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Bamberg Ehrhardt getting ready for the class A playoffs
Neill Kirkpatrick • February 8, 2025
Bamberg Ehrhardt getting ready for the class A playoffs
By Neill Kirkpatrick
Special to the HSSR
Bamberg – In Head Coach Candace Jones first season (23-24) at the helm of the Bamberg Ehrhardt girls basketball her team finished the season with a 20-6 record and a second-round appearance in the class AA playoffs so as the 24-25 season approached expectations were high with her entire roster returning. However, an injury to senior captain My'Chiya Johnson changed coach Jones expectations for her team.
“When we lost My'Chiya it changed our approach as a team. Each player found something they do well and together we started playing at a high level. Our goal is to be one of the top teams/programs in the area and Class 1A,” said coach Jones. “This team has exceeded my expectations and continues to play at a high level.”
The Lady Red Raiders are currently ranked number four by the HSSR and are 20-2 after beating Ridgeland 67-29 on Monday. They are currently 6-1 in region 4 A with three games remaining including a rematch against third ranked Denmark-Olar. A win and the Lady Red Raiders would tie Denmark-Olar atop the region standings.
The Lady Raider are lead by three senior in Raven Brown, Markayla Thomas and Cailyn Youmans. Brown is a returning All State and All Region player. She was named as one of the top five players in Class A. Heading into the season she had an outside shot at hitting the 1000 career point barrier. She leads the team in scoring and in steals per game. Coach Jones said she is the leader of the team and a coach on the floor.
Seniors Cailyn Youmans and Markayla Thomas have stepped up their games. Youmans is also a captain and returning all-region performer. Last season she was like Windex, cleaning the glass at 12 per game to lead the team. This season she has up her game on the offensive end and it averaging a double-double this season.
Thomas has taken over the point guard position and sets the tone for the Lady Red Raider offense and defense. She is dropping five dimes a game and leads the team in steals.
Rounding out the starting five are sophomore Carmyn Folk and freshman Jada Sanders. Folk made the all-region team as a freshmen after averaging 5.5 ppg, 8 rpg and 4 steals per game last season. This season she has increased her scoring and continues to crash the boards.
Sanders has emerged a lockdown perimeter defender for our team and brings intensity to the floor. She is second on the team in assists.
Three juniors have played well off the bench for the Lady Red Raiders in Ah'Minah Brunson, Ezariah Williams and Maureal Kimble. Brunson has been on fire in the second half of the season averaging a double/ double. She is able to play different positions on defense allowing the Lady Red Raiders to change up their schemes.
Williams is coming off a solid sophomore season where she averaged eight points per game and nine rebounds per game. She is another versatile low post player who can play the four or five position.
Kimble provides instant offense off the bench and stretch the defense with her three-point shot.
“My team needs to play more consistently on the offensive end and limit turnovers if we want to make a run in the playoffs,” said coach Jones.“ I think we have learned as a team that accountability is the key to ensuring all players are carrying their weight and doing what is needed of them in order to compete at a high level at all times.”
Anna Kate Huggins, Emerson Poston, Demi Greene All-Region picks
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Kaliyah Herman selected as Region 6 Offensive Player of the Year
Orangeburg Prep freshman Landon Kuck 3B and closing pitcher in this game.
Billy Baker Publisher Spartanburg —The Spartanburg Day boy’ soccer program was 1-1 headed into the school’s Spring break and the young men in the program are under the tutelage of head coach Graham Brewer . “We are currently 1-1. with a win against Chesnee High School in penalty kicks,” said Coach Brewer. “Our next game is March 28 against the Curtis Baptist School . “We have a small team made up of 14 hard-working players,” said Coach Brewer. “My hope is that this team will continue to grow and bond as a unit. I hope we are able to compete, and win in our region, with the end goal of securing a playoff berth.” Coach Brewer said the core group of team leaders are made up from senior goal keeper Colin Winkler , junior center back Noah Brush , and junior center back Brice Henderson . “Colin and Brice have both been involved in the program since middle school,” said Coach Brewer. “Noah has been involved since ninth grade. “Colin transitioned to the position late and has stepped in the last couple years,” Coach Brewer. “He has grown not only in skill but as a leader. His communication and guidance are key to the team’s success on the field. “Brice has been a key member of our defense at the varsity level, starting from 8th grade,” said Coach Brewer. “His intensity and desire to win is next to no one. He elevates the team from a physical perspective and is irreplaceable. “Noah is one of the more technically sound players on the squad,” said Coach Brewer. “He provides a great balance in terms of ability and physicality. His understanding of the game allows him to support the rest of the team.” Spartanburg Day Boy’s Line-up: #0 Colin Winkler, Senior, GK #6 Gleb Varenov, Senior, RB #10, Noah Brusch, Junior, CB #22, Brice Henderson, Junior, CB #11 Jacob Cochran, Junior, LB #7 Liam Mezgar, Freshman, CDM #4 Niles Murphy, 8th Grade, RM #26 Armin Pader, Freshman, CM #12 Aidan Darr, Senior, CM #8 Gavin Mason, Sophomore, LM #9 Reese Cook, Junior, ST Coach Emily Rossie Directs The Spartanburg Day’s Girl’s Soccer Team The Spartanburg Day girls’ soccer team is head coached by Emily Rossi and going into the school’s Spring break the Lady Griffins were 02 but focused on steady improvement. “It's my first year in this role, so I do not know how long many of the players have been a part of this program,” said Coach Rossi. “Our more experienced players on team are senior striker Grace Becker who provides ingenuity on the pitch. Senior mid-fielder Kaytlin McKimpsey displays grit. Both of these players represent determination. “Our main goal is to establish a strong defense that can easily transition to offense,” said Coach Rossi. Other starting members of the girl’s team include: Senior marking back Mya Ferguson , and senior marking back Anna Vincent. Mary Franklin Gilman is a starting mid-fielder/keeper along with junior mid-fielder Vivi Darr and junior striker Aiala Llona. Rounding out the starters are sophomore marking back Hannah Vincent, sophomore marking back/mid-fielder Aishwarya Tuggudemde., sophomore mid-fielder Shan Zhang, and sophomore keeper Kaeleigh Hull. Key back-ups include: senior Charlotte Roark , senior Mirabelle Ferguson junior Leticia Motta , junior Cardie Tan, junior Camille Cleland, sophomore Aroa Sala Iribarren, sophomore Chole Smith, sophomores Maddie Parker and two freshmen Bella and Bentley Cobb. Coach Rossi is assisted by Joe Anderson and Anna Aceto - Korn . The athletic trainer is Jonathan Green .
By: Gerald Doolittle Contributing Writer Batesburg-Leesville, S.C. – Coach Brian Kneece and staff are working hard to whip the Knights into a more competitive team for the 2025 season. The Knights will battle with Newberry Academy, Richard Winn Academy and Wardlaw Academy for the SCISA Region 3-A Title. At this writing, the Knights are 1-2 starting the 2025 season. They defeated Ridge Spring-Monetta 16-8. They lost games to Greenwood Christian (1-14) and Richard Winn Academy (4-14). After three games the offensive leader is Dallas Hill (jr) with a .571 batting average and 4 RBIs. Elijah Hutto (so) follows with a .500 batting average and 2 RBIs. Joshua Oswald (fr) has a .333 batting average. Zed Watkins (jr) and Colton Buzhardt (sr) have a batting average of .222. Cason Buzhardt (so), Colton Black (so) and Wyatt Burbank (jr) each have .143 batting averages with a combined 4 RBIs. Rounding out the Knights roster are Bubba Buzhardt (fr), Smith Kirby (jr), Landell Anderson (so), Joseph Morse (fr), Colby Buzhardt (fr), Greyson Rikard (fr) and Kevin Crapps (sr). The Knights still have two- region games left with Wardlaw Academy and two games with Newberry Academy. Also, they still have a region battle with Richard Winn Academy. Non-Region games left with Laurens Academy (2), South Aiken Baptist (2), Greenwood Christian (1) and Ridge Spring-Monetta (1).
By David Shelton Senior Writer Ridgeland – Get your licks in now because beating up on the Thomas Heyward Academy softball team will get increasingly harder over the next few seasons. Coach Jeb Fay has a very young, but talented, team on the rise. Playing a tougher varsity schedule this season may limit the number of wins but Fay feels the building blocks are coming together. The Thomas Heyward program has a strong history, competing for state championships during a good run more than a decade ago. Interest faltered in recent years and the school dropped the program. Fay, a longtime successful travel ball coach, took on restarting the program last season. With a group of very young players, the Rebels played a mixed schedule of varsity and junior varsity teams and had some success. This spring, the team is playing a full varsity schedule and the early showing in terms of success has been limited. “We’re taking some lumps right now,” Fay said. “We are still fairly young overall and playing a tougher schedule has been tough. We have a group of competitive players but we also have a group that’s new to the game. That happens at a small school. We’re just focused on trying to learn and improve every day. The potential to be competitive is there for sure.” Fay says a handful of players are active year-round with travel ball but even those players are young and developing. Of the 11 girls on the roster, there are two juniors. The rest are jayvee aged players. The two juniors on the team are Olivia Meador and Abigail Hansen . Meador sees time as a pitcher and plays shortstop while Hansen is an outfielder. Meador shares the pitching load with sophomore Caleigh Sottile . Behind the plate is eighth-grader Kayley Fay , one of the veteran summer ball players. Freshman Sophia Arzillo is playing first base, joined on the right side of the diamond by freshman Ella Hampton . Hampton has been injured early on so freshman Lilly Gantt , normally an outfielder, is filling in at second. Freshman EK Brown is the starter at third base. Other outfielders include Ruthie Garces, Destiny White and Audrey Eastman. Fay says the team scored a lot of runs last season but the offense has struggled early on against tougher pitching. “I feel like we can hit in some spots but we just need experience,” the coach said. “We have work to do defensively. We have a few in the outfield who struggle with fly balls and that’s not good. But we continue to work on it.” Thomas Heyward also started a middle school program with another crop of solid players moving up in the future.
Ceasar, Carter, Conyers All-Region 7-AA basketball selections
By David Shelton Senior Writer Walterboro – As a former player and graduate of Colleton County High, Jermale Paige is very committed to building a successful baseball program as head coach. Paige is in his ninth season as the head coach and has been able to make his teams competitive overall. The wins and losses (24-53 in last four years), do not tell the entire story. The Cougars have lost a bevy of close games and opposing teams have to show up and play to earn their victories. The last winning season for the program came in 2019 when the Cougars won 12 games. Paige is hopeful that his 2025 team can win more than they lose. The early season has looked promising as Colleton County posted early wins over Woodland and Hampton County, a loss to Berkeley, and ties in tournament play against Goose Creek and Andrews. “Honest expectations are to compete every day, while striving for a playoff spot,” Paige says. “I would like for those guys on my team who aspire to go to college to get the exposure that is needed. We have good senior leadership and more internal drive from our players.” The biggest senior leader, Da’Veon Varner , is also the team’s best player. He is now three-year starter and has batted .350 combined in the last two years. He also is a quality arm on the mound. “He plays the game at a high level,” Paige said. “He is hungry to go to the next level and I am looking forward to him showcasing his talents this spring, while always placing the team first.” Another third-year starter is centerfielder Xavier Oxner , who also is expected to work as the closer on the mound. Junior catcher Brinton Jerel is back for his third season as a starter. “He has physically grown and is more mature this year. He will command our staff and the defense overall.” Varner and Oxner will hit one-two in the batting order this spring. Sophomore leftfielder Michael Witkin will hit third while sophomore third baseman Galil Frazier hits cleanup. Senior RJ Adams is slated for rightfield and senior Alejandro Marin will play first base. After Jurel, the batting order ends with freshman shortstop Conner Desassure and junior second baseman Kyle Linder . Paige expects Varner, Witkin and Adams to be the top three arms on the mound, with Oxner and Marin filling in their roles. Colleton County will face quality opposition every night of the region 7-AAAA schedule. Perennial state title contender and multiple state champion Bishop England is new to the region. May River and Beaufort also rate as strong contenders. “Every team in our region is going to be able to compete,” Paige predicts.
By Billy G. Baker Publisher Manning —Two of the better teams in SCISA baseball, for the 2025 season, Laurence Manning (10-1) and Orangeburg Prep (11-2) faced each other in a non-region game on March, 27 th and the Swampcats took advantage of five errors to claim a 8-2 win. Both teams will be in action 24 hours later. LMA travels to play at Hilton Head Chrisitan while O-P will host Colleton Prep . After the game, veteran LMA head coach Tom Hatfield shared his thoughts with the HSSR, “We are starting to get some kids back who have been dealing with injuries, our pitching staff is solid and out hitting coach Rodney Mooneyham works every day with our hitters and he does a good job. “We just need to be more consistent and I thought we took too many fastballs tonight,” said Coach Hatfield. “Orangeburg Prep is a fine ball club and they came into the game tonight at 10-1. We like challenges in mid-week games. “We used three pitchers tonight, and had them all on pitch counts so we can use them, if needed against Hilton Head Christian tomorrow,” said Coach Hatfield. “I thought they all performed well tonight. “The potential of this team, with the depth we have in our pitching staff, I feel like we can make a serious run in the play-offs,” said Coach Hatfield. “One of our main pitchers ( Braydon Barnhill ) is not back yet but we expect to have him back soon and he was one of our main pitchers last year. I think we can make a run at it (state championship) if we can keep everybody healthy.” Orangeburg Prep head coach Tate Jameson also talked with the HSSR after the game. “We have a packed schedule this season (26 games) and I always like to play more then we practice,” said Coach Jameson. “We have a group of veteran guys whop just love to come to the ball park and play baseball and that is what we are about.” Coach Jameson was complimentary of pitcher Hunter Judy going all seven innings for the Indians giving up 8 hits with five strike-outs and no walks. “We could have brought someone in later in the game but I wanted to give Hunter the peace of mind that I was not giving up on him. I just wish we could have hit better behind him and scratched out a run or two every inning but it didn’t happen. “We talked about not letting errors get the best of you before the game,” said Coach Jameson. “Unfortunately, errors early in the game hurt our chances for a win tonight.” The Indians have seven senior starters, including one junior ( T Riley ) and one 9 th grader ( Landon Kuck ) along with Charlie McCutchen who pitches and catches for us. Bryon Williams is a pitcher, catcher, middle infielder, Judy is a pitcher, catcher, middle infielder, and Riley is in center with Tadd Jameson in left, and Mo Burroughs is at first, and Eli Pantaleon is at short and pitches also. Kuck is our third baseman. “Tonight was a half-way night because we have now played 13 games with 13 more to go in the regular season,” said Coach Jameson. “Hopefully, we can bounce back from this game. Coach Hatfield has an excellent squad and I am glad we were able to compete against them, even though we did not quite measure up to them. I hope we learn something from this game and move on.” LMA was led at the plate against O-P by Brenston Rembert who had two hits, three RBI’s, including a triple. Starting pitcher Ray Weston had two hits and two RBI’s while working 3.2 innings on the mound. First baseman DJ Balls had one hit and one RBI, Center fielder ZY Dennis had one hit and one RBI and catcher Cade Mooneyham had one hit in the win . The other two LMA pitchers in this game were Seth Witherspoon and Grayson Thornton who had four K’s in two innings of work. Other LMA starters against O-P included shortstop Grainger Powell , second baseman Payton Brown , right fielder Rory Carter , and left fielder Pierson Gamble . O-P was led on offense by Mason Tyler who had two hits, one RBI and two stolen bases. Riley, a gold glove center fielder who has 9 major college football offers to date, contributed one hit, while Jameson had a hit and one RBI. McCutchen, who hopes to play baseball at The Citadel , had one hit, while Williams also had one hit.
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