Bears going back to Orangeburg

By: Shawn Singleton/Morning News | SCNow
Published: November 17, 2007

No miracle finish was needed for Carvers Bay to reach the Class A Division I state championship game this year.

Johnathan Holmes and Mario Young combined for five touchdowns Friday night as the Bears scored five times in the second half to defeat Lamar, 40-7.

Carvers Bay will face Chesterfield, 13-10 winners over Bamberg-Ehrhardt, for the second straight year to decide the state title at Oliver C. Dawson Stadium in Orangeburg next Friday at 3 p.m.

“We knew that if you come to Lamar, you have to be ready to play,” Bears coach Nate Thompson said.

“If you come half-stepping against them, you’ll get whipped.

“We were ready to play tonight.”

For the third consecutive season, the Silver Foxes saw their season end in front of the home fans at Donald R. Poole Stadium.

Many fans uncharacteristically left during the third quarter.

“(This loss) was tough. The door’s been slammed on our faces three years in a row, and it hurts,” said Lamar coach Charlie Poole, whose team finished the season at 10-3. “We’ll continue to work and we’ll be back next year.“

As they had done all season, the Bears (11-2) ate up yards and clock on their opening drive using the legs of Johnathan Holmes, who had 40 of the 65 yards on the drive.

Holmes capped the 13-play march with a 3-yard scoring run. Jaquavius McClain blocked Carlos Britton’s PAT attempt, and Carvers Bay led 6-0 with 2:56 left in the first quarter.

Holmes finished with 208 yards rushing, 144 in the second half, on 23 carries. The senior scored twice, including a 49-yard scamper that sent Lamar fans heading for the exits. Young added 116 yards and three touchdowns.

“John was the John we knew him to be tonight,” Thompson said of Holmes’ performance. “He is a hard runner and he had a phenomenal night.”

The rest of the first half was a defensive struggle, as neither team was able to put a dent in the other’s defense. Carvers Bay still led 6-0 at halftime.

On Lamar’s first possession of the second half, the Silver Foxes gambled on fourth-and-1 from their own 38-yard line. Rather than punt, Poole elected to go for the first down.

Dyrell Porcha, however, swarmed under Keon Lucas, and the Bears took over on downs.

“Not converting that fourth-down play turned the momentum over to them,” Poole said.

“This is a state championship game. We have to be able to convert that into a first down.”

From there, it took just two plays for Carvers Bay to increase its lead as Young raced 26 yards untouched into the end zone. Holmes ran in the two-point conversion to give the Bears a 14-0 at the 7:16 mark.

Lamar’s lone score came on the next possession as Boyd hit Matthew Mitchell on a 52-yard pass to make it 14-7.

The senior quarterback finished just 13-of-31 passing for 173 yards but was pressured and threw three interceptions.