Running back Cam Grayson picks up yards for Summerville Oct. 30 during the Green Wave’s win over Fort Dorchester. Photo by Roger Lee.

Hampton County Senior Jaylen Singletary has rushed for 1555 yards and 24 touchdowns so far this season.

By Neill Kirkpatrick Special to the HSSR Andrews – Since head coach Scott Durham and his staff took over the Andrews football program in 2013 they have had only one losing season and have established themselves as one of top-class AA teams in the low country but the 2025 seasons did not meet the standard set by previous Yellowjacket teams. “Finishing 4-7 is not up to our expectations or standards. I don’t feel like we’ve played a complete four quarters of football in all three phases all year. We just haven’t been able to put it all together and it showed in all our games,” said coach Durham. The Yellowjackets season ended Friday night in the first round of the class AA playoffs when they fell to the Cheraw Braves 17-7 on the road. “We have played a tough schedule. Two of our non-region opponents won their region (Carvers Bay and Andrew Jackson), Waccamaw had the best team I have seen them have, and Hanahan hosted them in a playoff game. You add those to our region schedule, and we certainly played some tough teams,” Durham said. Despite the up and down season, there were a few highlights. Senior running back AJ Lee became the first running back in Andrews history to rush for over 4000 yards with a school record 4350 yards. He has also rushed for a school record 53 rushing touchdowns. The All State running back burst on the scene as a sophomore when he replaced All State and Touchstone North/South All Star Lavon White and he rushed for 1175 yards and 15 touchdowns. He followed that up with a school record 1432 yards and another 17 touchdowns. He capped his career with another school record with 1752 yards and 21 touchdowns. He is starting to get looks for colleges and has several visits scheduled. He is a hidden Gem. It’s hard to understand how he was left off the rosters for the Shrine Bowl or the Touchstone North/South All Star game. Before the season coach Durham said for the Yellowjackets to be successful AJ just had to be AJ and I would say he accomplished that in a big way. Western Michigan commit Chris Stewart had another stellar season for the Yellowjackets despite people running away from him or double/ triple teaming him. He still found ways to make plays as he led the team in tackles with 76, tackles for loss with 19, sacks with 10 and pass breakups with five. He was selected to play in the Touchstone North/ South All Star game in Myrtle Beach. For his career, he had over 200 tackles to go with 63 tackles for loss, 27.5 sacks and 11 pass break ups. Joining Stewart at the Touchstone North/Sout All Star game will be offensive linemen Da’Viyon McNair . He is a three-year starter and is the unquestioned leader of the Yellowjackets offensive line. He and the rest of the line paved the way for AJ’ s school record rushing yards. Riley Jordan played well on both sides of the ball while quarterback Avery Durham had a solid year throwing for over 1000 yards and 10 touchdowns. .

Jayden Alexander is Pinewood Prep’s leading receiver this season. Photo by Roger Lee.

By Neill Kirkpatrick Special to the HSSR Columbia – Saturday was a great day for tennis at the Cayce Tennis and Fitness Center where the Girls state tennis championship were held with a couple of first time participates, a couple of rematches from last season and a match between two of the all-time state tennis powers. From the start of the day loud cheers could be heard from all over the complex as most of the matches were nail-bitters. The Championships started at 10 with AAAAA Division 1 and 2 and the class AAAA getting things started with the AAAAA Division 2 match finishing first. The West Florence Knights battled with TL Hanna Yellow Jackets in the AAAAA Division 2 match. It was West Florence first trip to the state finals while TL Hanna was looking for their third state championship. They brought home the title in 2013. While the match was tough it was the first timers from Florence who walked away with their first state championship winning the match 4-2. “It feels amazing to hold this trophy,” said West Florence head coach Abby Sullivan . “This something we worked for, we has been to the lower state finals the last three years so it is really amazing to come out on the winning side.” Coach continued, “One of the keys to getting here was beating Myrtle Beach. The match was intense and hard fought on every court. I feel that experience helped us today push through when things got tough.” The Knights got off to fast start as Shelby White won the number singles over Melina Moncada Lema in straight sets 6-3,6-2 and in the number two singles Grace Murrell also won in straight sets 6-1,6-1 over Hanna’s Emery Tripamer. The number two doubles made it a 3-0 lead for the Knights when Mattie Segars and Lillian Guerriero defeated Emry Smith and Karis Kim 6-3,6-0. The Yellow Jackets fought back in the three and four singles with Josie Eskridge and Meri Drake Venturella winning their matches. Eskridge beat Elle Brannon in a third set tie breaker 10-7 after they split the first games 7-5, 4-6 while Venturella beat Maia Rivera-Cintron 6-4,6-3 to bring the match to 3-2 West Florence. The Knights would end the match in the number five singles when Emma Watford beat Lauren Yaekoub 6-3 in the first set and 7-6 with a 7-3 win in the tie breaker. The win made it 4-2 with Knights getting ready to hold the trophy. “I am so happy to have won. I didn’t know that my match would win the state title, I thought it would just tie it at 3-3. To find that out was so exciting for me and I just had to dig it out for my teammates,” said Emma. The AAAAA Division 1 match was between two of the all-time top programs in state history in Spartanburg and Wando . Spartanburg was in it’s 22 state final looking for win number 12 while Wando was in their 19 th looking for their 10 th . The Vikings last title was in 2018 beating Wando 4-3. The Warriors were looking to go back-to-back for the first time since they won six straight from 2004-2009. The teams were 2-2 in state championship matches between the two. It was Deja Vue all over again for Wando as the Warriors needed to win the number one doubles match to win the state championship. Seniors Mia El-Kheddiwi and Calli Casazza did what they did last year win the fourth match of the day to give Wando the state championship 4-3 over Spartanburg. They won their match in straight sets 6-2,6-4 over the Vikings Ti’arri Watkins and Wallace Lynch. “It was really exciting for it come down to us again. I love playing doubles with Mia. We are a great team and we wanted to bring a lot of energy to the match,” said Calli. “The first thing I thought was we did this last year in doubles. I am so confident when I play with Calli. She keeps level headed. So, we went out, went with flow, and took the match,” Mia said. Head Coach Bob Lang said, “It was basically like last year, we were tied at three all with River Bluff and Calli and Mia came out and won that match. They did the same thing today. The entire day nip and tuck with every match being intense.” “We were happy to be in position to win the match with our number one doubles and we would have liked to pull that out. I am really proud of our team this year,” said Spartanburg head coach Devin Hileski. The Vikings were on the verge of claiming their 12 th state title with a 3-2 lead as they won the number one, four and five singles matches. Watkins beat El-Kheddiwi in straight sets 6-4,6-1 in the number one singles, Mary English Hammett defeated Madelyn Langheim 6-2,6-2 in the number four singles and Myers Brantley defeated Mae Keegan 6-1, 6-3. “It is fun being here and to be able to win my match. I felt like I was in a good rhythm and I just made the shots I wanted to make,” said Watkins. In the number three singles, the Warriors needed a win to stay alive and up was seventh grader Cyanna Enright. On the court for the Vikings was eighth Ana Kate Alverson. Enright won the first set 6-0 but the second one was much different as the two combatants battled to 6 all in the second set forcing a tie breaker. Enright was down 4-1 in the tie breaker and on the verge of heading to a third set. She dug deep and won 7 of the next 9 points to win the tie breaker 8-6 and tie the match at 3. “Cyanna played great and made an incredible come back to win the second set. I am excited to watch her career,” said coach Lang. Wando became the 7 th in school in state history with 10 or more girls tennis state championships joining Bishop England (27), Christ Church (18), Myrtle Beach (16), Hilton Head (13), Spartanburg (11), and Belton (10). The AAAA match between AC Flora and Gray Collegiate also came down to the number one doubles match. AC Flora was back in the AAAA finals for the second straight year after falling to Bishop England 4-2 last year. It is their seventh trip to the state finals while this was Gray’s first attempt to win the girls state championship. The Falcons and the War Eagles had battled to a 3-3 tie when twins Emily and Catherine Smith took the court against Morgan Horlback and Kate Snyder . The twins won the match in straight sets 6-4,6-3 to give the Falcons a 4-3 win and three third state girls tennis title in eight trips. It was head coach Amy Martin’s second. “My number one doubles, are my number one and number two singles and they are twin sisters. They know each other thoughts, what they are going to do and they communicate. We felt good heading into that final match,” said coach Martin. “I still don’t believe it. We just worked so hard this season so I am really glad all our hard work paid off. Coming up short last didn’t feel great but winning this year feels awesome,” said Emily Smith. Gray Collegiate won the number one, number three and number four singles matches. Horlback beat Emily 6-2,7-6, Alisa Petushko beat Carlyn Guffee 6-3,6-2 and Cecily Lokodi beat Ruby Cecchini 6-0,6-1. The Falcons won the number two singles with Catherine beating Snyder 6-3,3-6, 10-4 and Liza Stavrou beat Sidney Moore 6-4,6-0 in the number five singles. The number doubles team Ella Foley and Stokely Haile defeated Mary Catherine Gabrielli and Stella Malcom 6-3,6-4. The next match to finish was the A/AA match between Academic Magnet and Landrum in a rematch of last years final won by Academic Magnet 6-0. The Raptors won their first title last year after four runner up finishes. The Cardinals were looking for their first championship. The Raptors won the first four singles match to go back-to-back winning 4-0. Maggie Schwartz won the number one singles 6-1,6-1 over Eva Burnett , Sophia Easterbrook beat Ilana Taylor 6-2,6-2 in the twos, Kamya Pham beat Ellis Burnett 6-3,6-1 in the threes, and Archer Fanning won the number four 6-2,6-1 over Amelia Campbell. First year head coach Mark Borst was excited to go back-to-back but it was different year for the Raptors. “Last years head coach did a great job in winning it all. I always say no matter what it is a new season. I told my athletic director that to be the best you have to play the best. Even though we had six loss this season, 17-6. We played some of the top teams during the year. Landrum is a good team and they were 21-1 so I felt we were the underdogs,” said coach Borst. Captain Sophia Easterbrook said , “I’m a senior so I’m over the moon with winning back-to-back championships. I think this is such a great team. We are young team, a passionate team and we did such a great job all year. I could not be prouder of the people around me.” The AAA match conclude the days events and it was another rematch from last year as 18 times state champion Christ Church was taking on four-time state champ Oceanside Collegiate . Oceanside won last year’s match up 4-3 as the match came down to the number one doubles match. The win was the fourth consecutive title for the Landsharks. The Landsharks won four of the five singles matches to down the Cavaliers 4-2 and win their fifth consecutive state championship. “They are all special,” said Oceanside head coach Shawn Harris . “Every year is different. The past four years we had more seniors. This is the youngest team I have ever had so do to win this one was very exciting and we knew it was going to tough. They girls knew they had to step up and they did that. Coach continued, “ Christ Church is an unbelievable team. We played them last year and had another dramatic ending. They are a young team as well so we look to battle with them many more times.” Maeve DeFord got things started in the right direction by winning the number one singles 6-0,6-0 over Lexie Sobocinski. Sephina Tringai won the number three singles beating Elza Cunningham 6-0, 6-1, Adi Levy beat Sadler Fox 6-4,6-3 in the number four singles and Sophia Sebold clinched the match by winning the number five singles in a tie breaker 10-8 over Mary Bess Williams . The Cavaliers won the number two singles when Lydia Mahfood beat Annsen Saulisbury 6-3,6-3 and the number two doubles of Karyston Davis and Elle Hawks defeated Ellore Besta and Kacy Kesner 6-0,6-2.

Woodmont volleyball bests NMB in five sets for 5A Division 2 state title, first school state crown since 1979 By WORTHY EVANS HSSR Contributing Writer Columbia - The Woodmont volleyball team may have been the underdog in facing defending 5A Division 2 defending champion North Myrtle Beach , but the Wildcats were playing without pressure. Woodmont took the Chiefs to five sets at Dreher High School Thursday night, and when sophomore outside hitter Mallory Mizell slammed a kill shot into the middle of the North Myrtle Beach court for the 15 th point of set 5, she was quickly buried in a pile of blue-uniformed teammates in front of the net. The final hit clinched the Wildcats’ 3-2 victory over the Chiefs, who barely won the first set and dropped the second and third sets before winning the fourth to force the deciding set. “I told them, the pressure is not on us, the pressure is on the other team,” Woodmont head coach Haleigh Horgan said. “We’ve never been here. And for them to come back and fight through five sets, it was brilliant.” The win also the school’s first state championship since 1979. Woodmont got off to a hot start in the match, winning the first four points and eventually taking a 6-1 lead in the first set. North Myrtle Beach, led by senior outside hitter Clara Cloninger , eventually worked their way out of the deficit. The Chiefs battled to a 24-24 stalemate and won the first set 27-25. The Wildcats could have faltered, but instead kept the pressure on North Myrtle Beach throughout the second and third sets. Besides Mizell, senior hitter Aubrie Walker and junior middle blocker Kendall Cobb began delivering kills and blocks along the net. Woodmont won the second set 25-21, but in the third set the Wildcats got more effective in blocking and spiking along the net, building a 10-4 lead early in the set and closing it out with back-to-back kills from Cobb for a 25-18 win. “She has been something else this season,” Horgan said of Cobb. “That was a really big answer for us this season, setting the middle and getting them (opponents) off of our outsides so our outsides could open up. I’m really big on establishing those middles and then opening up the net, and they did just that.” North Myrtle Beach won the first four points of the fourth set and held on to win 25-20, which evened the score at 2-2. “It was just about grit and resilience and competing,” Chiefs head coach Jenn Loeswick said. “Our seniors came out on fire early on in that set. I just told them to go out and compete, that’s all you can control. You can’t control the win-loss, you can’t control the points, but you can work hard, have fun, be a good teammate.” Both teams battled for an advantage in the fifth set. The Chiefs had a slight advantage with a 13-11 lead following Lily Loeswick’s and Madison Johnson’s unanswered block that landed in the Woodmont court. Horgan called a timeout after that point. “I said ‘trust your training,’” she said. “I’m going to be honest, my team has prayed over the season and at that last time out we prayed. I told them trust in your training, be calm, and we prayed just for the calm. It definitely was answered.” On the next point, Cloninger’s serve was out, cutting the Chiefs’ lead to 13-12. Woodmont server Samantha Willis hit the ball in play, and Cobb tied the game at 13 on a kill. Willis hit the ball in play again, and Mizell’s kill set Woodmont up for the match point. After a short volley, Mizell took flight near the center of the net and dropped the ball into an open space on the Chief’s side for the win. This year’s state championship run began last year, when Woodmont went 31-5 but fell out in the third round of the playoffs. Horgan said the culture took root in a team that went 1-14 in 2020. “Last year we had great seniors, and we wanted to change the culture,” Horgan said. “I said you’ve got to trust me, you’ve got to trust the culture, and it just bled over into this year. It was beautiful. My seniors Aubrie and Lauren ( Smith ) are captains and they embodied exactly what I wanted, and my returners came back and wanted the exact same thing. They’re all playing at high-level clubs and that’s important, but it’s just the trust in me, the trust in their teammates and the trust in their training that they can do the job.” The loss after such a hard-fought game came hard for the Chiefs, but Loeswick reminded the team, “I know this hurts a little bit, but after that hurt, make sure to not forget what a great season we had, what an incredible match this was,” she told the team. “This group has a huge place in my heart. They played with so much heart and battled. They played for each other all the time. They played with grit and determination. If you’re going to go out, this was the one you want to go out with.”

Lavoris Lucas had two touchdown receptions Nov. 7 during Pinewood Prep’s playoff blowout. Photo by Roger Lee.

By Neill Kirkpatrick Special to the HSSR Varnville – The Hampton County Hurricanes had just dropped their third game in a row to Christ Church 40-35 and while they played a solid game against a quality opponent head coach Rob Hanna was frustrated with his team because of their lack of discipline and attention to detail. The Canes got the message as they ran over their region opponents by a combined score of 211 -12 to secure the top spot in region 5 AA and earn the right to host the first two rounds of the playoffs. “I feel like after our loss to Christ Church , the focus and preparation of the players has been much better,” said coach Hanna. “We had some new starters that hadn't had a lot of game experience but I feel they are caught up now.” Coach continued, “Anytime you get to host two playoff games, bring excitement for the postseason and we hope we can stay healthy, continue to improve and obviously get a little luck go our way and maybe make a long run to after Thanksgiving and into early December.” The Canes finished the regular season at 7-3 with the three losses coming against teams that will host first round playoff games and a combined record of 24-6. Coach Hanna feels those teams are the type of teams you face the further you go in the playoffs and he wanted his squad to be prepared for the challenge. One of the main reason for the Cane’s success has been the play of the offensive and defensive lines. They have controlled the line of scrimmage each with the offensive line paving the way for over 2900 yards on the ground. That road grading group of junior left tackle Charles “CJ” Williams , and sophomore left guard Cleavon Maxwell where the only two retuning starters. They were joined by first year starters senior center Hunter Lawson , junior right tackle Ty'Quavian Jones and sophomore right guard Jayden Frazier. Senior Jazmir Goines along with Williams and Maxwell have been very good at holding the line of scrimmage. Seniors, linebacker Malik Terry, and safety Tyler Davis have been solid in run support as they are two of the team’s top tacklers with 76 and 58, respectively. “They are a group that takes pride of being the most physical group on the field on Fridays. Also, with only 1 senior, a 10-game season goes a long way to the development of a unit when they are young, “ said coach Hanna. Senior Jaylen Singletary has been the major beneficiaries of the play of the offensive line as he has rushed for 1555 yards and 24 touchdowns. He is a very patent runner, who can reach max speed in two steps. He has been all state the past two years, once on defense and once on offense. Quarterback Tarell Grant has been a dual threat all year. He has thrown for 676 yards and 10 while rushing for 496 yards and another five scores. He had two runs of over 50 yards against Christ Church. On defense, he, and Singletary form one of the best cornerback combos in the state. Seniors Karinton Sabb and Desmond Mathis have been Grants top targets, each with 14 receptions for over 250 yards and four touchdowns. Mathis has also rushed for 205 yards and another four scores. The Hurricanes opened the playoff s with a 56-22 win over Lake City. Singletary led the way with 279 yards rushing and five touchdowns. The Cane’s will host Cheraw a 17-7 winner over Andrews.

Thomas Heyward Senior, RB/LB Tony O'Banner (6-0,210).

Overwhelming majority of games go according to script with a few upsets sprinkled in

By Billy G. Baker Publisher St. George—Williamsburg Academy ( 9-1) used several big plays early in the game, in their 36-21 region clinching win over previously undefeated Dorchester Academy (8-1) in the final regular season game for both teams last Friday. After the game head WA coach, Will Furse , told the HSSR, “It feels great to win the region title, and our guys worked really hard to have the opportunity to play in a game with so much on the line,” said Coach Furse. “I am very proud of the way we played, and the preparation of what went into this game, and the work paid off.” Coach Furse said his team picking up a late season game against Bethesda Academy, that they played at Hammond a few weeks ago helped prepare his team for the region show-down game against DA. “I certainly hope that game helped us get ready for the game tonight because Bethesda was big and physical, and while that game was not a region game and didn’t matter in the standings, it certainly didn’t hurt us to get us ready for the rest of the season,” said Coach Furse. WA’s versatility to be able to run and pass has helped contribute to their 9 wins so far this season. “Being able to do both makes it difficult for defenses to defend us,” said Coach Furse. “We try to be versatile and to have a plan in place so we can adjust based on what the defense is showing us. We did a pretty good job of making those adjustments tonight. “I thought our guys played really well,” said Coach Furse. “We are super proud of Michael Ard tonight, because he played a great game on defense, after being hurt in a serious auto accident the morning after the Bethesda game, on his way to school. At first, we thought we might have lost him for the season, but he got cleared to play a week ago. “We didn’t play him at all on offense tonight, but he did a great job at linebacker for us,” said Coach Furse. “He is one of the toughest kids I have ever coached, and nothing surprises me about him. He is the heart and soul of this team.” DA head coach Michael Nelson shared his thoughts with the HSSR after the game also. “We lost one of our top running backs in the second period (John Whettsell) and that adjusted our game plan some,” said Coach Nelson. “We just have to go back to work and get ready for the play-offs now. “Our seniors’ leaders have all played well this season,” said Coach Nelson. “Seniors like Abe Shuler , John Quatllebaum , John Whetsell , Landon Holly and Bradley Sievert have stepped us as leaders this season.” Coach Nelson was also proud of the play of the Raider offensive line against WA. “We gave up three massive plays to them in the first half that hurt us tonight, and I felt like we came out and played better in the second half,” said Coach Nelson. “We will get back to work in practice on Monday and address some of our mistakes and hopefully we can have a deep play-off run.” Senior QB Micah Balder tossed two first half scoring bombs to sure-handed receiver Charlie Caulder of 75 and 95 yards respectively and junior hard-running RB Grant Small scor5ed on a 95-yard run to help give the Stallions a 22-6 lead at the half. Small went on to rush for 167 yards on 17 carries in the game, and he added a second half TD of four yards. Balder added 26 yards on four rushes an one rushing TD and senior RB Eli Brown rushed five times for 15 yards. As a team the Stallions gained 208 rushing yards on 26 carries. Caulder had a great game receiving for WA with five catches for 178 yards and two scores. Senior Jay Kellahan caught one pass for 8 yards. The top six tacklers on defense for WA included Balder and junior Michael Ard with 10 tackles each. Jay Kellahan had 9 hits while Caulder and soph Lane Patrick had seven tackles each. Seth Cherinko , Sammy Tomlinson , and freshman baseball prospect Caden Morris had six tackles each in the win. Cherinko had three sacks also. Dorchester Academy was led on offense by QB John Quattlebaum who went 21-of-31 through the air for 209 yards and three touchdowns. His top receivers were Abe Shuler with five catches for 54 yards and one TD along with Landon Holl who had four catches for 21 yards and Warren Judy caught three passes for 81 yards and a TD. Reed Almers had three catches for 42 yards, John Whetsell caught two passes for 18 yards and Noah Risher caught two passes for 33 yards and a touchdown. The top rushers for the Raiders included Whetsell with 76 yards on 14 carries (injured in second quarter), along with Almers who netted 62 yards on seven carries, and Judy rushed for 40 yards on two carries. The top Raiders on defense included Will Quattlebaum with 8 tackles and one interception while Judy had six tackle sand two TFL. Shuler chipped in with four tackles and John Quattlebaum had two tackles and one TFL. Whetsell added three tackles and one TFL. ON the season, Small is having a great season on the ground for the Stallions with 1,582 yards rushing on 148 carries and 24 TD’s. Balder and Brown have 456 and 440 yards, respectively. Caulder leads WA receivers with 25 catches for 548 yards and six TD’s. The top four WA tacklers to date are Ard (102), J. Kellahan (68), Caulder (52) and H. Dukes (39). Williamsburg Academy will host Patrick Henry this Friday in the first round of the SCISA Class A play-offs. DA will host Beaufort Academy this week to get the play-offs started. Top seeded Colleton Prep will host Lee Academy this week in the SCISA Class A play-offs while Thomas Heyward will play against Carolina Academy .

South Pointe's Freshman kicker, Lawson Miller adding the extra point.

AAA, AA and Class A have 8-team fields; AAAA and 8-man brackets have 6 teams

Monarchs take final five region contests after dropping opener to defend crown

By Neill Kirkpatrick Special to the HSSR Summerville – It was not only the final game of the regular season, but it was also Senior Night as the Northwood Academy Chargers hosted the Heathwood Hall Highlanders Friday night in a battle for the SCISA region AAAA championship and the top seed in the AAAA playoffs. The Chargers jumped out to a 20-0 lead in the first half and never looked back as they wrapped the region championship and top seed with a 39-20 win over the Highlanders. The Chargers finished the regular season 6-0 in region play and 9-1 overall. They will have a first round bye next week. “Us and Hammond have a bye next week and I’m not a big fan. I like to keep playing because your team gets into a rhythm and a bye can break that rhythm. For us, we had a bye when we didn’t play Augusta Christian, then we played Heathwood and now another bye so we have to maintain that mental focus and edge,” said Northwood head coach Johnny Waters . As for Friday’s victory, coach Waters said, “They have a really good quarterback so we wanted to pressure him and keep him in the pocket and we did a good job of that. Offensively, we wanted control the line of scrimmage and run the ball.” Heathwood Hall finished the regular season at 7-3 and 4-2 in region play. They wrapped up third place in the region and will host Ben Lippen next week in the first round of the playoffs. At halftime, three seniors were honored along with the teacher/ coach / staff member that inspired them. Elly Warren , a senior cheerleader, was joined by teacher Martha Blanton, Adeline Kriese, girls tennis , was joined by Coach Eric Bach and teacher Mathew Gilbert and Andrew Schwartzberg, swimming , was joined by Elixabeth Yoho. The football seniors were honored after the game. The Chargers punted on their first possession of the game but after that they would turn to senior running bask Kaven Ford . He would rush for three first half touchdowns to bring his season total to 20 rushing TDs. He would also go past the 1000-yard mark for the season. With 2:45 left in the first half he took a hand off up the middle, then cut to his left and tip-toed his way down the sideline for a 32-yard scoring run. Senior Cole McLeod was good on two of the extra points and the Chargers had a 20-0 lead with 2:35 to go until half time. The Heathwood offense found the going tough against Northwood defense as senior’s Garrett Andy , Cody McCleary and Hammer White controlled the line of scrimmage and applied pressure on Heathwood quarterback Patrick Belk . Belk finally got the Highlanders offense going as he drove them to a first and goal at the Charger 9-yard line with 36 seconds left in the half. However, the Highlanders had to settle for a James Richardson 31 yard field goal. It made the score 20-3 heading to the half. The Highlanders received the second half kickoff and they looked to get in the game. On the first play Belk hit Keon McKinnley with a 63-yard strike moving the ball from their 28 to a first and goal at the Chargers 9. The drive stalled at that point and Richardson came in and hit his second field goal from the 25. The field goal cut the lead to 20-6 and was now a two-score game. Northwood’s senior Jordin Carter would return the kickoff 45 yards to give the Chargers first and ten at midfield. On third and ten quarterback Kevin Johnson would move out of the pocket and to his right before spotting senior Jacair Medlock open behind the defense. He lofted a perfect 50-yard touchdown strike. The PAT was not good and the Chargers lead was 26-6. The Chargers Bryce Jenkins would pick off Belk on the next Highlander possession. The Highlander’s defense forced a punt. The Chargers would put the game away on their next possession when they went 64-yards in 10 plays. Carter capped the drive with a three-yard touchdown run. He had three carries for 29 yards on the drive. The Chargers tried a two-point conversion but it was no good making it 32-6. The Highlander’s would finally reach the end zone when Belk connected with Morris Henry for a 7-yard touchdown. The two-point conversion was no good and the score was 32-12 Carter would add another score for Northwood’s when he bolted around the left side and our ran everyone for a 32-yard touchdown run. On the night he rushed for 81 yards and the two scores. The PAT by McLeod was good and the lead was 39-12. Belk would connect with Charlie Hudson on a 36-yard scoring strike for the final score of the game. Belk hit Henry of the two-point conversion for the final of 39-20. On the night Belk was 20-42 for 297 yards and two scores. The Chargers were led by Ford, who rushed for 164 yards on 23 carries. That brought his season yardage total 1056 yard. Johnson was 14-21 for 153 yards and the one score while Medlock grabbed three balls for 70 yards and a score. After the football senior class was honored : Andy, KJ Burroughs, Carter, MJ Davis, Ford Antwaun Henderson, Aydan Hogan, Qunicy Lingard, Medlock, McCleary, McLeod, Elyjah Oler, Dominic Russell, Sully Stone and The Hammer.

By WORTHY EVANS Contributing Writer Columbia - If there is such a thing as a dynasty in the early years of boys volleyball in South Carolina sports, Dorman has become one. With a 3-0 sweep of Carolina Forest Saturday at A.C. Flora High School , the Cavaliers won their fourth straight state championship, third straight state title sanctioned by the South Carolina High School League , and second straight 5A Division I crown. The win for Dorman (31-0) was also the 73 th straight victory of a streak dating to Sept. 16, 2023. Head coach Andrew Copeland said that while the match goes down in the books as a 3-0 win, he recognized a lot of fight and talent on the Panthers side of the court. “We knew that it was going to be a tough match,” Copeland said. “We knew that they were a scrappy team, so with their backs against the wall they were going to come out ready to play, ready to give us a little pushback, and so they got up on us but our guys they trust each other, they have a lot of grit, they have a lot of heart, they don’t want to lose this game, and so you saw that they responded later.” Both teams battled evenly until in the final stretch Dorman won the last four points and closed out the set 25-18. It was the second set where the Cavaliers main weapon, Lucas Helle , began to break the game open. Helle, a Long Beach State commit and opposite/outside hitter who also plays for the U19 national team peppered Carolina Forest with spikes and blocks. “He is one of the best players in the state if not the country. He’s a phenomenal athlete,” Copeland said. “He is a one in a generation athlete and it is a blessing to have him not only because of his leadership but for his play as well. What he gives to this team is unmatched.” Helle’s kills, along with Marcus McCullough - Bryant’s , pushed Dorman to a 25-17 win in the second set. The Panthers (27-6-1) did a better job defending Dorman’s front-row hitters, but the Cavaliers finished the match with a 25-20 win in the third set. Carolina Forest head coach Joe Goodwin , “Coach Goody” as he’s commonly known, is a former safety and football coach who later got into beach club volleyball in Myrtle Beach. He signed on to coach the Panthers in June, and since then he said it’s been a great ride. “I’ve known these kids for years. It was exciting for me coming towards the tail end of my career to get to do this with this group of kids,” Goodwin said. “This was the goal from the beginning, to get here and win of course, but you had to get here. They did awesome. They got us here and we were a No.3 seed, which was not something we were used to so we had to get on the road, but the boys battled hard, and we lost to a great team. They’re obviously a great team for the past four years and No.1 in the country. But we’re holding our heads high as we leave and I’m proud of these guys.” Dorman, ranked No.1 in the state and No.1 in the nation on MaxPreps graduates nine seniors. Most programs may consider the next year a rebuilding year, but Copeland, who openly remembered when he and his players “were literally celebrating getting three hits and getting it over the net” and comparing it to the present time, said he’s not worried about that. “We have some guys on our bench who if they were at another school would be starters,” he said. “With the depth that we have across the board at every position, that’s what keeps our team competitive and playing at a high level, they know we have people right behind them that can compete.” Both coaches are excited about the sports growth moving forward. “We actually got our boys coaches association approved this summer,” Copeland said. “And so helping to spotlight and highlight some of the different athletes, we have to show the different opportunities they have to go play at the next level. It means getting more exposure to get not only more guys to join but also to get more people to the games to support them.” Goodwin noted, “I moved to Myrtle Beach in my late 20s, and started playing beach volleyball, and it is just so much fun. I was a football coach at Myrtle Beach High School and ended my career as a volleyball coach. I never would have imagined it. But it’s just because of that reason that it’s going to grow. It’s just a matter of people, getting more kids out. Once they do it, they’re like this is great, this is awesome.”

By WORTHY EVANS Contributing Writer Columbia - Oceanside Collegiate’s boys volleyball team overcame an early stumble against Travelers Rest Saturday, the Landsharks pulled together for a 3-1 victory to win their second straight 4A state championship Saturday at A.C. Flora High School. “It means a lot for the team. It says a lot about the kids and their hard work and their dedication,” Oceanside Collegiate head coach Jorge Riesgo said. “Both teams wanted that game. As a team it means a lot about who we are and our character as individuals.” The Landsharks (23-3) fell behind the Devil Dogs (15-10) early in the first set and while they pulled even, never recovered. Travelers Rest took the first set 25-22. Oceanside pulled together quickly and jumped to a 6-0 lead as Koda Smith served, and eventually took a 10-3 lead and a 21-11 advantage. The Landsharks closed out the second set 25-16 to tie the match 1-1. Travelers Rest got back into the game and traded shots with Oceanside for most of the third set, but toward the end the Landsharks moved to a 22-18 advantage on Jack Hancock’s serves and soon won the third set 25-18.  With the game on the line in the fourth set, Travelers Rest and Oceanside battled point for point all the way to when the Devil Dogs trimmed the Landsharks’ lead to 21-20. Oceanside scored four of the last five points to close out a 25-21 set win and match victory. “It was very challenging for us to get this far, especially after losing some key pieces last year,” Riesgo said. “It took being able to recoup those losses and being able to work hard as a team to achieve our goals.” “That’s a really good team we played,” Travelers Rest head coach Andrew Lull said. “We tried to stay within ourselves and do what we’ve done all year and just keep executing on those levels, keep spreading the ball around. We have such incredible hitters, and making sure everyone gets hits so other teams have to stay aware of us from the outside, middle, opposite, everywhere.” The Devil Dogs lose three seniors but have good players to bring up next season. “We’re just building,” Lull said. “It’s year one for me and I’ve got a lot of guys who love it and a lot of guys who want to get in the gym tomorrow and just keep playing. More than anything it’s a love of the game, and getting those guys who want to play.” Looking back on the repeat win, Riesgo said it was much harder for the team this year than last year, because this year the Landsharks were the team to beat in 4A. “Everyone wants to beat us, everyone in our region wanted to beat us really bad, and everyone would usually play their best game of the season against us,” he said. “I believe the first one was a little easier because we weren’t proven yet, and going back to back was difficult. They want to beat the champions.”

By WORTHY EVANS Contributing Writer Columbia - Socastee got off to a rough start in its 5A Division 2 volleyball championship match with Catawba Ridge Saturday at A.C. Flora High School . The Braves eventually dropped the set, but rallied over the next three sets to win 3-1 and claim the team’s first state championship victory. “It’s just something to be so proud of for these boys,” head coach Gracie Hinson said. “They’ve worked their butts off the entire season. We didn’t know what to expect coming into the season, and to end up here and to win it here, it just shows the hard work they put in so far this season.” Socastee (27-7) fell behind 9-8 in the first set, and as Copperheads’ Jaxon Hathaway served, fell to a 19-11 deficit before dropping the first set 25-17. Hinson and the Braves didn’t like opening a state championship mass with a loss, but were determined to tighten up. “I told the boys, we didn’t expect to win that first set, and we knew that it was going to be a tough match anyway,” she said. “We knew we had to reset and get back into the game and that’s what we did.” Soccastee’s front row began to take advantage of Catawba Ridge’s apparent weakness in getting to balls hit to the middle of their court, and the Copperheads’ outside hitters’ tendency to kill the ball out of bounds. That strategy began to pay off. The Braves won the second set 25-18 and the third set 25-22. “We had a miscommunication on the court,” Catawba Ridge head coach Ross Lisee said. “We’ve been facing some adversity as a team this week, overcoming certain pieces out of our lineup, but the guys really fought through it, and we got pressed a little bit in that second set and we weren’t able to respond. Socastee was a good team and we started to make a lot of errors, and we can’t have that. And that’s really where the match went south.” The Copperheads (25-5-2) pushed hard in the fourth set, taking a 6-1 lead and later taking the set from 12-9 to 15-10. From that point it seemed that a tie-breaking fifth set would be inevitable, were it not for Socastee’s turnaround. “Our guys have been pressed all year,” Lisee said. “We’ve been on that chopping block with teams coming for us, but I’m always confident in our guys, even when we’re behind, we’ve come back and forced sets this year and we’ve won. I thought we’d respond, unfortunately that wasn’t the case.” The Braves won the point from Charlie Gallagher’s serve to make it 15-11, and with Preston Widner serving, Socastee took a 16-15 lead. The teams battled point for point briefly, but the Braves closed out the match and the game with a 25-22 win. “This is kind of crazy,” Widner said. “I was on JV before varsity, and I never would have thought this… I barely played. And now I get to start, play here and we won. And I didn’t think we could (back then). I never thought we could have done this.” One former player played a key role for the team on the bench—Hinson’s younger brother Bradley Hinson . Hinson played on the team until he graduated last year but lent emotional support to his former teammates and to his sister. “He is my go-to person, he really is,” she said. “He was out here last year playing on the court and this year having him beside me has been a pleasure, just because I look at him and I know that he knows we’re both in this game and I honestly would not be here today without him. I really wouldn’t be here.”

By WORTHY EVANS Contributing Writer Columbia - The Sumter football team pretty much gave Westwood the first quarter in their game Friday night, but the Redhawks wouldn’t take it. Instead, the Gamecocks struck for a quick score, and three more in the second period en route to a 52-27 victory at Westwood’s District Two Stadium. Sumter (9-1, 6-0 Region 5-5A), which had clinched the region championship last week with a 36-29 victory over Ridge View the week before, committed seven penalties for 55 yards in the first quarter Friday. Some of those penalties wiped out Sumter’s first possession, which was a turnover on downs. Yet, on Westwood’s first play after that series, Gamecock defender Javonte Brown picked off a Josiah Henryhand pass, and on the play after that, Reggie Shannon broke free for a 29-yard touchdown run. While Sumter’s first-quarter miscues weren’t costly, head coach Mark Barnes was livid on the sidelines and while talking to his team after the game. “We were obviously too penalized tonight, without question, some of them we probably deserved and some of them we may not have,” Barnes said. “But we’ve got to clean that up and that’s what I was talking to our players about at the end of the game, your attitude toward the game does affect the officiating. We’ve got to do a better job representing me as the head coach and our school.” Other than penalties, the Sumter ground attack piled up 400 yards on 47 attempts. Cleveland Pinckney had 20 carries for 166 yards and a touchdown and Shannon had 10 carries for 134 yards and two TDs. While penalties were a concern, Barnes added “We’re 9-1 and if you told me we’d be 9-1 I would’ve taken it in August, because this group has really overachieved, and we’ve just got to make sure we clean up things that’s going to keep us from winning in the playoffs.” The Gamecocks controlled the ball for most of the second quarter and got two 3-yard touchdown runs from Frank Richardson and a 13-yard Richardson TD pass to Lathan Bledsoe to take a 28-0 lead into halftime. The Gamecocks had the game well in hand after Conner Rivers’ 37-yard field goal made it 31-0 early in the third quarter, but Westwood came to life shortly afterward. With junior quarterback Elye Owens in for Henryhand, the Redhawks got on the scoreboard with an Owens-to- Tyrek Jenkins touchdown pass play of 67 yards at the 7:26 mark of the third. Westwood even recovered the onside kick, but Owens threw an interception on fourth-and-long that may as well have been a short punt. The Sumter possession that followed ended with Shannon’s 55-yard touchdown straight up the middle of the field that made it 38-7. The Gamecocks erred on the kickoff when they directed the ball to Jayden Boyd . The fastest Westwood player took the ball around the 12-yard line, ran into a crowd of blockers and tacklers, then bounced around the right side of the field and found his way to complete an 88-yard kickoff return for a touchdown at the 4:02 mark of the third quarter. Westwood’s kickoff went out of bounds and the ball was set at the 35-yard line, but the action continued when Pinckney took the handoff and dashed 65 yards for yet another score in the quarter. Gamecocks led 45-14 going into the fourth. “We’re explosive offensively, we’ve been explosive all year,” Barnes said. “We played better defense early in the game but in the second half we let some get away from us. They’re really skilled though, they’re fast. They do a great job coaching and putting their players in great opportunities.” Westwood scored on a Jovan Howard dive from one yard out that capped a long drive straddling the third and fourth quarters. Sumter’s Jacori Jackson scored on a 4-yard touchdown run to make it 52-21 in the final minutes, and Owens’ 5-yard touchdown pass to Quentin McGill with 32 seconds left gave Westwood (6-4, 3-3) a final score before the game’s end. While the Redhawks did put four scores on the board in the second half, the first half’s misfirings made first-year head coach Stephen Burris seethe. “We’ve got to learn how not to beat ourselves. At times I think we’re growing up and then we take a step backwards,” Burris said. “I understand this is the first year of a staff and all those things, but we’re five months into this thing and my expectations are high for us to execute at a high level and to get better week to week and I didn’t see it in the first half at all.” Sumter is a No. 3 seed and has a bye in the 5A Division 1 bracket, they play the winner of Friday’s Wando -at- James Island matchup Nov. 14. Westwood is a No.7 seed in the 5A Division 2 bracket and plays host to St . James Friday. Sumter 7 21 17 7 – 52 Westwood 0 0 14 13 – 27 First Quarter S - Reggie Shannon 29 run (Connor Rivers kick) 6:48 Second Quarter S - Frank Richardson 3 run (kick failed) 10:00 S - Richardson 3 run (Joseph Chapman pass from Richardson) 3:30 S - Lathan Bledsoe 13 pass from Richardson (Rivers kick) :38 Third Quarter S - Rivers 37 field goal 9:12 W - Tyrek Jenkins 67 pass from Elye Owens (Muhsin Yakubu kick) 7:26 S - Shannon 55 run (Rivers kick) 4:19 W - Jayden Boyd 88 kickoff return (Yakubu kick) 4:02 S - Cleveland Pinckney 65 run (Connor kick) 3:51 Fourth Quarter W - Jovan Howard 1 run (Yakubu kick) 9:32 S - Jacori Jackson 4 run (Rivers kick) 4:40 W - Quentin McGill 5 pass from Owens (kick failed) :32 SHS WHS First downs 18 9 Rushes-yds 47-400 27-118 Passing yds 50 65 Att-Com-Int 6-2-0 20-15-2 Fumbles-lost 0-0 3-1 Penalties-yds 13-100 5-25 Punts-avg 1-33.0 2-32.5 INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS RUSHING S - Cleveland Pinckney 20-166, Reggie Shannon 10-134, Frank Richardson 9-36, Jacori Jackson 4-36, Lathan Bledsoe 4-28. W - Angelo Rios 11-18, Jovan Howard 6-53, Elye Owens 5-35, Quentin McGill 4-14, Jayden Boyd 1-(-2). PASSING S - Frank Richardson 2-6-0. W - Josiah Henryhand 2-5-1, Elye Owens 13-15-1. RECEIVING S - Jacori Jackson 1-37, Lathan Bledsoe 1-13. W - Angelo Rios 4-8, C.J. Bennett 3-27, Quentin McGill 2-9, Tyrek Jenkins 2-7, Jovan Howard, 2-5, Jayden Boyd 1-7, Sheldon Bradley 1-2.

6 state championhip games set for December 6-7 in Orangeburg

Cougars dominating in 3-0 victory over Curtis Baptist

Defending state champs Dutch Fork, Northwestern, Oceanside, Abbeville roll in big matchups

Other big showdowns have Indian Land meeting Northwestern, Hartsville facing South Florence

AAAAA Connor Dantzler, James Island, 318 yds pass, 4 TD Jachin Davis, Stratford, 197 yards passing, 85 yards rushing Meliq McGowan, Stratford, 100 yards rushing, 72 yards receiving James Hurteau, James Island, 7 receptions, 140 yards, 3 TD Bryson Bowers, James Island, 13 tackles, 2 TFL LJ Washington, Berkeley, 139 yards rushing Henry Rivers, Berkeley, 113 yards rushing, 32 yards passing’ Bryson McGee, Berkeley, 105 yards rushing Zaire Warren, Fort Dorchester, 100 yards passing Thomas Wamer, Fort Dorchester, 6 sacks Laurez Matthews, Fort Dorchester, 212 all-purpose yards, 3 TD Kyle Henry, Dutch Fork, 137 yds rush, 2 TD Jaxon Knotts, Dutch Fork, 193 yds pass, TD Josiah Coleman, Easley, 219 yds pass, TD Spencer Bobian, Ridge View, 131 yds rush, 2 TD Franklin Richardson, Sumter, 4 TD rush Kristian Jackson, Ridge View, 111 yds rec, TD Caden Hall, Irmo, 2 int (int. ret. TD) Quinn Kelly, Fort Mill, 166 yds pass Matt Kucia, Indian Land, 285 yds pass, 2 TD Jamol Horton, Indian Land, 156 yds rush, TD Jackson Connor, Indland Land, 15 tackles Jackson Headley, Indian Land, 10 tackles, 3 TFL Michael Foster, Indian Land, 13 tackles, 5 TFL, 3 sacks Joseph Duey, Fort Mill, 14 tackles, TFL Banks Bouton, Gaffney, 226 yds pass Chas Smith, Gaffney, 9 rec, 155 yds Emari Nance, Hanna, 107 yds rush, 2 TD Matthew Hillstock, Easley, 12 rec, 118 yds Caine Rogers, Byrnes, 181 yds pass, 2 TD Tre Segarra, Byrnes, 255 yds rush, 5 TD Trevor Kalisz, Ashley Ridge, 267 yds pass, TD Ryan Campbell, Ashley Ridge, 153 yds rush AAAA Jameson Dearybury, Broome, 171 yds pass, TD Trevon Williamson, Gray Coll, 231 yds rush, 2 TD Xavier Wright, Gray Coll, 141 yds pass, 2 TD Gresyon Rimpf, Camden, 3 TD pass Kitt McLauchlin, Gilbert, 140 yds pass, 3 TD Juraiya Staley, Gilbert, 130 yds rush, 2 TD J’Zavien Currence, South Pointe, 2 TD pass, 2 TD rush Messiah Jackson, So. Florence, 112 yds pass, 4 TD Terry Gordon, So. Florence, 8 tackles, 3 TFL, 2 sacks Derrick Raniszewski, Hilton Head, 116 yds pass, TD Gavin Thomas, Seneca, 168 yds pass, 4 TD Amari Verner, Seneca, 107 yds rush, TD Jace Grass, Daniel, 361 yds pass, 6 TD Trey Wimbley, Daniel, 112 yds rec, 2 TD Muntu Brown, Wren, 120 yds rush, TD Xavier Geter, Midland Valley, 181 yds pass, 3 TD; 116 yds rush, TD Aaron Adams, Midland Valley, 10 tackles, 6 TFL Aedan McCarthy, Bluffton, 221 yds pass, 2 TD Jacobi Saunders, Bluffton, 14 tackles, TFL Derek Velasquez, Bluffton, 12 tackles, 2 TFL Sean Mitchell, May River, 121 yds rush, TD Andrew Frick, Brookland-Cayce, 265 yds pass, 2 TD AAA Quamell Grant, Hanahan, 138 yards passing, 3 TD Isaiah Snodgrass, Hanahan, 100 yards rushing Lorenzo Kitching, North Charleston, 205 yards rushing, 2 TD D. Felton, Dillon, 112 yds rush, 2 TD K. Sam Fung Talia, Dillon, 149 yds pass, TD Dante Caldwell, Swansea, 3 TD rush Noah Thomas, BHP, 242 yds pass, 5 TD, 97 yds rush, TD MJ Earl, BHP, 102 yds rush, TD Tajeh Watson-Martin, BHP, 8 rec, 215 yds, 2 TD AA Antuan Faison, Timberland, 107 yards rushing Hayes Goddard, Philip Simmons, 302 passing yards, TD Ashton Kellerman, Philip Simmons, 10 receptions, 135 yards, TD Kaden Wigfall, Thurmond, 109 yds rush Tristan Daniels, Saluda, 122 yds rush, 2 TD Brayden Williams, Saluda, 107 yds pass Anondre Woodson, Bates-Lees, 226 yds rush, 2 TD KD Whitt, Bates-Lees, Kick ret TD, TD rush, 2 TD rec Kadin Thomas, Cheraw, 151 yds pass, 2 TD, TD rush Noah Crump, Buford, 187 yds pass Cole Carnes, Buford, 111 rec yds, TD Kamauri Jones, Fair. Cent, 133 yds pass Jacory Sumpter, Eau Claire, 298 pass yds, TD: 70 rush yds, TD Ty Shannon, Fair Cent, 139 yds rush Owen Wilson, Fair. Cent, 12 tackles, 4 TFL BJ Ashford, Eau Claire, 14 tackles, 2 TFL Javen Cook, Clinton, 334 yds rush, 5 TD Jaylen Singletary, Hampton Co, 156 yds rush, 3 TD Malik Terry, Hampton Co., 16 tackles, 2 TFL A Tyler Harris, Cross, 166 yards passing, 3 TD Mah’ky Green, Cross, 188 yards rushing, 3 TD Caden Ramsey, Cross, 2 TD receptions, TD rush Brayden Franklin, Baptist Hill, 134 yards passing Kevin Smalls, Baptist Hill, 20 tackles, 3 TFL Altavis Evans, Ware Shoals, 184 yds rush, TD Charles Callaham, Ware Shoals, 10 tackles, 8 TFL, 6 sacks Elijah Brown, Ware Shoals, 14 tackles, 4 sacks Josh Wimbush, Ware Shoals, 8 TFL, 7 sacks Jalen Culp, Lewisville, 100 yds pass, 3 TD Jayshawn Culp, Lewisville, 12 tackles, 3 TFL SCISA Amir Chisolm, Porter-Gaud, 206 yards rushing, 3 TD Dor Reichley, St. John’s Christian, 225 yards rushing, 3 TD John Whetsell, Dorchester Academy, 274 yards rushing, 3 TD HARRIS JANIK - AUGUSTA CHRISTIAN RUSHED 19/207 1 TD PATRICK BELK - HEATHWOOD HALL PASSED 11/18 285 5 TDS KRES LANGHALS - HILTON HEAD CHR. PASSED 20/26 308 2 TDS 112 rush, 3 TD ALAN WOLF – JOHN PAUL ll RUSHED 12/162 1 TD J. RICHARDSON – HILTON HEAD CHR. RECEIVED 7/103 1 TD JOSEPH HOUPT – HILTON HEAD CHR. RECEIVED 7/108 CHOLLY WILLIAMS – ORANGEBURG PREP PASSED 7/9 132 2 TDS 10 TACKLES J’SYRI PARKER – ORANGEBURG PREP RUSHED 10/139 1 TD BLAKE INABINET – ORANGEBURG PREP 12 TACKLES 1 SACK MAC STRICKLAND – ORANGEBURG PREP 11 TACKLES REECE WILLIAMS – BEN LIPPEN 13 TACKLES 1 SACK STONE PARKER – BEN LIPPEN 13 TACKLES ETHAN COLLINS – LAURENS ACADEMY PASSED 10/16 165 3 TDS 156 rush 3 TDS CALEB HARDY – LAURENS ACADEMY RUSH 24/368 4 TD, 152 rec 3 TD 17 TACKLES G. VAUGHAN – LAURENS ACADEMY 17 TACKLES 2 SACKS JORDAN TURNER – BETHESDA ACADEMY PASSED 5/7 156 3 TDS RALO WESLEY – BETHESDA ACADEMY RECEIVING 2/101 2 TDS N JACKSON – BETHESDA ACADEMY 18 TACKLES CAEL PARLER – CALHOUN ACADEMY RUSHED 10/130 3 TDS SILAS BRAWNER – PINEWOOD PREP PASSED 15/22 262 3 TDS LAVORIS LUCAS – PINEWOOD PREP RECEIVING 4/107 1 TD TUCKER MCGINTY – W W KING ACADEMY PASSED 5/8 134 1 TD 1 INT JACOB BUSSEY – W W KING ACADEMY 13 TACKLES

After 3 runner-up finishes, TKA wins title, denying Laurens Academy a 4th straight crown

Crusaders rally from Game 1 loss to beat Florence Christian 3-1

HSSR 2025 Football Rankings- SCHSL & SCISA HSSR Div. II AAAAA Ranking - (Entering Week 10 of Season, 10-31 2025) 1. Dutch Fork 7-1 (321-104) 2. James Island 8-1 (328-86) 3. Sumter 8-1 (367-180) 4. Dorman 6-2 (305-113) 5. Summerville 7-2 (329-157) 6. Stratford 8-1 (365-166) 7. Carolina Forest 8-1 (390-163) 8. Byrnes 6-3 (295-158) 9. Ashley Ridge 5-4 (293-206) 10. Ridge View 6-3 (319-127) HSSR Div. II AAAAA Ranking - (Entering Week 10 of Season, 10-31-2025) 1. Irmo 9-0 (375-139) 2. Northwestern 8-1 (436-246) 3. Indian Land 9-0 (313-84) 4. Greenwood 8-1 (198-182) 5. TL Hanna 8-1 (309-172) 6. Berkeley 7-2 (314-129) 7. White Knoll 6-3 (257-113) 8. Myrtle Beach 6-3 (289-310) 9. Gaffney 6-3 (242-163) 10. Greenville 6-3 (198-82) HSSR AAAA Football Ranking - (Entering Week 10 of Season, 10-31-2025) 1. South Pointe 7-1 (269-76) 2. South Florence 8-1 (389-109) 3. AC Flora 8-1 (360-89) 4. Daniel 8-1 (395-146) 5. Gray Collegiate 7-2 (338-127) 6. North Augusta 8-1 (412-118) 7. Seneca 9-1 (423-146) 8. Hilton Head 8-1 (363-150) 9. Camden 7-2 (320-175) 10. Bluffton 7-2 (335-164) 11. Midland Valley 7-2 (304-212) 12. Wren 7-2 (386-207) 13. May River 6-2 (249-140) 14. Hartsville 6-3 (367-292) 15. Bishop England 6-3 (281-135) HSSR Class AAA Ranking - (Entering Week 10 of Season, 10-31-2025) 1. BHP 9-0 (440-94) 2. Oceanside Collegiate 7-2 (367-170) 3. Loris 9-0 (418-111) 4. Newberry 9-0 (373-128) 5. Woodruff 8-1 (347-172) 6. Dillon 6-3 (340-160) 7. Mountain View Prep 8-1 (431-148) 8. Orangeburg Wilkinson 8-0 (292-49) 9. Powdersville 7-2 (326-208) 10. Silver Bluff 5-4 (256-229) 11. Swansea 7-1 (315-124) 12. Crescent 6-3 (328-214) 13. Marlboro County 6-3 (241-131)) 14. Christ Church 6-3 (285-229) 15. Pendleton 5-4 (351-100) HSSR Class AA Ranking (Entering Week 10 of Season, 10-31-2025) 1. Strom Thurmond 7-2 (3360141) 2. Clinton 7-3 (417-193) 3. Philip Simmons 7-2 (364-109) 4. Batesburg-Leesville- 6-3 (358-137) 5. Central 7-1 (299-98) 6. North Central 7-2 (207-152) 7. Timberland 7-2 (261-155) 8. East Clarendon 7-2 (246-78) 9. Hampton County 7-3 (364-150) 10. Andrew Jackson 5-4 (228-193) 11. Fairfield Central- 6-3 (295-163) 12. Saluda 5-4 (243-138) 13. Manning 6-3 (310-192) 14. Cheraw 5-4 (250-214) 15. Woodland 5-4 (248-203) HSSR Class A Football Ranking - (Entering Week 10 of Season, 10-31-2025) 1. Bamberg-Ehrhardt 9-0 (476-49) 2. Abbeville 7-2 (380-113) 3. Carvers Bay 9-0 (260-113) 4. Cross 8-1 (330-53) 5. Ware Shoals 9-0 (344-127) 6. Latta 7-1 (306-150) 7. HKT-7-2 (418-122) 8. Lamar 7-2 (332-263) 9. Johnsonville 6-2 (213-147) 10. Lewisville 6-3 (295-169) Scott’s Branch 6-2 (237-169) 12. Dixie 6-3 (285-256) 13. Baptist Hill 6-3 (290-109)) 14. Lake View 3-4 (107-140)) 15. Blackville-Hilda 4-5 (140-231) SCISA AAAA Football Ranking - (Entering Week 10 of Season, 10-31--2025) Northwood Academy 8-1 (357-103) 2. Hammond 8-1 (224-61) 3. Heathwood Hall 7-2 (207-69) 4. Laurence Manning 5-4 (246-178) 5. Porter Gaud 4-5 (254-152) 6. Ben Lippen 2-7 (113-247) SCISA AAA Football Ranking - (Entering Week 10 of Season, 10-31-2025) Wilson Hall 8-1 (328-134) Florence Christian 7-1 (213-127) Pinewood Prep 6-3 (386-187) 4. Trinity Collegiate 5-4 (249-184) 5. John Paul II 5-4 (213-252) 6. Hilton Head Christian 4-5 (265-348) SCISA AA Football Ranking - (Entering Week 10 of Season, 10-31-2025) 1. Bethesda Academy 8-0 (373-74) 2. Calhoun Academy 8-1 (368-147) 3. Greenwood Christian 702 (265-155) 4. Pee Dee Academy 5-3 (245-226) 5. Orangeburg Prep 6-3 (272-205) 6. Thomas Sumter 4-6 (240-277) SCISA Class A Football Ranking - (Entering Week 10 of Season, 10-31-2025) 1. Williamsburg Academy 7-1 (275-93) 2. Dorchester Academy 8-0 (330-85) 3. Colleton Prep-7-2 (318-144) 4. Beaufort Academy 6-3 (285-161) 5. Carolina Academy 4-5 (221-271) 6. Thomas Heyward 2-5 (199-203) SCISA 8-Man Football Ranking - (Entering Week 10 of Season, 10-31-2025) 1. Holly Hill Academy 9-0 (414-184) 2. WW King 9-0 (400-136) 3. Laurens Academy 8-1 (383-233) 4. Jefferson Davis 7-3 (362-260) 5. Kings Academy 5-4 (251-238) 6. Cathedral 5-4 (290-260)

Dorman Seniors, Nick Means getting the handoff from Meek Slydell in their victory over Gaffney.

Jachin Davis leads Stratford to 42-21 win over Wando to clinch Region 7-AAAAA title

Cardinal Newman, First Presbyterian, Laurens Academy, Cambridge all trying to repeat

Gamecocks win ninth region title in 11 seasons under head coach Mark Barnes

Complete list of scores broken down by classification and region

Saturday schedule has all remaining teams playing at 9:30 a.m. in Myrtle Beach

Cardinal Newman, Shannon Forest, Laurens Academy, Cambridge Academy try to defend titles

Some of the big matchups include Gaffney-Dorman, Ridge View-Sumter, Timberland-Philip Simmons

Wooden, Whitt lead Batesburg-Leesville to blowout victory

Bethesda Sophomore QB Jordan Turner (5-10,150) rifles a short pass.

Ashley Ridge senior running back Ryan Campbell (6-0,180) led the Foxes to a 42-19 win over rival Summerville.