Class of 2026 offensive lineman Zyon Guiles, who has offers from Clemson, South Carolina, and several others, is the headliner of the list of players to watch for head coach Matthews Richards’ Carvers Bay High School Bears.
Guiles seeks to follow the strong pedigree at Carvers Bay to chase his professional football dreams. Four members of the Geathers family were Bears who would go on to play in the NFL.
Kwame was a defensive tackle with San Diego in 2013, Robert would enjoy a long tenure with Cincinnati from 2004-2014, and Clifton would play for several franchises from 2010-2014.
But Guiles isn’t the only prospect to watch at Carvers Bay, and the trenches aren’t the only place where the rural Hemingway program has produced talent worthy of playing on Sundays.
Enter Julius McCrea a 6-foot, 185-pound star who is being recruited to play defensive back. As he continues to get bigger and stronger in the weight room and perfect his craft on the gridiron, he is beginning to tender offers and gain traction on the recruiting trail.
The athlete heard of offers from junior college Salt River and Division 2 Clayton State in Feb. and March.
And he made the rounds in the Palmetto State recently, visiting head coach Dabo Swinney’s Clemson Tigers and Tim Beck’s Coastal Carolina Chanticleers for camp dates in the Upstate and Lowcountry on June 5 and June 6.
After a standout performance in Conway, McCrea can now count first-year head coach Braxton Harris and the Campbell University Fighting Camels of the Big South Conference as among the additional programs who will host him on their campus this summer.
The Bears’ star heard of the big news while at the Chanticleers’ camp via Ross Hornor, who serves as run game coordinator, offensive line coach, and recruiting coordinator for the Camels.
After hearing of the invite, McCrea is now slated to pack his bags for Buies Creek for the event on July 14.
He provided a reaction to the news in an exclusive to our co-owner, Lee Wardlaw. “When I (received) the camp invite, I was in a little bit of shock. But when I got it, I told myself, ‘you have to work harder,’ and that ‘I have to grind harder for this camp, because you never know who is watching, or who is going to offer you,” he told Palmetto Preps.
McCrea talked about the upside Hornor believes he could potentially bring to the Camels’ program. “When he came up to me, he told me his name, and said ‘you looked really good out there, and I like your size. You have length. (Hornor) said “I’m going to follow you on Twitter (X), and I’ll see you on the 14th.”
There is still work to be done for Guiles, McCrea, and the Bears as the “Friday Night Lights of the Lowcountry” swiftly approach for the 2024 season,
But with upside, scouting reports to like, and summer camp grinds in motion for the rising junior and rising senior as Palmetto Preps fans await kickoff in August, both players are beginning to make their impact known to major college coaches from the under-heralded community of Choppee.
And McCrea, who also starred at wide receiver for Carvers’ Bay as a sophomore, registered three interceptions, two sacks, two forced fumbles, 16 solo tackles, and one touchdown for the Bears in 2023.
