Youthful Bears take on familiar foe for Class A Division I state title

ORANGEBURG — High school football teams often go through rebuilding years, but most don’t make it to the state championship during that time.

Carvers Bay coach Nate Thompson described his team’s season as just that, however.

“We knew we had the materials, but we didn’t know what the finished product was going to be,” Thompson said. “At the start of the season, everything was shaky.

“To get back to this point is a testament to how hard our kids have worked.”

The Bears (11-2) lost all but four starters from last year’s state runner-up squad, including a 2,000-yard running back and several key members of their stout defensive unit.

To make matters worse, their starting quarterback, Arlington Scott, suffered a season-ending knee injury at the start of region play.

But through it all, the Bears have endured. And on Friday, they will have the opportunity to capture their second Class A Division I state title in three years when they play Chesterfield at S.C. State’s Oliver Dawson Stadium.

It’s the third straight year the two schools have met for the state championship with Carvers Bay winning in 2006 and Chesterfield winning last year.

“It feels great to be back,” Carvers Bay defensive lineman Kwame Geathers said. “We lost last year, but now we have the opportunity to come back and win it this year.

“We wanted to prove a point, and the guys have stepped up this year and brought us back.”

Geathers and his defensive teammates have led the way. The Bears are allowing just 5.6 points per game and have not allowed more than 14 points in any game.

But as always, they’ll have their hands full with Chesterfield. The Rams are averaging 38 points a game and have racked up 421 yards of offense a game.

“As a defense, we know we have to get after their quarterback,” Geathers said. “We have to create pressure and force him into some bad decisions.”

Part of what makes Chesterfield so dangerous is a balanced attack. The Rams have rushed for more than 1,500 yards and thrown for nearly 3,000.

“They might not be as physically big as us, but they have so many weapons,” Thompson said. “The biggest thing for our kids is to not chase ghosts. The field’s only so wide and there are only so many passing routes. We just have to get the kids to stick to their area of the field.”

For the Bears, keeping the ball away from Chesterfield will be up to a stable of running backs. Clayton Geathers leads the team with 1,401 yards and 23 touchdowns.

“I expect to do what I did last Friday,” Clayton said after a five-touchdown performance against Lamar in the lower state championship. “I know last year we kind of stalled on a lot of drives, so that’s something we have to change this year.”

Davious Chestnut and Andre Aklin have combined for 1,253 yards and 14 scores as well, giving the Bears a number of options in the running game.

They’ll face a Chesterfield defense allowing 7.6 points and 131 yards of offense on average.

“A lot of people forget about their defense,” Thompson said. “But they’re quick and they’re athletic and they get after the ball carrier.

“You don’t make it to the state championship without a great defense.”