By David Shelton Senior Writer Moncks Corner – At long last, the regular season came to an end and the Class AA state playoffs are upon us. The brackets are set and the fans of the favorites are hoping to make plans in mid-December for Orangeburg and the state finals scene. Who are the favorites in AA? Is there a sleeper or two that may surprise everyone and get to the title game. Most of the time, the teams that survive the grind and reach the fifth week of the playoffs, the title game, are teams that everyone who follows the sport predicts will be there. Let’s have a little fun and handicap the AA field. My process is to list my top four teams in the Upper State bracket and top four in the Lower State, as I see it. Any team not in my top four would be considered a sleeper to make it through the bracket. But, it can be done. In the Upper State, my No. 1 team is Batesburg-Leesville . I know, shocker. The 10-0 Panthers have answered every challenge and have proven to be quite formidable. They allow seven points per game with a defense that has speed and physicality. Nearly half of the total points they have allowed in 10 games came in one game, to Abbeville, in a two-point win. Abbeville is the top-ranked team in Class A and their coach , Jamie Nickles , is a believer. “They are certainly capable of winning the state championship,” he said. Running back Amadre Wooden and quarterback Tanner Watkins are a solid one-two punch offensively. Wooden has rushed for more than 1,500 yards and Watkins has passed for more than 1200 yards. My No. 2 pick to win the Upper State is Clinton. The 7-2 Red Devils have lost only to Woodruff and Daniel. Each of those teams has just one loss this season. The tough non-region schedule makes me feel the Red Devils are battle-tested for close, big games. Quarterback Tashawan Richardson makes it all go for the offense with James Cook adding a major threat in the run game. My No. 3 pick in the Upper State is Fairfield Central . The Griffins lost their season opener to Ridge View and have won nine straight games since. The scouting report needs just one word – speed. The Griffins can run and are explosive. Running back Tydarion Grier has gained more than 1.400 yards and averages 9.3 yards per carry. And, my No. 4 is Saluda . The Tigers’ only loss came to Batesburg-Leesville and they would love another shot at their region rivals. Saluda is another of the top defensive teams in AA and defense wins championships. Tahe your pick as the favorite in the Lower State cause several teams have a shot. My No. 1 going in is Barnwell . While not flashy or dominant, the Warhorses are solid and athletic. Senior Cameron Austin is a great leader at quarterback and if they have success on the ground, game over. No. 2 is Barnwell rival Hampton County . Again, the Hurricanes run the football and have good solid play at quarterback. They made a good run a year ago and I think their confidence level is high. The last two favorite picks are difficult and I ended up with three teams for two spots. At No. 3 I am going with Cheraw . The 8-2 Braves are not great at anything but very solid at most. Running back Cam McClendon is a threat to score from anywhere and the defense gets after it pretty good. For No. 4, I am sharing the spot between Manning and Philip Simmons . Manning has just one loss, the season opener to Crestwood, but their schedule and region was not overly difficult.  Philip Simmons went undefeated in a tougher region and seems to be peaking at the right time. The Iron Horses have a veteran quarterback and they really play hard on defense. Class AA state playoff first-round pairings Upper State Pelion at Clinton Strom Thurmond at Chester Columbia at Batesburg-Leesville Andrew Jackson at Liberty Chesterfield at Fairfield-Central Ninety Six at Chesnee Landrum at Central Mid-Carolina at Saluda Lower State Academic Magnet at Barnwell Lake City at Timberland Edisto at Cheraw Andrews at East Clarendon North Central at Manning Woodland at Hampton Co. Mullins at Philip Simmons Kingstree at Whale Branch

Dillon FB players at the HSSR Media Day 2024

By Billy G. Baker Publisher Cheraw — David Byrd will be starting his 24 tth season as the athletic director at Cheraw High School this school year, and he has been at the school as a teacher and head baseball coach for 29 seasons. After thoughtful prayer last November, Coach Byrd decided to run for Mayor of the town of Cheraw, literally paying his filing fee five minutes before time expired to file. “I finally got an answer from our school district that they had no issues with me deciding to run for mayor on the final day of filing,” said Coach Byrd. “So, I hung up the phone, rushed home, changed into a pair of Kakis and got to the office to file for mayor five minutes ahead of the deadline.” Coach Byrd won the election 2-to- one. The outgoing mayor was retiring after 35 years on the job and very few people had applied to run for mayor, but Byrd did face opposition. “I will be honest with you, going door-to-door, campaigning for support, it reminded me of what I do promoting our athletic teams at Cheraw High,” said Coach Byrd. “The more I got around the community, I actually started liking campaigning.” Coach Byrd also said it helped that with the retirement of the out-going mayor, the town voted to have a city administrator led form of government, doing away with the strong mayor form of government that had bene in place. “While I am still involved in all major decisions in the town, I do not have to serve as a full-time mayor, and I stay in close communication with our city administrator,” said Coach Byrd. Of all the direct phone calls “Mayor Byrd” has received from Cheraw citizens, since becoming Mayor, one call will always stick in his mind. “We have an ordinance that you can own up to four chickens, or four ducks, per house hold within the city limits and one caller asked if I could get the ordinance increased to 12 per house hold,” said Coach Byrd. “So far, we have not taken action on that request.” Coach Byrd said he stresses to his coaches several key points. “Any athletic director that says he does stress the importance of competing and preparing your teams for success, and wins, is not being honest, and at Cheraw we hope to be successful every time we compete,” said Coach Byrd. “I stress to our coaches the importance of networking, and having good relationships with the both the high school coaches they compete against, and also college coaches we hope take an interest in our athletes for potential scholarships. “However, the bottom line is we want our student athletes to display good sportsmanship at all times and to represent themselves, their families, and Cheraw High in a first- class manner,” said Coach Byrd. Coach Byrd’s Cheraw baseball team finished 20-8 this past season and lost in the District finals to Oceanside Collegiate , 7-6. During the 2024 season Coach Byrd won his 400 th career game and he will enter the 2025 season with a career record of 403-101, including state championships in 1999 and 2004. “We are only losing two starters off a 20-win team this past season,” said Coach Byrd. “We have a lot of players who have been competing together since the 8 th grade. I would say that expectations for us having a very good season this year is quite high. We should have an opportunity for a deep run in the play-offs.” Andy Poole will return to his alma mater as head football coach, and he will be starting hit 9 th season with high expectations for his team that returns around 17 starters. Cheraw has the majority of their OL back. Coach Poole has adopted a “Banners Or Bust” mantra for the upcoming season. The slogan is plastered throughout the locker room. Coach Poole recently told the HSSR, “We anticipate competing for a region title, and we expect a deep play-off run. Anything less, we will feel like we had a disappointing season.” Damien Ashe returns for his 5 th season as head boy’s golf coach. Tyonne Harrington will pull double-duty as the head boy’s tennis coach, as well as becoming a first-year head coach of the boys’ basketball team. Andre Garvin will coach both the boy’s and girl’s cross-country teams. The adult head trainer will be Amanda Ozolins. The competition cheer team will be under the direction of third year coach Elicia Quick . The new head volleyball coach will be Barry Driggers a Cheraw graduate who played football and baseball for the Braves. Coach Driggers has a talented daughter who plays volleyball on a year-round basis. One of the most successful coaches at Cheraw High is head softball coach Kevin Thurman who completed the 2024 season with a 347-234 career record including a past state title at Central High School. Thurman had a very young team in 2024. The Cheraw wrestling team will once again be headed up by second year head coach Jeremy Mabry a Cheraw graduate who played football, baseball, and compete in wrestling in high school.

Door is Wide Open for Class AA Football State Championship in 2024!

By Billy G. Baker Publisher Cheraw — With 18 starters back, off a 5-6 team at Cheraw last season, 12-year head coaching veteran Andy Poole says the slogan he started preaching right after the end of last season, “Banners or Bust”, is still the mission of the upcoming Braves football season. “If we can stay healthy, we have a chance to be a real good football team this season,” said Coach Poole. “We came out of Spring drills with 72 total varsity and junior varsity candidates and we will likely carry between 40 and 45 on the varsity this season. “We have “Banners or Bust” on our tee shirts, on our lockers, and I am thinking about putting the slogan on the side of my car,” said Coach Poole. “We do not have a lot of depth but our first bunch has worked really hard in the off-season and we are pushing hard for a successful season.” Cam McClendon (5-6,165) returns at RB, and after being moved from WR to the backfield in 2023. He rushed for over 1,000 yards in the final six games of the season after making the move. The other play-maker back on offense is sophomore WR Nick Gordan (5-7,160) who caught 22 passes for over 500 yards and 7 touchdowns last season. The Braves graduated their starting QB ( Aiden Nolan ) and coming into August drills junior Kadin Thomas (6-4, 183) is slated to start. “Kaiden knows our offense really well and he is a good leader,” said Coach Poole. Joining Gordan in the mainly three wide-out set are junior Deshawn Drake and senior Jay Campbell, a returning starter. The top OL back is tackling Bernard Joyner (6-1, 270) who can flip to the DL if needed. Coach Poole is very high on OL “Big John” Campbell (6-2, 240). “If Big John does not make all-region this season, he will disappoint but I will be even more disappointed,” said Coach Poole. “ Owen Johnson and Amp Strong will battle it out to start at left tackle. Ed Meeks (6-2, 275) will play a guard and our returning center is Caleb Terry (6-0,280).” On defense, Crawford Poole (5—11, 185) returns after recording 50 tackles, 15 TFL, including three sacks and three blocked kicks. “Crawford is super quick,” said Coach Poole. “He gets off the ball very quickly.” Other DL include senior Ashton Walls (6-2, 330) and sophomore Anthony Strong (6-4, 210). The all-region linebacker Deman Ellerbe (5-11, 200) is back along with senior Tyler Gordan and sophomore Brenden Pace . Robert Brown is the top DB returning and he had 61 tackles last season. Seniors Tray Leak (6-0,140) and Jahveon Marshall are two CB’s. Senior Jaden Carraway is set to start at FS. The new place kicker could be quite a surprise to the Braves. “We have a pitcher off the baseball team who worked out as a kicker in Spring drills,” said Coach Poole. “ Charlie Phillips is like 6-6 and I held the ball on the tee at the 40-yard line and he made 7-of-10 tries and we were both surprised, and pleased,” said Coach Poole. Cheraw will host a six-team scrimmage on August, 8 with East Clarendon , Lancaster , North Central , Buford and Latta . They host a live controlled scrimmage on August, 11 against Latta . Then in the Dillon Jamboree on August, 16 they will play the host the Wildcats in a two-quarter scrimmage.

By Billy G. Baker Publisher Cheraw — The Cheraw Braves (7-3, 7-0) baseball team entered their own Spring break baseball event (The Founders Credit Union Diamond Classic) with an undefeated region record to date, and while head coach David Byrd is pleased with the season so far, he is hoping his team can learn to finish games better offensively. “We finally got over the hump this season of not being able to beat the number one pitcher at Andrew Jackson and North Central, and both of those teams beat us 6-0 a year ago, when they pitched,” said Coach Byrd. “We got by AJ 2-1 this season, and beat North Central twice (8-2, 15-5), and we still have to play Buford twice at the end of the season and they are undefeated in the region also. “We have had situations where we have had a batter walked, and the next batter was hit by a pitch, and we were not able to bunt them over, and that is frustrating,” said Coach Byrd. “We have had several games that we could have broken things open, with runners in scoring position, but we could not get that timely hit to bring them in. I am hoping we get a little stronger finishing games on offense, as we get into the second half of the season.” Cheraw entered their 10-team Spring break tournament on April, 1 led by four players hitting over .400. At the top of the index was freshman Anthony Strong at .533 with seven RBI’s and one home run, followed by senior Landon Sellers at .468 and 13 RBI’s including two doubles and three home runs. Junior Kaden Johnson was at .417 with two RBI’s and junior Will Quick was hitting .407 with 9 RBI’s and three doubles. On the mound, Cheraw is being led at mid-season by a core group of five pitchers. Strong (R-R) is currently 2-0 with 15 strike-outs in 15 innings of mound duty and he sports a .467 ERA. Junior Charlie Phillips is 6-6 pitcher who is 2-0 with 12 strike-outs in 8 innings of work with a .875 ERA. Johnson is 1-0 on the hill with 15 strike-outs in 13 2/3 innings of work with a 2.56 ERA. The middle reliever/closer is senior Aiden Nolan and he has worked 11 innings with 10 strike-outs and he is 1-1 with an ERA of .770. “I give a lot of credit to our improved pitching this year to our pitching coach Tristian Campbell who has returned to our program after finishing up his college career at Western Carolina,” said Coach Byrd. “He is doing an outstanding job.” Coach Byrd also pointed out the outstanding defensive play of senior Austin McIntosh in center field. “Austin is one of the best center fielders I have coached,” said Coach Byrd. “He has thrown out four or four baserunners at the plate with his strong arm and he was the difference in our 2-1 win over Andrew Jackson when he threw out one of their runners at the plate with a perfect throw. He’s a gold glove for sure.” Senior Gunner Jordan is playing first base and he has contributed two home runs and 10 RBI’s this season. In a recent 8-4 win over Andrew Jackson junior Brayden Michael led the way with three hits while Johnson had six K’s and scattered three hits. “We still have to play Buford at the end of the season and they are undefeated in the region right now also,” said Coach Byrd. “We need to keep working hard and learn how to finish games better by the time we play them.” Cheraw Softball Team Having Rebuilding Season So Far The Cheraw softball team, head coached by Kevin Thurman , came into the break at 3-6 and 1-3. “We only returned one all-region player ( Zoey Hunt -pitcher) from last year when three teams tied for the region title,” said Coach Thurman. “Zoey has been in our program for five years. She is currently batting .457 with 10 RBI’s and three home runs.” Hunt is also the ace pitcher for the Lady Braves. The team only had two other returning starters to the team that tied for the region tittle in 2023. They are shortstop/third baseman Rivers and senior catcher Michelle Driggers . Catherine Crawford is a speedy sophomore center fielder bating .285. The top two newcomers to the team include sophomore outfielder Ally Huggins and 8 th grader Addison Polson . “We are a decent team, but we have had a bad bout with injuries this season,” said Coach Thurman. “At one time we had four starters out at one time and we have not been at full strength in any one game this season. The team is working hard and we hope to be playing our best softball by the end of the season.” Coach Thurman is assisted by Jimmy Grissome and Doc King .