By Billy G. Baker Publisher Summerville — One day after a hard-fought loss to arch-rival Fort Dorchester (5-4), the Summerville Green Wave girls’ soccer team defeated Goose Creek , 5-2 and will now prepare for a first-round playoff game at Cane Bay on April, 30. Senior tri-captain Mary Morgan Lewis made some scrap-book memories in her final two regular season games for the Green Wave. The talented “left-footed” striker left it all on the field against the Patriots, scoring a Hat-trick with three goals, while often being double teamed. Lewis followed that accomplishment up with two goals against Goose Creek 24 hours later on John McKissick Field . “Last night’s game against the Fort was exhausting, and I came into this game today with tired legs and bruises all over my body, but you have to want it, and you have to keep going,” said Lewis who hopes to walk-on to the team (or play Club Soccer) at South Carolina next season. “I am a very competitive player and I love to win. “I know sometimes, in my desire to win, I might take it out on my team as a captain, but I hate to lose and I love the game of soccer,” said Lewis. “I have been playing soccer for the past 11 years and I just do not want this season to end.” Lewis leads the Green Wave in goals for the season as she scored her 16 th and 17 th goals of the season against the Gators. Lewis joined the varsity program at Summerville High late in her freshman season. She has been a three-year starter for the Green Wave and she was named all-region in her sophomore and junior seasons. She is an All-State candidate this season. After the win over Goose Creek, Summerville head coach Mandy Holcomb (who played under retired Drew McNealey at West Ashley High) commented on the game, and on the leadership of tri-captains Lewis, mid-fielder Meghan Donoghue , and mid-fielder Logan Kelly . “You always worry about playing a game the next day after a very competitive game like we had against Fort Dorchester last night,” said Coach Holcomb now in her third year coaching the team. “Even after we got down 2-0, I knew our girl’s had a lot of trust in each other and it was still early in the game. Much of this sport is a mentality thing and I had confidence in this team getting more mentally focused after getting down early.” Coach Holcomb talked about the team’s captains. “Mary Morgan brings a lot of energy to the game and she leads this team both on- and- off the field,” said Coach Holcomb. “On the field it is always about the goals she scores. Mary Morgan has also been a good role model for our younger players coming up. We have a lot of youth on the team. “Meghan plays center- mid along with our other captain Logan Kelly and they are able to dominate in the middle,” said Coach Holcomb. “Meghan is dynamic in that she is all over place and she is hard to nail down. Logan is cool, calm and collected and she is the yang to Mary Morgan’s yang. I rely on Logan to control the middle.” Freshman Mary Bryce Nye had a hat trick of three goals against Goose Creek and she has a bright future in the sport. The Green Wave goalie is sophomore Addison Rollinson and she is consistent with her towering major college boots “high down the field” on a consistent basis. Goose Creek head coach Chris Cooper told the HSSR after the game, “We were leading 2-0 before our striker ( Maya Gonzales ) went out with an ankle injury,” said Coach Cooper. “She is our leader on offense so losing her was a blow to the team.” Gonalez scored the first goal of the game just two minutes into the game when she made a heads-up play beating the goalie to the ball in front of the goal for an easy score. The other goal for Goose Creek was scored by senior team captain Kamily Santanna who also assisted on the first goal. Summerville rallied for five straight goals after being down 2-0. At the 17:02 mark of the first half Lewis scored on a break-away from a cross-over assist from Nye to cut the deficit to 2-1. With 1:30 left in the first half, Nye tied the score at 2 off of a penalty kick. Summerville dominated the second half and the Green Wave kept the ball on their offensive side of the field for the second half. At the 30:09 mark of the second half Nye scored on a header off a corner kick to give Summerville a 3-2 lead. At the 18:49 mark of the second half, Lewis scored on an unassisted “streak shot” from the right side using her strong left-foot to arc over the goalie’s head into the back of the net to give her team a 4-2 lead. Nye scored the final goal of the game at the 11:08 mark of the game on an unassisted goal from the left side of the field.

By Rob Gantt Special to the HSSR GOOSE CREEK - Third-year softball coach Christin Clark and the Goose Creek Gators are headed in the right direction as a program. The Gators recorded two victory celebrations earlier this spring after going winless last year. The good news is most players on the roster can return for multiple seasons, too. “I definitely think this year’s team is something brand new,” Clark said. “We’ve progressed to a point where our knowledge and skill are lining up. I think we pose more of a competitive threat to our opponents. I’m looking forward to it. I’m excited because we’re still very young. I don’t have any seniors. I definitely see this program as one that has received some nourishment and is starting to flourish.” Goose Creek improved to 2-1 in the regular season with a 15-0 victory over visiting St. John’s Christian Monday, March 11, in a non-region game. The Gators’ other win came against Stall . In between, Goose Creek played Timberland High School tight before falling in a close one. “I think they are excited,” Clark said. “The close game against Timberland, a competitive team that is really well-coached, gave this team some confidence. There is some potential and some hope. I think that ignited a new light of ‘maybe we’ve got this.’ It’s refreshing to see. It’s changed the tone on the practice field, in my hallways, in the school and on the bus rides. We’re a softball team now, and our heads are in it, and we’re committed to it. We’re ready to play hard. They want to win. They know they can now.” Talented middle schooler Gianna Dettling figures to see most of the innings inside the circle this spring, with junior Hannah Blystone and freshman Jaionna Wheatley also expected to contribute. “We’ve grown as pitchers the last few years as well,” Clark said. “It’s been an area that we’ve struggled in, but we’ve progressed tremendously.” Sophomore Lyric Cureton , the lone returning all-region selection and 2023’s leading hitter, is on the other end of the battery as a veteran catcher, while junior first baseman Emery Gandolfo and sophomore Kalli Peake make up the right side of the infield. Wheatley and Dettling are in the hole at shortstop, depending on who is pitching, and junior Gabby Curtis holds down the hot corner at third base. “Our defense and communication are working a lot better and getting cleaner,” Clark said after the recent win over St. John’s Christian. Junior Haley Strohl , sophomore Caden Ham and Blystone are in the outfield, left to right. Goose Creek’s returning starters are Cureton, Gandolfo, Wheatley, Ham and Blystone.

By Rob Gantt Special to The HSSR GOOSE CREEK - Goose Creek High School’s girls basketball program seems to be back among the state’s best in Class AAAAA. The Lady Gators won almost 20 games for second-year coach Jabari Deas and finished the season in the third round of the Class AAAAA playoffs, their best campaign on the hardwood in four years. They captured the Region 6-AAAAA crown along the way, accomplishing one of their big team goals. “Yes, the future is bright,” Deas said. “It’s a good thing to build upon, be excited about that with the group. I think we have some promising things ahead of us.” Deas’ bunch finished 19-9 after a 13-point loss to Summerville in the third round. He admitted the playoff defeat stung at the moment. Still, the roster makeup and potential on paper should soften the blow as time passes. Everybody on the roster can return next winter, and most will be back for multiple seasons. “Our defense is our calling card,” Deas said. “If we get out there and play good defense, we can make our offense a little easier. That’s what we do well that gives us a chance.” In the playoffs, the Lady Gators knocked off White Knoll and Carolina Forest before encountering the Green Wave. Both leading scorers are sophomores, all-state selection Aiyanna Moses (10.8 ppg) and Demi Gray (8.1 ppg), as is leading rebounder Natalia Madison . Madison and junior Gabby Curtis are all-region selections with Moses. Junior Saniya Sanders (7.4 ppg) was the third leading scorer. Freshman Jalaiya Jacobs was a consistent contributor on the scoreboard and finished second on the team in steals behind Moses. Six more lettermen can come back, too. Goose Creek played for six state titles, winning four, and captured 14 region championships under Deas’ predecessor, Tim Baldwin . Baldwin’s tenure included a string of 17 consecutive 20-win seasons. The Gators won their more recent state title four years ago, though. Baldwin’s final two teams missed the postseason, and Deas’ first team dropped its playoff opener in 2022-23, finishing 10-15.

By Rob Gantt Special to the HSSR GOOSE CREEK – The Goose Creek Gators wrestling team finished the regular season with a perfect record in Region 6-AAAAA this season, securing its first region crown since 2014-15. The Gators knocked off crosstown rival Stratford , 36-24, to officially lock in the crown and garner the region’s top spot for the Class AAAAA state duals. Two days later, the Gators coasted past Berkeley to cap the region slate with a 4-0 mark. The Gators started six seniors versus the Knights and have 10 on the roster. GCHS coach Willie Nearhood , in his first season at Goose Creek, thanked his predecessor for preparing the older group on the squad. “They came up with a coach ( Devin Raho ) that brought them from ground zero,” Nearhood said. “When he left, I knew it kind of hurt them. These seniors accepted me when I came in. I told them how I was. I told them we were going to push them hard and do things the right way. They just made the transition year really easy for me. I love all of them. I’ve called coach Raho many times during the season. He did a fantastic job getting these guys ready.” Nearhood has more than 400 career victories. In the Stratford match, Goose Creek led 30-25 heading into the last of 14 bouts. Gators heavyweight Andrew Adams recorded a fall in the first period to put the finishing touches on the win, making the Gators’ first-year leader a winner over his former squad. “It was what I thought it was going to be,” said Goose Creek wrestling coach Willie Nearhood , who guided the Stratford program for 20 years before leaving in 2019. The Gators never trailed after Montero Royal’s major decision in the opening bout at 106 pounds. Stratford evened the score at 4-4 a major decision at 113 pounds, but Goose Creek took four of the next five weight classes to go up 21-7 at the halfway point. Henry Schultz (120) won by fall, Jerome Fikes (126) and Jacob Butts (138) by major decisions and Jordan Baptist (144) by decision. The Gators led 30-16 after 11 bouts following a win by decision from Brody Boulanger (165) and fall by Preston Rhodes (175). They were close to mathematically locking it up, but Stratford was able to force a decisive battle for all the marbles with wins at the next two weight classes. Adams’ win at heavyweight gave the Knights victories in eight of the 14 weight classes and sealed the deal. “I thought we would get more bonus points,” Nearhood said. “I thought we would get some pins. Stratford does a fantastic job of not going to their back. Early in the match with some of our better guys where we normally get big bonus points, we just didn’t get them. Some of the swing matches didn’t go our way early, so it kind of looked like it was going to be really tight.” Against Berkeley, Royal, Schultz, Fikes, Jesse Ruiz (132), Butts, Baptist, Neshawn Fikes (150), Boulanger, Rhodes and Kendrick Carroll (175) won matches for the Gators.  The Gators host their first two playoff matches on Saturday, Feb. 3

By Rob Gantt Special to the HSSR GOOSE CREEK - Goose Creek’s boys basketball program has a winning tradition and it’s on display again this winter. Coach Blake Hall’s bunch was hit hard by graduation after playing for the Class 5A title last season but it’s hard to tell by looking at the win column in the 2023-24 campaign. The Gators improved to 8-3 with a 44-32 road victory at Fort Dorchester on Dec. 15. Their three losses have all been by single digits. As for returners, two productive scorers are back in junior guard Shane Potts and sophomore guard Ja’Quell Brown . Potts averaged 10.4 points and 3.6 rebounds as a sophomore, and Brown tallied 8.4 points and 2.4 steals per game as a freshman. Brown sets the tone with how hard he competes on a nightly basis. Senior wing Jayden Stevens is the lone other letterman returning for the Gators. “Those veterans are going to have to take the lion’s share of the scoring duties as the younger guys develop their skills,” Hall said. “They have to grow and raise the level of everybody around them. As they blossom, we’ll be better off for it.” In the win over Fort Dorchester, Potts powered the Gators in the scorebook with 17 points and Brown added 14 points. Sophomore guard Meliq McGowan chipped in nine points. Two days earlier, the Gators coasted past Carvers Bay , 53-31, on the road. Potts tallied a team-high 16 points and Brown contributed 11 points. Junior forward Brayden Langworthy tallied nine points and McGowan seven points. “The potential is there for us to be a good high school basketball team,” Hall said. “Our veterans know what is expected. We’ve got some talent and quickness. We’ve got some guys who can score the ball. We’ve got some guys who can defend and rebound, but they understand we’ve got to improve in all those areas. They’re capable of being successful. It’s up to them to develop the good habits that can help them reach the goals they want to reach.” Potts has guided the Gators in scoring in most every game this season and topped 30 points in a November game against Riverpointe Christian. “He’s starting to make that turn into the type of player we think he can become,” Hall said of Potts. Brown has been the top scorer in a couple games and McGowan has been the high scorer once. The Gators have five more non-region clashes in December before beginning the Region 6-5A slate on Jan. 5 at home against Berkeley.

Goose Creek – Though they failed in their bid to win a fifth consecutive region championship, the Goose Creek football team was able to earn a spot in the Class AAAAA playoffs. The Gators lost to rival Stratford, 38-35, in the final game of the regular season. That loss cost the Gators the region title and dropped the overall record to 5-5 on the season. In the first round playoff game against West Ashley, the Gators jumped out to a 14-0 first quarter lead but struggled to slow down the Wildcats’ rushing game. The season ended with the home loss, 30-21. West Ashley rushed for more than 300 yards in the contest. The defense was a problem area for the Gators all season as coach Jason Winstead returned only one full-time defensive starter from last season. Goose Creek allowed an average of 34 points per game and yielded 30 or more points in seven of 11 games. Offensively, Goose Creek looks to be solid for next few years as two of their leading players were sophomores. Sophomore quarterback Kymani Clary and sophomore running back Meliq McGowan put up big numbers offensively this season. Clary finished the season with more than 2,100 passing yards and 19 touchdowns. McGowan rushed for 1,500 yards and 15 touchdowns during the season. The leading receivers for the regular season were seniors Evan Daniels and Shy’Juan Grant. Senior Davion Malloy was leading the team in receptions and yards before getting injured midway through the season. In cross country, both the boys and girls teams competed in the region 6-AAAAA meet in late October. The boys team finished fifth in the team standings. The top Gator runner was Uriel Peters. The senior finished 16 th overall in the race, Senior Travis White finished 24 th and junior Aiden Donovan was 27 th . Seventh-grader Dalton Gillespie ran in 31 st and eighth-grader Alden Reid was 33 rd . Allan Quiaem, Dexter Easler, Gage Girard and Braiden Collins also ran in the event but did not figure into the team scoring. Participating in the girls meet were Chloe Braun, Abigail Cerano, Uriah Peters and Jasmine Wallace.

Summerville - Goose Creek inched closer to a fifth consecutive region title with a 29-25 win at Cane Bay on Friday night. The Gators improved to 3-5 overall but 2-0 in region 6-AAAAA play while the Cobras dropped to 5-3 overall and 2-1 in league play. The Gators have remaining region games with Wando and Stratford. Sophomore running back Meliq McGowan rushed for 276 yards and three touchdowns, including the game-winning 49-yard run in the fourth quarter to lead the Gators. “We’re getting better each week,” Goose Creek head coach Jason Winstead said. “People don’t realize how inexperienced we were when we started. We started seven sophomores and a freshman tonight. We’re down a few receivers. We have a sophomore quarterback and only one returning offensive lineman. But they are working hard and showing improvement, across the board.” Goose Creek’s overall record this season is a bit deceiving when considering the early schedule. The five losses came to South Florence, Sumter, Beaufort, Fort Dorchester and Summerville. Austin Seabrook rushed for 135 yards for Cane Bay. Deshawn Tompkins added 100 yards on the ground. Goose Creek came into the game averaging nearly 30 points per game and had been effective in scoring quickly on their most successful nights. The Gators opened the game with a 70-yard drive on six plays with McGowan scoring from 16 yards out. The extra point was no good, leaving the Gators with a 6-0 lead less than two minutes into the contest. Cane Bay’s double-wing run-oriented offense, which consumes clock with long drives, was equally effective on its first possession. The Cobras went 80 yards on 10 plays with their first possession. Tompkins put the Cobras up, 7-6, with six minutes left in the first quarter. Cane Bay got a fourth down stop deep in their own end and capitalized with a three-yard run by Langston Rhodes on the first play of the second quarter. The score was set up by a 60-yard run by Seabrook and a 13-yard keeper by quarterback Mark Stewart. A successful two-point conversion pushed the Cane Bay lead to 15-6. McGowan, who gained 153 yards in the first half, scored on a 10-yard run with 3:50 remaining in the half, cutting the lead to 15-13. Cane Bay fumbled on their next possession and the Gators were able to secure a 20-yard field goal from Owen Freres to give Goose Creek a 16-15 halftime lead. Cane Bay opened the third quarter with a 70-yard drive, all on the ground. Tompkins had 31 yards on the drive, including an 18-yard score to give Cane Bay a 22-16 lead with 8:13 left in the period. The Gators answered quickly, driving 67 yards on nine plays with quarterback Kymani Clary scoring from two yards out. The extra point was blocked, leaving the game tied at 22. Cane Bay chewed off most of the remaining five minutes of the third quarter and took a 25-22 lead on Parker Osborne’s 37-yard field goal with :47 seconds remaining in the period. Each team posted fourth down stops to end threats but Goose Creek broke through midway through the fourth as McGowan went 49 yards for a score to give the Gators a 29-25 lead with 7:22 left in the game. After forcing a punt, the Gators took over with five minutes remaining at the Cane Bay 44-yard line, The Gators used more than two minutes off the clock and faced fourth-and-six from the Cane Bay 30-yard line. An incomplete pass turned the ball over downs with 2:33 remaining. Seabrook ran for 18 yards on first down to get the Cobras near midfield. But the Gators came up with one last stop, gaining possession at their own 47-yard line with less than two minutes remaining.

Goose Creek – With only three seniors and a bevy of first-year players, Goose Creek girls tennis coach Paula Spagnolia is focusing on development in the 2023 season. Team victories may be hard to come by this fall but Spagnolia hopes to give her team a good experience and a desire to continued improvement for future success. “For the most part, my team has girls that have played for three years or less,” Spagnolia says. “I would say for about half the team, this was their first experience with playing tennis. So, I had to start with the basics - how to hit, serve, where to stand, scoring, tennis etiquette, etc. This made it challenging as there are so many levels on my team.” Leadership and a willingness for the more experienced players to serve as mentors and coaches for the younger players has been a strength, according to Spagnolia. “These girls are very hungry to learn,” she said. “They attend all matches, whether they are playing or not, to watch their teammates and learn about the game of tennis. The more experienced members are the leaders on my team and they all play various roles, from helping with tennis strokes, motivational, and just being there to help me and our team in any way possible. “ Lyric Cureton is one of the more experienced players on the roster and plays the No.1 singles position this season. Sara Welch plays No. 2 singles. The duo also plays together as the No. 1 doubles team. Malea Bongbonga plays No. 3 singles and April Welch is playing No. 4 singles. Rounding out the singles ladder at No. 5 is Payton Souder. Wynter Holley and Chelsea Rouse play No. 2 doubles. Rounding out the 2023 roster are Faye Hocutt, Melinda Guo, Alessandra Lejarde, Gracie Reid and Kenley Burrow. “My girls always give it their all, regardless of the opponent's tennis skill level. They play fair and want to keep improving. They are kind but have grit,” Spagnolia said. The coach says while improving and developing a love for the sport is important, she hopes her team learns the value of competing and will continue to grow in the sport, even after high school. The season overall, she says has been a positive experience, despite the record. “The season is going as well as to be expected with not much experience and with a fairly small team,” she reports. “I have girls that always give their all and want to improve, which is so vital to their learning. Tennis does not seem to be as popular in Berkeley County as it is in Charleston County, but I think some of that is due to lack of public courts. And, there does not seem to be tennis development in the younger ages. “Of course, my expectations were to win more than we lose, build relationships, and most importantly, have fun. A couple of weeks in, my expectations shifted somewhat to making sure they know how to play the game while being competitive and having fun. Tennis is a lifelong sport, so hopefully they will take these skills and experiences to continue to play the game after high school.”

Passing of Clary, running of McGowan sets up game-winning kick