Mobile Home Sales in Green Sea, SC

Donnie Kiefer came to Green Sea Floyds with the promise of state championships. On Friday, he and his players delivered the first on that promise, defeating Lamar 26-20 in a wild finish to bring home the S.C. Class A state title.

The Trojans (11-3) scored all 26 of their points in the first half, when they went back-and-forth with Lamar’s potent attack. In the second half, both defenses contained the scoring in the third quarter and much of the fourth before Green Sea Floyds clung to a six-point lead late in the game.

“It was on us late in the game and we had to step up and stop them one more time to bring home the title,” said Green Sea Floyds senior linebacker Josh Slobodiak. “We’ve worked for this for (more than) three months; I’ve been working for this for four years. This is an unbelievable accomplishment for this school and for all of these fans that came out to support us all year.”

For the Green Sea Floyds football program, which has been around since 1976, the victory over Lamar earns the Trojans their first state championship. Kiefer wants the community to get used to the success and competing for state championships.

“(This was) just a phenomenal night,” he said as his team paraded on the field with the championship trophy. “It’s the first time ever; it’s not something that’s happened before – not even close. When I first came here, I told them we were coming here to win state championships; we’re not coming here for mediocrity. 6-6 has to be a bad year from here on out and the kids have bought in.”

Green Sea Floyds and Lamar put on an early scoring barrage, with six combined touchdowns in the game’s first 10 possessions. Lamar scored twice, once on a short 12-yard drive and again on an 81-yard drive. Green Sea Floyds scored touchdowns on four consecutive possessions.

Lamar was gifted a short field by a Green Sea Floyds fumble, leading to a 1-yard scoring run by Rashad Johnson. The Trojans would respond with a Jaquan Dixon 42-yard run on a two-play drive. Lamar’s final score of the quarter came on Jac’Quez Lucas’ 66-yard run followed by a two point conversion that gave the Silver Foxes a 14-6 lead.

From there the Trojans took over for the rest of the half.

Green Sea Floyds scored three touchdowns to end the first half on an 11-yard pass from Bubba Elliott to Dixon, a 3-yard run by Dixon and a 15-yard run by Elliott to give the Trojans a 26-14 lead at the break.

The Trojans dominated statistically in the first half with 13 first downs and 326 yards of offense compared to 166 yards for Lamar.

But Green Sea Floyds would not threaten the end zone in the second half.

“We were hot offensively early, then we got a bit conservative trying to run some clock,” Kiefer said. “We get a state championship, so we’ll take it.”

The Trojans maintained their 12-point lead until Jalen Langley hit Derrick Higgins for a 37-yard TD pass with 3:34 remaining to force the Trojans to make big plays on defense in the final couple minutes.

Kiefer was tasked with making a decision that had the potential to decide the game, going for it on fourth-and-inches on his own 15-yard line.

The Trojans wouldn’t convert and Lamar was gifted a chance to snatch a state championship away from the entire Green Sea community.

“We talked about it, the kids were adamant. I wanted to punt the ball and play defense, but the kids were begging us,” Kiefer said. “They were saying ‘Coach, it’s our senior year, we can get that yard.’ I didn’t feel good about it, we went for it and didn’t get it, but then we played defense. In the end it all washed out.”

The state title came on the back of an exceptional game from Dixon, who rushed for 247 yards and two scores on 20 carries. He also caught two passes for 20 yards, with a receiving score as well.

“He’s always phenomenal, but it’s a team game,” Kiefer said of his stud running back. “If not for the linemen, tight ends and other backs, those things don’t happen. I’m happy for him, but he will be the first one to tell you the credit goes to those guys up front.”

All season, Kiefer’s team – and all of Horry County – has dealt with adversity. The Green Sea community was hit hard by Hurricane Florence and the ensuing flooding, and the Trojans missed a chunk of the season and school year. But nothing was going to stop them from securing the title.

“It’s just phenomenal. God blessed us all year long,” Kiefer said. “…It was tough, we were out for an entire month, we played a game Sept. 7 and didn’t play again until Oct. 6 and then we practiced four days before we played that game. … Everything they’ve done in the weight room, our strength program is second to none and these kids bust it every day. We give God the glory and we give credit to the players.”

Kiefer’s team featured 11 seniors, but returns key contributors in Anwain Graham, Elliott and Dixon for another run at a championship, this time with a target on their backs.

Lamar – 14 0 0 6 – 6

GSF – 20 6 0 0 – 26

First quarter

Lamar – Rashad Johnson 1-yard run (Kick failed) 8:38

GSF – Jaquan Dixon 42-yard run (Kick failed) 8:04

Lamar – Jac’Quez Lucas 66-yard run (Lucas run for 2-point conversion) 5:25

GSF – Bubba Elliott 11-yard pass to Jaquan Dixon (2-point failed) 3:23

GSF – Dixon 3-yard run (Dixon run for 2-point conversion) 00:00

Second quarter

GSF – Elliott 15-yard run (2-point failed) 7:32

Fourth quarter

Lamar – Jalen Langley 37-yard pass to Derrick Higgins (2-point conversion failed) 3:34

This story was originally published December 7, 2018, 8:12 PM.

FOLLY BEACH, S.C. (WCIV) — It’s a busy nesting season for turtles along the South Carolina coast.

The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources already has seen more than 7,200 turtle nests. That’s close to 2,000 more than last year’s total of 5,466, and there's still more time for nesting and hatching to happen.

DNR staff determine those numbers, aided by volunteer groups like the Folly Beach Turtle Watch Program.

Along Folly Beach the group has already taken inventory of 14 Loggerhead Sea Turtle nests.

Members like Dave Miller expect to find even more.

Read More: Sea turtles busy nesting on beaches in Georgia, South Carolina

"Nesting season may not have ended. We may end up with a hundred or more nests," Miller said.

After taking inventory of nest number 14, around 100 hatched eggs were found. A good sign. That means those Loggerheads hopefully made it out to the ocean.

One dead turtle and three unhatched eggs were also found.

Read More: SC Aquarium saved, released 10 sea turtles

"We don’t know where they went. We saw some of the tracks going towards the ocean. And we hope they all went that way," Miller said.

The Folly Beach Turtle Watch crew is back doing public inventory of the nests this year after COVID restrictions halted it the past two nesting seasons.

Having an audience of mostly families gives Miller and his group a chance to interact and teach both children and adults important facts about the turtles and how to help keep them safe.

Read More: 2 sea turtle nests relocated on Isle of Palms

The group wears shirts with these tips: fill back in holes on the beach, turn beach front lights off at night, and don’t litter.

DNR’s record count for nests is 8,796, back in 2019.

Despite this year’s good numbers of hatchings so far, Miller warns that turtles remain in danger.

“We’ve taken all of the good nesting spots away from our turtles. And they’re struggling to survive," he said.

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - Nine sea turtles are back in the ocean after recovering from injuries at the South Carolina Aquarium in Charleston.

The turtles were a mix of young Kemp’s ridley and green sea turtles. They were admitted to the aquarium’s care center for cold stunning and hook and line injuries.

“Sea turtles can become cold stunned and suffer from hypothermia when they are unable to regulate their body temperature due to a rapid change in temperature of their surrounding environment,” a news release from the aquarium states.

Seven of the turtles, Capricorn, Libra, Mars, Pisces, Saturn, Venus and Virgo, were initially stranded in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, back in December. Once they were rescued and taken to the South Carolina Aquarium, biologists and vet staff worked to manage various side effects, including pneumonia, GI stress, eye lesions and anemia, before clearing them for release.

“Once we’ve determined that these animals are ready to go back out into the wild, we coordinate with South Carolina’s Department of Natural Resources to make sure we’ve got the right conditions for these animals, and we get them properly tagged with microchips, so that if that animal is ever stranded again or if it’s caught for a research project, it will be able to be identified,” Manager of the South Carolina Aquarium Sea Turtle Care Center Melissa Ranly said.

Related: South Carolina Aquarium caring for 15 cold-stunned sea turtles from New England

The other two turtles, Shredder and Jo, both Kemp’s ridley sea turtles, were admitted to the care center this past fall after being caught on hook and line along the South Carolina coast. Jo had a large hook in their esophagus that needed to be surgically removed, as well as a corneal ulcer in their left eye.

All nine of the turtles were released into the warm blue waters off of Little Talbot Island State Park in Jacksonville, Florida.

The aquarium is still caring for the eight other turtles recovered from Cape Cod. Aquarium spokesperson Susan McLaughlin says they are still recovering and will be evaluated by their veterinary team and the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources to determine when they are cleared for release.

For more information on the South Carolina Aquarium Sea Turtle Care Center, click here.

Copyright 2023 WCSC. All rights reserved.

Patrick Martin has wanted to be the Green Sea Floyds head football coach for longer than he can remember.

On Monday, he got his wish.

Martin, who had been the Trojans’ defensive coordinator for the past six seasons, was officially promoted by Horry County Schools into his first varsity head coaching position.

“I’m home,” said Martin, a 2005 graduate of the high school. “My great uncle’s name is on the stadium. It means a lot to be the coach of my home school."

This was the third time Martin applied for the position. He also interviewed when Donnie Keifer was hired in 2017 and then again when Joey Price was given the position in 2020.

In a response to a Freedom of Information Act request, the district announced after Monday’s board meeting that Martin was ultimately selected over Scotland County coach Richard Bailey. Those two were among 28 official applicants and 18 first-round interviews, according to the district.

Five candidates received a second-round interview, as well.

This is the second time in less than a year that Horry County Schools has declared that Bailey was a finalist for a head coaching position here. Last spring, he was named as one of four finalists for the North Myrtle Beach job that ultimately went to Chiefs’ defensive coordinator Greg Hill.

Bailey has coached two North Carolina teams - Scotland County and Jack Britt - to a combined six state championship game appearances and has won 236 games in 22 seasons as a head coach.

Yet Martin’s knowledge of the program’s inner workings and his long-established ties to the school pushed him to the top of the list.

“That’s what stood out to me. He is Green Sea Floyds,” GSF Athletics Director Derek Martin [no relation] said Monday evening. “He loves this place and this place loves him. That’s one of the biggest things. The kids love playing for him.

“He’s been here. He knows this community. The community knows him. He knows what it’s going to take to get it back to the level it was at. We’re going to need somebody who is goIng to be here 24/7/365. He’s really invested.”

Patrick Martin has been that since returning to his alma mater on a professional basis in 2016. Prior to that, he spent one year at Georgetown and four at Central Middle School across the border in Whiteville. He graduated from Coastal Carolina University in 2010 after being a reserve for the football team and spent his first non-playing football season as an assistant at Loris while substitute teaching.

Martin will be replacing Price, who resigned on Oct. 31, three days after the completion of the 2022 season. Green Sea Floyds was 1-9 last season and missed the playoffs. Price was 10-15 in three years with the Trojans but 250-65 overall in a long career that included stops in both North Carolina and South Carolina.

The task of getting Green Sea Floyds back closer to its championship levels now rests with Martin. And while he can say that he was part of two of the best teams in school history - the 2019 and 2018 title squads under Kiefer - his own coaching change altered Martin’s trajectory.

Prior to 2017, Martin was always an offensive coach. But knowing he wanted to one day wear the primary head set, he accepted Kiefer’s offer to switch to defense.

All the Trojans’ defense developed into was one of the best in the state.

“I knew I wanted to be a head coach one day, so I needed to learn the other side of the ball,” Martin said. “I learned what offenses are trying to do to you. That’s probably the best decision I ever made.”

Monday confirmed it.

Contact Charles D. Perry at 843-488-7236

The Green Sea Floyds Trojans burned the midnight oil Friday into Saturday, holding a late-night practice and fine-tuning plays.

“We’ve done a lot of stuff in the spring so it’s just a refresher tonight,” head coach Joey Price said.

While the air was thick with humidity, the boys in black practiced under the lights at Luther Enzor Stadium.

The Trojans focused mainly on special teams in the after hours, making necessary adjustments ahead of what looks to be a difficult schedule in the fall.

This is the third year the Trojans have held the midnight practice, something senior quarterback Banks Lovett has come to enjoy.

“You get that good conditioning in and it gets you used to that fall weather,” Lovett said. “It gets us around that environment.”

Price said the Trojans will be looking to Lovett as their leader as the season unfolds.

“He’s a third-year starter at quarterback. You don’t get them every year,” Price said.

The Trojans will have a stacked backfield with senior Kaden Watson at the fullback and Kanye Sweatman at running back.

“It’s going to be great,” Lovett said. “Kaden came in for us last year when Colby (Thorndyke) went down and showed us what he can do. And Kanye can float. He’s got that speed that we need.”

That skill and experience is much needed to go into the 2022 season as the Trojans will go to battle against old rivals and new foes.

Green Sea Floyds’ region was realigned ahead of the 2022 season and features Lamar and Latta as region opponents. The Trojans will still face off with the familiar teams of Lake View and Hannah-Pamplico and will also take on former region foe Johnsonville.

“It’s going to be a tough schedule but we’ll be ready for it,” Lovett said. “We’ve been working hard in the weight room, just building a great team culture. We’re all one big family at this point.”

The Trojans’ non-region schedule features a battle with Carvers Bay and renewing local rivalries in Loris and Aynor.

Green Sea Floyds is looking to build off last season, which saw them return to the playoffs after a year hiatus. The Trojans went 8-3, finishing second in region play. The Trojans ultimately saw their season come to an end in the second round against Baptist Hill.

One of the team’s most frustrating losses came in the regular season in the game with Lake View. The Trojans fell 36-14, ultimately losing the region crown. GSF kept pace with the Wild Gators but a few mental mistakes caused the game to get out of hand.

It is games that like that Lovett sees as a lesson in building the team’s mental toughness for this season.

“We got to stay strong. We can’t beat ourselves down,” Lovett said. “When stuff goes down, we got to hold each other up, keep each other responsible and accountable and still have that winner’s mentality.”

It’s with that mindset that Lovett believes the Trojans will make a deep run in the Class 1A playoffs.

“We should go and make the championship and win it this year,” Lovett said.

The Trojans resumed practice Monday morning and will be practicing in full gear on Wednesday. Green Sea Floyds opens the 2022 season with a trip to Loris on Aug. 19.

Janet Morgan is the editor of the Myrtle Beach Herald. Contact her at 843-488-7258 or at janet.morgan@myhorrynews.com.