Bears trying to hold on to second in region
By C.R. Cumbee
Staff Writer
Hemingway—The Carvers Bay basketball team picked up one of their biggest wins of the year recently when they defeated Latta on the road to move to 12-4 (5-2) and remain in second place in the conference standings. It was the first time in school history the Bears had won at Latta.
“Against Latta, our defense looked as good as I’ve seen in my 15 years of coaching,” head coach Jeff Mezzatesta said.
The two senior captains for Carvers Bay have paced the team to a solid start and have them in position to make a deep run in the playoffs. Guard Angelo Brown is averaging 14.5 points and center Carlton Geathers is right behind with 10.5 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.3 blocks per game. Geathers has also recorded three triple-doubles this season.
“Our two seniors have done a great job. Angelo is our go-to guy and I think he’s one of the best guards nobody knows about in this state. His range is huge and he’s got a 41-inch vertical and he’s only 5’8. When you concentrate on him it leaves Carlton wide open on the inside. Unfortunately Carlton only gets to play about two and a half quarters a game,” Mezzatesta said.
Also playing well has been sophomore guard Teondre Bromell, who is averaging 10 points, 4.4 rebounds, three assists and three steals per game. Junior Tyrone Brown is scoring 9.4 points and freshman Da’shaun Aiken is getting 8.4 points a game.
“A lot of people underestimate us and that’s fine. We have a talented group of kids, it’s just they have to keep learning what they need to do,” Mezzatesta said.
Next up for the Bears is Lake View, and in a couple of weeks, the season finale at Hemingway.
“We always say that it’s never a bad year when you finish region runner-up, especially when the number one team in the state is in your region. That means we get to play the best, and if we want to be the best we have to beat the best. Our region is very balanced this year and on any given night anybody can beat anybody. There’s not going to be any easy games for the remainder of the season,” Mezzatesta said.
Bears hope for different ending to '09-10 season
By C.R. Cumbee
Staff Writer
Hemingway (12/22/09) Last season the Carvers Bay boys' basketball team finished second in the region and lost their first round playoff game to Scott's Branch by two points. This year they look to remove that sour taste in their mouths and make a deep run in the postseason.
So far the Bears looked primed and ready to break through, beginning the season with six wins in their first seven games. Head coach Jeff Mezzatesta, who is in his fifth season at the helm, has been encouraged by what he's seen but still knows there is a lot of work to do.
"We have a lot to prove. A lot of people don't think this team is that good. I'm proud of what the boys have accomplished, but we're going to take the Christmas holidays to hopefully get some kids back and jell. We're 6-1 but we still haven't played a good game yet," Mezzatesta said.
Leading the way for the Bears is a pair of senior starters in guard Angelo Brown and center Carlton Geathers. Brown is averaging 16 points per game while Geathers is close to a double-double with 11 points and eight rebounds.
"Angelo and Carlton are the captains of our team and we need a lot of maturity out of them," Mezzatesta said.
Another key starter is sophomore Teondre Bromell, who averages 12 points, seven rebounds, three assists and three steals a game.
"I've got a lot of good players but Teondre, in my opinion, is the best sophomore in the state of South Carolina. He is a tremendous student, is never in trouble, is humble and when he steps on the floor he's a monster. He's still young and has good games and terrible games, and then he does stuff that you wouldn't believe. If he stays with it and keeps working as hard as he does, only good things will happen to this kid," Mezzatesta said.
Other players seeing time in the starting lineup include Tyrone Brown, Tevin Richard, Da'Shaun Aiken and Alton Nesbitt. Rayshod Pittman, Shamarr Hilton and Chris Scott have played regular minutes off the bench while Tyquiel Goss has yet to get into the rotation due to injury. Thomas Smalls and Aaron Richards finish off the roster.
Second loss to Hemingway knocks Bears out of playoffs
By C.R. Cumbee
Staff Writer
Hemingway (11/17/09) Not many people expected Carvers Bay to make their fourth straight Class A state championship game appearance. In fact, most didn't expect them to be as competitive as they were. In the end, the Bears finished the season with 10 wins and won a first round playoff game against St. John's .
"They were a young group, but they exceeded my expectations. A lot of people didn't understand that our offensive line was young and our defensive line was young. We also had several people hurt during the year and that was unusual for us. It really hurt us. But those kids have overcome some obstacles. I don't want to have any excuses for them because they were 10-2, and that's nothing to sneeze at," head coach Nate Thompson said.
The season came to a close last Friday in a 13-7 loss to Hemingway. It was only the team's second loss of the season, and ironically, it was the Tigers who defeated Carvers Bay by a point to win the region championship earlier in the year.
"Those guys probably did have our number this year. When two teams like that play, it's a matter of who makes the least amount of mistakes. When you do make mistakes, they come back to hurt you," Thompson said.
With the season over, the Bears will have to bid farewell to a talented senior class. Some of the losses include Davious Chestnut (1,078 rush yards, 18 TD, 68 tackles, 4 INT), Clayton Geathers (597 rush yards, 7 TD), Josh Altman (83 tackles, 2 sacks), Donovan Williams, Karim Gamble, Phillip Milligan, Tevin Greene and Jeffrey Coakley.
"We're going to miss their leadership. They brought a wealth of experience not only on the field, but off the field in the classroom. We watched them come up from little kids to big players who strapped it on for us every week. We're going to miss them," Thompson said.
Still, Carvers Bay will return over half its starting lineup in 2010. Key players such as Tevin Richard (810 rush yards, 9 TD), Terrence Jenerette (92 tackles, 2 sacks), Taji Smalls (82 tackles, 2 sacks), Brad Young (78 tackles, 5 sacks), Tyquell Goss (86 tackles, 5 sacks), Steve Brown, Tyrone Brown, Quae'Shawn Brockington, Martynas Hudson, Hubert Leary, Marcus Dorsey, Teondre Bromell, Desmond Grate, Deshaun Aiken and Jeffery Grier will be back with another year of experience.
Stout defense, running back depth proving crucial for Carvers Bay
By C.R. Cumbee
Staff Writer
Hemingway (10/28/09) Coming into the 2009 season, head coach Nate Thompson knew he had a lot of inexperience on the Carvers Bay roster. However, they have made tremendous strides throughout the year and currently sit at 8-1 (3-1) overall after a 35-0 win over Creek Bridge .
Central Florida commitment Clayton Geathers made his return to the field from a leg injury an impactful one by rushing six times for 188 yards and two touchdowns. He also caught a 52-yard pass for a touchdown.
"He got his feet wet against Creek Bridge and hopefully he'll be ready for the playoffs," Thompson said.
Davious Chestnut , who is also committed to Central Florida , ran for 107 yards and a score on 12 carries. Defensively he made six tackles, broke up two passes and intercepted another. Phillip Milligan ended the scoring with a 25-yard touchdown reception from DeShawn Aiken.
Defensively it was the third consecutive shutout for Carvers Bay . The unit has only allowed 13 points in their last five games and was led this week by linebacker Tyquell Goss, who had 12 tackles and a sack. Lineman Terrence Jenerette had 10 stops with a sack and Quae'Shawn Brockington also finished in double digits with 10 tackles.
"We've tried to tweak the defense a little bit to get ready for the playoffs and the kids are understanding what we want from them. They seem to be coming around," Thompson said.
The Bears final regular season game will be this Friday when they travel to Johnsonville for a region tilt. The Flashes are 6-3 (3-2) overall.
"We're trying to get our kids to come together down the stretch and play like they're capable of playing. Our defense has shown up and the offense is still coming along," Thompson said.
If the past few years are any indication, Carvers Bay will find themselves playing late into November with another chance at securing a Class A championship.
