2026 Preview: Carvers Bay Bears

In honor of the five-site Prep RedZone Media Days series this June and July, we're giving everyone a 50% offer code on all subscriptions throughout July 31. Get access to more than 100 team previews and everything else we have in store for readers as we gear up for the 2026 football season. <a href="https://prepredzone.com/subscribe">Simply head to our subscription page</a> and use the code "przscmediaday2026" at checkout to take advantage of the savings.   There's a lesson from last year's seniors that the current crop at Carvers Bay is trying to replicate.   Behind two dynamic talents that included a future SEC offensive lineman and a 2,000-yard high-school rusher, the Bears rattled off 12 straight victories to start the year before running into eventual Class A state champ Bamberg-Ehrhardt in the third round. The season didn't include the ultimate goal, obviously.   What it did do is show Carvers Bay how to win consistently for the first time since it's inaugural coach was routinely leading the program deep into the playoffs and even winning a title during their heyday in the mid-2000s.   And do so without perfect conditions.    “Zion Guiles and Kenard Heyward - they were good leaders,” current senior [player_tooltip player_id='1683177' first='Jaquan' last='Hannah'] said at last month's Prep RedZone Media Day at South Florence. “When I got hurt and I wasn't playing, [the underclassmen] stepped up. They won a lot of games for us.”    Guiles, now at South Carolina, and Heyward (the aforementioned 2,000-yard rusher) are gone. But the eight starters on either side of the ball who are returning, a significant pickup from a near by program and some quality depth are going to keep the Bears very much in the depth of a lot of conversations in 2026. And the biggest component to it is that this is a program that re-learned how to win last fall.   This is a team that went from four victories in 2024 to 12 in 2025. Needless to say, bashing heads wasn't part of the offseason equation, even during the full-padded availability in May.   “A lot of kids play spring sports, so we do the best we can with [official spring practices],” coach Matthew Richard said. “But we don't do a whole lot because we don't want to get anyone hurt. We do what we can. You want to see who can compete and see where they are mentally. Other than that, you've got to put in the foundation.”   Or, in the Bears' case, building upon the one that was already started.   Hannah stressed keeping momentum going in the weight room, not to mention chasing the success of last fall. That's where a load of returners will continue to set their own personal foundations.   Defensively, [player_tooltip player_id='1822691' first='Triston' last='Diggs'] Ethan Young Xavier Stafford and Jasaia Davis are going to take some of the heat off Hannah on the line. On the other side, quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1822697' first='Christian' last='Simmons'] and Diggs (who will start on offense and defensive) are going to get a lot of run. Receivers Jashaun Ford and [player_tooltip player_id='1709132' first='Akari' last='Williams'] are a couple of the names to watch on the outside.   And [player_tooltip player_id='1820184' first='Dominique' last='Walker'] - who will also likely start at linebacker - is going to get many of the carries Heyward received last fall.   “We're looking to Dominique to take over that running back role,” Richard said. “He's a kid who has worked extremely hard in the offseason in the weight room trying to be that leader. We're looking for other kids like [player_tooltip player_id='1822691' first='Triston' last='Diggs'] to take that next step. He's been the workout partner of Zion Guiles the last few years, so he's got to take that big brother role for the younger guys. Xavier Fredericks and those young kids have had a good offseason, so we're really excited about it.”   STARS SET TO SHINE   [player_tooltip player_id='1683177' first='Jaquan' last='Hannah'] DL/TE, 2027 (pictured) - Hannah missed most of the 2025 regular season with a sprained knee. But when he came back, it was evident how good he could be. His three postseason games dwarfed his production in the same amount of regular-season contests. He's now been fully healthy for the entirety of the last seven months. And at small Carvers Bay, his athletic ability means he's going to be handling punting and kicking duties, too.   [player_tooltip player_id='1822691' first='Triston' last='Diggs'] OL/DL, 2027 - Offensively, Diggs was often overlooked last year in terms of his effectiveness because of how much everyone was focusing at that dude playing left tackle. But his lateral movement and downfield blocking show just how vital he is. His snaps are clean and more often than not he's initiating the contact that is opening a monster-sized hole.    Jashaun Ford DB/WR 2028 - Ford is one of the non-seniors on the roster woh is being looked at as one of Carvers Bay's leaders. He's got experience in multiple spots of the secondary and has the type of connection with Simmons that should lead to an increase in targets. Ford has a great reach and the ability to make something out of nothing while playing receiver.   [player_tooltip player_id='1820184' first='Dominique' last='Walker'] RB/LB, 2027 - The small yet compact Walker got some extra competition with the addition of an experienced transfer earlier this month, but he's still the guy for the time being heading into this season. We shouldn't forget that the Bears found ways to spread the wealth in the rushing attack even with Heyward last season.    FILM REVIEW   [player_tooltip player_id='1822697' first='Christian' last='Simmons'] QB, 2027 - Simmons' role in this offense is going to be looked at as game manager, simply because of how much the Bears run the ball versus the alternative. But on top of the fact that he's pretty mobile and run for nearly 500 yards last fall, he's also extremely efficient with his throws. Of his 22 completed passes during his junior year, seven of them went for a touchdown. One touchdown for every three completions is why when he drops back, the defense best be ready.    BIGGEST LOSSES   Zion Guiles OL - The current South Carolina Gamecock was a manchild for the Bears for what felt like forever. Last year, he was largely responsible for a 2,000-yard rusher while often taking on multiple defenders on the same snap.   Kenard Heyward RB - After missing most of his junior season in 2024, Heyward returned as a senior and went off to the tune of that aforementioned monster campaign. He was the bulk of the team's offense en route to 12 wins.    UP-AND-COMING POTENTIAL   Ethan Young DL, 2030 - At 6-foot-2 and north of 220 pounds, Young has already started turning some heads as a potential recruit down the line. He's already started his varsity athletics career while playing for the Bears' baseball program, and now he's been anointed as a starter on the defensive line. Oh, and he picked up his first college offer (North Carolina Central) prior to playing a varsity football snap.   [player_tooltip player_id='1709132' first='Akari' last='Williams'] DB/WR, 2029 - Williams was eased onto the field in spurts last fall, but it's time to rip off the Band-Aid after an offseason of growth. He was able to get in some QB reps during the Carolinas Coaches Combines, and while he may very end up there eventually, his athleticism now is going to force him onto the field more and more.     Singleton's exact usage for Carvers Bay is about as big of a TBD as you'll find, as he transferred in from nearby Georgetown within the last two weeks. In fact, the move is so fresh that as of this post he'd not even practiced with his new team yet.   However, it's impossible to not think about how he could fold into the Bears offense in multiple ways.   At Georgetown, he earned a ranking by showing he could catch passes or block downfield, take carries off a sweep or a traditional backfield set and even on defense, where he can roam the back side.

In honor of the five-site Prep RedZone Media Days series this June and July, we're giving everyone a 50% offer code on all subscriptions throughout July 31. Get access to more than 100 team previews and everything else we have in store for readers as we gear up for the 2026 football season. Simply head to our subscription page and use the code "przscmediaday2026" at checkout to take advantage of the savings.