomore catcher/infielder/pitcher Shane Dixon finished with a .306 average, 15 hits and nine RBIs, while sophomore infielder/pitcher Shane Goude hit .273 with 15 hits and nine RBIs. Both he and Dixon had three doubles to lead the Dolphins.
Junior shortstop Joe Fields hit .260 for the season, knocking in 14 runs and recording 13 hits. He led the team in triples with three. Coach Daniel Tooman says when the Dolphins need a big hit, he likes to see Fields and Jenkins coming to the plate.
Battery Creek excelled on the bases, stealing 36 bases on 41 attempts. Fields led the way with a perfect 16-for-16, while Kaneshige had nine steals on 11 attempts. Sophomore Aaron Salinas was six-for six in stolen bases.
Dixon was Battery Creek’s top pitcher this season. He had a 2-2 record with a team-best 3.12 ERA and 21 strikeouts in 24 and two-thirds innings. Salinas finished 1-2 with a 3.78 ERA and 12 strikeouts in 16 and two-thirds innings, while Fields was 1-3 with a 4.42 ERA and 18 strikeouts in 19 innings. Goude had a 1-5 mark with a 4.38 ERA and a team-high 23 strikeouts in 30 and a third innings.
Freshman Thomas Smith was called up from the junior varsity team and quickly proved he could compete with the big boys. He had six strikeouts in three and two-thirds innings to pick up the win in relief against Hilton Head High. That marked the first time in several years that Hilton Head had lost a region game. Smith finished the season with a 1-0 record, 4.57 ERA and eight strikeouts in seven and two-thirds innings.
Tooman says Smith didn’t show any emotion when taking the mound against Hilton Head and made like Georgia’s favorite canine. “He was like a bulldog,” Tooman says. “He was focused and put the ball in the strike zone.”
Battery Creek girls showing signs of improvement
By Stephen Prudhomme
Special Writer
Beaufort - The Battery Creek girls’ basketball team (5-11, 2-1) is showing signs of improvement after losing its first seven games of the season.
Battery Creek is averaging 43 points a game and giving up nearly 56 points. Yet it’s second in the region behind North Charleston, which has a 4-0 mark.
Although the Lady Dolphins lost their first region game of the season, to North Charleston on Jan. 12, the deficit was only six points, far less than the double-digit losses they endured during the early part of their schedule.
Battery Creek lost the game in the fourth quarter. After holding a 29-27 lead at the half and still up by two after three quarters, 49-47, Battery Creek was outscored 15-7 in the fourth quarter and fell to North Charleston 62-56.
The loss ended a perfect January for Battery Creek, which defeated Wade Hampton 64-36 and followed that up with a 40-37 victory over cross-town rival Beaufort. Battery Creek ended its season-opening seven-game losing streak by edging Wade Hampton 31-30. Rashidah Jones led the way for the Lady Dolphins against Wade Hampton with 11 points and eight rebounds.
Point guard Katrece Daniels leads the team in three categories. The 5-8 junior is averaging 14.8 points, 3.4 assists and 1.9 steals a game. She’s shooting 39 percent from the field and a team-best 76 percent from the free-throw line. Daniels was an offensive juggernaut in the second victory over Wade Hampton, scoring 41 points on 16-26 shooting. She single-handedly outscored the Red Devils by five points. In the win over Beaufort, Daniels scored a team-high 15 points.
Jones is second on the team in scoring, averaging 7.8 points a game. The 5-9 junior forward is averaging a team-high 6.7 rebounds per contest and has 44 offensive rebounds, also a team best. Jones is also among the team leaders in steals, averaging 1.3 per game.
Kierra Wright is another player who fills the stat sheets. The 5-8 senior forward/post player is averaging six points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.7 steals per contest. She also has a team-high four blocks.
It’s no jinx to have sophomore Justice Hill in the lineup. The 5-8 guard/forward averages three points and four rebounds a game.
Junior guards Jasmine Watson and Latara Grant share more than grade and position. They also have identical scoring averages – 2.8 points a game. Where they differ is in the other categories in which they excel. Watson is among the team leaders in assists, with an average of 1.3 a game, while Grant is a force on the boards, pulling down an average of 3.9 rebounds per contest.
Nyeeka Simmons offers some numerical symmetry of her own. The 5-5 junior guard is averaging 2.1 points and 2.1 assists a game.
Battery Creek's balanced attack leads to a winning record
By Stephen Prudhomme
Special Writer
Beaufort (12/21/09) The Battery Creek High boys' basketball team has relied on double-digit scoring from three of its players to jump off to a 5-1 record and first place in Region 8-AAA this season.
After winning its first four games of the season, Battery Creek fell to Goose Creek, 73-48. It regained its winning touch in the next game, topping Colleton County, 59-41. The Dolphins are the only team in their region with a positive point differential. They've averaging more than 64 points a game and giving up an average of only 50.
Junior Javari Albergottie leads the team in scoring at 14.5 points per game on 42 percent shooting from the field. He's also hitting 37 percent from three-point range.
Right behind him in scoring is 6-6 senior Brent Evans, averaging 14 points and a team-leading 9.2 rebounds per contest. He's shooting 43 percent from the field.
Senior Norman Jenkins, a wide receiver and defensive back on the Battery Creek football team, is averaging 10.0 points a game. He's also among the team's assist leaders, at 2.5 per contest, and contributes an average of 3.2 rebounds and 1.5 steals a game.
Senior Evan Robinson, a lineman on the football team, is averaging 7.5 points a game on 63 percent shooting from the field and 92 percent from the free-throw line. Robinson's also second on the team in rebounding, averaging 6.3 a game, and is among the team leaders in steals, at 1.7 per contest.
Senior Charles Brown is the team's top passer, averaging 3.8 assists a game. He also leads the Dolphins in steals, at 2.3 per contest. Despite being only 5-8, Brown stands tall under the boards, snagging an average of 2.8 rebounds a game.
Senior Spencer Shine, who played wide receiver and defensive back on the football team, is averaging 3.7 points per contest on 52 percent shooting. One of the team's bigger players at 6-3, 202 pounds, he uses his size to his advantage on the boards, averaging 5.3 rebounds a game.
Junior Benjamin Garvin is scoring an average of 3.3 points per contest on a team-high 69 percent shooting from the field. He's also bringing down an average of two rebounds a game.
Battery Creek will head south right before the holidays, playing in a Christmas tournament in Jacksonville, Fla. It starts its region schedule Jan. 12, hosting North Charleston. Three nights later, it will play its second region game of the season, taking on Hilton Head High on the road.
Sophomore quarterback portends bright future for Battery Creek
By Stephen Prudhomme
Special Writer
Beaufort (11/1209) The future of the Battery Creek High football team looks as inviting as a wide-open receiver in the end zone to a quarterback, perhaps best symbolized, appropriately enough, by sophomore quarterback Stedman James.
Although he showed his inexperience throughout his team's 3-8 season, James also displayed plenty of talent. He passed for 258 yards and two touchdowns in last Friday's first-round playoff game against Lake City and completed the season with 1,621 yards and 17 touchdown passes versus 13 interceptions. Coach Carlos Cave, while noting that James is making sophomore mistakes and still learning the coverages, predicts he will be a "really, really good quarterback."
James will have to wait until next season to fulfill that promise. Lake City ended Battery Creek's season with a 46-12 victory in 3-A playoff action. The Dolphins were unable to sustain the momentum they achieved in an impressive 54-6 win over the Lake Marion Gators the previous week.
Another promising sophomore is running back Joshua Fields. Despite being only 5-7 and 155 pounds, Fields played big throughout the season. Although he was held to six yards on seven carries against Lake City , he led the team in rushing with 502 yards on 69 carries for an impressive 7.28 yards per carry and scored six touchdowns. Fields will lose his partner in the backfield, senior Cecil Franklin, who matched the former's six touchdowns while rushing for 443 yards on 105 carries. He, like Fields, found the running difficult against Lake City , rushing for nine yards on nine carries.
The Dolphins will likewise have to find a replacement for senior wide receiver Leaner Mobley, one of the Dolphins' top receivers, with 36 catches for 487 yards and six touchdowns. They'll also lose senior wideout Alex Sharpe, who finished his high school career strong by snagging eight passes for 169 yards and scoring two touchdowns. He ended the season with 30 catches for 544 yards and seven touchdowns.
Yet another senior wide receiver is Spencer Shine, who made his biggest impact on the defensive side. Playing defensive back, Shine was among the team leaders in tackling, with 55 solos and 48 assists; against Lake City, he had two tackles six assists. Junior defensive back Brent Johnson paced Battery Creek with 43 tackles and 63 assists, recording five assists last Friday.
Two other players who made their mark on defense were seniors Ricardo Chaney and Norman Jenkins. Chaney, playing strong safety, had 28 tackles and 28 assists, while Jenkins, a defensive back, recorded 26 tackles and 31 assists.
Dolphins face must win to make playoffs
By Stephen Prudhomme
Burton (10/27/09) - If the Battery Creek High football team (2-7, 1-3) wants to make the playoffs for the second consecutive year, it will have to defeat Lake Marion, which also faces a must-win situation if it wants to move on, this Friday in the last game of the regular season.
The Dolphins face a formidable task, according to coach Carlos Cave .
"They're very athletic, big team," Cave notes. "They also have a first-year coach who wants to make the playoffs. They have big, fast receivers and a dual-threat quarterback we need to contain. That quarterback is Chris Jenkins, who has passed for 772 yards and six touchdowns and rushed for 256 yards and three touchdowns. Jenkins' favorite target is wide receiver Mike Williams, who has caught 10 passes for 243 yards and scored five touchdowns.
Adds Cave: "We have to execute better and be more consistent and not allow coverage breakdowns."
Cave's latter comments stem from last Friday's 27-0 loss to Hilton Head High.
The Dolphins had their chances to score in the red zone early in the game, Cave says, but were unable to capitalize. He attributed that to lack of execution and breakdowns in pass protection for sophomore quarterback Stedman James, who threw for over 100 yards but didn't add to his season total of 14 touchdown passes; he also has nine inteceptions.
James has thrown for 1,112 yards this season on 76/142 passing, and Cave says he's going to be a "really, really good quarterback." He adds that James is still a sophomore who makes sophomore mistakes and is still learning the coverages.
Battery Creek did rush for 150 yards, led by senior running back Cecil Franklin with 70, but Cave says the line didn't execute effectively. The Seahawks' defense certainly contributed to the Dolphins' lack of execution. "They did a good job with blitzes," Cave says. Franklin has rushed for 303 yards on 67 carries and scored two touchdowns this season, while sophomore running back Joshua Fields leads the Dolphins with 412 yards on 54 carries and has scored three times.
Senior wide receivers Alex Sharpe and Leander Mobley have 338 yards (17 catches) and 307 yards (21 catches) respectively, and have five touchdowns apiece.
On defense, senior linebacker Luke Johnson stood out. "He played well and had a lot of tackles," Cave says. Johnson has 28 tackles and 49 assists to pace the Dolphins, followed by senior defensive back Spencer Shine with 42 and 30; senior defensive back Norman Jenkins, 21/ 26; senior linebacker Denzel Davis, 17/27; and senior defensive lineman Sam McDonnell, 12/29.
If Battery Creek does prevail against Lake Marion , its reward will be a first-round match-up against Myrtle Beach on the road. "I don't know if that's good or bad," Cave remarks. "They're a good team."
Battery Creek battles Bluffton in Region 7 match-up
By Stephen Prudhomme
Special Writer
Burton - 10-12-09 - It will be a battle of the 2-5 teams when Battery Creek meets Bluffton in a Region 7-AAA match-up this Friday on the road.
Bluffton is coming off a 21-14 win over Stall last week.
The Dolphins, on the other hand, lost to North Charleston, 24-20.
Sophomore quarterback James Stedman did his best to lead his team to victory, completing 16 of 26 passes for 145 yards and two touchdowns. For the season, he's completed 62 of 116 passes for 889 yards and thrown 12 touchdowns versus six interceptions.
Stedman's favorite target last Friday was senior wide receiver Leander Mobley, who caught six passes for 58 yards and scored two touchdowns. He's the team's second-leading receiver, with 17 catches for 220 yards and four touchdowns. Fellow senior wide receiver Alex Sharpe, who had one catch for 26 yards against North Charleston, leads the Dolphins with 15 catches for 331 yards and five touchdowns.
Heading up the ground attack against North Charleston was senior running back Cecil Franklin, who carried the ball seven times for 43 yards and is second on the team in rushing for the season with 297 yards on 65 carries and two touchdowns. Sophomore running back Joshua Fields, who leads the Dolphins in rushing with 386 yards on 47 carries and three touchdowns, had two carries for 38 yards last Friday.
On defense, sophomore defensive back Spencer Shine is living up to his last name by leading the team with 29 tackles and 14 assists. He's also the team leader in sacks, with four.
Close behind is senior linebacker Denzil Davis, who has 16 tackles and 26 assists. Fellow senior linebacker Luke Johnson has recorded 14 tackles and 25 assists, while sophomore linebacker Andrew Byam has contributed 11 tackles and 23 assists.
Senior strong safety Ricardo Chaney has 16 tackles and 15 assists, followed by senior defensive back Norman Jenkins (14 tackles and 145 assists) and senior defensive lineman Evans Robinson (16 tackles and 13 assists).
Battery Creek opens region play in search of a win
By Stephen Prudhomme
The Battery Creek High football team (1-4) will try and end a four-game losing streak when it opens region play (7-AAA) this Friday on the road against Stall (2-3), which lost to Bishop England last week, 21-12.
Offensively, the two teams are pretty evenly matched. Battery Creek averages 21 points a game, while Stall scores 20.4 points a game. The Dolphins feature a fairly balanced attack, averaging 93.6 yards on the ground and 114.2 points passing, some nine points above the national average. They're also adept at tackling, averaging nearly 80 a game, 22 more than the national average.
Last Friday Battery Creek failed to catch the flight to victory in a 31-9 loss to Airport.
Defensively, senior defense back Norman Jenkins paced Battery Creek with nine tackles and four assists. He's among the team leaders in that category for the season, recording 23 tackles and 19 assists. Senior linebacker Denzel Davis, who had six tackles and three assists against Airport, leads the Dolphins with 21 tackles and 19 assists.
Senior strong safety Ricardo Chaney had five tackles and three assists, giving him 18 tackles and 17 assists on the season. Spencer Shine had six tackles and one assist and also recorded one sack, giving him two for the season to lead the Dolphins. Through five games, the senior defensive back has 26 tackles and 12 assists.
Battery Creek focuses on execution at key times
By Stephen Prudhomme
Special Writer
Burton - The Battery Creek High football team has played well at times during the first four games of the season, but its tendency to not capitalize on scoring opportunities and come through late in the game has resulted in a 1-3 record.
"We haven't been executing down the stretch," says Carlos Cave, whose team lost to Ridgeland 26-20 last Friday. "We need to execute better in the red zone. We also need to tackle better."
Cave says the Dolphins, despite some tough losses, are putting forth a "lot of effort." On the offensive line, he recognized the play of junior Spencer Butler and sophomore David Ratliff.
Against Ridgeland, sophomore quarterback James Stedman completed 9 of 15 passes for 149 yards and one touchdown. Over the first four games, he's completed 36 of 71 passes for 571 yards and eight touchdowns. Cave says Stedman is still learning the offense and making "sophomore reads" but playing well within the scheme.
Another sophomore, tailback Joshua Fields, also continued his excellent play, rushing for 42 yards on 11 carries against Ridgeland. He leads the Dolphins in that category with 283 yards on 31 carries. His coach describes him as an "explosive runner who sees a crack of daylight and gets to it."
Senior Cecil Franklin led Battery Creek in rushing against Ridgeland with 56 yards on 13 carries. For the season, he's rushed 41 times for 178 yards.
Senior wide receiver Alex Sharpe, who caught two passes for 34 yards last Friday, leads the team in receiving with 284 yards on 12 catches and has scored five touchdowns.
According to Cave, Sharpe will snag 9 out of 10 "catchable balls" and runs well after the catch. Senior wide receiver Spencer Shine had three catches for 67 yards to pace Battery Creek in the Ridgeland game.
Carrying the youth theme over to defense, sophomore linebacker Andrew Byam leads the Dolphins with nine tackles and 19 assists. Close behind is senior linebacker Denzel Davis, who has six tackles and 21 assists. Senior lineman Dominik Lawton has seven tackles and 10 assists, while senior defensive back Norman Jenkins has recorded five tackles and 11 assists. Fellow senior defensive back Damien Miles has contributed eight tackles and seven assists.
Battery Creek faces Airport on the road this Friday before beginning its region schedule the following week against Stall. Coming off three consecutive losses, the Dolphins are anxious to regain some positive momentum heading into their region schedule.
"We need to make improvements against Airport to be competitive in the region and think about the playoffs," Cave notes.
Battery Creek back on the field against Ridgeland
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By Stephen Prudhomme
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Burton ? ( 09/16/09 ) - Following a bye week, Battery Creek (1-2) returns to action Friday and hosts Ridgeland, a team that features a Wing-T offense and multiple formations on defense.
?They have some outstanding young kids on their squad,? says Battery Creek coach Carlos Cave. ?We have to be in position on defense and look for the option play they like to run. Offensively, we need to stay balanced and use the run and pass and take advantage of what they give us. We can?t turn the ball over.?
The Dolphins? latest loss came against Eagles of Beaufort High, the second 4A team to defeat Battery Creek this season. Playing against tough 4A teams, Cave notes, will help the Dolphins when they start their 3A Region schedule.
Cave says his team is playing better each game and, barring injuries, can have a ?pretty good season.? Remarking that the offense is growing with the young players, he says the defense needs to become more consistent with its tackling.
Two players who have stood out on defense are senior middle linebacker Dominic Lawton and junior defensive tackle Daquan Jamison. Cave describes Lawton, who has seven tackles and 10 assists, as a physical player who is getting better, while the 6-1, 235-pound Jamison (eight tackles, 12 assists) is ?very disruptive on the defensive line and demands a double team.?
On offense, Battery Creek is led by senior tailback Cecil Franklin (28 rushes for 122 yards and one touchdown), described as a ?power back,? while sophomore tailback Josh Fields, who has gained 241 yards on 20 carries and scored one touchdown, is more of a ?slasher.? Sophomore quarterback James Stedman is a pocket passer with a strong arm, completing 27 of 56 passes for 422 yards and seven touchdowns. His coach says he?s solid all-round and is getting better.
Stedman has two excellent targets in senior wide receivers Alex Sharpe (10 catches for 250 yards and five touchdowns) and Leander Mobley, who has caught eight passes for 81 yards and scored one touchdown.
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Dolphins falter against rival Beaufort, get to relax this Friday
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By C.R. Cumbee
Staff Writer
Beaufort (9/9/09)?The Battery Creek Dolphins lost their second straight game last week, falling to Beaufort, 34-12, and dropping their record to 1-2 on the season. The team only trailed by a touchdown at the end of two quarters, but the Eagles had too much down the stretch and pulled away for the win.
?It was a real physical game and we just made too many mistakes on special teams. We had three turnovers on offense, and when you?re playing a good team you can?t continue to give them opportunities. That pretty much sealed our fate,? head coach Carlos Cave said.
Quarterback Stedman James threw for 131 yards and two touchdowns on a 12-for-23 clip, but was also picked off three times. His top target was Alex Sharpe, who hauled in four passes for 84 yards with both touchdown receptions. Spencer Shine also had four receptions for a modest 25 yards.
Leading the way on the ground for Battery Creek was Joshua Fields and Cecil Franklin. Fields carried the ball nine times for 83 yards while Franklin gained 68 yards on a dozen attempts.
Two Dolphin defenders finished the game with double digit tackles. Andrew Byam and Dominik Lawton each recorded 12 total stops, followed by Denzel Davis, Daquan Jamison and Shine with eight each.
Battery Creek has an open date this Friday and will have two weeks to get prepared to face Ridgeland, a team that is 1-1 on the season and coming off a loss to Hardeeville.
?The biggest thing is we want to work in some of our younger guys this week to add depth. We?re working with our young guys and fundamentals. Then we?ll start putting in the game plan for Ridgeland,? Cave said.
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Dolphins fall to West Ashley, drop to 1-1 on the season
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By C.R. Cumbee
Staff Writer
Beaufort?Battery Creek opened the regular season with a win over Wade Hampton, but faltered this past weekend against West Ashley, falling to the Wildcats 40-12. Head coach Carlos Cave?s group just didn?t have the same energy as they did in their first game.
?We didn?t play well. West Ashley came out and executed in all phases of their game and we didn?t. They played hard and our kids seemed a little sluggish,? Cave said.
Even though they didn?t come out with the win, some players had solid performances. Sophomore quarterback Stedman James completed 9-of-20 pass attempts for 141 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Alex Sharpe was on the receiving end of half those passes, making five receptions for 131 yards and getting into the end zone twice.
?He?s been spreading the ball around pretty well so far. Last week he had a good game as far as a receptions standpoint,? Cave said of his signal caller.
Heading up the defense was Daquan Jamison, who recorded 10 tackles, two tackles for loss, a sack, forced a fumble and recovered a fumble. Luke Johnson also made 10 total stops.
This Friday the Dolphins face off against city rival Beaufort.
?We?ve got to be able to slow down their running attack. They?re very physical up front and the running backs run extremely hard. Our ability to consistently stop the run has been our weakness so far in the first two games. We?ve got our work cut out for us this Friday,? Cave said.
