Chapin’s football season ends on high note
Worthy Evans • January 11, 2025
Chapin's senior QB Brady Albro.
By WORTHY EVANS
Contributing Writer
Chapin - Chapin’s 6-7 football season doesn’t look that good on paper, but the regular-season 35-34 victory over Region 4-5A rival White Knoll Nov. 8 surely made a lot of noise among the Eagles’ followers.
As Dutch Fork and Irmo battled for the region championship down I-26, the fourth quarter at Cecil Woolbright field was on fire.
White Knoll took a 21-7 lead on the Eagles early in the third quarter, but Chapin battled back and eventually defeated the Timberwolves 35-34.
Anthony Turnbow scored three touchdowns for Chapin in the second half—a receiving score, an interception return for a touchdown, and a kickoff return for another TD. He had 176 all-purpose yards on the night, from the pick-6, the kickoff return, the touchdown reception, and 37 rushing yards.
Besides Turnbow’s effort, Colione Martin rushed 21 times for 132 yards and a score, and quarterback Brady Albro had two interceptions but threw for 159 yards and a clutch TD pass to Turnbow.
“Our kids really played really hard, we talked about trusting the process in all phases of the game and they came in together and didn’t give up on each other, which is really good,” Chapin head coach Ryan Cole said. “We had a couple of turnovers we created on defense, which was great, Cole Martin had a really good second half, the linemen tightened down, and Brady (Albro) led them. I was happy that everybody came together at a time when we needed them to.”
That need came after Turnbow’s TD reception and pick-6 tied the game at 21 by the one-minute mark into the fourth quarter. In a fantastic finish, both teams scored four touchdowns within one minute and 20 seconds late in the game.
Chapin made it 28-21 on Gavin Stam’s 3-yard TD run at the 4:28 mark. Fifty-five seconds later, Jh’Quez Montgomery broke free for a 62-yard touchdown run to tie the game at 28 at the 3:53 mark.
Special teams had a moment over the next minute. Turnbow broke free on his 76-yard return that gave Chapin a 35-28 lead with 3:40 to go. Then White Knoll’s Devin Geronomi took the Eagles kick to the end zone on an 85-yard romp with 3:28 left.
In all the excitement, the game came down to extra points. Johnny Aguilera, who was 4-for-4 up until that point, missed the point after.
Chapin took yet another kickoff, but this time ran out the clock and sealed its first region win of the year.
“I’ve told our kids from time to time that I’ve been waiting for them to put it all together,” Cole said. “White Knoll is a good football team and they do some great things, and I’ll be excited to play them again.”
The game was easily the highlight of Chapin’s football season. The Eagles had won their first four games, but lost the next five. After the win over the Timberwolves, the Eagles edged Goose Creek 17-16 in the first round of the 5A Division 2 playoffs, but lost 38-7 to Irmo Nov. 22 to close out the season.
Albro, who passed for 2,603 yards and 22 touchdowns, made the 5A All-State team, as did wide receiver Khalen Bostick (65 catches for 895 yards and 11 touchdowns) and offensive tackle Caden Muskus.
Dillon – Dillon High School led 35-0 at halftime on the way to a 42-7 victory over Silver Bluff in the second round of the AAA state playoffs on Friday at the DHS stadium. The Wildcats, who improved to 9-3 on the season, will go on the road to face defending state champion Oceanside Collegiate Academy in the quarterfinals on November 21. Silver Bluff finished 7-5. Khayel Sam Fong-Talia completed 11 of 16 passes for 146 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Wildcats. He also ran for 55 yards on six carries. Wide receiver Zamaurious Robertson had the two TD receptions among his eight catches for 108 yards. Daniel Capehart rushed for three touchdowns and 44 yards on six carries. Dillon’s other touchdown came on a 45-yard interception return by D’Vontae McClam . He also had three tackles, including two tackles for a loss. Keryien Brown had eight tackles, two TFLs and one quarterback sack. Malachi Nelson had 11 tackles. Manning 46 Timberland 24 Manning – Jontavious Canty ran for 233 yards and three touchdowns as Manning reached the quarterfinals of the AA state playoffs with a 46-24 victory over Timberland at Ramsey Stadium . The Monarchs, who improved to 9-3, will play host to Hampton County on November 21. THS finished the year at 9-3. Quarterback Lovell Stevenson completed 7 of 10 passes for 67 yards and a score while rushing for 29 yards on six carries. CJ Robinson had three catches for 38 yards and a TD. Lovon Stevenson ran for a score and had two catches for 28 yards. Defensively, Robinson returned an interception 76 yards for a touchdown. Ethan Lowder was the leading tackler with 15. Lovon Stevenson had nine tackles, Jontavious Canty had eight tackles, and Dontavious Canty had seven. Antaun Faison had 31 carries for 195 yards and two TDs to lead Timberland. Montez Addison had five carries for 55 yards, and Malyk Goodman threw a 20-yard TD pass to Carter Hawkins . Addison led the defense with an interception. Hawkins led in tackles with nine, while Eric Roberts , Caylen Jones and Javion Jenkins had eight tackles apiece. Dutch Fork 42 Boiling Springs 7 Irmo – Dutch Fork scored 21 points in the first quarter and rolled to a 42-7 victory over Boiling Springs at Dutch Fork Stadium in the second round of the AAAAA Division I state playoffs. The Silver Foxes, the defending state champions, improved to 9-1 and will play host to Byrnes in the quarterfinals on November 21. Boiling Springs finished 5-7. Quarterback Jaxon Knotts completed 22 of 29 passes for 311 yards and three scores and also ran for a score. Kye Fulton had five catches for 119 yards and a score, Chase Betts had five catches for 57 yards and a score, and Brayden Johnson had six catches for 58 yards. Wyatt Warner had a 27-yard TD catch. Charlie Howell rushed for 50 yards and a touchdown on nine carries an had two catches for 20 yards. Kyle Henry ran for a score. Julian Walk er led the Dutch Fork defense with 3 ½ TFLs, 2 ½ sacks and six tackles. Mario Anderson and TJ Gibson each had an interception. Boiling Springs’ only touchdown was a 38-yard pass from Imri Logan to Jaylen Kelley. Ta’mi’jay Brown led the BS defense with seven tackles and a TFL. TJ Collins had four tackles, a sack and a TFL. Clinton 35 Saluda 25 Clinton – Clinton trailed 25-21 entering the fourth quarter but scored 14 points to come away with a 35-25 victory over Saluda in the second round of the AA state playoffs at Wilder Stadium . The Red Devils, the defending state champions, improved to 9-3. They will play host to Fairfield Central in a quarterfinal game on November 21. The Tigers finished 6-6. Javen Cook led CHS by rushing for 236 yards and four TDs on 20 carries. Rhett Gilliam scored the other touchdown and had 39 yards on nine carries. Brayden Williams led SHS by completing 13 of 24 passes for 229 yards and three touchdowns. He ran for the other score and 98 yards on 14 carries. CJ Springs caught all three TD passes, finishing with five catches for 137 yards. Lane Ashley had 36 yards on four catches, and Ceddion Springs had four catches for 27 yards, Tristan Daniels ran for 74 yards on 14 carries an caught two passes for 24 yards. Stratford 40 River Bluff 33 Goose Creek – Stratford survived a wild fourth quarter to come away with a 40-33 triumph over River Bluff in a second-round game in the AAAAA Division I state playoffs at the SHS field. The Knights, who improved to 10-1, will play host to James Island in a quarterfinal game on November 21. River Bluff finished 6-6 Stratford led 26-20 entering the final stanza. The Gators took the lead at 27=26 before Meliq McGowan scored on a 4-yard run then added the 2-point conversion to put SHS up 34-27. RBHS matched the touchdown to pull within a point. It went for two but didn’t get it. J’Qwan Crosby caught a 50-yard TD pass from Jachin Davis to make it 40-33. McGowan rushed for 258 yards and three TDs on 21 carries, while Davis rushed for 112 yards and another score on 13 carries. Davis completed 9 of 15 passes for 132 yards and a score. Crosby had two catches for 74 yards. Northwestern 42 Catawba Ridge 7 Rock Hill – Northwestern led just 6-0 at halftime but scored 29 points in the third quarter to go on to a 42-7 victory over Catawba Ridge at District 3 Stadium in the second round of the AAAAA Division II state playoffs. The Trojans, the defending state champions, improved to 10-1. They will play host to Gaffney in a quarterfinal game on November 21. NHS’ Kameron Vance returned the second half kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown, and Amarian Coleman ran for the 2-point conversion to make it 14-0. Xavier Means completed 18 of 27 passes for 189 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Trojans. He ran for 28 yards and a TD. Nigel Smith rushed for 96 yards on 17 carries. Vance had five catches for 55 yards while running for a touchdown. Payton Vining had four catches for 52 yards and a score, and David Flood had two catches for 41 yards and a TD. Alex Bendt had field goals of 32 and 21 yards for all of Northwestern’s first-half points. Coleman had 5 ½ tackles and an interception to lead the defense. Kameri McFadden had 5 ½ tackles and two TFLs, and Jayden Baxter had four tackles and a pick. Mark Blakeney rushed for 96 yards on six carries to lead CR. Will Gambrill completed 12 of 31 passes for 121 yards and a score. Isaiah Thomas caught two passes for 48 yards and the TD, while Colten McCauley had four catches for 56 yards. Loris 56 Orangeburg-Wilkinson 20 Loris – Loris remained undefeated with a 56-20 victory over Orangeburg-Wilkinson in the second round of the AAA state playoffs at the LHS field. The Lions, who improved to 12-0, will go on the road to face Newberry , which is also 12-0, in the quarterfinals on November 21. O-W finished 10-2. Deuce Stephens ran for 252 yards and four touchdowns on 18 carries. Quarterback Moon Gerald completed 10 of 20 passes for 97 yards and two TDs while rushing for 56 yards on eight carries. Mykhai Bell had two catches for 28 yards and a score, Roberick Purcha had three catches for 17 yards and a score and two carries for 30 yards. Khalid Sherman had three catches for 23 yards and four carries for 20 yards. Loris also scored two defensive touchdowns, Bell recovering a fumble in the end zone and Sherman returning an interception for 46 yards. Brendan Peoples ran for two of the Bruins’ touchdowns and passed for the other. He completed 15 of 29 passes for 161 yards. Daylin Haltiwanger had five catches for 45 yards and a TD, while Lamarques Hodges had four catches for 61 yards.
Lewisville ousts defending Class A state champion Abbeville; Hammond's 8-year title run ended
The Championship Games are set and teams are getting ready to via for the final round of their run for the state title. There is no better way to cap off a Championship season than showing support for your team with an advertisement that highlights your commitment to supporting the team in a quest for the championship.
Dillon senior Dillon WR Zay Robertson (6-0, 165) is committed to the University of North Carolina.
Larry Gamble HSSR, Photography Editor Bennettsville — Sumner McLaurin is a senior who plays volleyball and soccer at Marlboro Academy . McLaurin said she started playing volleyball in the seventh grade, which is her favorite sport, and she also began playing soccer in the 9 th grade. Being a two-sport student athlete, McLaurin said,” My favorite part is being on a team with friends.” After high school, she plans to focus on education, and she will pursue a degree in health sciences. Her first choice for college is Clemson and possibly playing at the club sport level. Taking two classes from two schools, plus sports, she had this to say about making it work; “It helps me with planning my study time, and practice time,” she said. “Taking online courses from the “NETC” helped me to develop my time management skills.” McLaurin’s has done well managing academics and athletics in her life and she currently carries a 5.220 GPA. For all her athletic and academic accomplishments, McLaurin has been chosen the “NETC” Female Student Athlete of the Month.” This honor is bestowed through a partnership between the Northeastern Technical College and “The High School Sports Report” with the publication communicating with athletic directors at high schools in the counties of Dillon, Marlboro, and Chesterfield, where NETC serves the needs of high school students seeking to earn dual credits in various subjects that can be transferred to colleges after a student’s high school graduation. The “NETC” is currently offering over 44 online dual credit courses for the 2025-26 school year to students in the three counties they serve. Currently, McLaurin is enrolled in two dual credit online courses offered by NETC. She started taking classes in her junior year. She has already completed many basic requirements for her freshman year of college like Spanish and English. She says she took Music Appreciation first to get an idea about the online learning experience. When asked about how the “NETC” experience helped prepare her for the next step in her education, she said, “Taking NETC classes helped my communications skills with my professors, and introduced me to the stricter schedule of college and to complete the work on time. “The class experience with NETC was good and I have really good professors,” said McLaurin. “They helped me learn how to prepare my assignments, follow the discussion boards, and improve my ability to communicate at the college level. By taking these NETC online classes I will be well ahead towards my major in college.” With all the demands for her time, between academics, sports, plus family and friends, McLaurin said, “Setting priorities is a must; school first, Marlboro Academy classes, practice, NETC classes are next, then making time for family and friends. It helps that a lot of my friends are on the volleyball team.” Nearly have way through her senior year, McLaurin was asked to reflect on a memorable moment she had experienced in sports. “At senior night, we played Lee Academy, and the game was about the great teamwork and friends on the team. I really enjoyed the camaraderie and sportsmanship of team play this season.”
Larry Gamble HSSR, Photography Editor Bennettsville — Beckham Jacobs is a senior four-sport athlete at Marlboro Academy, where he earned all-region honors and All State honors this past baseball season. He just finished competing at the SCISA State Cross Country meet and he also played on the boys Volleyball team. He is looking forward to the start of basketball season, and in the Spring, he will participate in baseball. As a student athlete, he ran on the Marlboro Academy Cross Country team this year, played on the inaugural boys’ volleyball team, and looks forward to the basketball season. In the Spring, baseball will close out his high school athletic career. When asked about a favorite sport, Jacobs said, “Baseball is my favorite since I starting played T-Ball when I was big enough to swing a bat,” he said. Last season he earned All Region and All State honors playing baseball. “This was our first year having a boys volleyball team and that was fun also.” In terms of the opportunity to play baseball at the next level, Jacobs replied, “If the opportunity arises that would be great.” In the classroom, he carries a 4.5 GPA, and he plans to major in Electrical Engineering at the University of South Carolina. For all his athletic and academic accomplishments, Jacobs has been chosen the “NETC” Male Student Athlete of the Month.” This honor is bestowed through a partnership between the Northeastern Technical College and “The High School Sports Report” with the publication communicating with athletic directors at high schools in the counties of Dillon, Marlboro, and Chesterfield, where NETC serves the needs of high school students seeking to earn dual credits in various subjects that can be transferred to colleges after a student’s high school graduation. The” NETC” is currently offering over 44 online dual credit courses for the 2025-26 school year to students in the three counties they serve. Jacobs is currently enrolled in two dual credit online courses offered by NETC. He started taking classes after a conversation with his sister who took advantage of the NETC program when she was in high school. “She recommended I can take classes now, for dual credit, because I’ll have to take them at some point,” said Jacobs. He plans to continue taking dual credit classes next semester, and has already completed English 101 and 102, plus a Personal Finance class and Public Speaking. When asked about managing his time to be successful academically and in sports, Jacobs had this to say; “Time management can be hectic, but you just have to plan ahead and stick to you your schedule,” he said. “With so many time commitments between school, sports, and having a social life, time management is very important. “It may look a little hectic, but plan ahead and take it as it comes,” said Jacobs. “This way, you can stay ahead.” He went on to say this about the classes he’s taken, “Hopefully, this will knock out a few freshman classes, and the Public Speaking is really helping me with my ability to communicate. “Taking online courses through the “NETC” I feel like I am being prepared for what my actual experiences could be once I get to college,” said Jacobs. “I am really enjoying the two online courses I am involved with right now, and I plan on taking two more online courses from the “NETC” next semester.” Getting back to sports, when asked about a favorite memory, Jacobs noted that even with baseball as his favorite sport, the standout memory is this year’s Cross Country meet, partly because he last ran Cross Country in the sixth grade and did not have any expectations for this season. He noted, “In the state championship, I wasn’t expecting this, but I posted a personal best for the three-mile with a 16th place time of 20.50 time. That was special for me to do that at State.”
SCISA will determine state championship matchups with semifinal games
SCISA Playoff Battles Set To Start By: Gerald Doolittle Goose Creek, S.C. – The South Carolina Independent Schools Association has it 2025 playoffs set to start on November 7 with many hot battles expected before the finals. All five 2024 Champions return to defend their titles. Hammond (4A), Pinewood Prep (3A), Pee Dee Academy (2A), Thomas Heyward (1A) and Richard Winn (8 Man). All five 2024 runners-up are back to challenge again. Porter-Gaud (4A), Wilson Hall (3A), Bethesda Academy (2A), Williamsburg Academy (1A) and Laurens Academy (8 Man). In 4A can Hammond (9-1) take another title despite losing in regular season to Northwood Academy (9-1)? Can Heathwood Hall sneak in to take the Crown? In regular season the Highlanders were defeated 9-7 by Hammond. The other 4A teams in the hunt are Laurence Manning (6-4), Porter-Gaud (4-6) and Ben Lippen (3-7). The Northwood Academy Chargers has been led by quarterback Kevin Johnson (jr) who has passed for 1876 yards and 17 touchdowns. Kaven Ford (sr) has led the rushing attack with 1056 yards 20 touchdowns. In the passing game Johnson has had three targets in Aydan Hogan (sr), Drew Wolfe (jr) and Jacair Medlock (jr). Hogan has 783 receiving yards for 7 touchdowns. Wolfe has 471 yards for 4 touchdowns and Medlock has 365 yards for 4 touchdowns. The Hammond Academy Skyhawks has used a dual quarterback attack led by Ben Muela Kiser (sr) who has passed for 559 yards and 4 touchdowns . Cade Amell (fr) has passed for 562 yards and 4 touchdowns. Kiser also leads the rushing attack with 723 yards and 5 touchdowns. Levi Myers (jr) has 662 yards and 7 touchdowns. Kanye Reed (jr) has 298 yards and 8 touchdowns. The Heathwood Hall offense has been powered by Patrick Belk . He has passed for 1723 yards 17 touchdowns. He also has rushed for 378 yards 5 touchdowns. Julian Hughes (sr) has rushed for 298 yards with 3 touchdowns. The top two pass receivers for the Highlanders has been Keon McKinnley (jr) and Jamonie Batts (sr). McKinnley has 529 yards 3 touchdowns. Batts has 408 yards for 3 touchdowns. Jackson Noble (sr) has 224 yards for 4 touchdowns. In Class 3A the Pinewood Prep Panthers offense has been powered by quarterback Silas Brawner (jr). He has 2593 passing yards for 33 touchdowns. Brawner has had four favorite receivers led by Jayden Alexander (sr) who has 995 yards for 13 touchdowns. Lavoris Lucas (jr) has772 yards for 7 touchdowns. Heyward Moore (jr) has 448 yards for 5 touchdowns and Tre Green (jr) has 369 yards for 8 touchdowns. Grayson Salego (jr) has led the Panther rushing attack with 629 yards for 10 touchdowns. Lucas has rushed 252 yards for 3 touchdowns. Jeremy Kendall (fr) has rushed for 200 yards 3 touchdowns. The Wilson Hall Academy Barons offensive attack has been led by Ford Wilder (sr) who has passed for 507 yards 4 touchdowns and rushed for 246 yards scoring 8 touchdowns. The Barons have six rushers with over 200 yards. Ben McLaurin (sr) has 854 yards 10 touchdowns. Milling Galloway (sr) has 562 yards 11 touchdowns. Cameron Wilsey (so) has 328 yards 5 touchdowns. Shep Vincent (so) has 208 yards 4 touchdowns. Riley Minton (so) has led the Florence Christian Eagle offense with 824 passing yards 3 touchdowns and rushed for 170 yards 5 touchdowns. The Eagles rushing attack has been led by Andrew Miller (jr) with 660 yards 11 touchdowns. Brooks Poston (sr) has 494 yards 7 touchdowns and Josh Davis (sr) has 317 yards 3 touchdowns. In Class 2A the Bethesda Academy Blazers offense has been led by Jordan Turner (so) from the quarterback slot. He has passed for 1551 yards 26 touchdowns and rushed for 163 yards with 4 touchdowns. The Blazers ground attack has been led by Jordan Cheever (sr) who has 981 yards 12 touchdown. Jeffrey Armstrong (so) follows with 314 yards 3 touchdowns. Joseph Adkins (so) has added 153 yards 2 touchdowns and Jamarri Young (sr) follows with 138 yards 3 touchdowns. The Calhoun Academy Cavaliers offense has been fired by Colt Layton (jr) from the quarterback slot. He has passed for 698 yards 6 touchdowns and has rushed for 1205 yards 21 touchdowns. Cael Parler (jr) follows Layton with 869 yards 14 touchdowns and Joseph Lyons (so) has tallied 600 yards 9 touchdowns. The Greenwood Christian Hawks has used a balanced offensive attack this season. Quarterback Leland Reed (jr) has passed for 754 yards 12 touchdowns. The Hawks rushing attack has been led by Leighton Davis (fr) with 469 yards 5 toucdowns. Holden Poole (sr) has 148 yards 1 touchdown and Isaiah Scott-Palacios (jr) has 113 yards 2 touchdowns. Ty Kennedy (sr) and Bryson Dixon (sr) have been top targets for Reed in the passing attack. Kennedy has 311 receiving yards with 6 touchdowns and Dixon has 181 yards 4 touchdowns. Cholly Williams has sparked the Orangeburg Prep Indians from the quarterback slot. He has passed for 1662 yards 22 touchdowns. He has also rushed for 254 yards 4 touchdowns. The top receiver has been Tilden Riley (sr) with 1003 yards 17 touchdowns. Council Burroghs (so) has 242 yards 3 touchdowns. Maxx Judy (jr) has 287 yards 2 touchdowns and Marshall Livingston (jr) has 176 yards 1 touchdown. In Class 1A the Williamsburg Academy Stallions has been led by Micah Balder (sr) who has passed for 841 yards 8 touchdowns and rushed for 456 yards 5 touchdowns. His top receiver has been Charlie Caulder (jr) with 548 yards 6 touchdowns. The Stallions rushing attack has been led by Grant Small (jr) with 1582 yards 24 touchdowns. Eli Brown (so) has rushed for 440 yards 4 touchdowns. The Dorchester Academy Raiders offense has been led by quarterback John Quattlebaum (sr) who has passed for 817 yards 12 touchdowns. The Raiders rush game has been led by John Whetsell (sr) with 1142 yards 15 touchdowns. Reed Almers ( so) has rushed 157 yards 4 touchdowns and Warren Judy (so) has 130 yards 3 touchdowns The top two receivers has been Abe Shuler (sr) with 344 yards 3 touchdowns followed by Noah Risher (jr) with 264 yards 5 touchdowns. The Colleton Prep Academy War Hawks has been led by dual quarterback Cale Owens (jr). He has passed for 1661 yards 17 touchdowns and rushed for 1029 yards 15 touchdowns. Tanner Wolf (sr) has rushed for 553 yards 10 touchdowns and Thomas Corbett (jr) has rushed 123 yards. Corbett has been the top receiver with 651 yards 7 touchdowns. Hartman Fisk (jr) has 376 receiving yards 3 touchdowns. In 8-Man the W W King Academy Knights have been led by a strong running game. Joseph Morse (so) has 1505 yards 25 touchdowns. Blake Rabar (fr) has 332 yards 3 touchdowns and Ty Doolittle has 120 yards 4 touchdowns. Elijah Hutto (jr) has passed for 956 yards 19 touchdowns . Dallas Hill (sr) has been the top receiver with 375 yards 11 touchdowns. Landell Anderson (jr) has 386 yards 6 touchdowns and Luke Harvey (jr) has 150 yards 1 touchdown. The Laurens Academy Crusaders offense has been sparked by their passing and rushing quarterback Ethan Collins (jr). He has passed for 1657 yards 23 touchdowns and rushed for 449 yards 11 touchdowns. The rushing has also been led by Caleb Hardy (jr) with 1206 yards 12 touchdowns. Mason Cooper (so) has 678 yards 6 touchdowns. Hardy also has 835 receiving yards 14 touchdowns. Other receivers has been Riley Whittaker (fr) and Nathan Bell (sr). Whittaker has 380 yards 4 touchdowns and Bell has 200 yards 2 touchdowns. The Holly Hill Academy Raiders has been led by Parker Kizer (jr) who has been involved in 50 touchdowns. He has rushed for 2962 yards 46 touchdowns and passed for 136 yards 4 touchdowns. Jake Kirven (so) has rushed for 428 yards 7 touchdowns and Jayden Krier (fr) has rushed for 165 yards 2 touchdowns.
HSSR Class A Football Ranking - (Entering Week 12 of Season, 11-14-2025) 1. Bamberg-Ehrhardt 11-0 (597-49) 2. Abbeville 9-2 (480-129) 3. Carvers Bay 10-0 (319-113) 4. Cross 9-1 (364-53) 5. HKT 9-2 (502-136) 6. Lamar 9-2 (401-277) 7. Johnsonville 8-2 (282-169) 8. Ware Shoals 10-1 (398-164) 9. Latta 8-2 (348-185) 10. Lewisville 7-4 (371-189) 11. Scott’s Branch 8-2 (316-183) 12. Blackville-Hilda 6-5 (182-209) 13. Lake View 5-4 (187-146) 14. CA Johnson 6-5 (258-331) 15. Wagener-Salley 5-6 (153-300) By Billy G. Baker Publisher Moncks Corner — There were no major upsets at the top of the Class A food chain in the first round of the playoffs on November, 7. Now that there are 16 schools left hoping to punch their tickets to the gold medal round, the winning margins are going to tighten up, and round two games should be much more competitive. The goals of the 16 teams left are all the same; be 1-0 every week and eventually punch your team’s ticket to the Class A gold medal round scheduled for 4 p.m. on Friday December 5 at South Carolina State University. (Be there and bring the whole town with you!) In the first week of the playoffs the HSSR number two ranked Abbeville (9-2) defeated Great Falls 63-0, and the “A” will now host Trent Usher’s Lewisville Lions team after the Lions drilled Whitmire 62-0 in the first round. These two teams met later in the playoffs last year with the Panthers winning easily. Abbeville will be seeking their 14 th overall state title this season. The Panthers earned number 13 last December in a 58-20 win over Cross . Last year’s Panther team was comprised of 27 seniors and this year’s team came into the 2025 season much younger but still loaded with home grown athletes. After his team’s season opening 42-0 win over Southside Christian , Coach Nickles told the HSSR, “We have a chance to be a really competitive football team. We have to keep working and improving. We’ll see how it goes.” Jaden Baylor took over the QB duties for Abbeville this season and he has improved with each game. Darius Riley is the team’s work horse at RB, and he started off the season with tackle breaking touchdowns runs of 71 and 67 yards in the season opener. Cole Driggers is a leader at left tackle in the offensive front. Top ranked Bamberg-Ehrhardt (11-0) has the distinction of being the most productive scoring offense in Class A, so far this season (597 points) and they also have the best scoring defense (49) in the state entering the playoffs. The Raiders will host Latta this week as a double-digit favorite. Latta advanced with a 34-14 win over Baptist Hill . Corey Crosby is in his 5 th season as the Raiders head coach and his team has now won 16 straight region games. His career record at B-E over this five- year period is 52-11 and the Raiders came into the 2025 season with 15 returning starters. A few impact B-E players include senior all-state WR Marcus Cann (6-2, 195) who is also a topflight DB. OL is one of the strengths of the team and three returners from last season have literally road graded the competition. They are center Michael Manigault (6-0,265), LG Jaden Moody (6-0,255), and junior RT Simeon Bamberg (5-11, 195). Carvers Bay is 10-0 and by Shrine Bowl OL Zyon Guiles (6-5, 295) who is committed to South Carolina. The Bears will host region rival Lake View this week in round two. They defeated Lake View 32-7 on October 10, but most observers feel like this game will be more competitive. The Bears advanced in round one with a 59-0 win over Allendale-Fairfax last week while the Wild Gators beat Hardeeville 28-6 to advance. In upper state Class A this week, Blackville-Hilda will host CA Johnson after getting by eliminating McCormick 15-0 last week. CA Johnson advanced on a 12-0 win over Calhoun County . Number five HSSR ranked HKT (9-2) HKT would love to be the Cinderella of Class A and claim the glass slipper at SC State in December. They eliminated Lee Central 56-14 in the first round and they are now ready to host a talented number 8 ranked Ware Shoals this week in one of the most competitive round two games in Class A. Ware Shoals advanced with a dominating 38-0 win over Ridge-Spring-Monetta last week. Number six Lamar (9-2) advanced with a 49-0 win over Calhoun Falls and the Silver Foxes will host Wagener-Salley this week, an upset winner over Dixie , 14-9 in round one. Remaining games amongst Lower State Class A teams include number four Cross (9-1), led by USC bound Caden Ramsey (6-5,200), hosting Bethune-Bowman . Cross had a bye in round one while Bethune-Bowman shut-out Ridgeland 38-0. Johnsonville and Scott’s Branch are teams with state championship experience, and the Flashes of Ken Cribb will travel to the Santee Lakes area this week in a game that should go down to the wire. Johnsonville advanced with a 48-14 win over Branchville while Scott’s Branch moved on with a 32-14 win over Hannah Pamplico .
By Dennis Brunson hssr.com Associate Editor Sumter – Trying to figure out who the best football team is in the South Carolina High School League’s AA classification has not been an easy task. Records have been distorted with teams like defending state champion Clinton and defending runner-up Fairfield Central playing up in non-region games and taking losses. Then you have tough regions like Region 2 with Strom Thurmond , Batesburg-Leesville and Saluda locking up in epic battles. Then there is Region 4. It has the team with the best record among the contenders in Central with a 9-1 record after the first round of the state playoffs. However the Eagles didn’t even wn the region title. They lost to Andrew Jackson , which is the region champion. They could meet again – for the state championship – since Region 4 is a hybrid region. AJ is in the upper state bracket and Central is in the lower state bracket. Another region team, Cheraw , is still alive in the lower state bracket. So you know how we figure all of this out, right? By letting the playoffs play out. With one week in the books, let’s try to figure out who will be playing for the state title on Saturday, December 6, at South Carolina State’s Oliver C. Dawson Stadium in Orangeburg beginning at 4 p.m. Here we go starting with the upper state second round: Saluda at Clinton Fairfield Central at Andrew Jackson Batesburg-Leesville at Chester Liberty at Strom Thurmond These are all teams that have been consequential in AA in the last few years. You have four region champions in Region 1 Clinton, Region 2 Strom Thurmond, Region 3 Chester and Region 4 Andrew Jackson. There are three second-place teams in Fairfield Central, B-L and Liberty. Saluda finished third but it lost to both Thurmond and B-L in overtime and dropped a 1-point decision to Ninety Six . While the Tigers will put up a strong fight, Clinton shoul come away victorious with running back Javen Cook leadin the way. Fairfield Central is 8-3, while AJ is 7-4 with one of thosef losses coming to the Griffins by a 35-0 count. The Volunteers won’t be able to make up enough of that gap. Batesburg-Leesville has rebounded from a slow start and is 8-3. Chester started the season 1-3 but has won six of its last seven to go to 7-4. Running back Amadre Wooden and wide receiver KD Whitt should provde enough plays to give B-L a victory. Strom Thurmond is 9-2 and Liberty is 8-3. Playing in Region 2 should be enough to push the Rebels past Liberty. The quarterfinal games are: Fairfield Central at Clinton Batesburg-Leesville at Strom Thurmond Fairfield and Clinton will meet again in the playoffs only one round earlier. The Red Devils will win again because of their overpowering running game. Thurmond and B-L faced off in their region opener with the Rebels coming away with a 28-26 overtime triumph. They took Region 2 with an undefeated record, but it will come to an end with a Panthers victory. The upper state title game will be: Batesburg-Leesville at Clinton This could be a very quick game as both teams love the running game and rightfully so. Two of the best running backs in the state will play in B-L’s Wooden, the school’s all-time leading rusher, and Clinton’s Cook. They will be toting the rock on a regular basis. Somehow, some way, the Panthers are going to come out victorious and advance to the title game. The four second-round games in the lower state are: Cheraw at Hampton County Timberland at Manning East Clarendon at Central Atlantic Collegiate at Philip Simmons These are four games that are intriguing as well but in a different fashion. Save Central – which again, didn’t win its region – each has had something to overcome. After losing three straighr games, including its first two Region 4 contests to Central and AJ, Cheraw is on a 4-game winning streak and is 7-4. Hampton had a 3-game losing streak of its own but has reeled off five straight wins to claim the Region 6 title. The losses all came to solid to strong teams in higher classes though, and the Hurricanes should be victorious. Manning, which played for the lower state title last year, started 0-2 and lost its Region 7 opener. However, the Monarchs won the rest of their region contests and are on a 6-game winning streak. Timberland is 9-2 but finished second in Region 6 after losing to Philip Simmons 22-0. This will be a slugfest between two teams who methodically run the ball and play tough defense. Manning will be victorious. East Clarendon is 9-2 but finished third in Region 7 with losses to Atlantic Collegiate and Lake City . Central is 9-1 with the lone loss coming to AJ by a 21-20 count. With the exception of a 34-27 win over Cheraw, all of the Eagles’ wins have come in blowout fashion. They will pick up their 10 th win. Atlantic Collegiate, in just its second year of football, has had something of a magical run in the second half of the season. The Armada lost its first five games, albeit against a murderous non-region schedule. However, ACA went 4-2 in Region 7 to finish second and opened with a home win over Woodland . Philip Simmons is on a 9-game winning streak after losing its first two. The Iron Horses will ground the Armada’s season. That means the quarterfinal games are: Hampton County at Manning Central at Philip Simmons Hampton County will have too much offensive firepower for the Monarchs. Central will have to make the almost 3-hour drive from Pageland to Charleston , but the trip back will be a little shorter after a victory. The lower state title game will have: Central at Hampton County Central will make an almost identical trip to Varnville to take on the Hurricanes the following week. Again, the Eagles will be celebrating on the return ride home. And your state title game will be: Batesburg-Leesville vs. Central These are two historically strong programs where their hometowns generally shut down on Friday nights. The Eagles, led by the likes of Dwayne Louallen Jr. , Ashten Wilson , Marques Allen and Taveon Moore , will be too hard for the Panthers to handle. Central will be a state champion for the first time since 2010. First Round Friday Upper State Clinton 56, North Central 7 Saluda 33, Mid-Carolina 13 Andrew Jackson 34, Ninety Six 16 Fairfield Central 50, Chesnee 21 Chester 50, Blacksburg 6 Batesburg-Leesville 42, Eau Claire 0 Strom Thurmond 49, Chesterfield 0 Liberty 35, Pelion 14 Lower State Hampton County 56, Lake City 22 Cheraw 17, Andrews 7 Manning 48, Academic Magnet 7 Timberland 46, Barnwell 8 Central 56, Kingstree 6 East Clarendon 14, Lake Marion 0 Philip Simmons 57, Whale Branch 12 Atlantic Collegiate 14, Woodland 0 Second Round November 14 Upper State Saluda at Clinton Andrew Jackson at Fairfield Central Batesburg-Leesville at Chester Liberty at Strom Thurmond Lower State Cheraw at Hampton County Timberland at Manning East Clarendon at Central Atlantic Collegiate at Philip Simmons