Walker, Carvers Bay Run Away From Waccamaw

HEMINGWAY | If Carvers Bay was rattled by facing an early deficit on Monday night, the Bears didn't show it.    Instead, they responded like a program that had won 13 of its last 14 games, scoring 29 straight points en route to a 36-13 home win over Waccamaw.   “We kept taking it one play at a time,” running back [player_tooltip player_id='1820184' first='Dominique' last='Walker'] said after the victory, “kept applying our pressure. Like our coach says, we don't ever stop. We've got to keep going.”   Facing a Carvers Bay defense that had posted three shutouts in its last seven outings, Waccamaw took the opening kickoff and marched 69 yards on 10 plays. Quarterback Robbie Carrington did the honors with a six-yard touchdown run that put the Warriors up 7-0 with 5:16 to go in the first quarter.   Carvers Bay responded with a run-heavy drive of its own, moving to the Warrior three-yard line before Walker (pictured) found the end zone from three yards out on 4th-and-goal. The Bears took advantage of an offsides call against Waccamaw on the extra point and converted the two point-conversion on a [player_tooltip player_id='1822697' first='Christian' last='Simmons'] pass to grab an 8-7 lead with 11:54 left in the second quarter.    An out-of-bounds squib kick set the Warriors up in Carvers Bay territory, but [player_tooltip player_id='1825017' first='Trent' last='Singleton'] picked off a pass at the Bears' 23-yard line to snuff out the Waccamaw threat. Carvers Bay extended its lead on a 13-yard touchdown run by Simmons and another two-point conversion with 5:24 to go in the first half.    “I just stayed confident,” Singleton said of his interception. “I saw the ball coming to me and I went to make a play.”   Following a Warrior punt, Simmons directed the Bears on a two-minute drive that ended with Walker's second touchdown run of the half, this time from two yards out, as Carvers Bay pushed its advantage to 23-7 with 53 seconds remaining.    Walker wasted no time getting back in the end zone, exploding for a 65-yard touchdown run on the opening play of the second half to put the Bears up 29-7 just 29 seconds into the third quarter. The tailback finished the evening with 188 yards rushing on just 16 carries and three scores.    “Dominique is a workhorse,” said Carvers Bay head coach Matthew Richard. “He's a do-it-all guy, a selfless guy. He'll make the blocks if you need him to make the blocks. He even showed tonight that he's got that pull-away speed.”   Aided by a pair of unsportsmanlike conduct penalties against Carvers Bay, Wacccamaw finally got back on the scoreboard on a three-yard touchdown run from William Dieter that made the score 29-13 with 7:09 to go in the third period.    The game appeared to hang in the balance late in the third quarter as Carvers Bay faced 4th-and-2 from their own 49-yard. The Bears kept the offense on the field and Carrington made the biggest stop of the night for Waccamaw, a six-yard tackle for loss that gave the Warriors the ball. An unsportsmanlike penalty against Carvers Bay set up Waccamaw at the Bears' 28-yard line. On 4th-and-8, a fumbled option pitch on the perimeter gave Carvers Bay possession and thwarted one of Waccamaw's best chances at cutting the deficit to single digits.   Simmons put the game away with a 20-yard touchdown run as Carvers Bay's ground game chewed up nearly half of the fourth quarter.    “The o-line had an amazing night,” Simmons said. “They kept me safe, they kept me clean, they helped the running backs create holes and let them have a great day.”   Carvers Bay finished the night with 309 yards rushing, with Simmons adding 86 yards and a touchdown on eight carries. Simmons finished 5-of-8 through the air for 65 yards. After surrendering 69 yards on Waccamaw's opening drive, the Bears' defense held the Warriors to 58 offensive yards the rest of the evening.    “We always tell them that a team is defined by their character when adversity hits,” Richard said. “We showed that we have good character tonight.”   Carrington led Waccamaw with nine rushes for 59 yards and a touchdown, while Dieter added 26 yards and a touchdown on eight carries.    With a 14-game winning streak in the regular season, the Bears now prepare for a quick turnaround to face Atlantic Collegiate Academy on Friday. According to Walker, nothing changes despite the short week.    “Hard work,” he said when asked how the Bears would respond to the challenge, “dedication, and taking each game one at a time.”     Carvers Bay Notables:    Xavier Frederick DL, 2027 – Frederick was a menace at defensive end throughout the night for the Bears. The big defender smothered multiple runs around the corner and applied pressure on the first-half interception that wound up flipping the game in Carvers Bay's favor.   [player_tooltip player_id='1825211' first='Jofiah' last='Waterman'] WR, 2027– Waterman was Simmons' favorite target, hauling in three catches for 42 yards, including a nice diving snag on a low throw. He also held on extra points and helped draw the Warrior offsides three times, two of which led to successful two-point conversions for the Bears.    [player_tooltip player_id='1822691' first='Triston' last='Diggs'] OL, 2027 – You don't run for over 300 yards without a center who's moving people. That's exactly what Diggs did, creating holes and anchoring an offensive line that paved the way for big runs all night long.    Ethan Young OL/DL 2030– The freshman lineman didn't get to show off his punting ability until the final drive of the night, but he made the most of it, booming a beautiful 45-yarder that pinned Waccamaw at its own 11-yard line.     Stafford's presence in the interior of the defensive line helped grind Waccamaw's offense to a crawl. Time after time, the Warriors tried to run inside, only to have the 375-pound senior waiting for them.    Stafford consistently stalemated his Waccamaw counterpart at the point of attack. Warrior ball carriers ran into the backs of their own linemen multiple times thanks to Stafford's refusal to be moved off the line of scrimmage.      Waccamaw Notables:   [player_tooltip player_id='1821735' first='Banks' last='Hardin'] RB/LB, 2028 – Hardin had the thankless of job of constantly trying to break through the middle of the Carvers Bay defensive line from his fullback position. Although his numbers weren't gaudy, he ran hard all night and moved the pile forward on several occasions despite being outnumbered.   Ashton Greer ATH, 2028 – Not much went right for the Warriors after the opening drive of the first half, but Greer flashed with an impressive kickoff return. A runback that featured several broken tackles and a physical finish briefly provided some life for Waccamaw.     JB Meadors OL/LB, 2027 – Meadors helped keep Waccamaw in the game early with some nice stops from his linebacker position. The Warriors ground game found some success in the second half running behind Meadors at right guard.    Braxton Haynes ATH, 2028 – Haynes did a little bit of everything for the Warriors, taking reps at running back, catching a ball out of the backfield, and handling both the placekicking and punting duties. He ran hard, showed good speed with the ball in his hands, and booted the ball well.

HEMINGWAY | If Carvers Bay was rattled by facing an early deficit on Monday night, the Bears didn't show it.