Geathers, Carvers Bay roll past Lamar

HEMINGWAY — The name Geathers is synonymous with the Carvers Bay football program, with several family members achieving high school, college and professional glory on the gridiron.

And after Friday’s Class A Division I lower state championship, it might be time to add Clayton’s name to the list.

Clayton Geathers rushed for 278 yards and four touchdowns, and had a 71-yard touchdown reception to help Carvers Bay earn a 40-14 victory over Lamar and a third straight trip to the title game in Orangeburg.

It was the third time in a row the Bears beat the Silver Foxes for the lower state title, and Friday’s championship will mark their third straight appearance against upper state winner Chesterfield.

“Every year, you start from scratch, so little by little, you build to this point,” Carvers Bay coach Nate Thompson said. “A lot of this group was at the state championship last year, and they wanted that feeling again. These kids bonded early, and played hardest when things got hard.

“It’s a blessing to be back again.”

Despite four fumbles and eight penalties by the Bears, Carvers Bay never trailed in the game, with Geathers and the defense leading the way.

Geathers scored three touchdowns in the first half, all of 66 yards or more. A 71-yard run, a 66-yard run and a 71-yard touchdown pass gave the Bears a 19-0 lead midway through the second quarter.

“I give all the credit to my offensive line and my fullback,” Geathers said. “They held the blocks and I just ran through. It was a cold night, but it ended great because we’re going back to the big dance.”

The Silver Foxes could do nothing on offense for most of the first half. Quarterback Trevor Norris was sacked three times and the Silver Foxes had five rushing yards in the first quarter despite two turnovers from the Bears.

Lamar’s final drive of the half also ended in disappointment. An illegal shift call negated a touchdown and the Silver Foxes could not convert before the half.

“We had several opportunities in the first half and couldn’t cash them in,” Lamar coach J.R. Boyd said. “That call (that negated the touchdown) hurt us. But we came out the second half and executed better and got some points on the board.

“We played with them at times, but when we didn’t fill the right gaps, they took advantage of it and took it to the house.”

The Silver Foxes cut the lead to 19-8 with a 64-yard run by Jonathan Dargan on their first drive of the second half. The Bears responded with a 57-yard TD run by Geathers. Lamar scored on its next drive as well, and trailed 25-14 in the fourth quarter.

The Bears’ miscues continued in the second half with two more fumbles and a 6-yard punt in the fourth quarter that set up Lamar inside the Bears’ 40.

But the defense held again, and on Carvers Bay’s next possession, Geathers capped off a nine-play drive with his final TD of the night from 26 yards out.

“It was big,” Thompson said of the drive and the touchdown. “They were coming back, and the defense held the couple of times, and Clayton put (the game) out of reach.

“We had a lot of mistakes, but I think the key was we didn’t turn the ball over and give them a short field.”

Lamar could not convert more than the two scores despite Dargan rushing for 228 yards on 24 carries.

“I was proud of the way the kids finished,” Boyd said. “This surpassed my expectations knowing how we started the year, and hopefully we can build from here.”