Beaufort – While it looks like they will not win a third consecutive region championship, the Beaufort High boys basketball team will be headed to the Class AAA Lower State playoffs. Beaufort enters their final two games of the region 8-AAA schedule at 9-9 overall and 3-3 in region play. They have games remaining with region leader North Charleston and with Hanahan. Beaufort already has one loss to North Charleston and dropped two close games to Philip Simmons. Those three losses will mean a likely third-place finish, but will include a playoff berth. The record tells the story of how this season has went for the Eagles and coach Jeremy Huff. An up and down roller coaster ride where the Eagles have been unable to put together a string of successes. Nonetheless, Huff is quite pleased with his team’s effort. “These guys work hard and play hard whenever they are on the court,” Huff reports. “They continue to improve each day and want to learn and get better. We would (have) liked to repeat as region champions and continue the success of the last two seasons. It’s a tough road as our region is very competitive and every team can win on a given night.” Beaufort won region 8-AAA last season and won region 7-AAAA two years ago. The Eagles were 18-2 in region games prior to this season. Junior small forward Samari Bonds continues to set the pace offensively for the Eagles. Bonds is averaging 13 points and nearly five rebounds per game on the year. Senior guard Naiim Pope adds 8.9 points and 5.8 boards per game, while junior guard Amani Cleckley is averaging 8.4 points and 3.4 assists per game. Rounding out the usual starting lineup are seniors AJ Newton, the center, and forward Guerin Willis. Seeing considerable action off the bench are seniors Brandon Blackmon and Dondre Blount, and junior Jaemin Odom. Meanwhile, on the girls side, the Lady Eagles appear to be headed for the playoffs as well. Entering the final two games, also against North Charleston and Hanahan, Beaufort was 6-13 overall and 3-3 in region play. They are likely headed for a third-place finish as well. Beaufort has two region wins over Battery Creek and one over North Charleston, with two losses to Philip Simmons and one to Hanahan. The girls roster is quite young this season with only two seniors – Anaiya Houseal and Presley Kling.

Beaufort – The Beaufort High boys and girls basketball teams, along with the wrestling program, have embarked on the 2023-24 campaign, hoping to contend for a championship in region 8-AAA. The boys basketball team did, in fact, contend for a region title last season, finishing with a 7-1 league record. The Eagles were 12-12 overall under coach Jeremy Huff. Huff has a handful of returners from last year’s team but entered this season with holes to fill. The roster had seven seniors last season. Entering the Christmas break (Dec. 15), Beaufort had split their first 10 games of the season, very similar to their start a year ago when they were 5-11 in non-region games. The top returning player this season is junior guard Samari Bonds, who quarterbacked the football team in the fall. Bonds played a key role last season, averaging 11.1 points per game and is increasing his production this season. The 6-1 Bonds is scoring 13.9 points per game through the first 10, adding 3.1 steals per contest. Returning senior Naiim Pope is off to a good start as well, averaging 7.7 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. Junior Amani Cleckley, a newcomer to the varsity, is contributing 7.8 points and 3.8 boards per game, while senior AJ Newton is adding 6.4 points and 5.4 rebounds per contest. Two other senior contributors are Brandon Blackmon and Guerin Willis. Each is averaging about four points per game while Willis is the team’s top rebounder at 7.2 boards per outing. Other seniors this season include Shagiree Greene, Dorell DePass, Kantrell Legree, E’marion Dean and Dondre Blount. Rounding out the roster are juniors Matthew Phares and Jaemin Odom. The girls team went 10-10 last season but lost several key performers from that roster. The team is out of the gate with a 3-7 record to open the season. All three wins came against Whale Branch. Members of last year’s team that are on the roster this season include seniors Anaiya Houseal and Johanna Laney; juniors Davariyah Smith and Aubree Levi; and sophomores Kimoralee Milton and Carson Crosby. The wrestling team has a new head coach this season as Jake Sowers takes over. Sowers earned his first career win when his Eagles knocked off Cross High. A few key returners to the roster this season include Antonio McKnight, Brandon Bolles, Colton Freeman, Joseph Griffin, Will Codding and Ian Newell. McKnight and Bolles were state tournament qualifiers last season.

Beaufort – While winning is the ultimate goal of any athletic team, sometimes gaining valuable experience and competing at a high level can pay dividends as well. Beaufort High’s fall athletes enjoyed a mixed bag of success in the 2023 campaign but several programs earned the opportunity to compete in AAA state playoff competition. The football team entered this season as the Class AAA defending state champions but coach Bryce Lybrand faced a rebuilding job at several positions. The Eagles opened the season with losses to AAAAA Cane Bay and Fort Dorchester but were able to finish the regular season with a 6-4 record overall, The Eagles opened the state playoffs with a road game at Loris on Nov. 3. The girls golf team earned a spot in the Class AAA state tournament and posted a seventh-place finish in the team standings. Liza Sherbert was the top Beaufort finisher in the 36-hole event. Sherbert shot 177 for her two rounds and tied for 19 th place overall. Lauren Holcomb shot 195 and finished in 31 st and Saylor Rae Waldorf shot 196 and tied for 32 nd overall. Kenadie Cole shot 200 and tied for 35 th place in the individual standings. Molly Hooper played the first round and shot 104. Jocelyn Senna played the second round and shot 97. The girls tennis team finished third in region 8-AAA and lost in the first round of the state playoffs. In cross country, the boys and girls teams competed in the region 8-AAA meet. The boys placed third in the team standings while the girls finished in fourth-place. Gavin Moore paced the boys’ effort with a fourth-place run. The next Eagle to cross was Ryli Corbin in 19 th -place. Andrew Caprio finished 23 rd and Max Gibbons ran in 25 th . David Barr crossed in 32 nd -place. Yzeult Antia was the top finisher for the girls team, finishing in fifth-place. Savannah Dickenson finished 30 th and Aleeya Echols was 33 rd . Xenia Perez-Pedro ran 34 th overall. The swim teams also participated in the 2023 AAA state championships. The girls finished 18 th as a team while the boys finished 19 th . Amorette Chapman and Susan Cushman were the top performers from the girls team. Chapman finished 15 th in the 200-IM and 18 th in the 100-freestyle. Cushman was ninth in the 100-butterfly and 14 th in the 200-freestyle. On the boys side, Grant Stone had an 11 th -place finish in the 100-freestyle and Finnegan Eby finished 17 th in the 100-backstroke. The volleyball team finished third in region 8-AAA and lost to Aynor in the first-round of the AAA Lower State playoffs.

Beaufort – Things were far from perfect early in the 2022 football season, yet the Beaufort Eagles figured things out and went on to win the Class AAA state championship. Head coach Bryce Lybrand has a much younger and less experienced team in 2023 but the coach sees potential in his group. Despite a 29-10 loss to Cane Bay in the week zero season opener on Aug. 18, Lybrand says this team just needs time. “I really think we’ll be okay but we are a really young football team to start,” Lybrand said. “We lost some really talented guys but they were also very experienced. They handled the adversity. With as young as we are now, that is an issue. We don’t quite have the leadership right now. But, we will get better. The Eagles scored on their first two possessions of the game against Cane Bay but failed to score again. The game was tied at 10 with eight minutes left in the game before turnovers led to quick scores by Cane Bay. In addition to youth, this year’s team does not have the depth that last year’s team had, forcing Lybrand to use several players as two-way starters. Not ideal in the early season heat, but necessary. There is experience returning at quarterback as last year’s starter, Samari Bonds, is back for his junior season. Bonds threw for 225 yards in the season opener. Bonds has a little more pressure on him this fall, working with a group of inexperienced running backs. Receivers Dorrell Depass and freshman Amare Patterson give the quarterback quality hands in the passing game. The Eagles return two starters along the offensive line in senior Adrian Lamb and sophomore Kenshon Speakes, the starting tackles. Freshman Andre Ellison is at one guard and sophomore Derquan Simmons is the other. First-year senior Treni Chaplin-Walton is starting at center. The defense has a bit more experience returning, starting with end Robert Johnson, safety Dom Camacho, and linebackers Quion Rivers and Will Codding. Sophomore Issac Smalls also returns at corner with Hudson Mullen working at strong safety. The defensive line will consist of several offensive linemen working in rotation. Beaufort hosted AAAAA power Fort Dorchester in their second game on Aug. 25 … The Eagles also have non-region games with Goose Creek, Hilton Head, Bluffton and May River.

Beaufort – Beaufort High experienced a load of success in athletics during the 2022-23 school year, finishing as one of the top 10 overall programs in Class AAA. Beaufort recorded its highest finish ever in the Carlisle Cup standings, which is the award presented to the top athletic programs in each classification by the South Carolina Athletic Coaches Association. Beaufort finished seventh among all Class AAA schools in the state. “That’s something we are really proud of,” said athletic director Linc Lyles . “What it means is that we are competing well across the board. Our teams are finishing high in the region and are getting playoff opportunities. Our goal for next year is to finish higher, if not win it.” In the last academic year, Beaufort reached the state finals in football, boys golf and boys soccer, winning the Class AAA state championship in football. “Just about every team we had made the playoffs and most had a good run, so we are pleased with that,” Lyles said. “We are competing across the board.” Lyles, a former basketball coach, is beginning his ninth year as Beaufort’s athletic director. He has worked tirelessly, along with his administration and his coaching staff, to upgrade all facets of the program, “Budgets and facilities, those are the biggest challenges,” Lyles said. “We want the very best for our hard-working student/athletes. We are constantly looking at ways to raise money and spend it wisely. And we always look to upgrade facilities when we can. I feel like our facilities are as good or better as anyone we compete against, but we will always look for ways to make it better.” Beaufort built a new and larger weightroom three years ago, allowing space for multiple teams to lift at once. The district also approved raises for coaching stipends three years ago, bringing the pay to a competitive level statewide. Lyles also is thankful for strong booster club and community support. As for coaches, Beaufort will have a new wrestling coach as Jake Sowers takes over this winter. There also will be a new girls tennis coach to be named later this month. The longest tenured coach at Beaufort is girls track coach Herbert Glaze, who is headed into his 48 th year of coaching and has won 10 state championships. “It’s amazing what he has done and continues to do with our track program,” Lyles said. “He still has great energy and is knowledge is unmatched. He has really good help also. The track coaches do a great job.”

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