Oceanside Collegiate's Sophomore QB, Aiden Manavian (6-0, 185)

Irmo quarterback AJ Brand AAAA Player of the Week

Timberland's big man on the line, Jr. Desmond Green (6-5, 340) plays Guard and DT.

Batesburg-Leesville beats Saluda 28-7 in battle of unbeatens

By Neill Kirkpatrick Special to the HSSR Hollywood - Friday night at Marion Brown field in Hollywood, the best rivalry in the low country that no one talks about between the home standing Baptist Hill Bobcats and the visiting Cross Trojans renewed and as usual there was a region championship on the line. The Trojans came into the game with a 5-0/7-2 region record while the Bobcats were 4-1/ 6-2. A win by the Bobcats and region 5 A would have a three-way top with Branchville being the third member. However, the Trojans made sure that would not happen as they jumped out to a 12-0 lead in the first quarter on their way a region clinching 36-0 win. It was the Trojans third straight win the series as well as the third straight shut out by the Trojans. “We have had our way the last three years with them but you can never take a Marion Brown coached team lightly. We knew coming into the game it would be a tough matchup,” said Cross head coach Shawn Wright . “We wanted to jump on them early and I’m proud of my guys for taking care of business.” Coach continued, “It is always nice to win another region championship (6-0/8-2) but this win gave us home field for as long as we are in the playoffs. We are also looking forward to the week off to get some rest and get some guys healthy so we can hopefully make a deep run in the playoffs.” The lose dropped Baptist Hill to third in the region with 4-2 record and 6-3 overall. The Bobcats will be on the road when the playoffs start in two weeks. “We knew Cross was going be tough and physical like they always are but offensively we had too many blown assignments. We put our defense in a bad position by giving them a short field but I felt our defense played well most of the night,” said coach Brown. While the Trojans did score 36 points on the night it was the Trojan defense that stole the show as they limited the Bobcat offense to 75 total yards and forced five turnovers. The Bobcats were only able to cross into Trojan territory twice all night. Leading the charge for the Trojans were two sophomores: defensive linemen Jaylin Broughton and linebacker Jimmy Smith . Broughton was in the backfield all night and when a Bobcat broke the line of scrimmage Smith made several jarring hits. “Our Defensive coordinator and defensive coaches do a great job of getting the kids ready to play. They put together a great scheme tonight and all year,” coach Wright said. The opening series for the Bobcats showed how long of a night it was going to be for them. As they fumbled on their second play and Cross recovered inside the ten-yard line but a face mask wiped out the play. Then, on second and 22, Baptist Hill quarterback Johnquez Henderson lofted a pass up the left side where Cross’s safety Caden Ramsey went over everyone for the interception at the Cross 38. Starting from the 38, the Trojans took eight plays to cover the 62 yards. Karmello Jones scored his first touchdown of the night on a four-yard run. The two-point conversion was no good and the Trojans lead 6-0. Things did go well for the Bobcats on their next possession. They lost ten yards on their first play when Henderson recovered a fumble. Then on fourth down the snapper snapped the ball over the punters head and the punter fell on the ball for an eight-yard loss. Jones scored his second touchdown of the night one play later on another four-yard run to push the lead to 12-0 Trojans in the first quarter. While the Bobcat offense continued to struggle, the defense led by linebacker Kevin Smalls started making an impact and making plays in the Cross backfield. They forced the Trojans to punt but the Bobcat offense still could not move the ball. The Trojans would put the game away in the final two-minutes of the first half as they would score 16 points in this two minutes to take a 28-0 lead into the half. First, Ramsey capped a 61-yard drive with a one-yard quarterback sneak on fourth down. Jones rushed for 59 of the 61 yards on the drive. Second, after forcing a Bobcat punt and taking possession at the Bobcat 42. The Trojans needed just two pass plays from Tyler Harris to Ramsey to cover the 42 yards and with the two two-point conversion the lead was pushed to 28. The Trojans finished the scoring on Ramsey’s third touchdown of night as he scored on a two-yard run. Harris connected with Preston Fuller for the final two-points of the night and the final of 36-0. Harris had a solid night for the Trojans completing six passes for 103 yards and touchdown while Jones rushed 18 times for 150 yards to go with his two scores. Jones also had an interception. Ramsey and Fuller each had three receptions and also a pick each while William Grant tallied 12 tackles, two tackles for loss and a sack to lead the defense.

Williamsburg Academy's Jr. QB Micha Baulder rolling out looking for a target

Championship weekend set for November 22-23

SCISA ready for postseason; one more week left for SCHSL

Blazers set to take on Sumter for Region 5-5A championship 

Dillon's Jamarion Fling AAA Player of the Week

The HSSR Week 9 Rankings are available! Playoffs are looming large and every team is hoping for some luck to make to Championship weekend. Keep up with your favorite team at: The High School Sports Report HSSR Div. I AAAAA Ranking - (Ranking After Week “9” Games October, 25) 1. Dutch Fork – 7-0 (291-17) 2. Summerville –9-0 (404-190) 3. Sumter- 8-0 (378-138) 4. Spartanburg-7-1 (378-138) 5. River Bluff- 7-1 (250-160) 6. JL Mann 6-2 (296-127) 7. Dorman 5-3 (162-159) 8. Boiling Springs 5-2 (251-94) 9. James Island 6-3 (151-80) 10. Blythewood 6-3 (230-146) HSSR Div. II AAAAA Ranking- (Ranking After Week “9” Games Oct. 25) 1. Irmo 8-0 (302-130) 2. Northwestern- 9-0 (469-158) 3. Gaffney- 6-1 (205-115) 4. Hillcrest 7-1 (269-142) 5. Greenwood 6-2 2340150) 6. Catawba Ridge 7-2 (269-188) 7. TL Hanna 6-2 (326-233) 8. West Florence 6-3 (238-189) 9. Goose Creek 5-3 (181-137) 10. Riverside 4-3 (198-167) HSSR AAAA Ranking - (Ranking After Week “9” (Oct. 25) 1. Westside - 7-0 (329-141) 2. Daniel -8-1 (448-132) 3. Seneca 9-1 (391-133) 4. May River 7-1 281-104) 5. Wren 6-1 (320-65) 6. South Pointe- 7-2 (413-94) 7. Hartsville-7-1-1 (397-148) 8 South Florence 7-2 (348-181) 9. Gray Collegiate 6-2 (267-137) 10. North Augusta- 7-1 (195-123) 11. AC Flora 7-2 (292-239) 12. Bishop England 7-2 (230-152) 13. Hilton Head 6-2 (281-83) 14. Camden 6-3 (193-199) 15. Richland Northeast 7-2 (273-214) HSSR AAA Football Rankings - (Ranking After Week “9” Games, Oct. 25) 1. BHP 8-1 (381-137) 2. Mountain View Prep 8-0 (372-138) 3. Loris 7-1 (335-75) 4. Dillon 7-2 (320-161) 5. Woodruff 6-1 (300-189) 6. Marlboro County-6-1 (301-115) 7. Hampton County 7-2 (285-159) 8. Swansea- 7-2 (242-180) 9. Oceanside Collegiate 6-3 (224-187) 10. Keenan 6-3 (307-240) 11. Orangeburg-Wilkinson-7-2 ((224-187) 12. Newberry-4-3 (268-148) 13. Powdersville 5-3 (268-213) 14. St. Joseph’s 5-3 (212-170) 15. Walhalla 5-3 (261-153) HSSR AA Football Rankings (After Week 9 Games, October, 25) 1. Saluda- 7-0 (215-64) 2. Barnwell 8-1 (272-90) 3. Batesburg-Leesville 8-0 (351-60) 4. Fairfield Central 7-1 (324-114) 5. Clinton 6-2 (318-183) 6. Hampton County 6-1 (235-117) 7. Strom Thurmond 5-2 (246-87) 8. Manning 7-1 (251-90) 9. Philip Simmons 7-2 (270-150) 10. Woodland 7-2 (284-127) 11. Cheraw 6-3 (188-173) 12. Woodland 7-2 (284-127) 13. Andrews 6-3 (270-145) 14. Timberland 6-3 (264-133) 15. Mullins 7-3 (276-203) HSSR CLASS A RANKINGS (After Week “9” Games, Oct. 25) 1. Abbeville- 6-1 (356-129) 2. Lewisville- 8-1 (312-94) 3. Lake View-7-1 (283-169) 4. Cross 7-2 (376-83) 5. Branchville 8-1 (314-171) 6. Lamar 7-2 (378-129) 7. HKT 7-1 (265-102) 8. Bamberg-Ehrhardt 6-2 (304-80) 9. Dixie 6-2 ((222-202) 10. Baptist Hill 6-2 (228-141) 11. Blackville-Hilda-6-1 (226-156) 12. Hannah Pamplico-6-2 (235-153) 13. Lee Central 5-4 (211-225) 14. Latta 4-5 (245-146) 15. Ridge Spring Monetta 5-2 (109-124) HSSR-SCISA AAAA Ranking - (After Week “9” Games, Oct. 25) 1. Hammond-9-0 (415-125) 2. Porter-Gaud-8-1 (358-150) 3. Northwood Academy-8-2 (305-136) 4. Ben Lippen 4-4 (118-161) 5. Augusta Christian 2-6 (138-277) 6. Laurence Manning 3-6 (229-330) HSSR-SCISA AAA Ranking - (After Week “9” Games, Oct. 25) 1. Pinewood Prep 6-2 (282-1`45) 2. Wilson Hall-8-1 (252-103) 3. Northside Christian-8-1 (259-147) 4. Hilton Head Christian 5-3 (253-232) 5. Florence Christian 5-3 (231-166) 6. Trinity Collegiate -4-5 (166-190) HSSR-SCISA AA Ranking - (After Week “9” Games, Oct. 25) 1. Pee Dee Academy-8-0 (199-103) 2. Calhoun Academy 7-2 (346-181) 3. Greenwood Christian 6-2 (273-115) 4. Bethesda Academy 6-2 (220-120) 5. Orangeburg Prep 4-5 (199-187) 6. St. Johns Christian 4-5 (251-309) 251-309) HSSR-SCISA Class A Ranking - (After Week “9” Games, October, 25) 1.Williamsburg Academy-6-1 (211-94) 2. Thomas Heyward-8-1 (339-112) 3. Beaufort Academy 7-2 (257-162) 4. Dorchester Academy-5-2 (123-133) 5. Colleton Prep 6-3 (211-187) 6. Carolina Academy-4-4 (191-210) HSSSR SCISA 8-Man Ranking - (After Week “9” Games, Oct. 25) 1. Richard Winn-8-0 (363-108) 2. Jefferson Davis 9-1 (451-110) 3. Holly Hill Academy 8-1 (410-140) 4. Wardlaw 7-1 (322-184) 5. Cathedral Academy- 8-2 (427-215) 6. Laurens Academy-6-3 (328-276)

Manning wins Region 7-AA title with a 38-13 triumph over Marion

Two weeks left in regular season

Daniel Island - It has been a minute since the Bishop England High football program hosted an important game eight weeks into a season, but that was the case on Friday as the Bishops took on Bluffton in a crucial region 6-AAAA contest. Few would have predicted the Bishops, in rebuild mode under first-year head coach Logan Hall, could be in a game of such magnitude when the season began. But the Bishops were seeking their seventh win o the 2024 season (the most since 2017) and a chance to move into a first-place tie in the standings. The Bishops overcame a 10-point deficit with a pair of fourth quarter touchdowns to pull out a 28-24 win. Quinn Mahoney’s 38-yard touchdown connection to Jacob MacKara with 2:37 to play in the game provided the game-winner, lifting the Bishops to a 3-1 record in region play and 7-2 overall. Trailing by 24-14 early in the fourth, Mahoney hit Nick Brunetti with a five-yard pass on fourth-and-goal to put the Bishops within range. The game featured two of the top quarterbacks in region six. Bluffton junior Aedan McCarthy accounted for more than 2,100 total yards and 25 touchdowns in the first seven games, while Mahoney had racked up nearly 2,000 yards and 18 scores through eight games. Neither quarterback found any rhythm in the first half, aside from their first drives. The game began with plenty of offense with three scores in the first nine minutes. Defenses took over for the rest of the first half with each team punting several times. Bluffton had a touchdown nullified on their first possession of the game, settling for a 31-yard field goal and a 3-0 lead. Bishop England’s first possession resulted in a touchdown as Mahoney scored on a five-yard keeper with 5:13 left in the first period. Bluffton answered about 90 seconds later with Kendall Holley capping a quick drive with a six-yard run to give the Bobcats a 10-7 lead with 3:37 remaining. Bishop England mounted one good drive late in the second quarter but missed on a 35-yard field goal as time expired. The Bishops opened the third quarter with a great drive and Mitchell Plaisance scored on a 19-yard run for a 17-14 lead. Bluffton, however, scored twice on Holley runs of four and nine yards to take a 24-14 lead into the fourth quarter. Bishop England will close out the regular season against Colleton County next Friday.

As we get deeper into the region play and make up Hurricane Helene games, the competition is tightening up. SCISA Championship Weekend starts Nov. 22nd. SCHSL Championship Weekend is the weekend of December 14th at SC State's Oliver Dawson Stadium. HSSR Div. I AAAAA Ranking - (After Week “8” Games, Oct. 18) 1. Dutch Fork – 7-0 (291-17) 2. Summerville – 8-0 (363-176) 3. Sumter- 7-0 (378-138) 4. Spartanburg-6-1 (220-81) 5. River Bluff- 7-1 (250-160) 6. Ashley Ridge 6-2 (366-248) 7. JL Mann 5-2 (261-127) 8. Boiling Springs-4-2 (210 9. Lexington-5-3 (139-155) 10. Blythewood- 6-3 (230-146) HSSR Div. II AAAAA Ranking - (After Week “8” Games, Oct. 18) 1. Gaffney- 6-0 (198-106) 2. Irmo – 8-0 (302-130) 3. Northwestern- 8-0 (434-151) 4. Hillcrest 6-1 (213-125) 5. Catawba Ridge 6-1 (243-167) 6. Greenwood-5-2 (196-150) 7. TL Hanna 5-2 (244-187) 8. Riverside 4-2 (186-129) 9. West Florence-5-3 (208-129) 10. Goose Creek 5-3 (181-137) HSSR AAAA Ranking - (After Week “8” Games, Oct. 18) 1. Westside - 6-0 (280-138) 2. Daniel -6-1 (322-104) 3. Seneca 7-1 (287-119) 4. Wren 5-1 (257-65) 5. South Pointe- 6-2 (355-84) 6. Hartsville-6-1-1 (312-162) 7 South Florence 6-2 (327-140) North Augusta- 6-1 (239-95) Gray Collegiate 5-2 (312-131) AC Flora 7-2 (292-239) 11. Hilton Head 5-2 (216-77) 12. May River- 6-1 (225-90) 13. Bluffton-5-2- (235-162) 14. Bishop England-6-2 (202-128) 15. Richland Northeast-6-3 (246-198) HSSR AAA Football Rankings - (After Week “8” Games, Oct. 18) 1. BHP 7-1 (333-130) 2. Mountain View Prep 7-0 (323-118) 3. Dillon 5-2 (273-122) 4. Loris 6-1 (334-75) 5. Woodruff 5-1 (256-179) 6. Marlboro County-6-1 (334-75) 7. Swansea- 6-2 (221-173) 8. Oceanside Collegiate 6-3 (224-187) 9. Keenan 6-3 (287-195) 10. Orangeburg-Wilkinson-6-2 ((233-111) 11. Newberry-4-3 (223-128) 12. Mid-Carolina-4-3 (155-159) 13. Powdersville-4-3 (234-206) 14. St. Joseph’s 4-3 (177-156) 15. Fox Creek 4-3 (221-151) HSSR AA Football Rankings - (After Week “8” Games, Oct. 18) 1. Saluda- 6-0 (180-38) 2. Barnwell 7-1 (238-82) 3. Batesburg-Leesville 7-0 (303-61) 4. Fairfield Central 7-1 (324-114) 5. Clinton 5-2 (257-169) 6. Hampton County 6-1 (235-117) 7. Strom Thurmond 5-1 (221-52) 8. Manning 6-1 (213-67)) 9. Philip Simmons 6-2 (249-143) 10. Woodland 5-2 (228-120) 11. Landrum-5-2 (255-120) 12. Central 6-2 (218-109) 13. Timberland 6-2 (257-112) 14.. Chesterfield-5-2 (241-145) 15. Andrews- 5-2 (216-118) HSSR CLASS A RANKINGS - (After Week “8” Games, Oct. 18) 1. Abbeville- 5-1 (293-115) 2. Lewisville- 7-1 (260-87) 3. Lake View-7-1 (282-69) 4. Cross 6-2 (324-83) 5. Blackville-Hilda-6-1 (213-103) 6. Branchville-7-1 (291-149) 7. Dixie 6-1 (208-139) 8. Lamar-6-2 (329-113) 9. HKT-6-1 (206-90) 10. Baptist Hill- 5-2 (206-113) 11. Hannah Pamplico-5-2 (208-131) 12. Bamberg-Ehrhardt- 5-2 (261-76) 13. Latta-4-4 (213-119) 14. Lee4-3 (173-186) 15. Ridge Spring Monetta 5-2 (103-110) HSSR-SCISA AAAA Ranking - (After Week “8” Games, Oct. 18) 1. Hammond-8-0 (367-108) 2. Porter-Gaud-7-1 (309-143) 3. Northwood Academy-7-2 (277-130) 4. Ben Lippen 4-3 (181-272) 5. Laurence Manning 3-5 (204-302) 6. Augusta Christian 2-5 (132-249) HSSR-SCISA AAA Ranking - (After Week “8” Games, Oct. 18) 1. Pinewood Prep 5-2 (238-131) 2.. Wilson Hall-7-1 (209-103) 3. Northside Christian-7-1 (225-140) 4. Florence Christian 5-3 (231-166) 5. Hilton Head Christian-4-3 (211-226) 6. Trinity Collegiate -3-5 (128-165) HSSR-SCISA AA Ranking - (After Week “8” Games, Oct. 18) 1. Pee Dee Academy-7-0 (274-81) 2. Bethesda Academy 6-2 (220-120) 3. Calhoun Academy- 6-2 (296-174)) 4.Greenwood Christian-5-2 (236-109) 5. St. Johns Christian 4-5 (251-309) 6. Orangeburg Prep-3-5 (159-159) HSSR-SCISA Class A Ranking - (After Week “8” Games, Oct. 18) Williamsburg Academy-6-1 (211-94) 2. Thomas Heyward-7-1 (288-106) 3. Dorchester Academy-7-0 (204-60) 4. Beaufort Academy 6-3 (251-203) 5. Colleton Prep 6-3 (211-187) 6. Carolina Academy-4-3 (185-159) HSSSR SCISA 8-Man Ranking - (After Week “8” Games, Oct. 18) 1. Richard Winn-7-0 (301-96)) 2. Jefferson Davis 9-1 (383-104) 3. Holly Hill Academy 7-1 (356-132) 4. Wardlaw 6-1 (268-172) 5. Cathedral Academy- 7-1 (419-143) 6. Laurens Academy-6-2 (316-214)

Laurens Academy's Ethan Collins 8-man Player of Week

All-star game will be played December 21 in Myrtle Beach

Summerville sophomore running back Keshon Washington

Dillon hands Marlboro County first loss with 35-12 triumph

North Charleston - It is not likely that either team will win the region 8-AAAAA championship this season but that did not temper the intensity level displayed as James Island visited Fort Dorchester for their week eight showdown. James Island snapped a two-game losing streak, earning their first region win of the season with a 26-7. The Trojans improved to 5-3 overall while the Patriots fell to 4-4 on the season. The Trojans have struggled to score points all season and lost their best offensive threat, Jalen Brown-Singleton, on Thursday when he unexpectedly transferred to a prep school in Florida. However, the Trojans’ offense rallied as a unit, sparked by the return of top running back Amor Scott. Scott returned to action after missing the last month with an injury. The offense did not pile up huge yardage but effectively moved the ball enough to dominate the time of possession. James Island made it look easy early on, taking their first possession of the game 66 yards on six plays with Connor Dantzler connecting with Sam Crumpton on a 14-yard touchdown for an early 7-0 lead. Gray Dangerfield added a 28-yard field goal for a 10-0 lead with 2:50 remaining in the first quarter, The James Island defense, one of the top units in the Lowcountry, kept Fort Dorchester in check throughout the first half, The offense added a touchdown on Scott’s two-yard run with :20 seconds left in the second quarter to give the Trojans a 17-0 lead. Fort Dorchester opened third quarter with their best drive as Campbell capped the initial possession with a 42-yard touchdown scamper, pushing him over 100 yards rushing on the night. After a fumble recovery gave the Trojans great field position, Dangerfield booted a 40-yard field goal to push the lead to 20-7 heading into the fourth quarter. James Island’s defense came up with three fourth down stops in the fourth quarter to preserve the lead. The last stop set the Trojans up at the Fort 15-yard line and Thomas Webb capped the scoring with a seven-yard run.

Barnwell's senior QB Cameron Austin on the keeper

Nine of 12 weeks of regular season now complete

Hannah Wallace makes a dig for Fort Dorchester during its match at Ashley Ridge.

By Dennis Brunson hssr.com Associate Editor Dillon – Donell Stanley’s second season as the football head coach at Dillon Christian School is going much like his first. There have been several close games, but not a lot of victories. The Warriors were 3-8 last season with three of those losses coming by one, three and 12 points. So far this season, DCS, a SCISA AA school this year after playing at the Class A level last year, is 1-4-1 with a 3-point loss to AAA Florence Christian School by a 30-27 count to start the season and a 28-27 loss to AA St. John’s Christian on October 4. The other losses were 19-0 to AAA Trinity Collegiate and 29-8 to AA Hilton Head Prep . Dillon Christian’s win was 34-6 over Carolina Academy while it tied Lee Academy 7-7 in a game that was called due to inclement weather. The losses to St. John’s Christian and Hilton Head Prep were Region 1 losses. Dillon Christian has three region contests remaining. The Warriors play at Bethesda Academy on October 11 and at Christian Academy of Myrtle Beach on October 25 before playing host to Pee Dee Academy on November 1 to end the regular season. Senior running back Jackson Outlar is the leader of the Warriors offense. He had rushed for 551 yards and scored five touchdowns on 69 carries through five games He had also caught seven passes for 195 yards and three touchdowns. Senior quarterback Avery Sherman has completed 29 of 57 passes for 416 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for 146 yards and three touchdowns on 22 carries. Senior wide receiver CJ Bailey has 12 receptions for 110 yards, senior Walker Chavis had two catches for 63 yards, senior Tye Carroll had four catches for 22 yards and junior Hayden Moody had four catches for 22 yards. . Junior middle linebacker Kaden Locklear was leading the defense with 37 tackles and three fumble recoveries. Junior defensive lineman Wyatt Locklear had 33 tackles, while Sherman, a cornerback on defense, senior defensive lineman Chris Wilcox and junior defensive lineman Braxton Cummings all had 23 tackles. Junior defensive lineman R Bracey had a team high two quarterback sacks among his 20 total tackles. He had also caused two fumbles and recovered a fumble. Bailey, a cornerback, had an interception as did Sherman. Bailey also had two fumble recoveries and had 18 tackles. Chavis, a strong safety on defense, had 20 tackles and a sack

By WORTHY EVANS Contributing Writer LUGOFF – Angelo Rios walked out of the locker room at Lugoff-Elgin without his pads Friday night. The Westwood sophomore stood maybe 5 feet, eight inches in the shadows of an emptying stadium, his 160-some-pound frame almost lost in the post-game darkness. Behind him, the muffled sounds of his teammates sounding off in celebration of another Region 5-5A win. “I just want to thank the O-line, without them blocking, none of it could happen,” he said. “and the team in general, just pushing everybody to be their best and have a great game.” When he had his pads on, the spry running back led the Redhawks rushing attack in rallying past the Demons to a 30-24 victory. Rios finished the night with 285 yards and three touchdowns on 37 carries, with two of those scores coming in a second-half surge that tied the game at 24 with about seven minutes to go. Carrington Carter’s 8-yard TD run with 6:08 left gave Westwood (5-3, 3-1) the lead for the first time in the game—and the win. “I’m just really proud of our kids,” head coach Robert O’Connell said. “We were down 12 at the half, and we obviously didn’t play very well defensively in the first half, but we came out and shut ’em out in the second half and we did some offensive things to win. Really proud of our effort.” Westwood’s effort was especially big because with senior kicker Cullen Henderson out because of an injury, the team did it without a kicker. The Redhawks went 0-for-4 in 2-point conversion attempts, and Rios—when he wasn’t rushing—tried an extra point after Carrington’s touchdown, but his kick didn’t reach the crossbar. “Right now we’re down a kicker, and you get behind the points and they (the scores) get funky. We make it a little harder on our part because you’ve gotta do the math and all that, but I’m so proud of the team tonight.” It didn’t look good for the Redhawks early on. Lugoff-Elgin (3-6, 0-5) took a 14-0 lead by the end of the first quarter on two Aiden Fitzgerald touchdown passes. The first was a 10-yard toss to Eric Richardson at the 7:20 mark, and the second was a 31-yard strike to Jeremiah Benson with 1:46 left in the first quarter. Westwood finally got on the scoreboard on Rios’ 8-yard touchdown run at the 9:13 mark of the second quarter, but the defense had problems with stopping the Demons’ offense. Fitzgerald made it 21-6 on his 15-yard run for a score with 6:12 left in the first half. Westwood’s next drive, lifted with a 55-yard pass from Carter to Cameron Bennett , got closed out with Carter’s 11-yard pass to Sean Goddard in the closing minutes of the second half. Just before intermission, Lugoff-Elgin kicker Eli Branham hit a 30-yard field goal that gave the Demons a 24-12 halftime lead. Intermission couldn’t come at a better time for the Redhawks. “We had a talk in the locker room, and that motivated us a lot,” Rios said. “The whole team, the defense came out and played harder, It was just a team effort.” Westwood’s offense stayed with the plan and got a score on Rios’ 41-yard touchdown run at the 6:52 mark of the third quarter. While Carrington and the offense kept on working out the kinks—the quarterback threw an interception on the Redhawks next possession, the defense woke up and kept Lugoff-Elgin from regaining its first-half swagger, holding the Demons to just two first downs. Westwood’s offense turned the corner late in the third quarter with a 15-play, 82-yard scoring drive that straddled the third and fourth quarters. Rios capped that drive with his third touchdown of the evening, a 5-yard run. When the kicker-less Redhawks tried a kickoff that went down more as an onside kick, a Lugoff-Elgin player tried to catch the football about 20 yards downfield, but it bounced to the ground and a Westwood player pounced on it. Gifted an extra possession, the Redhawks made the most of it. Westwood kept the ball on the ground for four plays and 20 yards, with runs from Rios, Carter, and Elon Robinson . Carter’s 8-yard score proved to be the game-winner. The Westwood defense then shut down the Demons, forcing a turnover on downs. The Redhawks picked up two first downs in clock-draining runs, and kneeled in a victory formation twice to seal the win. Lugoff-Elgin plays at Spring Valley Friday in its regular-season finale. The Vikings (0-8, 0-4) had an open date this week. Westwood plays host to West Florence (5-3, 2-2) which fell 41-16 to Ridge View Friday, next week. A win over the Knights could solidify a third-place slot for the Redhawks. Westwood 0 12 6 12 – 30 Lugoff-Elgin. 14 10 0 0 – 24 First Quarter L - Eric Richardson 10 pass from Aiden Fitzgerald (Eli Branham kick) 7:20 L - Jeremiah Benson 31 pass from Fitzgerald (Branham kick) 1:46 Second Quarter W - Angelo Rios 8 run (pass failed) 9:13 L - Fitzgerald 15 run (Branham kick) 6:12 W - Sean Goddard 11 pass from Carrington Carter (pass failed) 1;53 L - Branham 30 field goal. :02 Third Quarter W – Rios 41 run (run failed) 6:42 Fourth Quarter W – Rios 5 run (run failed) 7:22 W – Carter 8 run (kick failed) 6:05 WHS L-E First Downs 22 8 Rushes-yds 55-357 15-37 Passing yds 119 214 Att-Com-Int 15-9-1 20-16-0 Fumbles-lost 0-0 2-2 Penalties-yds 7-43 6-50 Punts-avg. 2-21.0 3-35.3 RUSHING W – Angelo Rios 37-285, Carrington Carter 7-36, Elon Robinson 5-26, Quentin McGill Jr. 2-12, Kham Cunningham 1-(-3), Team 1-1. L-E – Ry’Keez Brown 5-14, Aiden Fitzgerald 2-15, Jar’kese Grant5-15, Eric Richardson 2-(-4), TEAM 1-(-3). PASSING W – Carrington Carter 9-15-1. L-E – Aiden Fitzgerald 16-20-0. RECEIVING W – Cameron Bennett 2-57, Kham Cunningham 2-28, Angelo Rios 2-11, Sean Goddard 1-11, Collen Scott 1-3, Quentin McGill Jr. 1-9. L-E – Eric Richardson 7-123, Shamil Saadiq 4-22, Jeremiah Benson 3-49, Myles Hamilton 2-22.

PCA head coach Shelly Kaiser with team captains (L) Ava Brown and (R) Cokey Suddeth

By Neill Kirkpatrick Special to the HSSSR Bamberg – The old saying ‘goes the more things change the more they stay the same’ and it applies to the Bamberg-Ehrhardt Volleyball team as Lauren Etheridge took the reins from Deanna Merchant and the Lady Red Raiders are again among the top-class A volleyball teams in the state. The Lady Red Raiders currently sit at 13-1-8 overall and they currently sit a top region 7A. They have two region matches left and if they win those they will reach their first goal on the season of winning the region and two home matches when the playoffs start. “ I am proud of our play so far this season. We set have high expectations for our team. We always prioritize scheduling with high level teams to help expose our strengths and weaknesses and push us to improve,” said coach Etheridge. “We have been strong at the net and in our service game this year and we are always working to improve defensively.” The Lady Red Raiders are led by senior starters Brantley Brown , Kathleen Evans , Cailyn Youmans , and Addi Jameson . Youmans has 71 kills on the year as part of a front line that has 230 kills on the year. Evans and Brown have been the teams top servers and have a 30% ace percentage with Evans having severed a time high 229 times. Jameson is the teams libero and defensive specialist. She is not afraid to hit the floor as her team high 54 digs would attest. Rounding out the starting lineup are juniors Briaunjenai McMillan and E’zariah Williams and sophomore Raelynn Jarrett . Williams leads the team in kills with 72. Coming off the bench to provide valuable minute are seniors Nalanie Eckels , Neaeha Ricks and junior Shantell Black . The Lady Red Raiders have region matches against Allendale Fairfax and rival Branchville as well as two non-region matches against Silver Bluff and one of the top AAA teams in Orangeburg-Wilkinson . “After coaching all of these ladies on JV and many of them in club, I am honored to be working with them at the varsity level! It is my goal to send the seniors off with a season to remember,” said coach Etheridge.

By David Shelton Senior Writer Beaufort – The quest for a region championship in football begins on Oct. 4 and all that happened in the non-region slate of games can be put to rest. Beaufort struggled through the non-region portion of their 2024 schedule, posting a 1-4 record against a tough schedule. Now the focus turns to region play and how the Eagles fare during the next five weeks will determine their playoff fate. Beaufort will do region battle with Colleton County , Bluffton , Bishop England , May River and Hilton Head . Consistency is the main goal for the Eagles as head coach Bryce Lybrand navigates through a few injuries and some inexperience. Leading offensively is senior quarterback Samari Bonds , who has passed for nearly 600 yards and rushed for nearly 300 yards in the non-region schedule. Bonds is the team’s leading rusher with Elias Johnson adding about 200 yards on the ground. Caleb Stephan and Marion Jackson have been the leading receivers. Linebacker Will Codding and Issac Smalls have been the defensive leaders, each averaging about eight tackles per game. The other fall sports teams also are gearing up for a strong finish to the regular season with sights set on making the state playoffs. The state swim meet is set for mid-October and Beaufort has several swimmers that should qualify for a medal opportunity. The girls 200 medley relay team should earn that chance after setting a school record on Oct. 1. Members of that record-setting unit include Susan Cushman , Rebecca Farmer , Amorette Chapman , and Claire Jones . The girls golf team is preparing for their play in the region tournament, hoping to be qualify for the AAAA Lower State tournament later this month. Jocelyn Senna plays the No.1 slot on the team. Kenadie Cole is No. 2 and Lauren Holcombe is No. 3. Rounding out the top five is Saylor Waldorf and Emma Pfeister . Yzeuit Antia anchors the girls cross country team this fall. Savannah Stokes , Savannah Dickerson and Cecelia Terry round out the top four in most events. Clay Dalon is the top runner on the boys team, followed by Ryli Corbin , David Barr , Max Gibbons and Fred Waddell . The girls volleyball team is battling for a top four finish in the region standings as the season winds down. Among the top performers this season have been Alyson Dennison , Selena Duncan , Piper Kennedy , Camille Giblin and Chloe Sampson . Dennison leads the team in kills while Duncan leads the team in digs. Giblin leads the team in assists.

By Neill Kirkpatrick Special to the HSSR Denmark – The Denmark-Olar Vikings heads into the home stretch of their schedule needing to play their best football of the season if they want to make the class A playoffs and have a shot a region championship. The Vikings have had some tough luck this season as they sit at 1-5/0-1 with three region games remaining. They will host Hardeeville (1-6,0-2) and Allendale Fairfax (0-5,0-0) before they travel 6.45 miles down Hwy 78 to take on rival Bamberg Ehrhardt (4-2,1-0). All three games are region games and the Vikings will need to win at two of the games to secure a spot in the class A Lower State playoffs. Offensive consistency has been the biggest issue for the Vikings all season. They have had some good moments but penalties, turnovers and mental mistakes have stopped promising drives all year. Freshman quarterback Nykeem Brimfield (6-4, 220) and sophomore quarterback Tiberius Duncan (6-5, 200) have taken most of the snaps. Both have live arms but they have showed their inexperience as well. Against Blackville Hilda head coach William Raysor put in junior Robert Bovain (6-1, 180) at quarterback to add a little experience to the position. “Robert is a special player. He will do anything we ask him to do. He makes plays wherever we play and we know he is going to give us his all every play,” said Coach Raysor. Bovian is the teams leading rusher and is on his way to a 1000-yard year. He rushed for 141 yards against Blackville Hilda at running back and then switched to QB and almost led a come from behind win. Defensively, he has been unblockable from his outside linebacking position. He pressures the quarterback on pass plays and makes tackles behind the line on running plays. He is one of the top juniors in the state by the HSSR. Playing opposite of Bovain is HSSR Top 100 Senior Tykeem Ross (6-3, 245). Offenses game plan around Ross as causes havoc as well. He has also shown his ability at tight end making several catches. Blackville Hilda head coach Kevin Jones said, “We went to wishbone to run away from Ross. He is tremendous player and you have to account for him on every play.” Charleston Brown (6, 250) has been a terror on the inside for the Vikings on defense. He gets in the backfield and disrupts offenses. He is also the leader of the offensive line. Terrance “Agent Zero” Hinton (5-8, 165) has been the main target in the passing game but has not had a lot of opportunities down field. “We have stressed all year that we have to play four quarters football to win games and we just have not done that. When we play our best we can compete with anyone but we have to finish and that has been the issue all year,” said coach Raysor.

Carolina Academy Girls Tennis team

By Dennis Brunson hssr.com Associate Editor Pageland – Jonathan Eason’s first game as the football head coach of his alma mater, Central High School , was not a good one. The Eagles lost to Lewisville 20-0. Since that ill-fated start though, Central has exploded offensively and been dominant defensively. The Eagles have shut out Parkwood of North Carolina 22-0, beat Lamar 40-38 in a shootout, whipped Blacksburg 44-14, beat Anson of North Carolina 32-7 and blasted Buford 47-0. “I think we have gotten better every week,” said Eason, whose team was 5-1 and 1-0 in Region 4-AA after the win over Buford. “The kids are working hard and taking pride in getting better.” After failing to put any points on the board in the season opener, Central scored 185 points in the five victories. “Offensively we have been able to make a ton of big plays,” Eason said. “Our offensive line has done a good job creating movement in the run game and our playmakers have done a great job of making things happen once they get in space.” Through the first five games, the Eagles were averaging 178.4 rushing yards per game. However, they are spreading the wealth. Junior running back Aiden Short was leading the way with 343 yards and four touchdowns on 46 carries. Junior Ashten Wilson was averaging 241 and two scores on 31 carries, sophomore quarterback Dwayne Louallen Jr. had 146 yards and two scores on 29 carries, and senior Tray Wilson had 23 carries for 142 yards and five touchdowns. Louallen Jr. had completed 37 of 70 passes for 331 yards and two touchdowns. Three other players have thrown a pass and completed a pass as well. Short tossed a 58-yard touchdown pass, junior Taveon Moore had a 44-yard scoring pass and junior Sean Davis completed a 39-yard pass. Tray Wilson is the top pass catcher with 13 catches for 121 yards and a score. Moore had five catches for 105 yards and a touchdown, Short had five catches for 55 yards and a score and Sean Davis had a 44-yard TD catch. Ashten Wilson had five catches for 45 yards and senior JB Bines had five catches for 61 yards. The offensive line has Brandon Streater at left tackle and Jordan Caldwell at right tackle. The left guard is Malik Gaskins with John Wallace starting at right guard. The center is Brandon Rollins . Eason believes Central’s speed and athleticism are paying dividends on defense. “Defensively I feel like we have been dominant at times,” he said. “We are very fast and the guys get after it.” Senior defensive tackle Kobe Davis leads the Eagles in tackles for loss with eight and quarterback sacks with three among his 18 total tackles. Senior defensive end Dontavias Covington had 20 tackles, 4 ½ tackles for loss and two sacks. Junior defensive end Marques Allen was the leading tackler with 31. Central closes out the season with a road game against Cheraw on October 11, is at home against Andrew Jackson on Octobert 18, at Chesterfield on October 25 and at home against North Central on November 1. “I just want to see uc to continue to improve each week,” Eason said. “I believe that as long as we do that we will be where we want to be at the end of the year.”

By David Shelton Senior Writer Hilton Head – The Hilton Head Prep athletic program is one of the more successful athletic programs, across the board, in the SC Independent Schools Association. Dolphin athletes compete for region and state champions in many sports and almost always experience the opportunity to hoist the gold during the school year in various sports. The fall sports season of 2024 is coming to an end as SCISA teams turn their focus to the state playoffs. Hilton Head Prep’s fall teams will be among those competing for state championship honors once again. The volleyball program is having a very competitive season, taking advantage of an experienced roster. Entering the final stretch of regular season contests, the Dolphins were at .500 overall against a competitive schedule. The hope is a shot in the state tournament to test their skills against the best. Leading the way is a solid group of seniors, led by Courtney Campbell , a three-sport star at Prep and a motivational sparkplug for the volleyball team. Other seniors include Ella Boorom , Sophia Haroutunian , Olivia Denny , and Izzy Bauer . A solid cast of juniors includes Molly Helms , Erin Cleary , Lola Chambers , Merritt Fisher , Sophia Schieman , Lyla Alford and Alexis Luckasevic . Rounding out the 2024 roster are freshmen Phoebe Helms , Charley Frey and Makayla Hunt . The girls golf team will be in contention at the SCISA state tournament on Oct 14, The team has posted a solid regular season and looks forward to a title chase. Members of the team include Rachel Del Garzo , Bella Johnson , Ella Jones , Abgail Kell , Alexa Palazzo , and Shengyi Zhu . Though not likely to contend in the state meet, the members of the cross country program have put in a lot of work during the fall and have competed in several meets. The girls team is not a full compliment of runners but Maya Biles and Riley Wilbert have been participating in most races as individuals. The boys team has better numbers and looks to have a strong state meet. Jonathan DeMaria leads the team as the top runner, with Charlie Hardwick , Matthew Moe , Levi Wright , Luke Levensour and Isaiah Cozza also competing well.

By Dennis Brunson hssr.com Associate Editor Camden – After playing for the AAA state championship last season, the Camden High School volleyball team was off to an 11-4 start as head coach Paige Wilson started her fourth decade in charge. The Bulldogs have played in six state championship matches under Wilson’s tutelage, bringing home the crown twice. However, perhaps an even more impressive figure is that Camden has won the region title 29 times in her first 30 seasons. If they were going to make it 30 in 31 though, the Bulldogs had a little work to do. They started 7-1 in Region 3-AAAA, the lone loss coming to A.C. Flora by a 3-2 score. The Falcons were undefeated in seven matches with five region matches remaining to four for Camden. If Camden is to win the region, it will likely come down to a home match against Flora on October 21. However, Wilson isn’t really worried about any of that at this moment. “This year's team has progressed well with a new group, showing improvement as the season progresses,” Wilson said. “The team works well together and they are versatile in the positions that they can play.” Camden returned six starters from last year’s 26-5 team. They are led by twin sister seniors Aryanna Connell and Nicolette Connell . Aryanna, a AAA All-State selection last year, had a team high 202 kills as a middle hitter. She also led the team in service aces with 32 and blocks with 36. She was second in digs with 132. Nicolette, a libero, led in digs with 144 and serves received with 201 while committing just 13 receiving errors. She had 58 kills and 17 aces. Kaitlyn Clyburn , a senior setter, was leading in assists with 247. She had 81 kills, 31 aces, 15 blocks and 98 digs. Seniors Peyton Sanders and Jazira Meagley and junior Leah Hendrix each started last year. They are sharing time this year, Sanders with sophomore Aubrey Thompson , Meagley with sophomore Kaelyn Johnson and Hendrix with freshman Ryan Neal. Sanders had 30 aces and 82 digs, Meagley had 95 digs and 17 aces, Hendrix 114 kills and 39 digs, Neal 60 digs and 125 assists, Thompson 16 kills and nine blocks and Johnson 14 blocks. The rest of the roster includes juniors Marley Vincent and Anaiah Cain and sophomores Tristin Ware and Lilli Mae Hall. Wilson believes this team has the potential to make noise in the postseason once again. “We have the talent and potential to make a strong playoff run and getting back to the state championship again this year is certainly our goal,” she said. CAMDEN FOOTBALL STARTS 4-2 Camden got off to a 4-2 overall start and a 1-1 record in region play. The Bulldogs have been trying to find themselves offensively and have been showing steady improvement. Quarterback Wyatt Thompson was leading the team in rushing with 562 yards and four touchdowns on 97 carries. He had completed 49 of 87 passes for 566 yards and four touchdowns. Tylin Drakeford was Thonpson’s favorite target with 27 catches for 412 yards and four touchdowns. Drakeford also had 16 carries for 106 yards and two scores and had thrown a 42-yard touchdown pass. Nazi Boykin had 308 rushing yards and four scores on 72 carries. Logan Freeman led the derfense in tackles with 59 ½ while Evan Presbot had 48 ½. Tanner Bracey had 5 ½ sacks and eight quarterback pressures to lead the team. Dontrell Willis led in tackles for loss with 10 ½. Kavon Edwards had three interceptions.

By Dennis Brunson hssr.com Associate Editor Batesburg-Leesville – Greg Lawson had high expectations for the Batesburg-Leesville High School football team coming into the season. The third-year Panthers head coach had nine starters back on offense and eight on defense. Well, at the midpoint of the season Batesburg-Leesville was 5-0. The Panthers were dominant in four of those victories, but it was the one they barely won in which Lawson saw so much potential. Batesburg-Leesville defeated perennial AA power Abbeville , now in Class A, 37-35 on the road. “We exceeded my expectations a little bit in that game. The Abbeville game was a big step,” Lawson said of AA B-L’s second game of the year. “There were no mistakes. It was just two teams that pounded each other. “That one was one where we exceeded, the kids stepping u0 a little more than I thought. We were never behind, leading from beginning to end.” The Panthers outscored the opposition 218-42 in those five games. They have been able to put points on the board both running the football as well as throwing it. When it comes to getting yards on the ground, Batesburg-Leesville hands it to running Amadre Wooden and lets him run behind a veteran offensive line. Wooden had 90 carries for 824 yards and nine touchdowns. “He’s done real well,” Lawson said of Wooden. “I thought he was a little off in the first half (of a 48-0 win over Mid-Carolina), but he’s been very good. “The offensive line is doing a great job. He’s not doing it by himself. He’s not getting touched until he’s 10 yards down the field a lot of times.” The offensive line has three seniors in tackles Matthew Howard and Ty Anderson and guard Kaleb McKeiver . The other starters are juniors Preston Smith at center and Travis Gates at guard. Quarterback Tanner Watkins has only thrown the football 45 times, but he has made the most of those chunks. He’s completed 36 passes – a completion percentage of 80 percent – for 676 yards and 10 touchdowns against just one interception. He’s averaging 15 yards an attempt and 18.8 yards per completion. KD Whitt is a big play waiting to happen whether catching the ball or running with it. He has 13 catches for 331 yards and seven touchdowns while running the ball six times for 106 yards and three more TDs. He’s averaging 17.7 yards a carry and 25.5 yards a catch. Whitt has also returned a kickoff for a score. Jamerius Clark had 11 catches for 148 yards and three scores. “Basically we’ve been taking what they give us,” Lawson said. “Sometimes we use the run to set up the pass, and sometimes we use the pass to set up the run. sets up pass. It depends on what they’re playing defensively. “If they’re lined up in man, we feel like KD Whitt and Jamerius Clark on the outside are better than their guys. If they get in our face and challenge us, dare us to throw the football, we’re going to throw it.” The biggest challenge to Watkins came in the Abbeville game. He threw 16 passes, completing 14 of them for 267 yards and three touchdowns against no interceptions. “Our quarterback has done a great job managing the game, doing what we ask him to do,” Lawson said. “He’s good at distributing the football.” Outside of the Abbeville game, the B-L defense has been lights out. It has forced 10 turnovers, recovering six fumbles and coming up with four interceptions. “We’ve got three shutouts, so we’ve done a real good job,” Lawson said. “We rotate a lot of people in. The defensive coaches have done a real good job of preparing them for what’s coming at them.”

Berkeley senior Reese Watson

NETC Male Student Athlete of the Month: Dillon Christian's Jackson Outlar

NETC Female Student Athlete of the Month: Dillon Christian's Molly Andrews

Oceanside Collegiate's senior WR Gavin Gaspar