Summerville – After a solid start to the 2024 season, the Cane Bay High Cobras opened region play and suffered a slump. Cane Bay went 1-5 in their first two region 6-AAAAA series of the schedule, getting swept in three close games by Wando and losing two of three to Stratford. In the final game before spring break, the Cobras pulled out a 3-2 win over Stratford to gain some momentum for the stretch drive of the season. The Cobras, 6-6 overall, will return after spring break with region series against Goose Creek and Berkeley and will secure a spot in the playoffs if they can take two of three against either opponent. Cane Bay participates in the Hanahan Invitational Tournament during spring break. Head coach Shane Todd has a mixture of seniors and underclassmen providing much of the playing time this spring. The lineup routinely includes at least four senior starters while most of the heavy lifting on the mound comes from juniors. The offense has struggled in region play to come up with the timely hits with runners in scoring position but the lineup does have potential to get hot. Senior CJ Myers had a good start to his season as the designated hitter and leads the team in hitting. Myers also can be used at first base. The middle infield tandem of shortstop Julius Minus and second baseman Connor Hirsch has been effective with Minus doing solid offensive work from the leadoff spot. Anthony Alvarez is the lone senior in the outfield while senior Ryan Brewington works as a pitcher and catcher, sharing backstop duties with junior Drew Grimm. The other two starting outfielder positions are shared by juniors Ethan Dodson, Jared Petty and Carson Newberry. All three left-handers see significant time on the mound as well, along with Brewington and Grimm. Senior lefty David Barajas also has worked on the bump. Junior Devon Hogue provides good power in the lineup while playing first base. Grimm has played a lot at third base. Working off the bench in various roles are juniors Drake Nichols, Chandler Berry, Noah Oswald, Braylen Waters, and Landon Velez. Todd feels the emergence of Brewington as a pitcher and a healthy Dodson can be a big boost on the mound down the stretch. Brewington has worked mostly in relief but will get a start during spring break. Dodson returned to the mound after a few weeks off and pitched very well in the win over Stratford. Cane Bay’s junior varsity team has won seven of their first nine games while the b-team is off to an 8-2 start.

Summerville – Cane Bay’s wrestling program has developed into one of the state’s most consistent, annually competing for region titles and in state playoff competition. The program recently celebrated two individual state championship efforts after the 2024 AAAAA state boys tournament and the open state invitational for girls wrestling. Senior JJ Peace etched his name among the greatest wrestlers in SC state history by winning the 126 pound individual state title. It was Peace’s fourth consecutive state championship as he becomes only the 27th grappler in state high school history to win four championships. Peace completed his stellar prep career with a 122-0 record against in-state wrestlers. His lone loss as a representative of Cane Bay’s high school team came in a tournament to a wrestler from Mallard Creek High in North Carolina, a wrestler who has won more than 200 matches without a high school loss. Peace, a two-time All-American, is ready for the next step in his wrestling career as he plans to attend American University in Washington, D.C. Madeline Bowlin became the first female state champion in school history when she competed as the state open tournament. Bowlin won the 120-pound state title. Bowlin has competed on the boys team in many matches during her career. The boys basketball team, coached by Shawn McKeen, won the region 6-AAAAA championship this season, posting a 7-1 league record. It was Cane Bay’s second region title in three seasons under McKeen’s leadership. The Cobras were region runner-up last season. Cane Bay earned a spot in the state playoffs. The Cobras beat Chapin in the first-round but lost to Sumter in round two. They finished the season with a 19-9 overall record. Senior Curtrell Dixon was tabbed as the region player of the year and earned all-state honors in Class AAAAA. Dixon averaged 11.4 points per game to go with 4.1 rebounds. Senior Isaac Smalls joined Dixon on the all-region team. Smalls averaged 11.7 points and 3.9 boards this season. Another senior, Landon Davis, averaged 6.9 points per game. Two underclassmen established themselves as key players of the future. Sophomore guard Jarvis Roper averaged 8.5 points and 4.4 rebounds per game, while freshman Jahleel Sanders added 5.5 points per game. Other seniors this season included Jayden Coffey, Ziayre Williams, Brayden Ebersole and Kenyae Brown. The girls basketball team posted eight wins this season. Their season ended with a playoff loss to Dutch Fork. Junior Kimara Carmichael led the team in scoring with 7.3 points per game. Sophomore guard Lachar Lawrence averaged 7.1 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. Senior Anai Custodio averaged 7.8 rebounds and 6.3 points per game while senior Ella Hill scored nearly six points per outing.

Summerville – As the regular season winds down, the Cane Bay boys basketball team finds itself in a four-way battle for the region 6-AAAAA championship. Entering the final three games of the region schedule, the Cobras sit on top of the standings with a 4-1 record. However, lurking close behind are Berkeley, Goose Creek and Wando. Berkeley and Cane Bay meet on Feb. 6 with the Cobras holding a one-game lead. Cane Bay still has to play Goose Creek twice to close out the regular season. Cane Bay struggled with some injuries and illness in the early part of the season but have won eight of 11 games since after Christmas. The Cobras are 15-8 overall heading into the final 10 days of the regular season. “When we’re healthy, fully healthy, I think we have a pretty good team,” coach Shawn McKeen said. “We have been able to establish some good depth. We just need to continue to work with what we have.” Offensively, the two primary producers have been senior leaders CJ Dixon and Isaac Smalls. Dixon is averaging 11.8 points and 4.0 rebounds per game while Smalls adds 10.1 points and 3.9 boards per contest. Sophomore point guard Jarvis Roper has put together a solid season as the floor general and is averaging 8.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. Senior Landon Davis adds 7.2 points per game while freshman Jahleel Smalls is contributing nearly six points per outing. The only other seniors on the roster are Zaiyre Sanders, Jayden Coffey, Kenyae Brown and Brayden Ebersole. Austin Seabrook and Tarik Henderson are juniors coming off the bench. Rounding out the roster are sophomores Donovan Green, Tristan Ford, Amare Merrell, Mike Smalls and Elyjah Oler. After two seasons as a region title contender, the Cane Bay girls team is rebuilding with a younger roster this season. Cane Bay won the region title two years ago and tied for the top spot last season. This winter, the team has posted an 8-16 overall record and went 3-5 in region play heading into the final stretch. The Cobras will likely earn a spot in the AAAAA Lower State playoffs. Junior Kimora Carmichael leads the team in scoring at 7.7 points per game while adding 4.3 rebounds per game. Sophomore LaChar Lawrence is adding 6.9 points and 6.5 rebounds per game while senior Ella Hill leads the team in rebounding with 8.4 boards per game. Hill contributes 4.8 points as well. Junior Loran Hadden is averaging 4.5 points and 4.4 rebounds, and senior Zaharya Young is averaging 4.2 points and 5.5 boards per contest. Rounding out the roster are senior Anai Custodio; juniors Tanijha Vickers, Amani Merrell, Kalayshia Bennett and Natalya Hahn; sophomores Cierra Wilkins and Annysha Ziegler; and freshman Jasmine Dargan.

Summerville – If early adversity makes a team stronger in the end, the Cane Bay boys basketball team should be in good shape once region 6-AAAAA play begins in January. The Cobras, runner-ups in region six last season, have battled injury and illness for much of the first three weeks of the 2023-24 season. Cane Bay sat with a 7-5 record entering the Christmas break, taking several losses to quality ranked programs in the process. “It has been tough to put a consistent lineup on the floor so far,” coach Shawn McKeen said. “We have had some injuries and had some guys fighting sickness. We haven’t been at full strength yet and it’s hard to play some of the good teams that we play without our full team.” Among the early losses were defeats to Summerville, Fort Dorchester, West Ashley, Pinewood Prep and Marion. The Cobras opened the season with three straight wins before losing five of their next six games. Senior Jayden Coffey, an impact transfer from Ashley Ridge, has yet to play in a game after an early knee injury. McKeen expects Coffey back in January. Senior Curtrell Dixon, a returning starter from last year, has been a solid contributor, averaging 11.6 points and 5.0 rebounds per game. Dixon had a season-high 23 points in a loss to Summerville. Sophomore point guard Jarvis Roper is averaging 9.1 points per game and senior Isaac Smalls is adding about 8.8 points per contest. Senior guard Landon Davis averages eight points per game and scored 18 in a six-point loss to Summerville, the top-ranked team in Class AAAAA. Senior Zaiyre Williams and freshman Jahleel Sanders also have provided solid play early on. A positive that comes from the lineup changes has been McKeen’s ability to develop depth. “We’ve been able to give a lot of guys some playing time and that experience is going to help us,” the coach said. “I think it will make us deeper having a good number of kids who have been in game situations. We probably have 14 guys that we can put on the floor and can still compete. “When we’re healthy, fully healthy, I think we have a pretty good team. We just need to continue to work with what we have and build that chemistry as we go.” The only other seniors on the roster are Kenyae Brown and Brayden Ebersole. Austin Seabrook and Tarik Henderson are juniors coming off the bench. Rounding out the roster are sophomores Donovan Green, Tristan Ford, Amare Merrell, Mike Smalls and Elyjah Oler.

Summerville – The fall sports campaign of 2023 was pretty successful for the athletes of Cane Bay High School. Nearly all of the fall teams competed for region 6-AAAAA championships and several participated in Class AAAAA state playoff competition. One of the top performing teams this fall was the boys volleyball team, The team was in its second season ever, their first as a SCHSL sanctioned sport. That meant that state champions this fall would be the first official state champion for the sport in state history. Cane Bay made a strong bid to become that first-ever state champion. The Cobras advanced to the AAAAA Lower State finals before losing to Carolina Forest. Cane Bay finished with a 17-3 record and looks to build upon that success in the future. Leaders on this year’s team included senior captains Lucas Vilders and Dang Tran. Outside hitters Jonathan Beck and Payton Shoemaker were offensive leaders. Tran was among the top setters in the region. Also in volleyball, the girls program posted a school-record 14 wins this season, finishing second in the region 6-AAAAA standings. Senior Ryleigh Beery and junior Caroline Combs were the team leaders in kills. Senior Libero Kylie Broesma was a defensive leader while sophomore setters Ellie Karan and Josalyn Stanton combined for more than 500 assists. Cane Bay’s girls golf team made their first-ever appearance in the state tournament. The Cobras finished in 16 th in the team standings but are building a solid program. Julia Gressette was the top performer in the state tournament, shooting 189 and finishing in a tie for 50 th -place. Anna Gressette shot 199 for the 36 hole event, while Kira Rosendahl shot 203 and Macy Neilson shot 244. Abby Kila and Alessandra Franklin also played a round each in the tournament. The boys cross country team competed in the region meet, finishing third in the team standings. Sophomore Jax Kelly was Cane Bay’s top finisher, placing 11 th overall. Freshman Christian Viveros-Santana ran 14 th and Nicholas Quiles-Carter, a freshman, ran 18 th overall. Junior Issac Gabone finished 19 th while seventh-grader Nicholas Orth ran 21 st . Sophomore Jackson Novak finished 22 nd and junior Javier Hernandez finished in 23 rd . The girls team also finished third in the region meet. The top runner for the Cobras in the meet was junior Claire Orth, who finished 10 th overall. Eighth-grader Amelia Santos finished 11 th and freshman Mia Andrade was 13 th . Senior Hailey Jones (16 th ) and eighth-grader Khloe Kerns (20 th ) also ran in the top 20. Freshman Sutton Orth was 22 nd and eighth-grader Kinley Stevens was 23 rd . The Cane Bay football team finished the regular season with a 6-4 record, 2-2 in region play. The Cobras earned a spot in the AAAAA playoffs and played White Knoll in a first-round game on Nov. 3. Running back Deshawn Tompkins led the team in rushing with more than 700 yards, Brycen Johnson, Langston Rhodes and Austin Seabrook also contributed in the run game. Leaders defensively included linebackers Parker Osborne and Keaton Cooley, defensive lineman Will Coker, and defensive back Jonas McKeen. Coker and offensive lineman Andrew Tumbleston were selected to play in the North-South all-star game in December.

Summerville - Cane Bay head football coach Russell Zehr is counting heavily on a veteran backfield to lead the way for the 2023 Cobras. Of course, the success of the backs depends on the play up front and Zehr is hoping his offensive line can grow up quickly. The Cobras are a run-oriented team offensively and that ground game can only be productive if all cylinders are clicking. “We have good experience and good talent at the skill positions, particularly in the backfield,” says Zehr, entering his 13 th season as the head coach. “That’s probably our biggest strength. We have some guys who have played a lot and they are comfortable in our system. “But, we only have two starters back along the line and, to be honest, we still have three question marks there. I hope they can grow and come together. If they can, we will be a good offensive team. Just not there yet.” Cane Bay opened the 2023 season with a 29-10 win over AAA defending state champion Beaufort, breaking open a 10-10 game with a good fourth quarter. The Cobras lost game two to Ashley Ridge, 33-12. Cane Bay’s leadership along the front comes from returning seniors Andrew Tumbleton at tackle and center Jayden Ferguson. Both will be third-year starters. Senior Mark Stewart is the starting quarterback. Stewart was the backup for most of last season but started the last four games in place of the injured starter. “He gained a lot of experience last season and he is ready to lead us as the full-time guy,” Zehr said. Senior Langston Rhodes is a returning starter at fullback, having topped 500 yards last season. Senior Deshaun Tompkins and junior Brycen Johnson are returning wing backs. Both were starters a year ago. Tompkins had 114 yards rushing in the opener as the Cobras tallied 312 yards on the ground in the win. Leading the receiving corps is senior Braylen Green, a receiver/tight end threat. Junior Qua’Shawn Pelzer and sophomore Colby Larocca also factor into the passing game, Larocca also is getting snaps as a possible backup to Stewart. There is less true experience on the defensive side but the unit has potential. Senior Will Coker is the lone returner along the front, but junior Joshua Frost and sophomore Garrett Andy are showing potential at end. Also working inside early on are senior Steven Heard and junior Tijeh Eaton. Senior Parker Osborne is the most experienced linebacker, with senior Brayden Pate and sophomore Dominic Russell getting early season looks at the second level. Corner Jonas McKeen is a veteran of the secondary, along with senior safety Keaton Cooley. Sophomore MJ Davis is showing well at the other corner. “How quickly some of these young guys can grow up and play with confidence will determine our season,” Zehr said. “We just have a lot of question marks right now. Hopefully as we play more, the guys will become consistent for us.”

Senior receiver Derrick Salley is out to a strong start this season.

Summerville – As they begin their 16 th year as a school and athletic program, the Cane Bay High athletic program continues to build and develop competitive teams across the board. Cane Bay won two region 6-AAAAA titles in 2022-23, winning in wrestling with the girls basketball team earning co-champion honors with Stratford. However, a host of teams qualified for state playoff action and finished among the top three in the region standings in their respective sports. Brian Swiney is set to enter his fourth year as the athletic director, assisted by Greg Hall, who doubles as the head of the track and field program. Hall is one of six current coaches on the staff that have been at Cane Bay since the doors opened in 2008-09. Head football coach Russell Zehr also has been at the school since day one, starting as the football defensive coordinator before getting promoted to head coach. Head baseball coach Shane Todd also was an original coach at the school. Jamie McNeil, a junior varsity football coach, also has been a Cane Bay lifer, along with head athletic trainer Laren Siefken. Tennis coach Paul Brown started the ROTC program when Cane Bay first opened. Hall reports a few head coaching changes for the 2023-24 school year. In boys soccer, Greg Sharpe will return for his second stint as head coach. Sharpe did not coach last season. Sharpe’s wife, Amanda, is an assistant athletic trainer for the program. Girls volleyball will have a new leader as former junior varsity coach Chris Latigona will assume head coaching duties for the varsity. Sarahna Herndon has been hired as the new girls cross country coach this fall. Cane Bay graduate Taylor D’Ambrosio is taking over the competitive cheer program. She has worked with the junior varsity team the last three years. D’Ambrosio is one of a handful of Cane Bay graduates that now work on the coaching staff of the athletic program. Bridges Howard, Tyler Robinson and Eddie Felkel all work in the program as alumni. Felkel is moving up to the varsity level this fall and will coach defensive linemen. Howard is an assistant on the lower levels of the football program while Robinson is the b-team volleyball coach. In the other varsity sports, Shane Todd returns as the baseball coach while Kristin Hobbs returns as the head softball coach. Shawn McKeen will return as boys basketball coach while Ira Owens is the girls basketball coach. Spencer Nieto is the boys cross country coach and Jeff Babin heads up the girls and boys golf teams. Taylor Hillman is the girls soccer coach and Cole Litchfield directs the developing swim program.