Carvers Bay Bears
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Williamsburg Academy's Caden Morris at the FTC Jamboree.
From Staff Reports Hemingway —The HSSR would like to congratulate Zyon Guiles for his commitment to South Carolina in early April as one of the top 20026 offensive linemen in the state of South Carolina. The HSSR has had him rated amongst the top 10 prep players in the state over the past two seasons and we had a nice long conversation with the “Big Guy” when he visited the HSSR media day at the USC indoor practice facility last July at our annual prep football media day. Also, both the Carvers Bay B ears baseball teams made the Class A playoffs at the conclusion of the 2025 regular season in both sports. Shawn Patrick’s baseball team won a couple play-off games and finished with seven wins playing in the most competed Class A baseball region in South Carolina. The Bears were led in batting by Clark Jones at .33 with 14 RBI’s and two home runs. Brantley Jones hit .321 with 13 RBI’s, two home runs including 8 doubles. Wyatt Dennis was at .304 with two homes runs Myles Matthews hit .255 and contributed 11 RBI’s. Bryant Garman hit .283 with 9 RBI’s and he led the team in stolen bases with 12 and he had a team high .962 fielding percentage on defense. On the mound Brantley Jones had 29 K’s in 356.2 innings of work while Clark Jones had 53 K’s in 37.2 innings of mound duty. The Jones are just futures who should enjoy even a better season next year. The Bears softball team was led in hitting by Jenna Kay Avant at .371 with 9 RBI’s. Junior Peyton Owens hit.304 with two home runs and a .959 fielding percentage. Sydney Matthews was an 8 th grader who batted .275. Ada Davis had three home runs and led the team with 13 RBI’s.
By Billy G. Baker Publisher Hemingway —In the game of baseball, as with all sports, player development is the most important thing because it is a humbling game that can make you a well-paid professional athlete one day for just being excellent at the plate 30 per cent of the time. Baseball has been called a game of failure thousands and thousands of times for a reason. No matter the player failure comes. The great Mickey Mantle of Yankee fame struck-out the last time he batted, with two men on, and his team down by a run. The boos came! Late in the 2025 prep baseball season in South Carolina, the Carvers Bay baseball team is (3-11, 2-3) playing in the toughest (no doubt) Class A baseball region in the state against teams like Lake View , Johnsonville , and Latta . The two- year realignment by the SCHSL was certainly not kind to a rebuilding program like the Bears. The Silver lining is that six-of-the seven teams in the Bear’s region will engage in the Class A baseball play-offs and that ground ball you might have bobbled in the first game of the season just might be a routine play for you 15 games later. This is certainly what Carver’s Bay head coach Shawn Patrick is counting on anyways. “As of right now (April, 9) we are in either fourth or fifth place in the region,” said Coach Patrick. “We have three region games left with Lake View , Latta and Hannah - Pamplico, and win or lose, I just want our guys to compete, keep working on correcting mistakes, and leave it all on the field. “Weare making contact with the ball, but we are hitting ball right at people and that has been frustrating for us,” said Coach Patrick. “We are a young team, and still working on developing confidence, and that is often a challenge when you are losing the majority of the games you have played. If we can catch a few breaks, and get some wins here at the end of the season, it will help team morale and confidence for sure.” There have been some positive wins this season that verified “the grit and will” of the Bears to fight back from adversity. “We are down 4-2 against Hannah-Pamplico, with two outs in the top of the 7 th inning and we fought back to win that game 5-4,” said Coach Patrick. “Carson Thompson led off and reached on a walk and then Kimbell Edwards singled to center to put runners on first and second. Then Landon Marsh beat out a bunt for an infield single to load the bases. “Then Brantley Jones hit a full-count double to left field that scored all three runs to put us ahead for good 5-4,” said Coach Patrick. “We proved in that game what we are capable of doing.” Brantly Jones was 3-for-four against H-P with three RBI’s in the huge win over the Raiders. Another great game was a 6-5 come-from-behind victory over region foe Green Sea - Floyds . “We were down 5-4 in the bottom of the seventh when Brantley Jones hit a home run over the left-field fence to tie the game,” said Coach Patrick. “We went into extra innings and in the bottom of the 9 th Kendall Moore singled, Carson Moore laid down a drag-bunt for an infield single, and then Kimball Edwards reached on a fielder’s choice with Moore forced out going to third. “When their pitcher tried to pick off Edwards at first, he over-threw the first baseman and the ball took a strange bounce into the outfield and Moore scored all the way from second to give us a 6-5 win,” said Coach Patrick. “In this game our top hitter was Myles Matthews who went three-for-four with a double and three RBI’s.” As of April, 10 the top three hitters for CB were 9 th grader Wyatt Dennis (.333), junior Clark Jones (.312) and sophomore Myles Matthews (.269). Junior Brantley Jones leads the team with five doubles. In the pitching department, Clark Jones has a 2.80 ERA with 37 K’s in 25 innings of work. Brantley Jones has 16 K’s in 22 innings pitched and Matthews has 4 K’s in 8.1 innings of mound duty. Thompson leads the team in stolen bases with four. The Bears will host Williamsburg Academy on April, 15 before hosting H-P the next day in a key region game. They are at Hemingway on the 18 th before hosting River View on the 24 th . They close out the regular season with away region games at Lake View on the 25 th and Latta on the 29 th . Carvers Bay Softball Focused On A Strong Finish To The Season Carvers Bay head softball coach Macey Dickerson missed the pre-season with her team due to maternity leave, but she is back with the team and focused on the Bears having a strong finish to the regular season with an eye to the play-offs. The team is currently (5-10, 3-4) headed into the final two weeks of the regular season. “We are currently tied for third (April, 10) in our region and the last few games will determine our play-off seeding,” said Coach Dickerson. “We have battled some set-backs and injuries this season but I am proud of our players stepping up when they were needed.” The Lady Bears are led at the plate by catcher Payton Owens (.429/7 RBI’s/2 HR), along with center fielder Ada Brooks (.383/11 RBI/3 HR). Jenna Kay Avant is also a leading hitter (.429/7 RBI/1 HR). Avant is also the team’s main pitcher. She has pitched 43 innings in the circle with 35 K’s and just five walks. Avant is a commitment to USC Union . Three other players are batting around .300 or better. They are junior utility athlete Savannah Miller , junior Ada Davis , and sophomore out-fielder Maggie Hemingway .
By Billy G. Baker Publisher Hemingway —Coming out of the gates at 0-2 ,to start the 2025 regular baseball season, was not the plan in the mind of Carvers Bay head coach Shawn Patrick but he is optimistic his team will rebound and find success. “I am convinced that if we start playing up to our potential, we can beat the majority of the teams on our schedule,” said Coach Patrick. “However, now that we are 0-2, we have some catching up to do. “It was a bit unfortunate that we had to start the season against two region opponents,” said Coach Patrick. “We had scheduled three scrimmages to get ready for the season, and then two of them got cancelled due to bad weather so that in itself was a little bit of bad luck. “Errors have been killing our chances for success also and our pitchers are walking too many batters,” said Coach Patrick. “When you walk batters, not only are you giving the opposing team free base runners, you are driving up the pitch counts of your pitchers. We need to start pounding the strike zone.” The Bears began the season with a 7-1 loss to Johnsonville. Then in the second game of the regular season they lost a highly competitive game to Green Sea-Floyds 5-4. “I was very proud of junior pitcher Clark Jones who came into game against Green Sea-Floyds in the middle of the first inning and he pitched 6 2/3 of innings with 14 strike-outs and I was very proud of his efforts on the mound,” said Coach Patrick. C. Jones has 23 K’s in 14 innings pitched so far this season. Clark Jones, (L-R) is also leading the team at the plate with .278 average and he bats in the third slot in the order. He starts at shortstop when he is not on the mound. “Clark is also playing very well on defense, but his pitching has been outstanding,” said Coach Patrick. The lead-off batter for the Bears is senor starting second baseman Kimbell Edwards. Junior Brantley Jones is batting in the two- hole and starting mostly as a catcher but he can also play third or shortstop. “Brantley is starting off the season a little slow at the plate but I expect his bat to get hot any day now and he is one of the best contact hitters on our team,” said Coach Patrick. Sophomore first baseman Myles Matthews bats clean-up. “He can really barrel up the ball well,” said Coach Patrick. “He has great potential to be a good long ball hitter.” Junior center fielder Carson Thompson bats in the five- slot. Thompson leads the team with four stolen bases and he has good wheels in the outfield. Junior Kendall Moore bats in the 6 th hole and he has had some great catches since being recently moved to left- field. Sophomore Bryant Garman bats in the 7th slot in the order and he has caught the Bear’s last two games. “He is displaying solid defense behind the plate,” said Coach Patrick. Sophomore Carson Lewis, batting in the 8th slot, has pitched some this season, and he mainly plays third base. Freshman Landon Marsh starts in right field and bats in the 9th slot. Marsh had a double against Green Sea-Floyds. “We have had a little sickness amongst our players this season and because of this our line-up often varies from game-to-game,” said Coach Patrick. “For example, Edwards got sick right before the Johnsonville game and 8 th grader Nolan Williams went in to play second base and under the circumstances he did a good job.” Sophomore Haden Cooper was recently moved up from the junior varsity and he is providing depth at several positions. First year freshman varsity player Trevion Parrott is a reserve utility player along with junior outfielder/designated hitter reserve Javion Palmer , a junior. “Miles Matthews is filling well at several positions and getting an inning on the mound here and there,” said Coach Patrick. “Also, sophomore Clarkson Lewis has been effective on the mound coming in in relief.” Coach Patrick summed up his feelings about the 0-2 start like this, “I know this team has great potential and while none of us are pleased to be 0-2 right now, we are not in a panic mode either.” Coach Patrick is assisted by Garrett Howard and Rick Smith .
Patrick Begins Third Season As Head Coach Of Carvers Bay Baseball By Billy G. Baker Publisher Hemingway — Shawn Patrick begins his third season as the head baseball coach at Carvers Bay, and when he took over the program two years ago, the program was in need of rebuilding from the ground-up. “We worked hard on changing the culture of the baseball program because we had had a lot of turn-over in head coaches, over a five-year period, and one of my goals was to bring some stability to the program,” said Coach Patrick who played baseball at Williamsburg Academy where he graduated in 2002. In year two, the program grew by leaps and bounds as the Bears finished at around 14-14 for the season, still comprised mainly of freshmen and sophomores. “Just as we think we have things pointed in the right direction, the SCHSL has their two-year realignment, and I promise you, bar none, we have the toughest Class A baseball region in the state,” said Coach Patrick. “The six other teams in our new region are Lake View , Johnsonville , Latta , Green Sea - Floyds , Hannah - Pamplico , and Hemingway.” The team is fortunate to return the 1-2 pitching rotation of juniors Clark Jones and Brantley Jones who are committed year- round players with a strong goal of playing at the next level beyond high school. “Clark is our starting shortstop also and he batted .390 with 20 RBI’s last season with 15 stolen bases,” said Coach Patrick. “He is very dedicated to the sport of baseball and this will be his fourth year starting on the team. He makes very few errors and he has soft hands with a quick whip to first base.” Junior Kendall Moore returns to first base where he batted around .300 with 12 RBI’s last season. The only senior on the team is second baseman Kim Ball Edwards. Edwards batted lead-off and he hit .300 with 12 RBI’s. Sophomore Bryant Garman will hold down third base and he had a .980 fielding percentage last year while batting around .300. Garman also had a good eye at the plate walking 19 times during the season with 10 stolen bases. The catcher is four-year returning starter junior Brantley Jones. “ Brantley has a 2.0 pop- time to second base and he protects the plate very well with few passed balls,” said Coach Patrick. “Brantley is a very smart player and he is fully aware of what is going on in the game at all times.” B. Jones batted a solid .400 with 15 RBI’s as a sophomore. “Brantley is also our number two pitcher and while he might not throw as hard as his brother, he is a pure pitcher that throws a lot of strikes,” said Coach Patrick. “He had the best ERA on the team last year at a little over 1.00.” Coach Patrick says that since Garman is a solid back-up catcher this season, he will not be afraid to use B. Jones more on the bump. “Sometimes you hate to put your starting catcher on the mound if you lose a lot of defenses behind the plate,” said Coach Patrick. “With Garman available to catch some it will give Brantley a little more mound time.” During this interview Coach Patrick stated he had not made final cuts and some spots in the out-field were still wide-open. He does feel like junior Clarkson Thompson , and freshman Myles Matthews will see a lot of action in the outfield. Thompson will be starting for the first time. Matthews led the team in batting at .420 a year ago and he can also play some first base. Moore will be the team’s number three “lefty” behind the Jone’s brothers. Some of strong newcomers to the varsity include 8 th graders Nolan Williams and Owen Lewis , two utility players along with freshman Trevion Parrot and junior Javion Palmer . Coach Patrick said his strong goal for the team is to improve with every practice “and keep working our butts off.” Carvers Bay will begin the 2025 season on February, 28 th in the Larry Hardee-Duke Pendley Memorial 10-team Pre-season Tournament hosted by Loris High School . Coach Patrick is assisted by Garrett Howard , Rick Smith , and Keith Coker .
By Dennis Brunson hssr.com Associate Editor Sumter – The regular season in high school football is always special, but there is nothing that compares to the postseason. Looking at the brackets, seeing what has to happen for this particular matchup to happen, the anticipation of said matchups and the excitement that builds up as teams try to make a run toward a state championship. With the reclassification put forward by the South Carolina High School League for this year, all of the classifications will have a different vibe. Class A no longer will have Christ Church , Southside Christan School and St. Joseph’s because of the multiplier rule, but it does have a new dominant force in Abbeville . The Panthers, long a force in AA, is now in Class A and has to be seen as the prohibitive favorite. Still though, you’ve got to play the games and see what happens. We can’t do that, but we can fill out the bracket to see who we have facing off for the championship in Orangeburg the second week of December. WHO’S IN: Upper State Region 1 : 1. Abbeville 2. Ware Shoals 3. Whitmire 4. Dixie 5. McCormick 6. Calhoun Falls Region 2 : 1. Lewisville 2. Lamar 3. Lee Central 4. McBee 5. C.A. Johnson Region 3 : 1. Hunter-Kinard-Tyler 2. Blackville-Hilda 3. Calhoun County 4. Ridge Spring-Monetta 5. Williston-Elko Lower State Region 4 : 1. Bamberg-Ehrhart 2. Ridgeland 3. Denmark-Olar 4. Hardeeville Region 5 : 1. Cross 2. Branchville 3. Baptist Hill 4. Scott’s Branch 5. Military Magnet 6. Bethune-Bowman Region 6 : 1. Lake View 2. Hannah-Pamplico 3. Latta 4. Carvers Bay 5. Johnsonville 6. Green Sea Floyds FIRST ROUND Upper State C.A. Johnson (2-8) at Abbeville (8-1) Dixie (7-2) at Blackville-Hilda (8-2) McCormick (3-7) at Lamar (7-3) Calhoun County (3-7) at Lee Central (5-4) McBee (4-5) at Hunter-Kinard-Tyler (9-1) Williston-Elko (2-7) at Ware Shoals (4-5) Calhoun Falls (1-8) at Lewisville (9-1) Ridge Spring-Monetta (5-5) at Whitmire (3=7) Lower State Green Sea Floyds (1-9) at Cross (8-2) Scott’s Branch (4-6) at Ridgeland (6-4) Military Magnet (2-6) at Hannah-Pamplico (7-2) Carvers Bay (4-6) at Denmark-Olar (3-6) Hardeeville (3-7) at Lake View (8-1) Johnsonville (4=6) at Branchville (8-2) Bethune-Bowman (1-9) at Bamberg-Ehrhardt (6-2) Latta (5-5) at Baptist Hill (6-3) The first round of any high school sports playoff is usually filled with blowouts, and that could easily be the case with these 16 games. However, there are intriguing matchups in this group. While Blackville-Hilda has to be the favorite with an 8-2 record, it will take on a 7-2 Dixie squad. Ridgeland finished second in a weak Region 6, while Scott’s Branch came on strong down the stretch to go 4-6. Carvers Bay is 4-6 and will play at 3-6 Denmark-Olar . Latta at Baptist Hill will be an intriguing matchup because the Vikings pound the ball while Baptist Hill pushes the ball through the air. Johnsonville may be just 4-6 and going against an 8-2 Branchville squad, but Johnsonville is the 2-time defending lower state champion. Don’t look for them to go down easy. First-round winners: Upper State: Abbeville, Blackville-Hilda, Lamar, Lee Central, Hunter-Kinard-Tyler, Ware Shoals, Lewisville, Ridge-Spring Monetta. Lower State: Cross, Scott’s Branch, Hannah-Pamplico, Carvers Bay, Lake View, Branchville, Bamberg-Ehrhardt, Latta. SECOND ROUND Upper State Blackville-Hilda at Abbeville Lee Central at Lamar Ware Shoals at Hunter-Kinard-Tyler Ridge Spring-Monetta at Lewisvlle Lower State Scott’s Branch at Cross Carvers Bay at Hannah-Pamplico Branchville at Lake View Latta at Bamberg-Ehrhardt This is the round where the fun starts to kick in with matchups of teams with gaudy records and outstanding reputations. Also, with the Class A regions so widespread, you can easily get pairings of teams that aren’t geographically close, thus leading to first-time matchups. The two most noteworthy showdowns in this round would be 2-loss Blackville-Hilda playing at 1-loss Abbeville. The Panthers will be favored and are led by Damarcus Leach . He will be going up against a future teammate at South Carolina in B-H’s Jaquel Holman . The best lower state matchup will have 2-loss Branchville at 1-loss Lake View . Second-round winners: Upper State: Abbeville, Lamar, Hunter-Kinard-Tyler, Lewisville: Lower State: Cross, Hannah-Pamplico, Lake View, Bamberg-Ehrhardt THIRD ROUND Upper State Lamar at Abbeville Lewisville at Hunter-Kinard-Tyler Lower State Hannah-Pamplico at Cross Bamberg-Ehrhardt at Lake View You’ve got the three champions of the upper state regions and the three region champions from the lower state still alive. The other team in the upper state is No. 2 seed Lamar , while No. 2 seed Hannah-Pamplico is the fourth lower state team. In years past, a matchup between Lamar and Abbeville would be a premier showdown. While Lamar is still a top program, Abbeville is simply a cut above. Hunter-Kinard-Tyler has had a great season, but Lewisville has been on a mission after going out in the second round last season. These lower state matchups would be fun to watch as the pairings have two teams that go about their business in different ways. Third-round winners: Upper State: Abbeville, Lewisville Lower State: Cross, Bamberg-Ehrhardt SEMIFINALS Upper State Lewisville at Abbeville Lower State Bamberg-Ehrhardt at Cross This would be the “collision course” game of the upper state bracket. Lewisville and Abbeville have been dominant all season. The lower state game will be a pairing of two teams that like to pound the football. However, Bamberg-Ehrhardt has senior quarterback Chanston Crosby to give it a better passing option. Semifinal winners: Abbeville, Bamberg-Ehrhardt STATE CHAMPIONSHIP Abbeville vs. Bamberg-Ehrhardt The Red Raiders will present a physical challenge, but Abbeville has tremendous throughout its roster, especially on the defensive side of the ball. However, I go back to what I said at the beginning of the story. Abbeville has to be considered the favorite to win until someone beats it. Your state champion: Abbeville