Heyward, McCrae Help Carvers Bay Cap 10-0 Regular Season

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>HEMINGWAY |</strong> A year ago, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1820181' first='Kenard' last='Heyward']</strong> and his Carvers Bay teammates were a game away from watching their 2024 season end, the tailback himself wondering what could have been.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>He was part of a trio of ball carriers injured in the season opener. The Bears struggled to recover, and the campaign ended after a first-round playoff loss and a 4-7 record.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This time around, a healthy Heyward and his crew are anything but scraping by.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Bears, behind yet another 200-yard rushing performance from the senior, capped off a perfect 10-0 regular season with Friday's 33-14 home win over Johnsonville.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“Last year, I feel like I couldn't prove what I needed to prove like I have this year,” Heyward (pictured) said. “I feel like I had something to prove. … We're grinding for state, state, state. Abbeville, that's who we're aiming for. That's what we're [preparing] for. That's the game we said we were going to since the season started. Last year, we had something to prove. We didn't have a good record last year.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Heyward dropping the name of the school oft-expected to not only reach the state finals but add another trophy to its illustrious case wasn't by accident. The Panthers are the cream of the Class A crop for a reason.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Standing in Carvers Bay's way will be some top-shelf Lower State teams - led by Bamberg-Ehrhardt and Cross.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>But if anything's certain this year, it's that the Bears aren't going to be heading into the Lower State field in two weeks empty-handed. A couple blinks of an eye Friday proved exactly that. And it's not simply because of Heyward, who unofficially stands nine yards shy of 2,000 for the season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On Carvers Bay's second series of the game, fellow tailback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1732610' first='Julius' last='McCrea']</strong> scored a 4-yard rushing touchdown on his first series. Then, on the next set of offensive snaps, Heyward scored the first of his two.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Johnsonville had a flurry of its own near the end of the first half to tie the game at 14-14 at half. Following a punt- and penalty-heavy second half, the Bears then flexed in front of their home crowd to make sure the multiple reasons for celebration in their final home game - Senior Night and coach Matt Richard getting his Shrine Bowl coaches' jacket among them - weren't for naught.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With 6:47 to go and the score still knotted at 14 apiece, Heyward used four carries to tack on another 46 yards to his overall total and get into the end zone for the 18th time this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Less than 3 minutes later, McCrae added his second touchdown of the night to cap off his turn in the backfield.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It was status quo for the two ball carriers who have split time with <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1025821' first='Zyrion' last='Reed']</strong> all season in an effort to keep all three of them fresh. Reed was out Friday with an injury of his own, but it ultimately mattered very little behind Heyward and McCrae (10 carries, 79 yards, two touchdowns).&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Heyward is the main event, and a welcome one after he missed much of 2024 with a high ankle sprain. But this rushing attack with he and McCrae is also no joke.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“Once Reed went down, those two took the mantle and took off,” Richard said. “I think they can take us very, very far.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>How far is yet to be determined. But Carvers Bay has clearly done everything that's been asked of it so far in 2025.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>OTHER CARVERS BAY STANDOUTS</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1683177' first='Jaquan' last='Hannah']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1822691' first='Triston' last='Diggs']</strong> DLs, 2027 - The 6-foot-2, 210-pound defensive end was instrumental in keeping the Flashes from getting their running game going early, but his eye-opening moment came with less than 4 minutes remaining in the opening quarter when he came off the edge and tore the Johnsonville quarterback down for an 8-yard loss on a sack. On the very next play, with the Flashes looking at a second and 18, Diggs tracked down a batted ball on a would-be screen pass for the interception. On the ensuing drive, the Bears took a 14-0 lead on Heyward's scoring run.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Jaden Bel</strong>l DB, 2026 - Bell got picked on a bit early when Johnsonville decided it was going to turn its offense into one that went quick-fire on its passing attack to get to the ball into the hands of a pair of speed receivers, but the senior got the last laugh. After McCrae and Heyward scored their fourth-quarter touchdowns, Hannah forced an inadvertent pass attempt that turned into a fumble near the sideline. Bell pounced, picked it up, steadied his stride and returned it 27 yards for the exclamation point touchdown that pushed Carvers Bay to 33 points.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='402516' first='Zyon' last='Guiles']</strong> OL, 2026 - The University of South Carolina commitment started at right guard Friday (he often flips to the left side situationally) and was a force on the edge against everything Johnsonville threw at him. Heyward in particular was running to his side and wasn't being touched until after he's passed the line of scrimmage.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>JOHNSONVILLE NOTES</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1822707' first='Zaghe' last='Davis']</strong> RB, 2027 - Davis finished the game with 10 carries for only 25 yards, but he was responsible for tying the game just before halftime. After Johnsonville recovered a muffed kickoff, Davis took the very next snap in from 5 yards away. He bounced the carry to the outside and wasn't touched until after he was in the end zone.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1304767' first='Larkin' last='Powell']</strong> QB, 2027 - Johnsonville's junior quarterback is still a work in progress, but the 5-foot-9 signal caller was 12-of-23 for 103 yards and a touchdown. His one interception came off that aforementioned batted pass.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1824664' first='Takhari' last='Ross']</strong> WR/DB, 2026 - One of the two blazers on this roster, Ross hauled in five receptions for 64 yards and the Flashes' first points of the night. He was also responsible for creating a much-needed turnover in the third quarter when he plucked an errant Carvers Bay pass attempt out of the air in the end zone to nullify another Bears' scoring opportunity.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1664624' first='Ja'Mere' last='Ross']</strong> ATH, 2027 - This Ross - who blew up during the Spring's Carolinas Coaches Combines with his wheels - caught five passes of his own. He was relatively limited in that all five were caught in traffic near the line, but he managed to turn them into 34 yards.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->