kitchen countertopsNear Cane Bay, SC

BERKELEY COUNTY, S.C. (WCBD) – A family living in one Berkeley County community said they have not been receiving their mail on a regular basis, even after contacting postal officials. That’s when they reached out to News 2’s Raymond Owens.

“We moved here about a year and a half ago and over the past year or so we have had problems with sporadic mail delivery,” said Cane Bay resident Tim Jacintho. “It doesn’t show up when it’s supposed to; it now has gotten to where we’re getting mail maybe two or three days a week.”

He said a lot of people depend on the mail for prescription medications, Social Security checks, and other items. He said everyone is frustrated with the situation.

Jacintho said he and other Cane Bay residents have reached out to the Summerville Post Office with their concerns.

“She’s been telling me what’s going on- they’ve had a lot of turnover with contractors, and they’re shorthanded. She said that the growth in the Cane Bay/Nexton area, which they serve, has put too much stress on the post office. They don’t have the staff or the facility to handle it.”

He contacted Congressman Nancy Mace’s office, and his state representative and state senator. He has not heard back from them. He said Berkeley County Supervisor Johnny Cribb returned his message.

“He, like, within a few hours, and said no thanks for reporting it. He said he can’t really do anything. It’s at the federal level.

Finally, he reached out to News 2 for help.

“I reached out to you because certainly I’m frustrated with the situation here and I know that my fellow neighbors and residents are also very frustrated,” he said.

News 2’s Raymond Owens called Congresswoman Mace’s office. Their office called Jacintho back and told him they would look into the problem.

We also called the postal service – their spokeswoman said she is researching the issue to learn more and will get back to us. They later provided the following response:

“The Postal Service appreciates its customers and always strives to provide the best possible service. We apologize for any inconvenience that may have been experienced by customers living in the Cane Bay and Nexton communities. Local management is currently working with all stakeholders to ensure any delivery concerns are resolved. We can confirm the Summerville Post Office, like many businesses, is experiencing staffing challenges; however, through successful hiring efforts we have increased our workforce significantly. The Postal Service will continue flexing our available resources to match the workload, in addition to hosting more hiring events until all positions are filled. Interested applicants should log on to http://usps.com/careers frequently to check for new postings. We appreciate the patience of our customers and the efforts of employees as conditions change on a day-to-day basis. We urge any customers with concerns or questions about their mail delivery service to contact their local Post Office, so that we can look into and resolve their concerns promptly. Customers may also visit our website at www.usps.com/help.”

News 2 will continue following this story and bring you updates as we learn more.

MOUNT PLEASANT — The fumbles, the bad snaps and penalties were to be expected.

With Hurricane Ian barreling toward the Lowcountry this weekend, Cane Bay and Wando opened their Region 6-AAAAA schedule two days early.

Instead of four days to prepare for their region opener, the two squads had just 48 hours to get ready. Both coaches expected the game to get sloppy.

And it was.

T.J. Wright and Langston Rhodes each rushed for more than 100 yards as Cane Bay rolled past Wando, 36-15, on Sept. 27 on Robert E. Hayes Field at District II Stadium.

The Cobras (4-1, 1-0 in Region 6-AAAAA) won for the third straight week, while the Warriors (1-5, 0-1) dropped their fourth consecutive game.

“Normally there’s not as many fumbles and bad snaps, but we didn’t have our normal preparation,” said Cane Bay coach Russell Zehr. “On Fridays, we don’t normally have those problems. It’s hard for the kids to stay focused when it’s a Wednesday night game.

“There really wasn’t much of a choice on when to play the game. I’d rather play on a Wednesday night when it’s dry instead of Friday in a hurricane or on Monday. This was the best option.”

Wright, a 5-11, 190-pound junior, finished with 126 yards on 15 rushing attempts and scored on runs of 4 and 31 yards. Rhodes, a 5-7, 185-pound junior, added 120 yards and 27-yard TD run for the Cobras.

The Cobras offense rolled up 318 yards on the ground.

“We put a lot of pressure on our offense to get out early, we’ve been kind of getting off to slow starts here lately,” Zehr said. “We did a great job of taking advantage of some good field position in the first half, but then I thought we took the third quarter off. We came around in the fourth quarter to finish the game. I’m really proud of their effort.”

Wright and Rhodes proved to be too much for the Warriors defense.

“They are both very powerful runners, they don’t lose yardage very often,” Zehr said. “They both have that little sideways move and are able to find that hole when it’s there.”

The Cane Bay defense was equally as effective, forcing five turnovers, including four interceptions.

“They’ve been getting better each week,” Zehr said. “We didn’t have a lot of guys that had experience from last year so they’ve continued to improve and it’s where we wanted to be come region time.”

After a Bryson Johnson TD run and safety, the Cobras led 9-3 early in the second quarter.

The Warriors tied the game at 9-9 on Landon Berry’s 54-yard interception return for a TD.

It was all Cobras after that as Cane Bay scored the next 27 points of the game.

Wednesday roundup

Trinity Collegiate 20, Porter-Gaud 7

Tony Brown rushed for 38 yards and a touchdown, but it wasn’t enough for Porter-Gaud in a 20-7 loss to Trinity Collegiate.

Zihaire Jackson ran for 64 yards and John Settle had 49 for the Cyclones.

Timberland 6, Bishop England 0

Jakiri Simmons returned a fumble 19 yards for a touchdown, and Timberland made that stand up for a 6-0 win over Bishop England.

KeShawn Brown made a game-saving interception in the end zone with 47 seconds left for Timberland (1-6) in its Region 7-AA opener.

Summerville 20, Stratford 3

Yannick Smith ran for a touchdown as Summerville defeated visiting Stratford by 20-3.

Campbell McMurry passed to Quintrelle Pettiford for another Green Wave score, and Mason Ayers kicked a pair of field goals.

The Green Wave improved to 5-1, while Stratford fell to 1-5.

Woodland 42, Hanahan 35

The Woodland Wolverines picked up their first-ever win over Hanahan, holding off the Hawks, 42-35, in a battle of unbeaten teams.

Woodland entered the game at 5-0 and had lost 13 straight games to Hanahan, which dropped to 4-1 on the season. Woodland quarterback Sudarian Harrison rushed for two scores in the final quarter and finished with more than 100 yards rushing and passing on the night.

Wednesday’s scores

Summerville 20, Stratford 3

Woodland 42, Hanahan 35

James Island 49, Colleton Co. 0

West Ashley 53, Stall 6

Timberland 6, Bishop England 0

Oceanside 42, Lake Marion 8

Beaufort 34, Philip Simmons 14

May River 49, Lucy Beckham 14

Trinity Collegiate 20, Porter-Gaud 7

Pee Dee Academy 34, Pinewood Prep 27

Faith Christian 58, Laurens Academy 6

Beaufort Academy 48, Palmetto Christian Academy 6

Hilton Head Academy 56, Charleston Collegiate 12

Two of the state’s top senior basketball players from Berkeley County were on the floor together on Nov. 30 in Cane Bay High School’s home opener.

One reached a career a scoring milestone. The other poured in a career high for her squad.

Cane Bay senior Alaina Nettles, a Charleston Southern signee, led three Cobras in double figures with 17 points as they pulled away from visiting Timberland High School, 64-41, in a girls basketball game. Nettles also grabbed 15 rebounds.

Lady Wolves senior Amiyah Ferguson, a guard signed with Cal State Northridge, paced Timberland with a game-high 21 points and tracked down six boards. Ferguson became a member of the 1,000-point club last winter and now has company.

It was Nettles’ time to shine Wednesday. The guard needed eight points to reach 1,000 for her career and hit it in the first half as Cane Bay built a 27-18 halftime lead. She’s poured in 33 points in two games, picking up where she left off last winter. Cane Bay improved to 2-0.

“Alaina is ready for every game,” Cane Bay coach Ira Owens said. “I’ve never known her not to be ready for a game. This is my fifth year coaching her. Even as an eighth-grader when she was getting three points or six points she was always ready. As she has grown, she’s gotten stronger and her skill level has gone up exponentially. She’s able to finish things. She’s just so smart. She really understands the game, when to speed things up and when to slow things down.”

Timberland (1-2) cut the deficit to five early in the third quarter but the Class 5A Cobras were able to fend off the Class 2A squad. Cane Bay seniors Lauren Thomas and Samantha Mullen added 13 and 11 points and the Cobras pushed the lead over 20 in the fourth quarter.

Junior Da’Sani Kinlaw was Timberland’s second leading scorer with nine points.

“It was two great basketball players out there tonight,” Timberland coach Allen Gethers said about Ferguson and Nettles. “Any time you’re playing a rival or another great player in the state of South Carolina, just even in your district, you’re going to show up and try to put on for your team. I think Amiyah fought and kept playing.”

Both Nettles and Ferguson were region players of the year and all-state selections in 2021-22.

In the boys game, Cane Bay coasted to a 72-28 victory. The Cobras led just 8-7 after a quarter before breaking it open with a 26-4 run in the second quarter.

Thirteen players scored for Cane Bay (2-0), led junior guard Isaac Smalls with 11 points.

Berkeley boys 57,

West Ashley 50

Josh Youngblood led three Berkeley Stags in double figures with 19 points to power the home team past visiting West Ashley on Nov. 30. Josh Hazelton and John Cleveland added 11 and 10, respectively.

The Stags improved to 1-1.

In the girls game, West Ashley pulled out a 21-17 victory.

Berkeley’s girls dropped to 0-2.

Ira Owens could see this day coming for Alaina Nettles several years ago. As an eighth grader on the Cane Bay High School girls varsity team, Nettles poured in more than 20 points in a game. Flashes were there.

On Nov. 9, now one of the state’s best senior girls basketball players, Nettles signed with Charleston Southern, etching in stone a future in college basketball for the local Big South Conference program.

“It’s been great seeing her development as a player,” said Owens, the Cobras’ girls basketball coach. “You could see she had a lot of talent when she joined us an eighth grader. You knew there was something special about her. She was still developing as a freshman, had a good sophomore year and then had a tremendous year last season. If we can get the same type growth this year, there’s no reason she couldn’t average 20 to 21 points per game.”

That means it wouldn’t take very long for Nettles to reach an impressive scoring milestone. She enters the season needing just 21 points to reach 1,000 for her career. If not for the COVID-shortened slate two years ago, Nettles would have already eclipsed the milestone.

Last winter, Nettles led Cane Bay in scoring (18.1 PPG) steals (4.3 SPG) and assists (3.3 APG) as the Cobras won 23 games and advanced to the state quarterfinal round in the Class AAAAA playoffs, their best-ever production on the hardwood.

As for Nettles, she garnered Region 7-AAAAA player of the honors and an all-state selection by the South Carolina Basketball Coaches Association.

During the spring, Nettles is also one of the top jumpers in the state in track and field. After the 2021-22 sports seasons wound down, she earned the Best of Prep Sports Female Athlete of the Year by Summerville Communications in May.

“She’s an unbelievable person,” Cobras athletic director Brian Swiney said for a story about Nettles in the spring. “She has great parents. She has a great family. Her brother shows up and volunteers in track. Her family is invested in her athletics. She’s friendly. She gets along well with everybody, athletes or non-athletes. She’s why teachers teach and coaches coach. She’s also extremely hard working.”

A point here or there could have landed Ashley Ridge a home playoff berth, but instead the Swamp Foxes will travel for the first round of the Class AAAAA Boys Basketball playoffs.

Ashley Ridge jumped out to a 12-3 start this season and won three of its first four Region 7-AAAAA games before dropping three straight region games.

Entering the final week of region play, the Swamp Foxes could have finished anywhere from second place to fifth place in the region standings. Ashley Ridge lost its first game of the week to Summerville Feb. 7, but then defeated Stall 70-38 on Feb. 10 to improve to 16-9 with a 4-4 mark in region play.

That left the Swamp Foxes tied with West Ashley for second place in the region. It took multiple tiebreaker criteria to settle the playoff seeding for those two teams but in the end West Ashley claimed the No. 2 playoff seed based on a plus-two, head-to-head, points differential.

“You know, they (basically) hit an extra 3 against us, but if we just won more games that wouldn’t matter,” Ashley Ridge coach Brad Dobbles said. “We control our own destiny and now we go to Cane Bay Thursday night.”

Jahill Hope led the Swamp Foxes’ scorers against Stall with a game-high 19 points. Jordan Davis added 13 points for Ashley Ridge while Jayden Coffey added 10 and Ahmiir Colperto added 8. Noah Jackson, Jaylin Hartzog, Jordan Washington and Blake Gerald each finished with 4 points.

However, the team’s defense that night is what Dobbles is excited about.

“Tonight I’m really proud of our effort,” he said. “Our seniors came out and gave us a huge lift at the beginning of the game and this was the first time in a long time that we really guarded the ball. I’ve been talking to the guys about that and we did an excellent job of playing defense, rotating, helping, and not giving up second-chance points. We held them to 38 points.”

Ashely Ridge played Cane Bay on Jan. 6 and lost 55-52. The Swamp Foxes are hopping to avenge the loss in the playoffs.

“The first time we played them we didn’t do what we were supposed to down the stretch,” Dobbles said. “They won the game, give them credit, but in a way we gave that one a way. Our guys are going to be fired up because of that and Cane Bay put us out of the playoffs last year. We are just excited about the opportunity to keep playing.”

He was out, then he was back, and now he’s out again.

Steve LaPrad, for the second time this year, has resigned as the head coach of the Fort Dorchester football program. The long-time Patriots’ coach and former Fort Dorchester athletic director, announced May 16 he has again stepped down from the football position.

“I’m so old I watched you guys grow up,” LaPrad told members of the media at a press conference. “It’s been a run for me. I don’t think people understand; I’ll be 68-years-old in August. I didn’t get the genes that (John) McKissick got so I don’t think I can last until my 80s. Coaching football is tough. It’s a great job, but I’m old and ready.”

LaPrad will continue in his position at the Dorchester School District Two office, where he assists District Director of Athletics Tyronne Drakeford and oversees middle school athletics. Back in January, he resigned as both football coach and AD but after a crowd of people showed up to a school district board meeting to show support for him he and district officials agreed for him to stay on as football coach and take the new position with the school district.

However, the matter has since weighted heavy on him and after discussing it with his family he decided to retire from coaching after all.

“I want to thank the district office and the board for being nice enough to give me a job,” LaPrad said. “Probably 90 percent of the coaches in Dorchester District Two either played for me, coached under me or coached with me so I’ll be working with Tyrone Drakeford and together there are a lot of good things we can do. It’s just time. I’m not mad. I’m happy and it’s just time.”

Josh Smith has been named the interim head football coach for Fort Dorchester. Prior to LaPrad’s announcement, Smith was the Patriots’ offensive coordinator.

Taryn Floyd, who formerly served as the head coach for the Fort Dorchester Girls Soccer program, was recently named the new Fort Dorchester AD.

For updates to this article, revisit this website or see the May 24 print edition of the Summerville Journal Scene.