Denmark-Olar Cagers capture first state championship in coach Davis final game

Neill Kirkpatrick • March 20, 2025

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Dennmark-Olar senior Christian-Nimmons in the state title game against Abbeville.

By Neill Kirkpatrick

Special to the HSSR

Denmark – It had been 35 years since the Denmark-Olar Vikings boys basketball team had played in the class A state championship game so when head coach Hercules Davis and his senior laden squad defeated Bethune-Bowman 63-49 to advance to their second state championship game they were determined to have a different outcome this time.

The Vikings has had some special motivation heading into the game as they found out a couple of weeks prior the coach Davis was stepping down. Not to mention that the 9 seniors wanted to leave a lasting legacy for future Viking teams.

They accomplished both goals as they beat the Abbeville Panthers 58-52 to win their first state basketball championship.

“I’m so proud of these guys. They put it all together tonight and we came out with a victory,” coach Davis told the HSSR after the game.

“When we found out it was Coach Davis’s last year, we made a promise we were going to give him a ring,” said senior forward Joshua Goodman.

Goodman seemed to be the missing piece from a Viking team that had made deep runs in the playoffs the past few years only to come up short of the championship game. He transferred from Hampton County where he was a solid contributor to a team that played in the AA lower state championship game in 2024. The 6-5 forward averaged a double/double this season with 18.7 points and 10.8 rebounds per game which earned him class A All State status. He also became a 1000-point career scoring with Vikings as he had 615 points at Hampton County before coming to the Vikings.

Guard Terrence Hinton was also named to the class A All State team for the second year in row. The senior captain led the team in steals at 3.6 a night and in dimes at five a game. He was second in scoring at 13 points per game and finished his career with 890 points and over 300 assists.

Seniors center Tykeem Ross and forward Robert Bovian were the teams other two captains and integral parts of the team for the past three seasons. Ross, a two-time all-state football selection, came into the year with a chance to eclipse the 1000 career point barrier but he came up a little short finishing his career with 937 point to go with 800 rebounds. He averaged 10. points per game and cleaned the glass with 8.7 boards per game.

Bovian is on the of the top athletes at the school and like he did for the football team, he did whatever was asked of him. He was second on the team in rebounding at 9.4 a game and he chipped in with 7.7 points a night.

Senior guard Christian Nimmons shot 55% from behind the arc and scored 7.3 points per contest.

The rest of this legacy class of seniors are Carlos Johnson, Reginald Youmans, Se'Quavin Pough and Jordan Howell. Johnson was the first person off the pine and gave the Vikings solid minutes all year.

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By David Shelton • July 30, 2025

By David Shelton Senior Writer Charleston – First Baptist School has new leadership within its football program and athletic department for the coming 2025-26 school year. Kevin Mapp was hired as the new head football coach in the early spring and Jay Godbolt was hired as the new athletic director at the start of the summer. Mapp has extensive coaching experience on both the college and high school levels while also working in law enforcement. First Baptist is his first head coaching position. Mapp last coached defensive linemen at James Island Charter High and has had coaching stints at James Madison, Hampden-Sydney, Georgetown, Marshall, Missouri State and Coastal Carolina. Mapp graduated from James Madison and was a defensive lineman on the 2004 Division I-AAA (now FCS) national championship team. “Coaching has always been my passion,” Mapp said. “Ever since I was playing, I wanted to be a coach. I have always found a way to coach while working in law enforcement. I’ve been fortunate to have had the opportunities to do both.” Mapp has been with the Charleston County police department for the last 10 years. He took some time away from coaching to start a family. “I felt like First Baptist was the perfect fit for me and my family,” Mapp says. “It’s a great opportunity at a great place. The kids here work hard and there is a lot of support from the administration. I’m excited to be the head football coach at First Baptist.” Mapp has hired coordinators on both sides of the ball. Will McCombs , once the head coach of the program, will call the offensive plays. Chris Hart comes over from James Island as the defensive coordinator. “Our numbers are improving and the kids are working hard,” Mapp said. “I feel like we can be a competitive team. It’s year one of the building process.” Godbolt has been a coach and athletic director in the Charleston area for nearly two decades. As the boys basketball coach at Charleston Collegiate, Godbolt coached three state championship teams. He also has been a coach and athletic director at Lowcountry Leadership Academy. Godbolt has more than 450 career victories as a head basketball coach. Current First Baptist basketball coach Antoine Saunders was Godbolt’s assistant at Charleston Collegiate.