Chesterfield –  The Chesterfield High softball program is under new leadership in 2024 but the championship goals remain the same. Chesterfield won the Class AA state championship last spring, beating Mid-Carolina in a best of three series. The coach of that team, Christian Stokes, stepped down after last season and she starts her own family. Named as her replacement is Graham Harpe, a member of the coaching staff as the head junior varsity coach for the last two seasons. In addition to the coaching change, the Rams lost six players from last year’s team. Harpe, however, sees a solid core group of younger players feeding into the program and says the goal is to remain at or near the top of Class AA. “Certainly we are going to miss the girls who graduated but I see a lot of very talented young players ready to step in for us this spring,” Harpe said. “The girls in the seventh, eighth and ninth-grade classes are pretty talented and that group has a chance to be really good. Some will play key roles this season but the future looks very good. “We will be a competitive team this year. I am optimistic about our chances. We had six girls get out late due to basketball so we are putting things together. I believe this team can be successful.” The biggest losses from last year are at pitcher and catcher, two pivotal positions. Harpe has his eyes on a pair of eighth-graders and a pair of seventh-graders as future pitchers. Junior Ariana Vanderpool will get a look inside the circle with eighth-graders Reagan Rivers and Trinity Trexler getting innings as well. Junior Jamison Miles will start this season behind the plate. Chesterfield’s top returning player is all-state shortstop Kaylee Eubanks, a senior Syracuse commit. Eubanks will be a key offensive leader while anchoring the infield defense. Junior Kendall Brock is slated for duties at first base while freshman Bryce Harpe, who played as an eighth-grader, will be at second base. Junior Kai Pace rounds out the infield defense at third base. Senior Kierra Diggs anchors the outfield as a star defender in center. Michaela Lisenby begins the season in left and junior Marah Brock starting in right. Harpe feels the Rams will be solid defensively and will look to execute offensively to manufacture runs. “We have to be able to steal some bases, move runners over, be good base runners,” Harpe said. “Kaylee will be a key run producer if we can get on base around her, but teams will pitch her carefully. We have to get other girls to step up and produce.” Harpe feels North Central and Buford are among the teams to beat in the region. The region is highly competitive as three of the final four teams in the Lower State bracket of last year’s playoffs were from region four.

Chesterfield – With the way last season ended, the 2023-24 Chesterfield High girls basketball team enters the season with something to prove. Chesterfield went 19-6 last season but suffered a first-round upset loss to Barnwell in the Class AA Lower State playoffs. That defeat ended a successful season but left coach Nick Jolly and his team thinking about what might have been. “It was a disappointing end, kind of sudden,” Jolly said. “We are trying to use that as motivation. The girls we have returning are hungry for more. Hopefully we can have another shot in the postseason.” The hungry Rams have certainly gotten off to a good start this season, winning their first seven contests in impressive fashion. That total includes a region 5-AA win over Buford on Dec. 12. The Rams are led this season by senior guard Kierra Diggs, who has been a varsity starter since her eighth-grade year. Diggs is averaging 22 points per game this season and should eclipse the 1,000-point career plateau before Christmas. “She’s our leader, a real experienced player and she is playing well early,” Jolly said. “We are working to find more consistency offensively from the other girls. We are playing great defense as a team, allowing about 22 points per game. We don’t have a lot of size so we have to rebound as a team. It’s going to take a team effort in everything we do.” Jolly is using eighth-grader Yaya Robinson as the starting point guard this fall. Robinson has added about eight points per game and has not turned the ball over much early on. Senior Jaeda Johnson is another veteran performer, playing in the post. Johnson is currently averaging eight points and eight rebounds per outing. Juniors Kai Pace and Temia Chapman fill the other starting roles, with junior Kaylee Eubanks and eighth-grader Reagan Rivers seeing considerable minutes and combining for about six points per game. Rounding out the roster this season are juniors Paige Wharton and Jalah Cash, and sophomores Jordan Evans and Jaylen Evans. “This team works hard and they are a competitive group,” the coach said. “We still have plenty to work on. We certainly need to keep improving each week. We need every player to contribute in whatever way they can,” Jolly says defending region champion Andrew Jackson is again the team to beat in region 5-AA. Andrew Jackson went 12-0 in the region a year ago. Chesterfield and Andrew Jackson were scheduled to play for the first time this season on Dec.15.

Chesterfield – The 2023 fall sports season at Chesterfield High was a mixed bag in terms of success but with a bevy of talented underclassmen across the board, things are sure to improve in the future. The fall sports campaign is complete except for cross country where Rams runners will compete in the state AA meet on Nov. 11 at Newberry College. The cross country teams finished the regular season in the region 4-AA meet. The boys team won the region championship, besting runner-up Central by one point in the final tally. Kinnick Lowe was the region champion and Nicholas Daw finished 10 th . Logan Stafford ran 15 th and William Keith ran in 16 th . Rounding out the Chesterfield scoring was Na’Shar Murphy in 22 nd . Also competing in the meet were Jackson Tucker (28 th ), Jackson Dalton (35 th ) and Sawyer Cassidy (42 nd ). The girls team finished second in the team standings behind champion Andrew Jackson. Chesterfield’s Kinsley Lowe was the runner-up in the race and Amrie Lowe finished ninth. Kaylee Leonard was 11 th and Chloe Mignogna finished in 24 th . The final scorer was Cadence Mignonga in 27 th . Kaitlin Smith also ran in the race and finished in 28 th . The volleyball team posted a fourth-place finish in the region standings, earning a spot in the state playoffs. The Rams scored a huge first-round upset, beating Lee Central, a No. 1 seed, before losing to Academic Magnet in the second round. Volleyball seniors this season included Jaeda Johnson, Kierra Diggs, Cloe Smallwood, Destiny Harvey, Riley Allen and Emma Trexler. The girls golf team qualified for the Class AA state tournament this season. The team finished 12 th in the team standings. The top Chesterfield finisher was Annsley Kate Campbell, who tied for 32 nd place overall. Kai Pace tied for 39 th place and Payton Rivers finished 70 th overall. Savannah Gunter was 77 th overall to round out the scoring. A very young varsity football team finished its season with a 2-8 record, recording wins over Lee Central and Buford. Coach Jonathan Eason’s 2023 roster was primarily comprised of freshmen and sophomores. Sophomore Aiden Short was a productive player offensively, working as a quarterback, running back and receiver and finishing with more than 1,200 total yards. Sophomore quarterback Bryce Adams gained valuable experience and threw for more than 1,000 yards. One of the few seniors, Will Gordon, was a key runner out of the backfield as well. Junior Jaquavis Clark was the leading receiver with more than 600 yards and freshman Emani Welch also was a productive receiver. Junior Xavier Rivers was a key leader on the offensive line as a third-year starter. Juniors Andrew Childs and Porter Kearns also were valuable linemen. Defensive leaders included junior lineman Taye Diggs, sophomore linebacker Sincere Hubbard, junior linebacker Tanner Burleyson, and freshman linebacker Savion Hubbard.

Chesterfield - With a roster that would make up a good junior varsity team, Chesterfield High football coach Jonathan Eason is having to play a varsity schedule in 2023.  For various reasons, too many to analyze here, the Rams are perhaps the youngest team in Class AA this fall. Eason has 20 freshmen and 10 sophomores on his roster with only four seniors and 10 juniors. Logic would tell you that a lot of those freshmen and sophomores are seeing time on the field. Chesterfield, however, opened the 2023 season with a win, beating Lee Central, 32-6, in the season opener on Aug. 18. The Rams have a bye in week one before taking on Lewisville on Sept. 1. “We are young, no doubt, but the guys are working hard to learn and improve,” Eason says. “We had six freshmen and seven sophomores on the field in the first game. We made some mistakes but we can correct those. As long as we continue to put in the work, we will steadily improve each week.” Offensively, Eason has turned over the reins to sophomore quarterback Bryce Adams. Adams completed six of nine passes for 90 yards and accounted for three touchdowns in the season opener. “He’s a really smart kid and he has a lot of potential,” Eason said. “His dad was a coach so he has grown up around football his whole life. He knows what it takes.” Senior running back Will Gordon will be a key offensive player. Gordon had two receiving touchdowns and a rushing score in the week zero win. Junior Jaquavis Clark is the top receiving threat and caught a touchdown pass in the opener. He also scored a defensive touchdown. The offensive line returned just one starter, junior guard Xavier Rivers, who is a third-year starter. Freshman Maqwan Blount is the other starting guard, while juniors Porter Kearns and Caiden Mungo are the starting tackles. Junior Andrew Childs is the starting center. The defense returns more experience but has only one senior starter, tackle Kadrick Johnson. Also working up front are junior Trae Starr, junior Taye Diggs and sophomore Jaden Wallace. All three were starters last season. At linebacker are sophomore Sincere Hubbard, junior Gabe Liles and freshman Savion Hubbard. Starting in the secondary are sophomore Aiden Short and Deondre Young, and freshmen Jaden Johnson and Mark Moten. Short is a returning starter.Chesterfield - With a roster that would make up a good junior varsity team, Chesterfield High football coach Jonathan Eason is having to play a varsity schedule in 2023. For various reasons, too many to analyze here, the Rams are perhaps the youngest team in Class AA this fall. Eason has 20 freshmen and 10 sophomores on his roster with only four seniors and 10 juniors. Logic would tell you that a lot of those freshmen and sophomores are seeing time on the field. Chesterfield, however, opened the 2023 season with a win, beating Lee Central, 32-6, in the season opener on Aug. 18. The Rams have a bye in week one before taking on Lewisville on Sept. 1. “We are young, no doubt, but the guys are working hard to learn and improve,” Eason says. “We had six freshmen and seven sophomores on the field in the first game. We made some mistakes but we can correct those. As long as we continue to put in the work, we will steadily improve each week.” Offensively, Eason has turned over the reins to sophomore quarterback Bryce Adams. Adams completed six of nine passes for 90 yards and accounted for three touchdowns in the season opener. “He’s a really smart kid and he has a lot of potential,” Eason said. “His dad was a coach so he has grown up around football his whole life. He knows what it takes.” Senior running back Will Gordon will be a key offensive player. Gordon had two receiving touchdowns and a rushing score in the week zero win. Junior Jaquavis Clark is the top receiving threat and caught a touchdown pass in the opener. He also scored a defensive touchdown. The offensive line returned just one starter, junior guard Xavier Rivers, who is a third-year starter. Freshman Maqwan Blount is the other starting guard, while juniors Porter Kearns and Caiden Mungo are the starting tackles. Junior Andrew Childs is the starting center. The defense returns more experience but has only one senior starter, tackle Kadrick Johnson. Also working up front are junior Trae Starr, junior Taye Diggs and sophomore Jaden Wallace. All three were starters last season. At linebacker are sophomore Sincere Hubbard, junior Gabe Liles and freshman Savion Hubbard. Starting in the secondary are sophomore Aiden Short and Deondre Young, and freshmen Jaden Johnson and Mark Moten. Short is a returning starter.

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 .

Larry Gamble HSSR Photo Editor Sumter - The High School Sports Report covered the Pee Dee Jamboree of Champions on Friday, Aug 11th. Eight schools with a combined 30 State Championship titles participated. Latta , Chesterfield , Darlington , Lake View , Hartsville , Scotland County (NC) , Cheraw , and Dillon played this two quarter tune up game before their regular season. High resolution prints and digital downloads from this event are available at www.LarryGamble.com by clicking this link to the photos .