Carvers Bay uses strong first half to down cross-county rival Georgetown

HEMINGWAY — One team was coming away with its first win of the season, while the other would be left searching for its first victory of 2022.

In the end, it was Carvers Bay that came out on top over cross-county rival Georgetown, 28-14, at Big Bear Stadium on Sept. 9.

The Bears were led by a potent ground game in the first half that included two rushing scores from senior running back Tyshaun Grice and one from senior running back Tyrese Richard.

“I’m definitely proud of the way our o-line responded. I know we had some adversity losing our starting center and shuffling some guys around, but these guys really got on the sled this week and it showed tonight,” Bears head coach Matthew Richard said.

The first score of the game belonged to the Bears when Grice punched it in from four yards out less than two minutes into the game to put the Bears up 6-0. The PAT was no good.

Georgetown responded on its first drive of the game, which was capped off by a 4-yard touchdown run from senior running back Taji Mitchell on a direct snap to knot the game up at 6-6 with 4:22 to go in the first quarter. Mitchell was short of the goal-line on the Bulldogs’ 2-point try.

After both teams exchanged punts, Carvers Bay got on the board once again when junior quarterback Kenneth Bateman hit senior wide receiver/running back RJ Bromell for a 61-yard touchdown. Tyrese Richard ran in the 2-point conversion to give the Bears a 14-6 lead with 21 ticks remaining in the opening quarter.

On Georgetown’s next possession, Carvers Bay’s defense came up big when senior defensive back Jakiyah Lance picked off Bulldogs junior quarterback Owen Powell to set the Bears up at the Georgetown 44-yard-line just 32 seconds into the second quarter.

“The last few games, the defense has been kind of letting us down a little bit, and for those guys to step up and respond, it was amazing,” Coach Richard said. “Jaikyah Lance came up huge with an interception that really changed the outlook of the game, and my seniors stepped up tonight and I’m definitely proud of those guys.”

Five minutes of game time later and Grice was in the end zone again, this time after a 2-yard run. Bateman called his own number on the 2-point attempt and the Bears went up 22-6 with 6:27 to go before intermission.

After a Bulldog punt, Carvers Bay used big plays on its ensuing drive, the first a 33-yard pass from Bateman to Bromell, followed by a 51-yard touchdown run by Tyrese Richard where the back flew around the edge and tip-toed the sideline for six. The 2-point try was no good, leaving the score at 28-6 with 1:31 before the half.

The third quarter was a punt-fest, with each team punting twice.

Picking things up in the fourth quarter, after a missed field goal attempt by Carvers Bay, Georgetown was able to march down the field and score the first points of the second half for either team when Powell found Preston Ard for a 31-yard score. Mitchell took the direct snap on the 2-point try and found the end zone, cutting the Bear lead to 28-14 with 4:34 to go.

However, that was the last time the Bulldogs would see the ball, as the Bears were able to milk the clock all the way down to triple zeroes with multiple first downs, including a successful fourth-down run by Bromell with 40 ticks left.

The win improved Carvers Bay’s record to 1-3 while Georgetown dropped to 0-3.

Next up for the Bears is a trip to Green Sea Floyds (1-3), while Georgetown will host Lake City (2-2) Both games are scheduled for Sept. 16 at 7:30 p.m.

“We know they’re a tough opponent,” Coach Richard said of Green Sea Floyds. “They run a great program. They won a couple of state championships a few years ago, and we’ve got our work cut out for us. We’re not going to take them lightly, but we’re excited for the challenge and we’re going to work hard this week.”