kitchen countertopsIn Cane Bay, SC

SUMMERVILLE, S.C. (WCIV) — Last weekend, Cane Bay grad Kaleb Frost played his first college football game. A freshman defensive back for Mercer, the Bears beat Morehead State. Kaleb was on the field for his freshman debut.

This week, only his second college football game ever. It may be his most memorable. It will be for his dad, RaShan.

“I’m getting a chance to see my own son blaze his own path,” says the elder Frost, a pastor in North Charleston.

Their paths are quite similar, yet, noticeably different. But, paths cross. Dad, a military kid, growing up all over the place.

“Auburn was the first place I chose and left on my own terms. When I left, I left with two degrees and got into college football coaching.”

It’s been love for War Eagle ever since for RaShan. He’s constantly wearing the clothes. He’s constantly doing the chants, and he raised his kids the same way. He always roots for Auburn. Well, almost always. Did we mention, this week, Auburn’s opponent, is Mercer?

“He grew up an Auburn fan, wanted to go to Auburn and play at Auburn- even though that opportunity wasn’t available to him, the opportunity for him to go on opposite sideline, you don’t take for granted. It gives him opportunity to be on the field and see what life is like in Jordan Hare.”

We all understand what this game is about. A home game, a “should-win” for the big SEC school. A nice paycheck for the smaller SOCON school. But memories made for all. Especially, for this Summerville family that will absolutely be in Alabama this weekend.

“I’m telling them, enjoy the moment. Enjoy every opportunity, 'cause these things don’t happen very often. Look at it like a proud dad. See him do his thing at my old school. I’m not playing, so it doesn’t matter what I do. I’m the old guy.”

So the only question that remains- what does dad wear?

“As a dad, I was so proud of him because it was a dream that he wanted. Whatever my sons want to do, I will back them 100 percent. I’m going to wear Mercer shirt, I may have an Auburn hat, but a Mercer shirt for sure.”

The season opener for Cane Bay and Ashley Ridge produced the typical theatrics their football matchups have become known for. As usual, it came down to the final few minutes.

In the end, the Cobras emerged with their sixth straight victory in the series, 30-20, Friday night at Cane Bay High School. The previous five clashes were decided by a total of 21 points, including two by three points each last season. One of those was on a last-second field goal and the other in double overtime.

The coach on the winning sideline was expecting the type of game it was.

“I thought it would be even closer than this,” Cane Bay coach Russell Zehr said. “I figured it would be another three-point game and it would come down to the last drive.”

Zehr was almost right. The Cobras did need a late score, though.

Cane Bay running back TJ Wright scored on a 20-yard scamper up the middle with 2:51 left to give the Cobras their two-score lead and Cobras defensive back Brody Roberts picked off a pass moments later to seal it. Wright also scored on a 9-yard run in the first half and finished with 130 yards on 18 carries.

Cobras quarterback Jabari Grant ran and threw for Cane Bay’s other two touchdowns in the first half as it built a 23-6 lead. Grant passed for 79 yards and ran for 54 more yards.

Cane Bay went for 360 yards of total offense in the game while Ashley Ridge produced 322 yards.

“One of the things we wanted to do was make our offense harder to defend,” Zehr said. “We’ve been seeing man coverage outside and nine men in the box. People have to loosen up when you prove you can throw it. They have to respect the pass. If they don’t, you have to be in position to make them pay. I feel like our passing game is coming along.”

Cane Bay (1-0) hosts West Ashley on Sept. 2 and Ashley Ridge (0-1) hosts Conway.

Cane Bay kicker Lawson Thorn was true on a 39-yard field goal to cap the Cobras’ first drive of the game but Ashley Ridge quarterback Xavier-Proctor Floyd connected with receiver Matthew Phillips on a 55-yard scoring strike with five seconds left in the period to send the Foxes out of the first quarter with a 6-3 lead.

Proctor-Floyd completed 17 of 29 pass attempts for 177 yards in the game and rushed for 34 yards. Phillips and Derrick Salley both finished with 60 receiving yards. Quintin Birk led the AR rushers with 53 yards.

The Cobras surged ahead with 20 points in the second quarter, going 70 yards to score on Grant’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Roberts to start a string of three straight scores. Thorn’s extra point made it 10-6.

Cane Bay’s next drive was 46 yards and produced another touchdown when Grant scored on a 15-yard run with 6:26 left in the first half. The extra point was no good.

Ashley Ridge moved across midfield on its next drive but coughed it up and Cobras defensive lineman Emilio Campo recovered the fumble at the Cobras 40 with under five minutes remaining in the first half. Cane Bay then went 60 yards to go up 23-6, scoring on Wright’s 9-yard burst up the middle on fourth and 2 with 2:09 left in the half.

Ashley Ridge fought back to get within one score on TJ Wilson’s 1-yard run in the second quarter and Christian Garland’s 3-yard run in the third quarter.

Cane Bay drove 76 yards after a punt to ice it on Wright’s second touchdown run with under three minutes left. The possession before, he had a 54-yard scoring run wiped out for holding.

Greenville News

Here are the South Carolina high school football scores from Week 1 of the SCHSL regular season. Check back for updates throughout the night.

Friday

Academic Magnet 14, Military Magnet Academy 0

Andrews 32, Georgetown 12

Appling County, Ga. 42, Aiken 7

Aynor def. Kingstree, forfeit

Bamberg-Ehrhardt 36, Denmark-Olar 20

Baptist Hill 26, St. John's 8

Battery Creek 39, Ridgeland-Hardeeville 28

Beaufort Academy 34, Hilton Head Prep 22

Belton-Honea Path 19, Westside 17

Ben Lippen 34, Heathwood Hall 6

Bethesda Academy, Ga. 40, John Paul II 24

Blythewood 43, Richland Northeast 7

Brookland-Cayce 31, Airport 20

Broome 54, Chesnee 28

Buford 35, McBee 8

Camden 53, Lugoff-Elgin 7

Cane Bay 30, Ashley Ridge 20

Carolina High and Academy 22, Dillon Christian 14

Catawba Ridge 16, Charlotte Myers Park, N.C. 0

Central 63, Carolina Academy 0

Central 63, Carolina Pride, N.C. 0

Chapin 45, Mid-Carolina 0

Charleston Collegiate 42, Cathedral Academy 7

Charlotte Christian, N.C. 52, Southside Christian 28

Chester 22, Fort Mill 17

Christ Church Episcopal 41, Southside 14

Clarendon Hall Academy 43, Andrew Jackson Academy 16

Claxton, Ga. 29, Hilton Head Island 18

Clinton 55, Laurens 28

Colleton Prep 42, Northwood Academy 12

Crescent 34, Dixie 10

Crestwood 37, Gray Collegiate Academy 28

Cross 44, Hemingway 0

D.W. Daniel 55, Easley 7

Dillon 41, Lamar 0

Dorchester Academy 22, Orangeburg Prep 20

Dorman 42, North Augusta 28

Dutch Fork 27, Spartanburg 25

Edisto 12, Williston-Elko 6

Estill 24, C.A. Johnson 8

Fairfield Central 41, Andrew Jackson 21

First Baptist 23, Bishop England 10

Fort Dorchester 21, Beaufort 6

Gilbert 49, Batesburg-Leesville 14

Hammond 49, Florence Christian 0

Hampton 48, Allendale-Fairfax 0

Hanahan 22, Berkeley 17

Hannah-Pamplico 26, North Central 20

Hartsville 68, Darlington 0

Hillcrest 62, Greer 14

Hunter-Kinard-Tyler 22, Eau Claire 12

Indian Land 28, Timberland 0

Irmo 27, Lancaster 20

J.L. Mann 14, Riverside 7

James F. Byrnes 54, Chapman 7

James Island 52, R.B. Stall 0

Jefferson, Ga. 56, Wren 28

Jenkins, Ga. 24, Bluffton 21

Lake Marion 28, Calhoun County 22

Lakewood 30, Fox Creek 0

Landrum 34, Berea 3

Latta 31, East Clarendon 0

Laurence Manning Academy 32, Pinewood Prep 14

Lee Central 28, Great Falls 8

Lewisville 50, Wagener-Salley 24

Lexington 63, South Aiken 56

Lincoln County, Ga. 27, McCormick 6

Loris 15, North Myrtle Beach 7

Lower Richland 35, Westwood 8

Lucy G. Beckham 8, Wando 6

Marlboro County 40, Cheraw 12

Mauldin 20, Boiling Springs 7

Midland Valley 29, Strom Thurmond 23

Ninety Six 53, Ware Shoals 0

Northside Christian 28, Greenwood Christian 12

Northwestern 32, Clover 21

Orangeburg-Wilkinson 20, W.J. Keenan 8

Patrick Henry Academy 6, St. John's Christian Academy 0

Pee Dee Academy 48, Cardinal Newman 42

Pelion 15, Columbia 12

Pendleton 34, Eastside 8

Powdersville 51, Abbeville 44

River Bluff 52, Swansea 0

Robert E. Lee Academy 35, Thomas Sumter Academy 7

Saluda 34, Ridge Spring-Monetta 7

Sandy Creek, Ga. 46, Greenwood 21

Seneca 50, Palmetto 14

Socastee 21, Silver Bluff 0

South Florence 29, Oceanside Collegiate Academy 28

St. James 37, Philip Simmons 30

St. Joseph 35, Blacksburg 7

Summerville 38, Carolina Forest 7

Sumter 15, Ridge View 14

T.L. Hanna 36, Greenville 29

W. Wyman King Academy 38, Francis Hugh Wardlaw Academy 16

Waccamaw 33, Carvers Bay 18

Wade Hampton (G) 49, Travelers Rest 28

West Ashley 7, May River 3

West Florence 32, Lake City 7

Whale Branch 19, North Charleston 8

White Knoll 36, Spring Valley 9

Whitmire 41, Spartanburg Christian 24

Williamsburg Academy 47, Palmetto Christian Academy 0

Wilson 56, Marion 36

Wilson Hall 28, Hilton Head Christian Academy 7

Woodruff 31, Fountain Inn 0

POSTPONEMENTS AND CANCELLATIONS

Union County vs. Gaffney, ccd.

Five high school football teams from Berkeley County will line up against opponents they’ve never encountered before in Week 5.

Cane Bay travels to May River, Stratford to St. James and Timberland to West Ashley while Cross hosts Buford and St. John’s Christian hosts Conway Christian.

One of those teams will move to 1-0 against the other.

More on Week 5 matchups below:

Goose Creek vs. Summerville

Notes: Goose Creek has won three of the last four meetings, including a playoff matchup last fall … Summerville won four straight from 2015-18 after Goose Creek won five straight from 2010-2014 … The Gators open Region 6-AAAAA play Sept. 30 at Berkeley.

Cane Bay at May River

Notes: First meeting between the two programs … Since Cane Bay’s Week 0 game at Beaufort was cancelled due to weather, this will be the Cobras’ first road game of the season … The Cobras begin the Region 6-AAAAA slate Sept. 30 at Wando.

Stratford at St. James

Notes: It’s the fourth time on the road in five games for Stratford… First meeting between the two teams … St. James has played three other programs from the Berkeley County School District, most recently edging Philip Simmons, 37-30, in double overtime this season… The Sharks are 1-1 against Cross (2012 and 2013) and 0-3 against Timberland (2004-06) … Stratford finished non-region play Sept. 30 at Summerville.

Hanahan vs. Porter-Gaud

Notes: Hanahan won last season, 35-14… Porter-Gaud is coached by Brad Bowles, who was at Goose Creek as an assistant from 2010-13 when the Gators won 51 games and a state title … The Hawks finish non-region play Sept. 30 at Woodland

Philip Simmons at Bishop England

Notes: Philip Simmons is 1-3 all-time against Bishop England, winning last season, 21-12 … Bishop England won three straight in the series, 2018-20… Philip Simmons begins the Region 8-AAA slate Sept. 30 at Beaufort.

Cross vs. Buford

Notes: First meeting between the two schools … Cross will recognize its 2012 state championship team at the game … Current Berkeley County football coaching legend, Art Craig, is a Buford graduate… Cross hosts St. John’s to open its region slate Sept. 30.

Timberland at West Ashley

Notes: First meeting between the two schools … Timberland begins region play Sept. 30 at Bishop England ... After the game, West Ashley will have played every Berkeley County School District program but Hanahan and Cross.

St. John’s Christian vs. Conway Christian

Notes: First meeting between the two schools… Conway Christian is seeking its first win …. St. John’s Christian is off Sept. 30 before hosting Andrew Jackson Oct. 7.

Note: Deon Jackson is a member of the South Carolina Corps of Cadets Class of 1999; he also earned degrees through The Citadel Graduate College in 2005 and 2013. (Photo courtesy: Grace Beahm Alford, The Post and Courier)

More than a decade later, Superintendent Deon Jackson still remembers the feeling he had when he was named principal of the yet-to-be-built Cane Bay Middle School.

It was early summer in 2011. Jackson was still 10 years away from becoming the first African American superintendent in Berkeley County. After the obligatory handshakes and congratulatory pats on back, Jackson hopped into his car and made the short drive from district headquarters in Moncks Corner to Cane Bay Boulevard.

What he found at the construction site left him speechless.

“It was just a slab of concrete, the beginnings of a foundation, nothing else, nothing vertical,” Jackson said. “I remember thinking, ‘Oh my gosh, what have I gotten myself into?’”

As the head of the fourth-largest school district in South Carolina — with more than 36,000 students — Jackson admits there are moments when he has similar feelings to that first time he saw the school construction site.

But then he remembers why he got into education.

“You do it for the students, that’s the ‘why,’” he said. “I think that’s how you stay in touch with the mission. We do this for the students, to try and make a positive impact on their lives.”

Just a year into his new role, Jackson understands the challenges that face one of the fastest-growing school districts in the state. Coming out of a pandemic, the district is facing historic growth, funding issues, new attendance lines and construction headaches.

School board Chairman David Barrow can’t think of anyone better suited to face the challenges in front of the district than Jackson.

“Deon has a vision,” said Barrow, who hired Jackson as an assistant principal at Timberland High School in 2006. “He’ll lead us into the future. He’s going to lead Berkeley County where it needs to be. He’s the right person at the right time for this job.”

That sentiment is shared by Willis Sanders, who spent more than four decades in the district as a teacher, principal and administrator.

“Deon unites people and brings them together in a common cause,” Sanders said. “He builds relationships, builds teams and is very goal-oriented. People are drawn to him because he cares.”

Super agent

In the mid-1990s, when Jackson was going through grueling two-a-day preseason practices as part of The Citadel football team, he wasn’t dreaming about becoming a future school superintendent.

He was more interested in merging his two major interests — finance and athletics. Jackson wanted to become the next super sports agent like Scott Boras or David Falk.

“When I started to research what was required to become an agent, it was a lot more involved than I thought,” Jackson said with a chuckle.

His journey from student-athlete, to teacher and coach, to principal and finally administrator began along the Interstate 77 corridor. Jackson borrowed a friend’s car for a job interview and was hired to work as an assistant football coach and physical education teacher at Lancaster High School.

He spent two years in Lancaster before moving back to the Lowcountry to get his master’s degree in educational administration.

“I was dating my wife at the time and driving back and forth between Lancaster and Charleston was starting to wear on us,” he said.

He got a job at Goose Creek High School coaching defensive backs under Chuck Reedy, taught one P.E. class and worked as an administrator the rest of the day with former Principal John Fulmer.

“Deon was very smart, very organized and related to everyone,” Reedy said. “He had all the attributes you’d want in someone leading young men. I knew the sky was the limit for Deon. If he had stayed in athletics, he would be a head coach or an athletic director by now.”

It’s still Jackson’s favorite job.

“Best job I ever had,” Jackson said. “I got to do everything I loved. I got to coach, I had an administrative role, and I was in the best shape of my life.”

Barrow lured Jackson away from Goose Creek to become an assistant principal at Timberland High School.

“I told Deon that if he stayed at Timberland, he’d be a principal in five years,” Barrow said. “I was wrong. He became a principal in four years.”

In 2010, Jackson took over at St. Stephen Middle School, where he experienced a culture shock.

“The last time I was in middle school I was 12 years old,” Jackson said. “I had been working at high schools, big high schools with large enrollments, and this was a totally different experience.”

St. Stephen had about 250 students at the time and Jackson learned to wear many hats.

“It was a small staff, so I was involved in everything,” he said. “From instruction, to curriculum, to programing, everything. That experience taught me to put myself in everyone’s shoes and see what they were up against.”

Two years later, the doors at Cane Bay opened as Jackson created a school from scratch.

“I think his job at Cane Bay more than any other job molded him into the administrator he is today,” Barrow said. “He built that school from the ground up. Working with contractors, teachers, parents, students, everything and everybody. He created something out of nothing.”