Granite Countertops in Cane Bay, SC

Paul Stoney and his staff have quietly built a massive state-of-the-art YMCA within the growing 4,500-acre Cane Bay housing community in Berkeley County. He calls it South Carolina’s best kept secret.

“When people come here, they are amazed by what we have been able to do,” said Stoney, president and CEO of the YMCA of Greater Charleston and the Cane Bay Family YMCA near the development’s entrance.

On a 69-acre tract of donated land, the 54,000-square-foot Cane Bay YMCA opened in May 2019 with a branch of the Berkeley County library system as well as a variety of indoor and outdoor fitness, sports, education programs and mental health services. An average of 3,600 people of all age groups and physical abilities enter this Y weekly, Stoney said.

The Y is a hopping place. A 25-meter swimming pool and basketball courts are used by Cane Bay High School and four nearby charter schools for a variety of sports and after-school programs. Swimming lessons are growing in popularity, especially among the physically challenged and underserved communities. Youth sports, including soccer, volleyball and basketball, serve more than 1,000 children each season. The Cane Bay Y is a regional tournament venue for a variety of youth and adult sports.

The Cane Bay Family YMCA is also near international manufacturers, such as Volvo, Boeing and Mercedes Benz. Their proximity and support gives the Y a solid membership base. Stoney stresses, however, membership is not restricted to Berkeley County residents. Charlestonians can join this Y, too.

Stoney’s Lowcountry YMCA experience began in downtown Charleston at 61 Cannon St. He gave up a high-level YMCA position in central Florida in 2006 to become the CEO and president of the YMCA of Greater Charleston, which included the Cannon Street YMCA Association. The Cannon Street Y, which is the nation’s oldest Black Y, was chartered in 1866 to teach formerly enslaved people to read and participate in physical fitness.

In addition to its longevity, the Cannon Street Y is remembered as the place that nurtured the Cannon Street All-Stars Baseball Team. It was ruled ineligible to compete in the 1955 Little League World Series because white teams refused to play with Charleston’s Black players.

Before Stoney arrived in Charleston,the Cannon Street Y merged with the predominantly white Christian Family YMCA at 21 George St. to form the YMCA of Greater Charleston.

Stoney, a native of Queens, N.Y., came to Charleston with 20 years in leadership posts at large metro YMCAs around the country. The top job at the Cannon Street Y presented him with the opportunity to open more Y facilities in the Lowcountry. Accepting the job, Stoney said, placed him for the first time in the leadership position at a historically African American YMCA “where my skills were needed [since] a number of them were closing.”

Stoney realized, however, that the Cannon Street Y’s building, erected in 1955 on a tiny lot, could not continue to serve a changing Black community within a gentrifying Charleston. Because of these forces, he said, the Y was losing about $250,000 a year for 10 years, he said. The organization’s board of directors made the difficult decision to sell the Cannon Street building for $2 million and move to Berkeley County. “If we didn’t get off Cannon Street, we would be dead on the vine,” he added.

In 2009, Stoney took over the management of a financially struggling Berkeley County YMCA in Moncks Corner.

As a result, Ben Grambling of Grambling Brothers developers asked Stoney what he would need to build a YMCA at Cane Bay. That conversation led to Grambling donating 69 aces for the Berkeley County facility along with $100,000 annually for 10 years. Funds for the $28 million building came from a bank loan secured by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s rural development program. The Cane Bay Y still owes USDA $17 million over 36 years. The Y also received a $250,000 gift from McDonald’s franchise owner Carolyn Hunter-Heyward to build a swimming pool with easy access for people with disabilities.

In 2012, the Moncks Corner Y merged with the YMCA of Greater Charleston when it was on the verge of closing. It is still open, but it is again on the verge of closing.

“It has fallen in disrepair,” he said. “We have voted to sell that property.”

If the building is sold, Stoney said, the Y will continue to offer some services in the Moncks Corner area at a satellite facility.

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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.

Former South Carolina football player DeVonte Holloman has been named the new head football coach at Pinewood Prep.

Holloman replaces J.W. Myers, who was the head coach for three seasons. Myers will remain the school’s athletic director.

Holloman spent last season as an off-the-field assistant for Shane Beamer at USC. Prior to that, Holloman was the head coach at his alma mater, South Pointe High in Rock Hill, for three seasons. He led South Pointe to the Class AAAA state title in 2021.

Holloman spent four seasons at Beaufort High, three as defensive coordinator. He was the head coach at Beaufort for one year before moving to South Pointe. Holloman has a 35-11 record in his four seasons as a head coach.

“I’m excited to join the Pinewood Panthers’ family, and I look forward to continuing to build on the football program’s foundation and growth while adding championship pedigree and aspirations. We have all the tools, support and talented players. Now it’s time to put the work in,” Holloman said in a release from the school.

Denson leaves Northwood for NFL

Former Charleston Southern head football coach Autry Denson spent less than two months as the athletic director at Northwood Academy. Denson will be leaving his post to accept a job as running backs coach with the Arizona Cardinals.

Denson spent four seasons at Charleston Southern before he was not retained after the 2022 season. He took over as athletic director at Northwood Academy in January.

“God has blessed me and my family with an unbelievable opportunity,” Denson said. “With the way this came about, it can only be God. I am so appreciative and grateful for the time I had at Northwood. They are family and this is home. We look forward to what God has in store for us.”

Denson will be attending the NFL combine this weekend and will be at work next week in Arizona.

With the departure of Denson, head football coach Armando Allen will step down and assume duties as athletic director. Replacing Allen as the football coach will be former First Baptist head coach Johnny Waters.

Waters resigned down at First Baptist after the 2022 season. While at First Baptist, Waters guided the Hurricanes to a pair of state championships in 2017 and 2018.

Wrestlers earn state titles

It was a banner weekend for area high school wrestlers as nine Charleston-area grapplers captured state individual championships at the S.C. High School League state wrestling tournament, held in Anderson on Feb. 24-25.

In addition to the nine state championships, 11 other wrestlers finished as state runner-up in their respective divisions. All total, 34 athletes finished among the top four, including 16 wrestlers in Class AAAAA.

In AAAAA, state champions included Richard Springs of Fort Dorchester (106), JJ Peace of Cane Bay (120), Ben Guilliam of Summerville (138), Keith Grace of Ashley Ridge (152), Noah Nichols of Stratford (160), Mason Ayers of Summerville (182), and Pierce Carpenter-Kydd of Wando (170).

State runner-up placements in AAAAA included Caleb Herring of Summerville (126), Christian Garland of Ashley Ridge (220) and Landon Stradcutter of Stratford (285).

Earning silver medals in the Class AAAA state tournament were Gianni Bottone of Lucy Beckham (120), Thomas Johnson of James Island (132) and Pedro Lacerda of James Island (145).

Austin Guerrero of Hanahan finished second in the Class AAA 182-pound weight class.

In the Class AA/A tournament, state champions included Alex Rush of Timberland (113), Sam Cherichello of Bishop England (132), and Amonte McCray of Cross (285).

Heicol Jiminez of Military Magnet was state runner-up at 132. Timberland’s Ethan Dawson was second in the 138-pound division, while Santory Jones of Cross was second at 170 pounds. Bishop England’s Cole Preiditsch finished second at 220.

FLORENCE — Conway boys basketball’s calling card has been its defense all season, but unfortunately for the Tigers, Goose Creek’s was better.

Conway fell to Goose Creek, 43-23, in the AAAAA Boys Basketball Lower State Championship at the Florence Center on Feb. 27.

“It really hurts because we had the city behind us,” Conway senior guard/forward Cameron Alston said. “… We can’t point fingers at ourselves. Goose Creek played a good game. We didn’t come out prepared. We could’ve played way better, so it was just one of those days.”

Conway’s 23 points was by far the fewest it scored all season, with its previous low coming against Carolina Forest on Jan. 27.

The combination of the Gators’ smothering defense and the Tigers’ poor shooting night was lethal.

“On a night when you’re not making one, your defense has got to be extra, extra tight, and that’s something we’ve been able to do all year (before tonight),” Conway head coach Michael Hopkins said. “Going into this game … I thought we were similar trying to create some stuff with the defense. They made it tough for us to score. We had the easy ones (and) we didn’t make them, and then free throws, we hurt ourselves at the line. So when you’re doing that, you’re not helping yourself.”

Alston and senior forward Aiden Brantley led the way for the Tigers with six points apiece, while Elijah Dates was the high man for the Gators with 18 points.

The only scoring in the first quarter consisted of a layup from Brantley and two 3-pointers from Dates, giving Goose Creek a 6-2 lead at the end of the opening quarter.

The Gators began to pull away a little bit in the second quarter, outscoring the Tigers 11-6 with four different Goose Creek players scoring to give the Gators a 17-8 lead going into halftime. Alston scored four of Conway’s six points in the quarter.

The Gators then outscored the Tigers, 14-6, in the third quarter with Jaquell Brown leading the way with five points in the period to take a 31-14 lead into the fourth quarter. Brantley lead the Tigers in scoring in the quarter with two free throws and a layup.

The Gators closed out the game in the fourth quarter by hitting 12 free throws to come away with a 43-23 victory and move on to play Dorman in the SCHSL AAAAA title game on March 4 in Aiken.

Conway finished the season with a 27-2 record, one of the best it has ever had.

“I told them they’re part of history. That can’t be erased,” Hopkins said. “But everybody wants to win their last game, and that didn’t happen for us and I hate it for them. But it’s the nature of it. If you give it all you had, that’s all I can ask of them.”

If the Tigers want to accomplish what they did this season next year, they’ll have to do so without six of its seniors from the 2022-23 team – Brantley, Alston, guard/forward Jamarious Woodbury, forward/center Khalil Campbell, guard Amarian Charles and guard Joshua Vaught.

“All the seniors have been together since fifth grade, so they’re really my day one (guys),” Alston said. “… Best friends for life.”

SUMMERVILLE — The streaks are still alive.

Winning for the eighth straight time in the series, Cane Bay fought back from an eight-point deficit in the second half to clip rival Stratford, 22-17, Oct. 7 on the Cobras’ homecoming. The win was also the fourth straight this season for the Cobras (5-1, 2-0 Region 6-AAAAA).

“It’s usually a fight to the end and that’s what this was,” Cane Bay coach Russell Zehr said. “They have a heck of a ball club. They did some things we weren’t ready for, but hats off to our kids and coaches for the adjustments. We got lucky and made a few plays at the end to win.”

One of the wrinkles Cane Bay had to deal with was Stratford’s regular quarterback, Jalen Barry, moving out to wide receiver. Jachin Davis, a young kid with a strong arm, saw all but one possession at quarterback for the Knights.

Davis’s second touchdown pass of the game, a 33-yarder to Barry, gave Stratford 17-9 lead with 7:54 remaining in the third quarter.

Cane Bay responded with a 70-yard scoring drive in just over four minutes. Cobras running back TJ Wright exploded through the right side on a 13-yard touchdown burst.

Stratford stuffed the 2-point conversion, though, and the Cobras had more work to do to keep their winning streaks intact.

Stratford moved inside Cane Bay’s 35 on its ensuing drive and quick-kicked on fourth and long to the Cane Bay 5 with under 11 minutes left in the game.

On third down, Cane Bay running back Bryson Johnson ripped through a hole up the middle and raced home for 89 yards and the go-ahead score. Lawson Thorn’s extra point made it 22-17 with 9:29 remaining.

Cane Bay’s defense picked off two passes on the way in, including the clincher on a fourth-and-short at Stratford’s 31 by Keaton Cooley to seal it. Defensive back Miles Singleton picked off the first one at midfield with under seven minutes left.

Stratford dropped to 1-5 overall and 0-1 in the region.

Each team made field goals on their first possessions, with Stratford’s Matt Haas making a 42-yard goal and Thorn answering on the other end with a 30-yarder in the first quarter.

Cane Bay defensive back Jordan Horlback snagged an interception and returned it 10 yards to make it 9-3 with 3:30 before halftime.

Davis responded by finding tight end Brett Marrs behind the defense along the sideline for an 80-yard touchdown just over a minute later. Haas’s extra point sent Stratford into the locker room with a 10-9 lead.

The Cobras travel to Goose Creek Oct. 14 while the Knights host Wando.

Chapin topped Summerville and Cane Bay to win the 2022 Cane Bay Duals wrestling tournament Dec. 10.

This year, 10 teams participated in the tournament hosted annually by Cane Bay High School. The Cobras were undefeated entering the championship game against Chapin, but had to settle for runner-up honors after falling to the Eagles 54-21.

Cane Bay advanced to the title match with wins over Hanahan (48-28), Conway (66-18), Timberland (69-9) and May River (47-22).

“We were fairly consistent in the tournament up until the last match,” Cane Bay coach Aaron Hynick said. “We came out with a job to do and for the most part our guys did it. At 120, J.J. Peace wrestles hard every match and gets us good wins. Our heavier guys are becoming kind of our go-to group which is nice to see. Considering how early it is in the season I’ve seen a lot of good things from our team.”

The Cobras already had wins over R.B. Stall and James Island so they entered this week with a 6-1 record. Cane Bay wrestles at Summerville Dec. 13 and hosts Fort Dorchester Dec. 15. The Cobras will also participate in the Hawk Invitational on Dec. 17 at Hanahan and the May River Invitational on Dec. 29 in Bluffton.

“We have a lot to do practice wise and need to get better because the season is only going to get harder but I think we will get stronger,” Hynick said. “We know we need to get in better shape and do all the little things better but we still have time to work on things.”

Summerville also suffered its first duals loss of the season Saturday, falling 39-34 to Chapin in the tournament semi-finals.

“You have to tip your hat to Chapin,” Summerville coach Darryl Tucker said. “They came after us and I don’t think our guys responded very well. We have to do a better job of coaching these guys up and it didn’t help that we are missing a few guys right now.”

Prior to the Chapin match, Summerville defeated Wando (69-9), Philip Simmons (65-12) and James Island (81-0). In the third-place match for the tournament, the Green Wave defeated May River 51-24. Summerville already had wins over Hilton Head, Hanahan and Battery Creek so it entered this week with a 7-1 record.

“It’s early in the season but guys like Caleb Herring, Xavier Anderson and Preston Smith are really piling up some wins for us,” Tucker said.

Southern Slam Results

Both Cane Bay and Summerville made some noise during the Southern Slam tournament at Eastside earlier this season. Peace won the 120-pound weight class. Herring placed fifth at 126. Anderson placed eighth at 113 and Kayleb Pinckney placed eighth at 132.

Fort Dorchester’s Ricky Springs placed sixth at 113 during the Southern Slam tournament.