By Neill Kirkpatrick Special to the HSSR Columbia – Four years ago, Johnny Burbage took over as the head coach of the Keenan Raiders baseball program and all he, his staff and his ball players have done is improve every year and established a winning culture on the diamond with getting out of district play and moving on in the playoffs “Our expectations are always to make the play-offs; however, with things that are going on in our region we can’t finish first which would be our first goal of any season,” said coach Burbage. “Now we want secure second place and get a home play-off game.” One of the biggest changes for the baseball program has been the participation in the off season. When coach Burbage took over the first two years two-four players showed up to go work but this past off season 9-12 players showed up every day. “This is the best group of guys I have evet had. They pick each other up when they are there down. I know family is an overused word in sports, but it is a family that we have with this team. We have guys that are freshmen now that are three-year starters and they grown together as a team,” said the coach. While the Raiders are a young team, they do have four seniors that will leave the program knowing it is better than when they started. The senior players are Brock Flemming , Jamarion Charley , Lionel Watson , Chris Walker , and Steven Coleman . Watson and Crosby are currently hitting .400. On the mound Charley has been the top pitcher sporting a 2-0 record and 2.74 ERA. Walker is also 2-0 for the Raiders as well. Junior Desmond Washington is behind the dish and is a returning All Region player for coach Burbage. Washington is the leader of the team and is a coach on the field. The Raiders’ other returning All-Region player is sophomore outfielder Max Ketcherside . He is a three-year starter who is currently second on the team with a .563 batting average and in runs scored with nine. Two returning freshmen shortstop Nasir Jackson and right fielder Peyton Bishop were named honorable mention All-Region as eighth graders last year. They are three-year starters for coach Burbage. Bishop is hitting .364 and is second on the team in RBI’s while Jackson is hitting at a .500 clip. First basemen Elijah Smith leads the team with 9 RBI’s and has a .500 batting average. Newcomers’ sophomore second basemen Luis Santiago and eighth grade outfielder Josiah Clarke have been lights out. Santiago leads the team in batting with a .636 average and has scored a team high twelve runs and Clarke is hitting at a 500 clip.

By Neill Kirkpatrick Special to the HSSR Columbia – Keenan high school has won the most combined state basketball championships in state history with 15 (B-9/G-6) so when their playoff runs ended short of a state championship game appearance it could be considered a down year for the Raider programs. The Lady Raiders bowed out in the third round of the Class AA playoffs losing to Landrum 50-42 while the Raiders dropped a 45-38 decision to defending AA state champion Gray Collegiate in the upper state championship game. The Lady Raiders finished the year 17-9/6-2. They will only lose two seniors so heading into next season they will be one of the favorites. “I felt like this team could compete for the region title and make a deep run in the playoffs once we learn to play together. The second half of the season saw the girls come together and play well down the stretch. I am excited for where we are headed,” said head coach Reggie McLain . The Lady Raider’s will say goodbye to Diamond Harmon and Reanna Kennedy-Grooms . Both played solid minutes off the bench. Harmon scored 43 points, grabbed 49 rebounds and had 22 steals on the year. Coach McLain will have his top five scores returning next season in eighth grader Taelor Lee-Sutton , sophomores Kristin Brown and Aareonna Caughman , junior Samiyah Hicks and eighth grader Jayle Fulwiley . Lee-Sutton led the team in scoring at 14.3 points per game, assists at 4.2 per game and steals at 3.4 while Brown was second in scoring at 13.4 points a contest. Caughman and Hicks were one, two in rebounding at 8.7 and 6.7, respectively. Coach Zachary Norris losses only one senior off his squad in guard Rashard Robinson Jr. Robinson was solid all year as he scored eighty-six points, pulled down eighty-four rebounds, handed out forty-six assists and had forty steals on the year. His leadership will be missed. The Raiders will return their top two scorers in juniors Cedric Schofield (13.9 ppg) and Brian Sumpter (12.3). They were also one/ two in rebounding and blocked shots with Sumpter pulling down 9.4 boards a night and swatting away 2.4 shots while Schofield grabbed 7.5 boards and averaged a block a game. Sumpter was recently named to the SCBCA Class AA All-State team. Sophomore Broderick Anderson Jr scored 7.1 points per game and grabbed 4.5 rebounds a game. He was named player of the game four-times during the season.

Crestwood, Sumter, South Florence win other games

By Neill Kirkpatrick Special to the HSSR Columbia – The Keenan Lady Raiders enter the 2023/24 season in a different position than they have been in since 2019/20 as they are not a returning state champion but that has not changed the expectations for the perennial state power. Head coach Reggie McLain is excited for the new challenge for his team but still has lofty expectations for his young team. “I am happy with the progress of this team so far, we are in a different place in our program as far as we do not have any returning starters, all region, all state players back from last year’s team. We have young players that are excited to get better. So far, we are in a good place with the work ethic and the willingness to get better from the players,” said coach McLain. The Lady Raiders currently sit at 4-3 with a game against Lower Richland (5-3) before the Christmas break. Their three losses were to larger schools and the result of one bad period which shows in a young team. In their four wins the Lady Raiders have been unrelenting on the defensive as they allowed only thirty-four points per game. As a team they are forcing 14.4 steals per game Coach said, “We are pleased with our team’s performance so far but, we must continue to play together as a team and accept roles on our team. We have a very unselfish group and that will help is grow as a team.” The top returning players for the Lady Raiders are two sophomores Kristian Brown and Aareonna Cuaghman and eighth grader Taelor Lee-Sutton . Brown leads the team in scoring at 13.4 ppg from her shooting guard position as well as in three-point shooting at 38% with fifteen made threes on the year. Cuaghman has played well in the paint and leads the Lady Raiders in rebounding at 10 per game. She is averaging 7.7 ppg and is second on the team in steals with 2.7 rpg. Lee-Sutton was pulled up last year after the middle school season ended. She has taken over the point guard position and leads the team in assists (3.7 pg) and steals (4.6 pg). She is second in scoring at 11.4 ppg after averaging 9.9 ppg last season. “We are expecting a lot from Taelor, Kristian and Aareonna because they have the most experience. They have been the leaders for us in the early part of the season,” said coach McLain.

Neill Kirkpatrick Special to the HSSR Columbia – The Lady Raiders of Keenan under first-year head coach Kiarra Pettway have gotten off to a solid start to the 2023 volleyball season and as they head into the middle of their region schedule, they are looking to get back to the class AA playoffs. . “My expectations coming into the season as a first-year head coach was rebuilding the program and creating a positive environment for the girls to play and have fun, but this team is amazing,” said coach Pettway. “The chemistry and the bond the girls have has helped with the transition. I have 7 seniors on the team and the leadership from them has been tremendous. I am proud of these girls and the hard work they put in every day.” Leading the senior class are outside hitter KyAsia Savage and middle hitter Taziah Smith . They are second and third on the team in kills, Savage -38, and Smith -39 while Smith leads the team in blocks with 15. Senior setter Dymond Harmon leads the team in assists with 115 and is also the team’s top server at 92% with 12 aces. Reanna Kennedy-Groomes is the team’s other setter and is also part of the starting lineup. The rest of the class are right side hitters N’Dia Stroman-Adam and Nar’Jai Livingston and defensive specialist Mary Feko . Feko serve percentage is almost 90% and she has 12 aces. Junior transfer and starting libero Liddiani Jackson and hitter Ceigan Carter are also part of the starting lineup. Jackson leads the team in digs with 107 while Carter leads the team in kills with 48 and is second in digs with 57. Rounding out the Lady Raiders squad are junior hitter Ariyana Donaldson and sophomore’s hitter Kristin Brown and setter/ defensive specialist Zaniah Pearson . Donaldson has been solid at the net with 10 blocks which is second on the team. Brown may be the Lady Raiders most versatile player as she leads the team in aces with 26 and service points with 29. She also has 32 kills, 9 blocks to go with 33 digs. “We are currently 11-5. With one tournament to play and 4 region games for the season. If we can continue to improve, I feel we can make the playoffs,” said coach Pettway. Note: The Lady Raiders played well in their final tournament but came up short in their games. They head into the final week of region 4 AA play in second place. They can secure second in the region by winning all four matches.

Gray Collegiate, Oceanside Collegiate 1-2 In HSSR AA Pre-Season Ranking With Abbeville & Marion In The Hunt Also By Billy G. Baker Publisher Moncks Corner — Year-end and year-out the AA football classification is perhaps the most competitive classification in the state of South Carolina and the 2023 season will be no different. The HSSR is honesly not trying to fuel anti “Charter School” issues by having sister schools Gray Collegiate (8-4) and Oceanside Collegiate (12-2) ranked 1 and 3 in AA in the pre-season. We are just simply following the information available to us. Rounding out the top five in the HSSR AA pre-season ranking is second ranked Abbeville , Marion is 4 th and consolidated Hampton County (Estill and Wade Hampton have merged) rounds out the top five in a very competitive AA field. The HSSR went face-to-face with Gray head coach Adam Holmes gazing out at the brand- new turf stadium on the school campus, being used for the first time by the soccer team in the upper state championship game on May, 8 th . Coach Holmes said that he and his staff were working out 65 varsity and junior varsity candidates during Spring drills at the time. “We are super excited to have our own facility now and we worked out on it earlier this afternoon before the soccer match,” said Coach Holmes, a Manning High graduate who went on to play football at South Carolina . “We only had five seniors on our team last year, so we do not really lose a lot.” One key player for Gray in 2022 was junior QB Riley Staton (6-2, 185) who passed for 2,126 yards and 24 touchdowns. Staton transferred to Gaffney after the season and he did not participate in Spring drills with the War Eagles. However, Gray will return six other players who were either AA all-state or all-region in 2022 that saw the War Eagles lose to Saluda 23-16 in the second round of the playoffs. Among the six next level prospects returning are senior OL J.T. Sowell (6-4,265) who is pledged to Appalachian State and he has been a four-year starter up-front. Speedy senior WR Zai Offord (5-10, 170) has several offers also. “Zai is a most electric player on the field with the ball in his hands,” said Coach Holmes. Any time you have your quarterback back after an outstanding junior season, teams are usually a leg up in offensive preparation. Thus, third ranked Oceanside Collegiate is fortunate to have the services of senior Edward Reidenbach (6-1, 190) who completed 131-of- 187 passes thrown for 2,012 yards and 16 touchdowns last season. Reidenbach was also a true dual threat, rushing for an additional 595 yards adding 19 rushing TD’s to the stat sheet. While the Landsharks better QB’s in AA, the 13 talented and graduated seniors they had on the team a year ago, accounted for nearly 70 per cent of the rushing yardage. On defense, the seniors made nearly 65 per cent of the tackles, as many of these players performed double duty as two-way starters. Oceanside will return five players from the state championship roster on offense and they have seven starters back on defense. Last year the team also had 10 juniors, 24 sophomores, and 8 freshmen on the championship roster. Oceanside returns three senior OL in the persons of guard Owen Millard , RT Ben Britton (6-3, 250), and guard Phen Johnson (6-2, 265). Highly regarded left tackle Monroe Freeling is now at Georgia where he is expected to see early playing time for the Bulldogs. Trey Brown (5-11, 220) will be a senior returning tight end. Graduated RB Vaughn Blue has taken his 1,266 yards and 9 TD’s of last season to (missed five games due to injury) Appalachian State. The top returning RB is senior William Virgilo (6-1, 170) who gained 167 yards last season with three TD’s. The top WR back is Brown who had 24 catches for 237 yards and two TD’s last season. On defense, the top returning tacklers are Britton, two-way lineman who had 77 tackles and 17 TFL last year along with junior LB Max Moorman who had 68 tackles and 5.5 TFL last season. Other defensive starters back include sophomore DL Michael Jones , junior DL AJ Johnston , Brown and Moorman two way at the LB slots, and junior DB Grayson Freeling and senior DB C.J. Moskos . In 2022, the HSSR made the trek to McCormick for a sideline “up-close” look when Abbeville , ranked number two in the HSSR pre-season ranking, started the season in mid-August defeating the Chiefs 40-3. Veteran head coach Jamie Nickles came into the season with 198 wins and it would the 5 th game of the year before he earned the milestone. After what Abbeville accomplished last season, overcoming the lost of their most talented player for the majority of the season ( Antonio Harrison ) due to injury, and then dominating a very talented Oceanside Collegiate team in the AA state finals with 275 yards of rushing offense that produced 35 points, pollsters will just have to understand that this tradition rich program can start off the season at 2-2 and still be in the hunt for a championship every season. This fact was verified last year. The Panthers was the top scoring offense in AA in 2022 with 663 points while giving up 198 points on defense, tying for 6 th best scoring defense with Andrews . The best scoring defense in AA last year was Central who allowed just 145 points all season but the Eagles finished with a 6-5 record. After the McCormick win, Coach Nickles shared these thoughts: “I consider Harrison among the top 15 skilled athletes in the state and we are hoping to have him back by mid-October,” said the coach. (Harrison had an ACL injury playing AAU basketball in the Spring and his injury since shock waves through the Abbeville community). “I thought we started slow but that is not unusual for our first game of the year,” said Coach Nickles. “On defense I felt like we were solid all night.” In the first game of the season McCormick stacked the box to stop the run and senior QB Zay Rayford completed four passes for 128 yards and three touchdowns. Highly regarded (then) sophomore fullback Jha’Louis Hadden (6-0,213) rushed for 50 yards against McCormick scoring a TD on a 29-yard run and he later scored on a 21-yard pass reception. After head coaching in his 8 th state title since taking over the program 13 years ago, Coach Nickles said this after his team’s gold medal win, “Nobody is in Abbeville right now, everybody’s out here,” said Coach Nickles. “This is emotional for me because these kids believed in us back in August when we were losing games, and that is not easy to deal with, but they kept believing in what we were doing, and our coaches do such a great job of coaching.” Abbeville’s state championship season was fueled by the play of 23 dialed in senior’s last season. The Panthers had 9 juniors, 17 sophomores, and one freshman on the state game roster last year. They also have one of the best feeder programs in the state and wearing that “A” on your helmet challenges you to give your all each and every game. The Panthers return three starters on offense and four starters on defense. Altavious Patterson and Hadden both return as potent junior RB’s. Hadden rushed for around 835 yards and scored 12 TD’s a year ago while Patterson averaged 8.9 yards a carry in gaining around 675 yards and scoring 12 TD’s. Jay Hill will also return as a senior WR. The Woodland defense will be led by junior Migule Rhodes (5-9,165) and Lavont Furray in the secondary. Jerrell Sullivan is a sophomore newcomer that will contribute at free safety. Sophomore Jaemin Pinckney (6-2, 170) is another strong candidate at free safety. Jaylen Samson will be a sophomore strong safety/nickel back. Jarvis Guest (6-0,210) is a junior returnee at one outside linebacker slot. The Panther defense returns senior DL Jae Harris along with junior DL Gage Evans . Senior LB Nikelyn Bowie returns along with junior LB Demarcus Leach . Only seven teams in AA had double digit wins in 2022. Abbeville had the best over-all record at 13-2. Barnwell won 12 games in a row before playing very flat on the road at Andrew Jackson (11-3) to conclude the season 12-1. Former Warhorse head coach Dwayne Garrick has moved over to head coach at Aiken High this season. Former RSM head coach Brian Smith is now in charge of the Barnwell football program. The 11 th ranked Warhorses will be led by junior QB Cameron Austin (6-1,180) who is a two- sport prospect in both football and baseball. The Warhorses are likely to rely on the pass more as 2,000-plus rusher Tyler Smith is now at SC State . Austin, who has a strong accurate arm, completed 50 of 88 passes for 878 yards and 13 TD’s last season. Other starters back on offense include WR’s Jaquan Peeples and Logan Sturkie along with highly regarded OL prospect Slaton Ragsdale . On defense, only three starters return for Barnwell. They are LB’s Lex Thomas and Clayton Zissett along with DB Jordan Peeples . PK Lane Evans also returns for Barnwell. The Warhorses will be fielding one of their youngest teams in quite some time this season but they are expected to improve with every game. Saluda , loaded with senior leadership last season, finished with an 11-3 record. Oceanside Collegiate finished 12-2 but it be a while before the Land Sharks forget the 35-20 loss to the Panthers at Benedict College last season. Fairfield Central and Andrews each had 9 wins last season. Gray Collegiate , which could be a contender once again this season finished 8-4 over-all, but 6-0 in their region, and the War Eagles are excited about playing home games in their new stadium this season. The HSSR is also high on the deep playoff run potential of Woodland High coached by Eddie Ford . “We had a good group to work with in grades 9-12,” said Coach Ford who will be starting year five at Woodland this August. “Finding a quarterback to replace Sudarian Harrison (headed to Virginia) was one of our major focus points during our work-outs. I feel like we accomplished a lot over the two-week period.” Kam Pringle (6-7, 330) is a big- time four star OL who has committed to South Carolina and he will open up holes for talented RB’s . Joining Pringle in the offensive trenches are junior LG Antonio Ford (5-11, 320), and RG Xavier Green (6-3, 303). The top QB candidate coming out of Spring drills is soph Jaden Cato (6-0,180) who is moving up from junior varsity. “He is more of a runner but he has a decent arm,” said Coach Ford. “Our other candidate at quarterback is senior Tyree Edwards who has been a wide receiver. If Edwards does not become the quarterback, we know we will have an excellent receiver.” The RB position should be one of the strengths of the team. Senior Jayden Gardner was an all-region performer a year ago when he rushed for 700 yards and had 500 yards in receptions. Cane Bay RB transfer T. J. Wright (5-10, 205) has joined the Wolverines after he rushed 1,200 yards last season. Marion , at number four, is head coached by Brian Hennecy (31-13), and he has a team that could win it all in 2023. The Foxes return seven players on offense and 9 players on defense plus their combo kicker Cameron Felder returns. Over the summer Marion WR/DB Quay’sheed Scott (6-0,186, 4.3) committed to Kentucky after running 4.3 forty at every camp he went to. Scott has been compared to Deebo Samuel , former USC playmaker who is an all-pro with the 49’ers in the NFL. Also, WR/DB Tyshawn Sanders (5-11, 166) committed to Appalachian State over the summer. Coach Hennecy says coming into the season Marion is strong at all skill positions and in the secondary. He reports his team is still working on the kicking game and building team depth. Over the summer QB Gabriel Cusack (6-0,200) and WR/DE Jamorius Wilson (6-3, 200) also received a lot of recruiting attention from colleges. Marion will start the season on August, 17 against Lake View. Rounding out the AA top 5 is consolidated Hampton County and several next level players have come over from Estill that shut down to merge with Wade Hampton to form the new country wide public school this year. Last season, QB Xavier Garvin (6-0,165) and DL Ka'von Chisolm were HSSR all-state players at Estill. Chisolm has camped at FSU and is a top prospect in the defensive front. The team will also be supported by RB Zion Dobson . Head coach Rob Hanna says the strength of his team is at skill positions with good play makers. He says developing depth in both lines is a challenge coming into August drills. Hampton County will start the season away at Colleton County on August, 18. In Class AA there is parity and balance this year. The race for the gold is wide open! HSSR Class AA Pre-Season Ranking (As of July, 23) 1. Gray Collegiate 2. Abbeville 3. Oceanside Collegiate 4. Marion 5. Hampton County 6. Woodland 7. Fairfield Central 8. Silver Bluff 9. Andrew Jackson 10. Strom Thurmond 11. Barnwell 12. Saluda 13. Buford 14. Andrews 15. Keenan 16. Kingstree 17. Timberland 18. Central 19. Batesburg-Leesville 20. Lake Marion