By Billy G. Baker Publisher Cheraw — The Cheraw Braves (7-3, 7-0) baseball team entered their own Spring break baseball event (The Founders Credit Union Diamond Classic) with an undefeated region record to date, and while head coach David Byrd is pleased with the season so far, he is hoping his team can learn to finish games better offensively. “We finally got over the hump this season of not being able to beat the number one pitcher at Andrew Jackson and North Central, and both of those teams beat us 6-0 a year ago, when they pitched,” said Coach Byrd. “We got by AJ 2-1 this season, and beat North Central twice (8-2, 15-5), and we still have to play Buford twice at the end of the season and they are undefeated in the region also. “We have had situations where we have had a batter walked, and the next batter was hit by a pitch, and we were not able to bunt them over, and that is frustrating,” said Coach Byrd. “We have had several games that we could have broken things open, with runners in scoring position, but we could not get that timely hit to bring them in. I am hoping we get a little stronger finishing games on offense, as we get into the second half of the season.” Cheraw entered their 10-team Spring break tournament on April, 1 led by four players hitting over .400. At the top of the index was freshman Anthony Strong at .533 with seven RBI’s and one home run, followed by senior Landon Sellers at .468 and 13 RBI’s including two doubles and three home runs. Junior Kaden Johnson was at .417 with two RBI’s and junior Will Quick was hitting .407 with 9 RBI’s and three doubles. On the mound, Cheraw is being led at mid-season by a core group of five pitchers. Strong (R-R) is currently 2-0 with 15 strike-outs in 15 innings of mound duty and he sports a .467 ERA. Junior Charlie Phillips is 6-6 pitcher who is 2-0 with 12 strike-outs in 8 innings of work with a .875 ERA. Johnson is 1-0 on the hill with 15 strike-outs in 13 2/3 innings of work with a 2.56 ERA. The middle reliever/closer is senior Aiden Nolan and he has worked 11 innings with 10 strike-outs and he is 1-1 with an ERA of .770. “I give a lot of credit to our improved pitching this year to our pitching coach Tristian Campbell who has returned to our program after finishing up his college career at Western Carolina,” said Coach Byrd. “He is doing an outstanding job.” Coach Byrd also pointed out the outstanding defensive play of senior Austin McIntosh in center field. “Austin is one of the best center fielders I have coached,” said Coach Byrd. “He has thrown out four or four baserunners at the plate with his strong arm and he was the difference in our 2-1 win over Andrew Jackson when he threw out one of their runners at the plate with a perfect throw. He’s a gold glove for sure.” Senior Gunner Jordan is playing first base and he has contributed two home runs and 10 RBI’s this season. In a recent 8-4 win over Andrew Jackson junior Brayden Michael led the way with three hits while Johnson had six K’s and scattered three hits. “We still have to play Buford at the end of the season and they are undefeated in the region right now also,” said Coach Byrd. “We need to keep working hard and learn how to finish games better by the time we play them.” Cheraw Softball Team Having Rebuilding Season So Far The Cheraw softball team, head coached by Kevin Thurman , came into the break at 3-6 and 1-3. “We only returned one all-region player ( Zoey Hunt -pitcher) from last year when three teams tied for the region title,” said Coach Thurman. “Zoey has been in our program for five years. She is currently batting .457 with 10 RBI’s and three home runs.” Hunt is also the ace pitcher for the Lady Braves. The team only had two other returning starters to the team that tied for the region tittle in 2023. They are shortstop/third baseman Rivers and senior catcher Michelle Driggers . Catherine Crawford is a speedy sophomore center fielder bating .285. The top two newcomers to the team include sophomore outfielder Ally Huggins and 8 th grader Addison Polson . “We are a decent team, but we have had a bad bout with injuries this season,” said Coach Thurman. “At one time we had four starters out at one time and we have not been at full strength in any one game this season. The team is working hard and we hope to be playing our best softball by the end of the season.” Coach Thurman is assisted by Jimmy Grissome and Doc King .

By Billy G. Baker Publisher Cheraw - Entering his 25th season as the head baseball coach at Cheraw High , new town “Mayor” David Byrd (440-201) has a good blend of pitching and hitting returning for a potential deep run in the Class AA playoffs this season. The Braves (18-12, 8-4) placed third in a very competitive region last year. They won three straight play-off games before being eliminated by Andrew Jackson (6-0) and North Central (5-1) in the double elimination playoffs. The Braves began the season participating in the Coastal Invitational hosted by Waccamaw High March 1-3. “Check out who we have to play in the Coastal Invitational,” said Coach Byrd who was elected mayor of Cheraw back in the fall. “We will be playing Fort Mill, Socastee and North Myrtle Beach , and we are told the Chiefs have four pitchers throwing over 90. We will find out in a hurry what kind of team we have playing against this type of competition.” Prior to the tournament Cheraw took a 6-5 win over South Florence in mid-February. Good news for the Braves this season is gaining the services of Marlboro County transfer Gunner Jordan who made the HSSR all-state team last season. “He has hit several home runs in our scrimmages and his power is a big-plus to our line-up,” said Coach Byrd. “Gunner can play first or third for us.” The Braves return pitcher/second baseman Jackson Byrd described as the hardest worker on the team. “Jackson is my nephew but regardless no one on our team out-works him,” said Coach Byrd. “He’s a versatile player who hit .300 last year. He was a god relief pitcher and had a good glove starting at second d base.” Kaden Johnson (R-R) is a returning all-region junior third baseman (batted .275) who bats lead-off for the Braves. On the mound he throws 82-84 with good command. Junior Brayden Michaels is an all-region returning pitcher/outfielder who has been throwing 85-87 in the pre-season on the mound. “Braydon had a good summer and fall and we expect him to have success on the mound for us,” said Coach Byrd. “He also hit around .330 for us last year.” Junior Will Quick will see action at third base. Quick batted around .300 last season and he will also be a relief pitcher. Senior first baseman Landon Sellers could be at the top of the pitching rotation (82-84) and he is also a designated hitter. Behind Sellers in the pitching rotation comes Johnson, senior Aiden Nolan , 6-6 junior Charlie Phillips, and Michaels. Freshmen Brenden Pace returns to start at catcher where he has been a fixture the past two seasons. Another hard worker on the team with great potential is soph outfielder Tyler Tolson . Senior Austin McIntosh starts in center field (6.9-60). “Austin has worked hard in the off-season and he is our best all-around outfielder,” said Coach Byrd. He has improved his hitting and he is a hard worker.” Junior Aiden Boan can play either in left or right field. He is a solid .300 hitter who has worked hard to improve his hitting over the off-season. Freshman Anthony Strong is among the top five pitchers on the team and he should see spot duty in the infield depending on pitching assignments. “We are excited about Anthohy’s potential,” said Coach Byrd. The team’s back-up catcher and designated base runner is speedy Demaris Ellerbe , a three- sport athlete at the school. After returning from the Coastal Invitational Cheraw will begin the regular season hosting county rival Chesterfield on March 5 and two-day slater they are at the Rams. The following week they play a two-game series with York Prep on Tuesday and Friday. Coach Byrd is assisted by Devin Hardee, Jordan Melton and Rodney Byrd. The varsity pitching coach is former HSSR all-state player Tristen Campbell who also serves as the head jayvee coach.

By Billy G. Baker Publisher Cheraw — With three games left in the regular season, the Cheraw Lady Braves basketball team (11-4, 5-4) are battling for a spot in the upcoming AA playoffs under the tutelage of 5 th year head coach Eddie Chaplin . The team picked up a win over North Central (63-18) on January, 26 to earn their 5 th region win of the season. The team has a home game with Central (3-3 in region) on January, 30, host Chesterfield (6-2 in region) on February, 2 and close the regular season at Andrew Jackson (7-0 in region) on February, 9. “Our goal is to finish strong and make the play-offs,” said Coach Chaplin. “Central has to play Andrew Jackson twice and we are in a seven- team region and right now our 5-4 region record puts us in fourth place behind AJ, Chesterfield, and third place York Prep (6-3). “We are getting better, playing better on offense and we have turned up our defense of late,” said Coach Chaplin. “You never take anything for granted. We know we have to earn everything we get.” The team has been led during the 2023-24 season by the return of all-region senior guard/forward My’Shauna Worrell . Worrell has been a five-year fixture on the Lady Braves team. She is leading the team in scoring at 13.8 points a game including 7.9 rebounds along with three steals and 1.5 assists per game. “My’Shauna gives us everything she has in every game she plays,” said Coach Chaplin. “She’s a take-charge player who drives well to the basket. Her on-ball defense is exceptional also.” Number two on the scoring index is junior guard Sa’Nya Murray at 11.5 and 5.2 rebounds a game. “Sa’Nya has been on the varsity for three years and she is our best three-point shooter,” said Coach Chaplin. The other three starters are all averaging between four and six points game. They are junior point guard Jaleah Faulker who was slowed by unfortunate ACL injuries her freshman and sophomore seasons and she is finally playing well and injury free. Junior shooting guard Cherita Burns is also averaging 4.6 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 5 steals a game to aid her team. The 5 th starter is freshman shooting guard Anyah Banks who is at 4.6 points and 3.9 rebounds a game. “We run a five- guard set on offense,” said Coach Chaplin. “We stress good ball movement and good on-ball defense.” Coach Chaplin does a lot of subbing in most games. The remaining four players on the team all see a lot of action on the court. They are senior shooting guard Ryquel Brown , junior forward/center Chante Mack , sophomore forward Ainsleigh Gilbert and senior forward Kedrona Rudisell who is averaging 4.5 rebounds a game. Coach Chaplin is assisted by Ashley Davis , Jaherah Graves , and Kiaeshe Drake . Cheraw Boy’s 8-14, 4-4 In Dog Fight To Earn Spot IN Upcoming AA Playoffs Coach Andrew Eads has seen steady improvement in the boys’ basketball program in the three seasons he has head coached the team. The Braves (73-68) lost to region foe North Central on January, 26 has put added pressure on them to find a way to win two- out- three games against Central at home (Jan., 30), Chesterfield at home (Feb., 2) or Andrew Jackson away (Feb, 9). “The main thing we have do in these final three region games is not be out-rebounded,” said Coach Eads. “We don’t win when we get out-rebounded. “We are primarily a man-to-man defense with a good bit of full-court pressure,” said Coach Eads. “We are doing a much better job on offense working the ball inside-out to Bernard (Joyner) , Anthony (Strong) and Christian (Douglas) on the inside. The starting rotation changes a lot from game-to game. Against North Central all-region performer 6-2 Dwight Harrington started on a wing (9.2 pts) along with junior point guard TJ Ford (7.6 pts) and junior Jaden Carraway (6 pts.) a game. The other two starters were 6-4 freshman center Anthony Strong (4.2 pts 7 4.1 rebounds) along with strong rebounder De’Shaun Drake who has been coming on strong lately. The 14-man roster is very deep in players who see a lot of action off the bench. Freshman guard Elijah McClain (4.2 pts) is a quick sub in. Junior forward Tre Leak is also one of the first subs in. One player returning from injury for the first time all season is junior guard Demarius Ellerbe and he will add depth for sure. Other key reserves include senior forward Darius Garvin, freshman PG Nick Gordon, soph combo guard Zach Newman , along with junior inside man Bernard Joyner . Senior big-man Christian Douglas , also sees a lot of action inside. Senior Jalen Carraway also contributes at a gaud slot. Coach Eads is assisted by James Pate and Tyrone Harrington .

By Billy G. Baker Publisher Dillon — There were four very competitive games contested in the Pee Dee Jamboree of Champions hosted by Dillon High on August, 11 as 8 area teams battled for two quarters in mild weather conditions. In the first game Latta defeated Chesterfield 21-6. In game two Darlington defeated Lake View 13-0, and in game three Hartsville literally ran past Scotland County , NC 27-14 in the contest that produced the most points. In the night-cap, host Dillon defeated Cheraw 14-3. Comments From SC Coaches After Each Scrimmage: Coach Brandon Iseman - Latta : “This game was a good bounce- back for us after we struggled, on Tuesday,” said Coach Iseman. “I felt like the kids responded well tonight and I feel good about what they did. “We have a big senior group and a strong junior group also so we are looking forward to the season. We start the season off against Mullins this upcoming week.” Notes: Linebacker Amir Rogers had the pick-six for the Vikings. The top returning seniors include Kartrell Townsend , Labron Cobb , Jamarion Jones , Dorian Griffin , and Eli Jones . Latta should improve on their 6-5 season last year. Coach Jonathan Eason - Chesterfield : “I found out tonight this team will not quit,” said Coach Eason. “There were times in the game it looked like things were going really bad but we kept fighting back. We had a chance to make it a 21-14 game right at the end and if we did not give up the pick six it would have been a whole different game also. “Right now, we have three seniors and around 14 freshmen and sophomores starting so it is a young team and we should keep getting better every week. Our three seniors are running back Will Gordon , nose guard Kadrick Johnson , and Devin Carnes . Another senior who has moved in is corner back Amarion Hardaway .” Chesterfield will start the season this week with a game against Lee Central . Some top juniors for the Rams include Qua Clark , Gabe Liles , Timothy Starr , and Xavier Rivers . Coach Jamie Johnson - Darlington (First year head coach at Darlington) : “We played a storied program in Lake View tonight and anytime you can come out ahead of them it is like a confidence builder for us,” said Coach Johnson. I felt like our quarterback ( Jaylen Augustus ) made several very athletic plays and we need for him to have a build year. Keenan Dubose caught both touchdown passes and he was moved to receiver from quarterback and he had a good scrimmage tonight also,” Other top seniors for Darlington include receivers Markis Wells and Davari Wilson along with OL Josh Johnson . “Our players have bought into our new system and what we are trying to get established and they do not want to be the laughing stock of the state anymore. I think we are gaining confidence and we need to stay focused as we start the season against Central of Pageland this week.” Coach Daryl King-Lake View: “We lost around 14 seniors from last year's team and we have returned 100 per cent to a wish bone offense, for the first time in five or six seasons, so we are still learning our timing assignments and we are young in a lot of places,” said Coach King. “We only have a couple practices to get better before we open up the season at Marion on Thursday night this week.” The Wild gators return all-region performers Tamil Bellmon at RB and Tyrell Foxworth at LB. Junior Kason Herlong is the starting QB and late in the scrimmage he completed several nice passes to junior TE prospect Daniel Ray (6-5, 200). Coach Jeff Calabrese-Hartsville: “Our offensive line opened some holes for our running backs tonight,” said Coach Calabrese. Center Slayton Stokes (6-4, 325), left guard Deric Brown (6-1, 270), left tackle Evan Young (6-0,200) along with Chris Price and right tackle Jazir Reardon (6-0,240) did a super job tonight.” The Red Foxes had close to 200 yards rushing in the two quarters they played. Four or five backs took turns gaining big yards led by Carmello McDaniel (5-9,180) and Hakeen Watters (5-6,175). QB McKenzie Douglas (6-3, 195) is back after passing for 1,284 yards and rushing for 684 as a junior. He completed a couple nice underneath passes in the scrimmage. “We are also excited to have Douglas back also. McDaniel is a four-year starter for us at RB. Bryson Jacobs is a good leader for us on the defensive front also.” Hartsville will start the season against Conway this week. Coach Andy Poole - Cheraw (starting his 8 th season as head coach): “We return 8 starters on each side of the football so we are expecting a successful season,” said Coach Poole. “ Dwight Harrington is an all-region kid back at receiver and Darius Garvin is an all-region returner at corner. “We started around 16 sophomores last year and they are all back as juniors, so you expect to improve while still being young,” said Coach Poole. “We are a year older and much stronger and faster. We are excited about this crowd for sure.” The team’s leader is back in QB Aiden Nolan (6-2, 200) who has dual threat talent with a strong arm. Cheraw will start the season in week one against rival Marlboro County . Coach Kelvin Roller - Dillon (The Wildcats are 22-2 under Roller in his first two seasons): Dillon was missing five starters in the scrimmage, with two players suspended. Coach Roller said all five should be suited up for the team’s week one game at Lamar to start the season. Dillon scored both TDs on long runs by speedy soph RB Dominick Felton (5-9,170) running behind an OL led by the state’s number one 2024 player Josiah Thompson (6-7, 290) who is committed to SC. “I think we are in great shape but tonight we did not play our best,” said Coach Roller. “We were sloppy on offense and this is what practice in for, and what the pre-season is for. I told them that Rome was built in a day and if you went out there in the pre-season and you were a well-oiled machine what fun would the process of getting better be like? We hope to improve with each practice and each game. We all hope to go out and play really well every time we suit up but it just did not happen for us tonight. “I did think we played really well on defense,” said Coach Roller. “I think sometimes not looking all that well can be beneficial in the long run.” The defense will be led by veteran senior LB Sirmod McCallum (5-11, 190). RB/DB Jamarion Fling (5-10, 175) and sophomore QB Josiah Oxendine (6-1, 190) are key non-senior players along with Zay Robertson a WR/DB. This year’s Dillon’s team has 15 players starting (at least) their third season under Coach Roller. Thompson has started since his freshman year. High resolution prints and digital downloads from this event are available at www.LarryGamble.com by clicking this link to the photos .