Gaffney beats Byrnes 15-9 in double overtime

From staff reports • October 13, 2024

Gaffney's Jamarcus Smith on the carry.

Gaffney – The Gaffney High School football team rallied to force overtime and beat Byrnes 15-9 in double overtime on Friday at The Reservation.


          The Indians, the  No. 1 team in the High School Sports Report AAAA Division II poll, improved to 5-0 on the season and 2-0 in Region  2. Byrnes fell to 2-4 and 2-1.

 

         The game was tied 6-6 at the end of regulation. Gaffney’s Evan Olson kicked a 29-yard field goal on its first possession in overtime. The Rebels' Jon Cummings booted a 22-yarder to force the second overtime.

 

         GHS kept the Rebels from scoring on the first possession of the second overtime. On Gaffney’s first play, Jamarcus Smith scored from 10 yards out to win the game.

 

         With Indians quarterback Jayvon Gilmore sitting out the first half because of a suspension, Smith lined up behind center. Smith carried the ball 13 times fo4 132 yards and GHS’ only touchdown. Smith completed 4 of 8 passes for 30 yards with one interception.

 

         Chas Smith rushed for an even 100 yards on 20 carries. Gilmore completed 8 of 17 passes for 68 yards.

 

         Olson connected on 3 of 4 field goals The one miss was blocked. He booted a 24-yarder in the second quarter and a 30-yarder in the third quarter to give the Indians a 6-0 lead.

 

`       Byrnes tied the game on a 1-yard run by Jacobie Fuller at the 9:01 mark of the fourth quarter. However, the extra point attempt was no good.

 

         Clinton 46

         Chesnee 21

 

         Clinton – Clinton led 36-7 at halftime and went on to a 46-21 victory over Chesnee on Friday at the Clinton field.


       The Red Devils, ranked fifth in the AA poll, improved 4-2 overall and 1-0 in Region. Chesnee fell to 2-4 and 0-1.

 

         Javen Cook led the Red Devils by rushing for 129 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries. Tushawan Richardson completed 9 of 14 passes for 178 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for 25 yards on three carries.

 

         DJ Clark rushed for 68 yards on seven carries to go with two catches for 31 yards. Devin Swindler caught four passes for 61 yards and a score, and Chris Boyd caught a 47-yard TD pass.

 

        Chesnee's Evan Lawler rushed for 64 yards and a TD on 10 carries while completing 6 of 14 passes for 67 yards. Jayden Williams had 13 carries for 70 yards and a touchdown, and Kale Thrift had 12 carries for 55 yards and a TD.

 

         Saluda 50

         Pelion 0

         

         Pelion – Saluda improved to 5-0 on the season with a 50-0 victory over Pelion on Thursday at the PHS field.

 

         The Tigers led 22-0 after one quarter and 43-0 at halftime. Saluda, the top-ranked team in the AA poll, won its Region 2 opener while Pelion fell to 1-6 overall and 0-2 in region play.

 

         Brayden Williams carried the ball five times for 74 yards and a score while throwing a 44-yard touchdown pass. He also caught a 22-yard pass.

 

         Quarterback Drew Arant returned to the lineup and completed 6 of 9 passes for 177 yards and a TD. Tristan Daniels had three carries, all going for touchdowns, and 13 yards.

 

         Victavis Gaines caught a 44-yard scoring pass, while Jah Foulks had two catches for 61 yards and a score.

 

         Akiem Mills led the Saluda defense with three tackles for loss among his five total tackles. JT Lott had two TFLs and three total tackles as well as a fumble recovery. CJ Springs had n interception and three tackles.

 

         Timberland 47

         Academic Magnet 14

 

         St. Stephen --Timberland improved to 5-2 overall and 2-0 in Region 6-AA with a 47-14 victory over Academic Magnet on Friday at the THS field.


        Malyk Goodman led THS, rushing for 99 yards and a TD on six carries while completing 2 of 3 passes for 77 yards. Rashad White completed 4 of 9 passes for 115 yards and a score.

 

         Deontae Cleveland had 10 carries for 88 yards and a score, Antuan Faison had six carries for 49 yards and two scores, and Jordan Timmons had two catches for 69 yards and a touchdown.

 

         Carter Hawkins led the defense with two interceptions.


Academic Magnet fell to 3-4 and 0-2.

 

         Loris 40

         Waccamaw 14

 

         Pawleys Island – Deuce Stephens ran for three touchdowns as Loris improved to 6-1 overall with a 40-14 win over Waccamaw on Friday at the WHS field.

 

         Stephens had five carries for 77 yards for the Lions, who improved to 2-0 in Region 5-AAA. Khalid Sherman had 126 yards and a TD on eight carries, while Roderick Purchia had 10 carries for 90 yards and a touchdown.

 

         Zaerion Skinnerhad 10 carries for 129 yards, including an 80-yard scoring run to lead the Warriors, who fell to 3-3 and 1-1

 

       Dutch Fork 38

         White Knoll 0

 

         Irmo – Dutch Fork remained undefeated with a 38-0 win over White Knoll on Friday at Dutch Fork Stadium.

 

         The Silver Foxes, the top-ranked team in the AAAAA Division I poll, improved to 6-0 overall and 2-0 in Region 5. Fourth-ranked White Knoll fell to 4-3 and 0-2.

 

         Maurice Anderson rushed for 81 yards and two TDs on 13 carries while catching five passes for 68 yards and another score to lead Dutch Fork. Ethan Offing was 15 of 20 for 202 yards and a touchdown.

 

         Justin Welch booted a 50-yard field goal and was 5-for-5 on extra point attempts. Elgin Sessions returned an interception 55 yard for a TD.

 

Mauldin 36

Easley 28

 

         Mauldin – Mauldin outscored Easley 14-0 in the fourth quarter to pick u0 a 36-28 win on Friday at the MHS field.

 

         Aaron Tolbert led Easley by rushing for 174 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries. He also had a 14-yard catch.

 

         Jay Stoker completed 14 of 32 passes for 162 yards and two touchdowns for Easley. Kadin Davis had three catches for 97 yards and a touchdown.

 

         Kobe Preston led the Easley defense with 11 tackles. Kyler Turner had nine tackles and an interception, and Cason Michael Brewington had eight tackles and a pick.


          Mauldin improved to 1-4 overall and 1-1 in Region 1-AAAAA. Easley fell to 1-4 and 0-1.


         Thomas Heyward 48

         Andrew Jackson 6

 

         Ehrhardt – Thomas Heyward Acsademy led 41-0 at halftime and rolled to a 48-6 victory over Andrew Jackson Academy on Friday at the AJA field.


THA, ranked second in the SCISA Class A poll, improved to 6-1. The Warriors fell to 1-7.

 

         Tony O’Banner led the Rebels by rushing with 73 yards and two touchdowns on five carries. Mitchell White had two carries fro 52 yards, one of them a 47-yard scoring run.

 

Kiran Boggess completed 4 of 4 passes for 133 yards and two touchdowns. Joshua Gibson had a 65-yard scoring catch and Donovan Robinson had a 2-yard TD catch.

 

Gibson also returned a kickoff 94 yards for a score.

 

Donovan Robinson led the THA defense with three interceptions and four tackles. Kelan Fripp led the THA defense with five tackles, two TFLs and a sack. Beau Pinckney had three tackles, two of them for a loss. Gua Twenge and White both had seven tackles, Twenge had a TFL.

         

         North Myrtle Beach 28

         Socastee 14

 

         North Myrtle Beach – Drew Prince scored a pair of fourth-yuarter touchdowns to lift North Myrtle Beach to a 28-14 win over Socastee on Friday at The Hank.

 

         Prince had scoring runs of 19 and 31 yards, respectively after Socastee had tied the game on an interception return for a score. Prince had 25 carries for 194 yards.

 

         Land Cloninger threw a 54-yard touchdown pass to Reo Stevenson and also ran for a 3-yard score for the Chiefs. He compelted 9 of 18 passes for 128 yards.

 

         Stevenson had two catches for 64 yards, Brown Reaves had two catches for 20 yards, Kaden Gore had two cactches for 12 yards and Andrew Kreider had two cagches for nine yards.

 

         Jaden Chestnut had 11 carries for 60 yarards.

 

         NMB improved to 2-4 overall and 2-0 in Region 6-AAAAA. Socastee fell to 2-5 and 0-2.

 

         Northwestern 65

         Fort Mill 6

 

         Fort Mill – Northwestern improved to 8-0 with a 65-6 win over Fort Mill on Friday at Bob Jones Stadium.


         The Trojans, ranked third in the AAAAA DII poll, are 4-0 i Region 3. Fort Mill fell to 1-6 and 0-4.

 

         Zymier Gordon-Miles led the NHS offense by rushing for 190 yards and three touchdowns on 19 carries. Finley Polk completed 16 of 22 passes for 270 yards and two scores while rushing for 42 yards and two scores on six carries.

 

         TaDarrian Knox had seven catches for 153 yards and a TD. Kameron Vance had four catches for 47 yards and a score.

 

         Mason Grier led the defense with five tackles, 3 ½ tackles for loss, a forced fumble and two pass breakups. Dmitri Robinson had four tackles, three TFLs nd one sack.

 

         Manning 33

         Mullins 6

 

         Manning -- Manning remained undefeated in Region 7-AA with a 33-6 win over Mullins on Friday at Ramsey Stadium.


       The Monarchs, ranked 12th in the AA poll, improved to 6-1 overall and 3-0 in region play. Mullins, ranked 11th, fell to 6-2 and 2-2.

 

         Jontavious Canty had a big game both offensively and efensively for the Monarchs. He rushed for 132 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries while coming up with 12 tackles.

 

         Jeffery Ceasar also had a strong performance on both sides. He had eight catches for 89 yards and a touchdown and returned an interception 99 yards for a score.

 

         Quarterback JaRae Mitchell completed 11 of 16 passes for 105 yards and a touchdown. He also had five carries for 30 yards and at touchdown.

 

         CJ Robinson returned a punt 47 yards for a touchdown.

 

         Dillon 49

         Aynor 7

 

         Aynor – Dillon scored the game’s final 42 points to defeat Aynor 49-7 on Friday at the AHS field.

 

         Dominick Felton rushed for 134 yards and three touchdowns on five carries for the Wildcats. He had scoring runs of 49, 48 and 29 yards.

 

         Zamaurious Robertson had three catches for 86 yards and two scores. Quarterback Rahmond Hamilton completed 5 of 11 passes for 105 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 53 yards another score on five carries.

 

         Keryien Brown led the DHS defense with 23 tackles. Tyler Huggins returned a fumble 27 yards for a score. Tristan Blue had 10 tackles and a sack.

 

         Wilson Hall 34

         Trinity Collegiate 7

 

         Darlington -- Wilson Hall clinched the SCISA Region 2-AAA title with a 34-7 victory over Trinity Collegiate on Friday at the TC field.


       The Barons, ranked No. 1 in SCISA AAA, improved to 7-1 overall and finished 4-0 in region play. Trinity Collegiate fell to 3-4 and 1-1.


      Milling Galloway led the Barons with by rushing for 139 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries while catching two passes for 56 yards and another score. Quarterback Owen Meyers completed 7 of 11 passes for 127 yards and two touchdowns.

 

         Ford Wilder caught four passes for 64 yards and a TD. Cameron Wilsey had eight carries for 33 yards and a TD and Ben McLaurin had six carries for 35 yards.

 

         Peyton Gilley led the defense with seven tackles and two TFLs while Carson Wilsey had seven tackles.


         Ridge View 50

         Lugoff-Elgin 0


         Columbia -- Tre Howard threw for 280 yards and four touchdowns to lead Ridge View to a 50-0 victory over Lugoff-Elgin on Friday at the RVHS field.


         Howard completed 14 of 18 passes for the Blazers, who won their third straight game to improve to 4-3 overall and 3-0 in Region 5-AAAAA. He also rushed for 35 yards on six carries.



         Khristian Jackson had four catches for 98 yards and two touchdowns, while Hayden Morris had six catches for 79 yards and a touchdown. Chris McDonald had a 50-yard TD catch.


         Daryl Spencer had four tackles for loss and three sacks among his five tackles. Tyler Cheatham had eight tackles and Jordan Outen had five tackles and two TFLsl;.


          L-E lost its fourth straight game, all region contests, to drop to 3-5 and 0-4.

         

          Batesburg-Leesville 42

          Ninety Six 14


          Ninety Six -- Batesburg-Leesville remained undefeated on the season with a 42-14 victory over Ninety Six on Friday at the NSHS field.


          Amadre Wooden led the Panthers, who improved to 5-0 in winning their Region 2-AA opener, with 209 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 25 carries. Tanner Watkins completed 7 of 11 passes for 145 yards and two scores. Jamerius Clark had three catches for 90 yards and two touchdowns.


          Zay King ran for 114 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries to lead Ninety Six, which fell to 2-4 and 1-1.


         






 

Laurence Manning baseball, softballt teams having trremedous seasons

By Dennis Brunison hssr.com Associate Editor • April 18, 2025
Lady 'Cats gearing up for another run at SCISA AAAA state title

Emerald Baseball Focused On Strong Finish In Pursuit Of play-off Berth

By Billy Baker • April 18, 2025
By Billy G. Baker Publisher Greenwood — Emerald head baseball coach Mack Hite knew if he could ever get talented freshman Beau Hite back on the mound that his confidence would be restored and positive things would emerge. Hite has been able to bat all season, but an injury prevented him from pitching until recently. “Beau has been able to throw an inning here and there recently, and he had a big strike out against a highly regarded prospect at Laurens who is going to Georgia. Big moments like that have helped him get his confidence back,” said Coach Hite. “It has also helped him increase his hitting average at the plate also.” Hite is now batting .438 with 9 RBI’s, including five doubles and a triple. Hite also has 8 stolen bases. He is a three-sport athlete at Emerald where excels in football and basketball also. One bit of recent bad news for the team was losing the pitching services of LHP and PC commitment Tucker Meredith . “He is still able to play a position and bat, so not all is loss,” said Coach Hite. Other top hitters to date for the Vikings include freshman Ethan Metts at .375 along with sophomore Eli Swancey who is at .400 with five TBI’s including an excellent .978 fielding percentage. Finn Howard is at ,367 with four RBI’s while junior Aaron Polly is hitting .351 with 9 RBI’s. Freshman Coleman Marino is at .360 with six RBI’s. With Meredith off the rubber, Hite, Howard, Marino, and Swancey have all stepped up to share pitching duties. Howard has become the work horse and he is 2-1 with 32 K’s in 28.2 innings of work. As of April, 11 the Vikings were in 5 th place in the region. “I think as competitive as our region has been this season, with so many good teams, that we should have a good case to possibly qualify for an at-large play-off berth,” said Coach Hite. “In the mean time we just need to keep playing with grit and toughness and win as many games as we can. “We have been hitting well is spurts, but we can’t seem to get a timely hit with runners in scoring position,” said Coach Hite. “Hopefully our luck will change as we enter a crucial part of our schedule.” The team had seven games left as of April, 14 when they played at Ware Shoals . Hey have region games against Westside on April 15 and 17. They next play region games against Laurens on April 22 and 24 before hosting Abbeville on the 30 th . They close out the season at home against Ware Shoals on May, 1. Emerald Softball Very Young This Season  Tiaria Agnew is in her fourth season as the Emerald High girls’ softball coach and her team is very young and rebuilding this season. The Lady Vikings are made up of one 7 th grader, three 8 th graders, two freshmen, one sophomore, three juniors and just two seniors so a youth movement has certainly hit the program. The team was 5-3, 2-6 entering the final two weeks of the season. They recently had two confidence wins over Southside (16-1, 20-0). The young team is being led by senior LHP Bria Jones, sophomore Paydyn Stafford and freshman utility athlete Caitlyn Hackett.

Dorchester softball team having a great season

By Dennis Brunson hssr.com Associate Editor • April 18, 2025
Raiders off to an 11-4 start as SCISA AA state playoffs draw near

Spring sports hitting the final stretch of regular season play

By Billy Baker • April 18, 2025
Spring sports hitting the final stretch of regular season play By David Shelton Senior Writer Lake City – Don’t look now but the 2025 spring sports season is nearly over and the athletes at Carolina Academy are prepping for the stretch drive. The spring has been a mixed bag of success to date but all of the teams are looking to finish strong. The baseball team has had a tough go, winning four of their first 15 games. Several losses were close games so the team has been competitive at times. On the mound, getting work are Walker McCutcheon, Bennett Mathews, Hampton Kirby Ryker Rhodes and Ryan Cox . McCutcheon, Rhodes and Matthews have seen time behind the plate as well. Kirby has seen time at short, along with Matthews, while Parker Miles , Carson Hanna and Holden Carsten are seeing time at the corner infield positions. Cox, Tanner Floyd and Kingston Cox are working in the outfield. The boys golf team has had some success this spring and will be playing in the SCISA state tournament on April 26 th in Conway. The Bobcats played in the region tournament on April 10.  The team has a bevy of seniors who are playing in the top group. Seniors include Thomas McDaniel, Cam Porter, Mason Huggins, Michael Wyatt, Blanding Franks, Jamison Andrews and Drake Morri s . Also playing are Landon Crosby , eighth-grader Grady Long , and seventh-graders Braeden Morris and Kohl Elmore . The Carolina Academy softball team has had better luck so far this season, winning nine of their first 12 games to put them in contention for a region title. Coach Scotty Philips felt his team had what it takes to challenge for a state championship if things continue to progress. “I see a lot of potential with this team but they have to focus and continue to work,” Phillips said. The strength of the 2025 team is inside the pitching circle. Junior Raylee Frye is a third-year performer who is as good as any hurler in SCISA when she brings her “A” game. Freshman Ella Ham will log innings at pitcher as well while also playing centerfield and first base. Lauren Sims also will pitch and share third base duties with Frye. “We have three good pitchers, dependable,” Phillips said. “I feel good giving the ball to any of them.” Handling the catching duties is returning starter Carlie Ann Smith , a junior who has been impressive behind the dish early on. Sophomore Jaylyn Davis will play most of the innings at first base while eighth-grader Natalie Braveboy will move from left to second base to replace McCutcheon. Three eighth-graders, Paisley Coker, Kayley Lyerly and Emma Amos are working in rightfield, with Ham also getting reps. Rounding out the varsity roster this season are Katherine Holiday, Lexi McCutcheon, Sarah Emma Garris, Savannah McCUtcheon, Jennifer Vargas and Hannah Grace Matthews.

Panthers enter HIT as region champs

By Roger Lee • April 18, 2025
Max Poulakis has been key to Pinewood’s success this season as a pitcher, infielder and batter.

Baseball, softball struggling this spring

By David Shelton • April 18, 2025
By David Shelton Senior Writer Bennettsville - The 2025 season has been a rough ride for the baseball and softball teams at Marlboro County High . With the top four teams in each region of Class AAA qualifying for the Lower State playoffs, both of Marlboro County’s teams are in jeopardy of not making the cut. Both need a strong finish in the remaining region 6-AAA games to earn their postseason opportunity.  The baseball team has been a regular in the postseason and was expected to be a top four team in the region this spring. As of April 7, the Bulldogs were 2-8 overall with three of those early losses by two runs or less. Coach Ryan Pierce has mixed and matched his lineup this season, searching for the right combination of players that can yield success. Senior Cam Hunt is arguably the top overall player on the roster as a shortstop and pitcher. Tristan Quick plays mostly third base and is another arm on the mound. Others who have seen time on the mound include Zach Hardee and J ameson Bradshaw . Hardee also does work defensively as a corner infielder. Patrick Stubbs mans centerfield in most games while Layton Chavis handles most of the catching duties. Jayden Chavis plays second base while Ty Kickery , Tim Sloan and Landon Sweatt are working primarily in the outfield. Justin Haithcock and Khalil Sloan have seen time as the designated hitter, and Greir Norris has spot time at first base. Rounding out the roster are RJ Hale, Coy Preston and Jake Sloan . Entering the first full week of April, the Marlboro County softball team was 0-7 in region play and 3-13 overall. In recent years the Bulldogs have been region title contenders but have not been able the get it going this spring. One player who is playing at a high level is sophomore shortstop Addison Skipper , who is hitting .618 with five homeruns and 15 runs batted in through 15 games. Sophomore Ruthie Grooms hit .344 with nine RBI in the first 15 games while junior centerfielder Amir Bridges is hitting ,316 on the season. Eighth-grader Kaylee Sweatt is hitting ,296 and senior Abby Quick is hitting .286.

KNIGHTS BASEBALL GROWING STRONGER

By Gerald Doolittle • April 18, 2025
BY: GERALD DOOLITTLE Contributing Writer Batesburg-Leesville, S.C. – The W.W. King Academy Knights coached by Brian Kneece heads into Spring break with an 5-4 overall record. The Knights still have regular season games left with Greenwood Christian, Ridge Spring-Monetta and Wardlaw Academy. After the regular season games SCISA Region 3-A will have a Region tournament at Richard Winn on 4/21 and at W.W. King on 4/22. With a win over Wardlaw Academy to close the regular season the Knights will have a 4-2 region record which will give them second place behind Richard Winn Academy. The Knights offense has been sparked by Casen Buzhardt (so), Elijah Hutto (so), Joshua Oswald (fr) and Greyson Rikard (fr). These four are followed by Colton Buzhardt (sr) and Zed Watkins (jr). Casen leads with a batting average of .393 and 8 RBIs. And 10 runs scored. Hutto has a batting average of .375, 4 RBIs and 14 runs scored. Oswald has a batting average of .375, 4 RBIs and 8 runs scored. Rikard has a batting average of .375, 8 RBIs and 5 runs scored. Rikard also has 2 home runs. Landen Anderson (so) has four hits that has resulted in 9 RBIs. One of those hits was a home run. Leading the base running stats is Hutto with 14 stolen bases followed by Colton Buzhardt with 6 stolen bases. Oswald follows with 5 and Casen with 4.  Hutto leads the pitching staff with 28 Ks followed by Colton and Casen Buzhardt with 17 each.

With Spring Break Over Gaffney Softball Focused On AS Winning Streak

By Billy Baker • April 18, 2025
By Billy G. baker Publisher Gaffney —The Gaffney Lady Indians softball team went into Spring break at 10-7, and in sixth place in a very competitive AAAAA region, and head coach Maddie Pruitt is very focused on the team having a strong finish to the 2025 season over the next two weeks. “We are coming off Spring break well rested and we are ready to go to work and we are looking forward to finishing the regular season on a high note so we can ride into the playoffs the first week of May with a lot of momentum,” said Coach Pruitt. “We play all the region teams we faced in the first half of the season over the next two weeks. It will be a busy time and our focus is to work hard and have success.” One setback to the team was an injury to talented 8 th grade infielder Maysen Byars who was hitting .514 at the time of her injury. Maysen played second and third base for me and she is a solid infielder and we will miss her so much,” said Coach Pruitt. Over the Spring break Brooklyn Jennings committed to play softball at USC Union . Senior Dacy Phillips has signed with North Greenville and Korbyn Lydia is headed to USC Upstate. Both Phillips and Lydia have been a key part of the Gaffney softball program for five seasons including junior varsity. The team’s ace pitcher this season has been sophomore Ashley Caraway who has a record of 5-2 with an ERA of 2.70. caraway has worked 46 innings in the circle with 41 strike-outs. The leading hitters for Gaffney have been junior Kourtney Caraway who is batting .442. Sophomore Ashley Caraway is batting .405. Lydia is batting .378 and Jennings is at .333. Dacy Phillips is batting .250 and playing solid defense “Dacy has been barreling balls up and good during her at bats, but it’s been right at the defense,” said Coach Pruitt. “Hopefully, she will have a strong finish to the season.” Gaffney has played a very competitive schedule this season and they have defeated some talented teams among their 10 victories. They have wins over: ALA (15-5), Legion Collegiate (7-3), Seneca (4-3), Oceanside Collegiate (6-1), Greenville (14-1 & 5-2), Riverside (7-3), and Wade Hampton (9-2).  Gaffney will play at Spartanburg on April,15 then travel to Eastside the next day before hosting Byrnes on April, 18. The Indians host Boiling Springs on April, 21 and Riverside on April 22. Gaffney is at Dorman on April, 25 before hosting Wade Hampton on April, 29. Chapman comes to Gaffney on April, 30 and then the Indians close out the regular season at home against Eastside on May, 2.

James Island spring sports racking up the wins in 2025

By David Shelton • April 18, 2025
James Island spring sports racking up the wins in 2025 By David Shelton Senior Writer James Island – There has been winning aplenty for the James Island Charter spring sports teams through the first two weeks of April. The move from Class AAAA to AAAAA has not been as difficult as some predicted as several James Island teams are contending for region 8-AAAAA championships. The girls and boys soccer teams are in the thick of the race as the regular season winds down. The girls soccer team won their first six region contests and won 11 of their first 13 matches overall. The boys soccer team is off to a 5-1 start in region play, winning 10 of their first 14 contests overall. Lacrosse continues to grow and gather strength as a relatively new sport at the school. The boys team sits at 9-6 as of April 12 with just a few games remaining. The girls team went 5-10 in their first six weeks of the season. Leading the effort on the girls team is senior Mary Katherine Williams , who has scored 48 goals with six assists. Senior Emma McFall has tallied 20 goals while sophomore Lane Hobey has added 11 goals. Senior Reece Bertschy has nine assists to go with her 10 goals. The softball team is in a little rebuild this spring but has still competed well overall. The Trojans split their first six region games, losing to the top three teams in the region – Summerville, Fort Dorchester and West Ashley. Senior first baseman/pitcher Mary Davis Hancock leads the team in hitting with a .405 batting average. She has eight runs batted in as well while logging 54 innings inside the circle. Senior outfielder Rachel Manchester is hitting .350 and sophomore Caroline Jaruzel is hitting .300 while also working 32 innings as a pitcher. The team’s top returning hurler, sophomore Gracie Sue Billings , has not pitched this season after winning nine games last season.  The baseball team is one of the state’s top five teams in AAAAA and will enter the playoffs seeking a second consecutive state championship. They won the AAAA state title in 2024. The Trojans are 9-0 in region play and 14-3 overall entering spring break (April 13). A devastating and productive top of the lineup has been as advertised. Senior catcher Stow Rogers , junior shortstop Taj Marchand , senior third baseman Jake Amman and sophomore second baseman Trip Ostergard have blistered opponents with each hitting near or better than .400. First baseman Finn Pratt , a first-year starter, also is off to a solid start offensively as is junior outfielder Connor Dantzler . Marchand and Ostergard also have been key performers on the mound, along with senior Collin Anderson and sophomores Dawson Belder and Cooper Jones.

Barnwell Softball Starting Three talented 7th Graders From Ponytails World Championship Team From Last Summer

By Billy Baker • April 18, 2025
Barnwell Softball Starting Three talented 7 th Graders From Ponytails World Championship Team From Last Summer  By Billy G. Baker Publisher Barnwell -Last summer an 11–12-year-old Ponytails softball rec team, from Barnwell County, earned their way to the World Series finals, held in Louisiana, and the team ended up winning a national Championship. Three members of that team are now 7 th grade starters on the Barnwell Warhorse softball team head coached by Michael Beasley, who has nearly 30 years of high school softball coaching experience. “Even in my 22- plus years at Blackville-Hilda I would occasionally have a 7 th grader on the varsity but none of them ever started,” said Coach Beasley. “For us to have three 7 th graders starting, and I mean they are also major contributors, is really amazing I will tell you that.” The top hitter on the entire team is 7 th grade shortstop/pitcher/catcher Kinsey Terrapin who is batting .577 as the team went into Spring break on April, 14. Shalayah Badger is a 7 th grader who is a shortstop/pitcher/catcher and she is batting .500. The other 7 th grade starter is 3 rd baseman Genesis Walker who is batting .417 . “All three of these players have been playing softball for a long time and it is a first- time situation for me to have three 7 th grade starters on a varsity team,” said Coach Beasley. “Kinsley is a natural born hitter and she has had a hot bat all season. Genesis is versatile and she likes playing several positions, but we use her mainly at 3 rd base. Shalayah’s speed and strength for a 7 th grader is quite impressive and she is the fastest player we have on the team.” Barnwell has entered Spring break (13-3, 10-0) and they won the region once again and they have won 29 straight region games in a row going back to the 2022 season. “We feel fortunate to have got all our region games out of the way before Spring break,” said Coach Beasley. “We scheduled a lot more games this season so we have an opportunity to face good pitching by playing 8 non-region games after the break. “We will be playing quality teams like Saluda , Colleton County , Branchville , and Silver Bluff after our Spring break, and we will be playing all 8 games over a two- week period,” said Coach Beasley. “What is also nice about the way we have set things up is that we have five days to prepare for our first home playoff game after we conclude our regular season.” The rudder of the team is senior pitcher Jaidyn Devore who has signed a softball scholarship with Howard University . In her senior season, Devore is currently 6-3 with 92 K’s in 47 innings in the circle with a sterling 0.74 ERA. At the plate she is batting .265 with 13 RBI’s and two home runs. Over her long career in the Barnwell softball program, Devore has 538 career K’s, has pitched 14 no-hitters, and four perfect games in 280 innings in the circle. Her career record is 38-15. “Jaidyn has been a hard worker and very focused player over her entire career at Barnwell,” said Coach Beasley. “She’s battle tested and playing very well in her senior season. “ Sophomore Laney Grubbs is an outfielder number two pitcher for the Warhorses. She went into Spring break batting .436 with 11 RBI’s. In the circle, Grubbs is 3-0 with 21 K’s in 12 innings of work with an ERA of 2.92. “I consider Laney a next level prospect and she is one of our team leaders despite being just a sophomore,” said Coach Beasley. “Everything she does is for the team.” Starting sophomore second baseman, Molly Wilson has a nick name she certainly likes. “We call her “Hitting Machine”,” said Coach Beasley. “She rarely strikes out and she always puts the ball in play.” Senior starting third baseman Brooklyn Gordon is one of three seniors on the team. She is an all-region returner who is currently batting .389 with 10 RBI’s. Sophomore Kendall O’Berry starts in center field and she is currently batting .375 with 11 RBI’s and she leads the team with three doubles. “She is a gold glove type center fielder,” said Coach Beasley. Junior Brianna Croft has been the starting catcher the past two seasons and she comes into the break hitting .278 with 8 RBI’s. “Brianna is probably our best bunter and she makes good contact with the ball.” said Coach Beasley. Abigail Corley is a three starter in right field and she in also a returning all-region player from last season. She is currently batting .241 with 7 RBI’s. Two key reserves who round out the 13-player roster are junior Shaelyn Badger who plays first and third base along with junior Layla Bishop who is an outfielder. “With our young players maturing so quickly this season, and as well as we have been hitting the ball lately, we are certainly hoping for a deep play-off run,” said Coach Beasley. “We have averaged 13 hits a game over our last games. “Our pitching is solid and deep also,” said Coach Beasley. “We hope playing 8 non-region games over the final two weeks of the season will expose us to some good pitching and get us ready for the playoffs.” Rick Arnold is an assistant coach for the team.
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