Da'Marion Coe, Hakeem Watters selected as Co-Region Players of the Year

Reporting by Dennis Brunson Images by Larry Gamble Kelleytown – The return trip to Hartsville and Kelleytown Stadium was much, much better for the South Florence High School football team. After falling to Hartsville 54-35 on November 1 in a game that decided the Region 5-AAAA champion, the Bruins sojourned to Darlington County on Friday, this time for a quarterfinal game in the AAAA state playoffs. SFHS jumped out to a 27-0 lead and held off a couple of rallies by the Red Foxes for a 49-21 win. South Florence, the 2-time defending lower state champion which improved to 10-3 on the season, will be going for its third straight lower state title when it travels to North Augusta on December 6. North Augusta improved to 12-1 with a 63-14 quarterfinal win over Gilbert on Friday. “We had a great three days of practice,” Bruins head coach Drew Marlowe said of the preparation for the rematch. “Our defense was totally different from last time. I’m super proud of the way they fought. I’m proud of the way our coaches prepared them. It was a great win all the way around.” In the first meeting, HHS’ offense was almost unstoppable as it scored eight touchdowns. SFHS couldn’t keep up, though it tried, trailing just 40-35 early in the fourth quarter. Marlowe said the South Florence defense had a different feel to it on Friday. “What we were doing was good, but we were sitting back, we were timid,” the fifth-year head coach said. “We decided to be more aggressive and force them to make the turnovers, try to force them into some holding calls, just try to force the issue and not sit back.” Bruins quarterback Messiah Jackson led the way for the offense. He accounted for six of the seven touchdowns – four TD passes and two scoring runs. He completed 5 of 8 passes for 172 yards. The first touchdown pass came less than a minute into the game when Jackson hooked up with wide receiver Lennix Valarie for 57-yarder at 11:09. Evan Holland added the extra point to make it 7-0. Hartsville fumbled the ensuing kickoff with SFHS recovering. It took advantage of the short field with Jackson scoring on a 4-yard run. The PAT was blocked, leaving the score at 13-0 with 7:57 still remaining in the first quarter. South Florence pushed the lead to 20-0 on a 36-yard run by Jayden Sellers with 2:31 left in the first quarter. Sellers scored again, this time on a 44-yard pass from Jackson, to make it 27-0 with 9:45 remaining in the first half. The Red Foxes, who finished the year with a 10-2-1 record, weren’t going to go away easily though. Hakeem Watters scored on a 13-yard run and Gerardo Segura added the extra point to make it 27-7 with 8:49 left in the second quarter. Quarterback EJ Smith threw a 27-yard scoring pass to Tristian Spann with 6:17 left to make it 27-14. The Bruins broke the run with a 1-yard run from Jackson with 41 seconds to go in the half. Sellers ran for the 2-point conversion to make it 35-21. However, the Red Foxes scored again before halftime with Smith connecting with Spann once more, this one for 25 yards with 13 seconds left to make the halftime score 35-21. HHS received the second-half kickoff, but was turned the ball over on downs at the South Florence 46. The Bruins respnded, putting another score on the board. Coach Marlowe had this to say about the resiliency of this Hartsville team, "I knew they were coming back. (they) Cut it two scores right before the half. We talked all week about composure. We did a good job in the second half controlling the clock." "I prayed all week that the Lord would strengthen us to play beyond our abilities." About the overall play, the cold weather, Marlowe commented, "That was a physical, physical football game. We were just fortunate enough to make a few more plays." With the Bruins next game at North Augusta on Dec. 6th, coach Marlowe said, "Right now I’m just really happy with my team and how much we improved from a month ago, particularly on defense. We’ve got to rest up and get people healthy. Got to keep attacking and make things happen."

By Billy G. Baker Publisher  Moncks Corner —In AAAA of the SCHSL, the Westside (9-0) Rams finished the regular season undefeated and they are favored to defend the state title they won a year ago with a fourth quarter rally to defeat South Florence . The AAAA state title game will be played at South Carolina State University on Friday December, 13 at 7:30 p.m. While Westside has the horses to pull another state championship wagon in a future victory parade, “we” can’t rule out Daniel, as the spoiler if the two teams keep winning in the play-offs, when could meet at Westside on December, 6 for the upper state AAAA championship. After going a combined 8-14 in his first two seasons at Daniel back in 2016 and 2017, head Daniel coach Jeff Fruster , has said he was thankful that he was not fired at the time. What a great decision school officials made to retain him. Since 2018, under Coach Fruster, Daniel has a collective record of 82-5, including three state titles as they prepare to play host Dreher High this week in the first round of the AAAA play-offs. Daniel’s only loss was to AAAAA member JL Mann (28-23) early in the season. To date Daniel is 9-1 and they have defeated teams 496-153 at the end of the regular season. Daniel won the Region 2-AAAA title with a 6-0 record after beating Seneca 42-21 in the regular-season finale last week. Daniel was trailing 14-7 late in the first half before coming up with a pair of long touchdown passes in the final minute to take a 21-14 lead to the locker room. That started a run of 35 straight points. Quarterback Grayson Clary had a monster game, completing 19 of 27 passes for 374 yards and five touchdowns. Trey Wimbley had a big night, catching four passes for 157 yards and three touchdowns. Jason Bish had seven catches for 147 yards and the other two touchdown receptions. Clary’s performance put an exclamation point on what was a tremendous regular season for him. Heading into the Seneca contest, the sophomore had completed 120- of-162 passes for 1,847 yards and 26 touchdowns. That means he has 31 touchdown passes on the season when you add in his performance against the Bobcats. Bish had 29 catches for 481 yards and six scores while Wimbley had 21 receptions for 405 yards and five scores. Quint Cumbie had 30 catches for 354 yards and five scores, and Elijah Lipsey had 23 catches for 438 yards and six touchdowns. Clary had also rushed for 240 yards and five touchdowns. Tremaine Davis Jr. was the leading rusher with 332 yards and five scores on 29 carries. The Daniel defense is led by senior linebacker Spencer Conn and junior defensive end Dexter Johnson . Conn has a team high 78 tackles to go with nine tackles for loss. Johnson has a team 14 ½ TFLs among his 57 stops. Johnson is also the sack leader with 6 ½. Junior Bryson Freeman has 4 ½. Davis and Christian Chancellor Jr. led in interceptions with two apiece. They had both returned an interception for a touchdown as had Conn. When the Lions can’t get the ball in the end zone, they have pretty good opportunity to get some points. Placekicker Bruce Brown, a North-South pick , was 9- of -11 on field goal attempts with a long of 48 yards. He’s also made 48- of 49- PAT’s. extra points. Westside will host Lakewood this week in the first round of the play-offs. Woods, a South Carolina football commitment, was also chosen for the Shrine Bowl. After 8 games of the season Woods had completed 107-0f-164 passes for 2,045 yards and 24 TD’s. His top WR targets are fellow Shrine Bowl member Chamarryus Bomar who had 777 receiving yards on 77 catches and 11 TD’s after 8 games. The leading rusher for the Rams is senior Sharode Richardson with 650 net yards on 80 carries and 9 TD’s after 8 games. On defense the rams are very stout. They are led by junior MLB Jaxx Wilson (55 tackles) and senior OLB Jameson Wilson (50 tackles), Soph LB Malachi Peterson has also contributed (42 tackles, 1 TFL). MLB Jaydon Hall (5-10, 190) has 44 tackles and the sack leader is junior DT Kwon Simpkins with four. A favorite to win the lower state AAAA is ball control Hartsville (8-1-1) who is ranked third in the current HSSR AAAA ranking. The Red Foxes have out-scored teams 453-181 this season and they have a quality win over Dillon on their resume this season. Hartsville has pounded out 2,628 rushing yards on 348 carries. Their top three running backs are Hakeen Watters (119-1,053-17 TD’s) along with Kylif Miller (102-696). Dual threat QB EJ Smith has completed 66-0f-123 passes for 1,302 yards and as a rusher he has gained 535 yards on 78 carries and 9 TD’s. (Please see feature story on Hartsville on page 55 of this issue) South Pointe is also loaded with a lot of talent and they have state championship tradition on their resume as well.

By David Shelton Senior Writer Hartsville - As the regular season winds down, Hartsville High volleyball coach Parker Oldham feels his team is in good position to make a solid run in the 2024 class AAAA state playoffs. Hartsville entered the second week of October with an 8-4 record overall and a 5-2 mark in region 5-AAAA, which placed them among the top three teams in the standings. Hartsville looks for a strong finish and is hoping to crack the top two by season’s end. Oldham’s goals for his team are simple. “Win the region, host a playoff game, and make a deep run in the playoffs,” the coach said. We are well within our goals of winning the region and making the playoffs.” Oldham describes his team as hard-working. He feels the team has strong leadership and a competitive spirit, to go with a great attitude and work ethic.’ Among the key contributors this season is junior outside hitter Myah Harvey , whose 102 kills leads the team. Harvey also has 30 service aces and 88 digs. Senior middle blockers Carter Shumate and Riley Brunson are next in kills and control the middle of the net as solid defenders as well. Sophomore setter Mya Madaris has more than 200 assists and nearly 100 defensive digs while junior Libero Ava Wilcox has 115 digs and 27 aces. Rounding out the starting group are sophomore outside hitter Stella Smith and freshman opposite hitter Eliza Privette. The team has good depth will several players seeing significant action off the bench. Those include sophomore defensive specialist Emmakate Hudson, junior defender Brianna Jones , senior opposite Cheyenne Peavy , and junior middle blocker Lindy Atkinson . Football Update As region play begins, the Hartsville football team sits with a 3-1-1 record and is playing solid football overall. Among the early wins was a victory over Dillon , which was the No.1 ranked team in AAA at the time. One of the early season stars has been senior Da’Marion Coe , who has excelled defensively and on special teams. Coe returned two kicks for touchdowns in the win over Dillon and has three returns for scores this season. He also has 39 tackles, two blocked field goals and a blocked punt. Senior Hakeem Watters has anchored the running game with 446 yards, averaging 7.3 yards per carry. Kylif Miller has 349 yards and averages 7.0 yards per carry. Quarterback EJ Smith has thrown for 600 yards and five touchdowns while adding six scores on the ground. Casey Hawkins and Dorian Mason are the top pass-catchers. Linebacker Coleman Radcliff has a team-high 49 tackles. Web Barnes has tallied 39 tackles and Jackson Chavis has 28 tackles.

Camden's Lavonte Williams (Sr. DB/WR)

Dillon FB players at the HSSR Media Day 2024

Reclassification has 2 State Champions & 3 Runners Up vying for Class AAAA Title

Hartsville – Hartsville High athletic director Brad Boob did not look very far to find a new varsity girls basketball coach when the job became available. Boob looked within the county and within his own school to tab the next coach, hiring Andre Hooks, Sr., to fill the position earlier this year. Hooks is a Darlington County native and a 1993 graduate of St. John’s High in Darlington, and has worked in district schools for more than 20 years. At the time of his selection, he was an assistant varsity boys coach at Hartsville. “He has a passion for developing student-athletes, on and off the floor,” Boob said in his announcement. Hooks has a wide range of coaching experience, working at both the middle school and high school level. His coaching philosophy is centered around a strong work ethic and commitment to excellence. “I believe firmly in the motto ‘hard work pays off,’” he says. His approach emphasizes not only the importance of athletic balance but also the value of perseverance, teamwork and personal growth. “It means a lot to take over a varsity program at Hartsville High School,” Hooks said. “I love the potential of the student-athletes here and the great culture of being winners in life.” Hooks inherits a solid winning program from former coach Justin Johnson, who left for a position at Manning High. Hartsville posted 54 wins over the last three seasons, including 40 wins over the last two campaigns. Two key returners to the team this winter are senior guard Brooke Mitchell and sophomore guard Jaz Reyes, who combined to average 18 points per game last season. At press time, the other varsity sports teams were slated to return their respective head coaches for the 2024-25 school year. Jeff Calabrese returns for his 21 st season as the head football coach this fall. Parker Oldham is back for his second season as the varsity volleyball coach. Dusty Braddock will coach the boys and girls tennis teams while Randell Ewing heads up the cross country program. Dani Fassett directs the swim program. Jason Earle will return for his second season as the boys basketball coach. Michael Lynch is slated to return as the boys wrestling coach and Aimee Jo Howle will again coach the growing girls wrestling program. Tony Gainey is set to return as the head baseball coach next spring while Amber Harvey will return as the softball coach. Bryan Laney is the varsity boys soccer coach while Steve Jewell heads up the girls soccer program. Frankie Humphrey will head up the boys and girls track programs.

Johnsonville avenged their Jan 13 loss to Hanah Pamplico with a 47-39 win on Feb 12th. Images courtesy of Tamara Rhodes

Raiders reach third round of Class A state playoffs

By Neill Kirkpatrick Special to the HSSR Cross – Momentum in any football game can change in the blink of an eye, Friday night at A.E. Ravenell Stadium on the campus of Cross High School it took 1:59 for the homestanding Trojans to completely change their third-round match up with Hannah-Pamplico as they forced two turnovers that led to two scores on their way to a 12-7 win over the Raiders. The Trojans (11-2) will host the Lake View Wild Gators (11-1) a 42-32 winner over Bamberg Ehrhardt . The HSSR’s number three (Lake View) and number four (Cross) teams have met several times in the Class A playoffs with the Trojans defeating the Wild Gators 21-8 in their last meeting in 2022. “I told the kids all week to play for four quarters. Do not worry about the score, do not worry about the clock just keep playing play after play and we did that. Our defense is as good as it comes in one A and hats off to our guys to keep fighting and we came out on top,” said Trojan head coach Shaun Wright . About Lake View coach Wright said, “We figured that we would play Lake View and that is what we wanted. We wanted to be one of the last four teams playing in Class A and now we have a big challenge ahead.” The Raiders finished the year at 9-3 with their only losses coming against Lee Central a play-off team and the Class A lower state finalist Cross/Lake View. Raider head coach Trey Woodberry told his team after the game, “Very proud of the effort that his team played with all night long. Tough lose but it did not take away from the season.” Cross and Hannah Pamplico came into Friday’s contest with offenses averaging over 30 points per game but it was the defenses that took center stage as only 19 points were scored in the contest. On their first possession the Trojan’s with Karmello Jones running behind Marquis Pringle, Michael Bennett, Jailyn Broughton, David Wigfall, Dakari President, and Andrew Hocket moved the ball down the field reaching the Raiders 35-yardline. After picking up a first down on a fourth and five on a completion from Tyler Harris to Caden Ramsey to the Raider 20-yard line. Jones was injured a play earlier and with him out the Raider defense stiffened as William Faulkenberry , Kain Calcutt and Jaquann Bryant put pressure on Harris forcing back-to-back incompletions and they turned the Trojans over on downs. The drive took 8:14 off the clock with no score. Taking over at the 18 the Raiders also moved the ball down the field with quarterback Wade Poston connecting on two of three throws with a 23-yarder to Tylin Jenkins that gave them a first down at the Trojan 27. However, on fourth down the Blue Steel defense rose to the occasions as Wigfall burst through the line and sacked Poston for a ten-yard loss and a turnover on downs for the Trojans. Defense dominated the rest of the first half as the Raiders would turn the Trojans over on downs and then the Trojan defense forced a punt. The Trojans got the ball back with 1:01 to go in the first half. Jones ripped off a 25-yard run to give the Trojans a first down at the Hannah Pamplico 48-yard line. After Harris spiked the ball to stop the clock. Harris attempted to hit Ramsey deep down the right side but the Raiders Demarion Amonte Sparks went high and made the pick to stop the drive and send the teams to the half tied at 0. The Raiders received the second half kickoff and after Aveion Wells returned the ball 24-yards to the Cross 43. On first down, Poston his Sparks for an eight-yard gain and he ripped off a 14-yard run. A facemask penalty moved the ball to the Cross 19. Poston then hit Jenkins with a 10-yard pass to a first and goal at the Cross nine yard. Then momentum turned on Hannah Pamplico as Jones broke through the line, hit Chris Eldridge, and ripped the ball out. He then picked it up and took off on an 84-yard touchdown fumble return. The two-point conversion was no good but the Trojans led 6-0. The Raiders were unfazed as Poston hit Sparks on first down for a 23-yard gain to the 46. After an incompletion disaster struck again for the Raiders when Poston’s pass was tipped at the line of scrimmage and into the waiting arms of Ramsey for a turnover. Starting at the Hannah Pamplico 49, the Trojans handed the ball off to Jones who gained 22 yards to the Raider 27 and chop block called on the Raiders moved the ball to the 12. Harris then hit Ramsey down to the two and Jones finished the drive with a two-yard touchdown run. The two-point was no good but the lead was 12-0. “What can you say about Karmello, he stripped the ball and then picked the ball up and went the distance. He is a great football player on both sides of the ball. We are just waiting for him to get some offers,” said coach Wright. The Trojan defense forced a quick three and out and appeared poised to break the game open. Starting at the Raiders 45, Harris moved the Trojans down the field by completing three passes, two to Lavell Joyner setting up a first down at the Raiders 16. The Raider defense then stepped up as the Trojans bobbled the hand off and the ball hit the ground where the Raiders Xavier Self fell on the ball at the Cross 14. Poston then led the Raiders on an 86-yard march in 10-plays to get the Raiders on the board when he connected with Jenkins on a three-yard scoring pass on the first play of the fourth quartet. The point after by Lazaro Santiago cut the Trojan’s lead to five at 12-7. The Trojans appeared to have put the game away on their next play as Jones started right, then cut back left and went untouched for a 69-yard touchdown run. However, behind the play a flag was thrown for holding wiping out the touchdown jaunt. The Trojans would run over four- minutes off the clock before they punted for the first time all game. The Raider started off the next drive off just like the previous drive as Poston hit Jenkins and Keimonti Wilson moving the ball into Trojan territory to the 35. The Trojan defense would not allow the Raiders to go any further and they forced a turnover on downs. “Our defense has been outstanding all year. Our coaches do a great job of getting the guys prepared and ready each week,” said coach Wright. “This was the best quarterback we faced all year and he made some plays but at the end we were able to make enough to win.” The Trojan got the ball back with 4:38 left. They gave the ball to Jones on 7 of 8 plays and carried it for 37 yards but more importantly they ate up over four minutes on the clock before the punted the ball away to the Raiders with less than 20 seconds to go.

By Dennis Brunson hssr.com Associate Editor Sumter – The regular season in high school football is always special, but there is nothing that compares to the postseason. Looking at the brackets, seeing what has to happen for this particular matchup to happen, the anticipation of said matchups and the excitement that builds up as teams try to make a run toward a state championship. With the reclassification put forward by the South Carolina High School League for this year, all of the classifications will have a different vibe. Class A no longer will have Christ Church , Southside Christan School and St. Joseph’s because of the multiplier rule, but it does have a new dominant force in Abbeville . The Panthers, long a force in AA, is now in Class A and has to be seen as the prohibitive favorite. Still though, you’ve got to play the games and see what happens. We can’t do that, but we can fill out the bracket to see who we have facing off for the championship in Orangeburg the second week of December. WHO’S IN: Upper State Region 1 : 1. Abbeville 2. Ware Shoals 3. Whitmire 4. Dixie 5. McCormick 6. Calhoun Falls Region 2 : 1. Lewisville 2. Lamar 3. Lee Central 4. McBee 5. C.A. Johnson Region 3 : 1. Hunter-Kinard-Tyler 2. Blackville-Hilda 3. Calhoun County 4. Ridge Spring-Monetta 5. Williston-Elko Lower State Region 4 : 1. Bamberg-Ehrhart 2. Ridgeland 3. Denmark-Olar 4. Hardeeville Region 5 : 1. Cross 2. Branchville 3. Baptist Hill 4. Scott’s Branch 5. Military Magnet 6. Bethune-Bowman Region 6 : 1. Lake View 2. Hannah-Pamplico 3. Latta 4. Carvers Bay 5. Johnsonville 6. Green Sea Floyds FIRST ROUND Upper State C.A. Johnson (2-8) at Abbeville (8-1) Dixie (7-2) at Blackville-Hilda (8-2) McCormick (3-7) at Lamar (7-3) Calhoun County (3-7) at Lee Central (5-4) McBee (4-5) at Hunter-Kinard-Tyler (9-1) Williston-Elko (2-7) at Ware Shoals (4-5) Calhoun Falls (1-8) at Lewisville (9-1) Ridge Spring-Monetta (5-5) at Whitmire (3=7) Lower State Green Sea Floyds (1-9) at Cross (8-2) Scott’s Branch (4-6) at Ridgeland (6-4) Military Magnet (2-6) at Hannah-Pamplico (7-2) Carvers Bay (4-6) at Denmark-Olar (3-6) Hardeeville (3-7) at Lake View (8-1) Johnsonville (4=6) at Branchville (8-2) Bethune-Bowman (1-9) at Bamberg-Ehrhardt (6-2) Latta (5-5) at Baptist Hill (6-3) The first round of any high school sports playoff is usually filled with blowouts, and that could easily be the case with these 16 games. However, there are intriguing matchups in this group. While Blackville-Hilda has to be the favorite with an 8-2 record, it will take on a 7-2 Dixie squad. Ridgeland finished second in a weak Region 6, while Scott’s Branch came on strong down the stretch to go 4-6. Carvers Bay is 4-6 and will play at 3-6 Denmark-Olar . Latta at Baptist Hill will be an intriguing matchup because the Vikings pound the ball while Baptist Hill pushes the ball through the air. Johnsonville may be just 4-6 and going against an 8-2 Branchville squad, but Johnsonville is the 2-time defending lower state champion. Don’t look for them to go down easy. First-round winners: Upper State: Abbeville, Blackville-Hilda, Lamar, Lee Central, Hunter-Kinard-Tyler, Ware Shoals, Lewisville, Ridge-Spring Monetta. Lower State: Cross, Scott’s Branch, Hannah-Pamplico, Carvers Bay, Lake View, Branchville, Bamberg-Ehrhardt, Latta. SECOND ROUND Upper State Blackville-Hilda at Abbeville Lee Central at Lamar Ware Shoals at Hunter-Kinard-Tyler Ridge Spring-Monetta at Lewisvlle Lower State Scott’s Branch at Cross Carvers Bay at Hannah-Pamplico Branchville at Lake View Latta at Bamberg-Ehrhardt This is the round where the fun starts to kick in with matchups of teams with gaudy records and outstanding reputations. Also, with the Class A regions so widespread, you can easily get pairings of teams that aren’t geographically close, thus leading to first-time matchups. The two most noteworthy showdowns in this round would be 2-loss Blackville-Hilda playing at 1-loss Abbeville. The Panthers will be favored and are led by Damarcus Leach . He will be going up against a future teammate at South Carolina in B-H’s Jaquel Holman . The best lower state matchup will have 2-loss Branchville at 1-loss Lake View . Second-round winners: Upper State: Abbeville, Lamar, Hunter-Kinard-Tyler, Lewisville: Lower State: Cross, Hannah-Pamplico, Lake View, Bamberg-Ehrhardt THIRD ROUND Upper State Lamar at Abbeville Lewisville at Hunter-Kinard-Tyler Lower State Hannah-Pamplico at Cross Bamberg-Ehrhardt at Lake View You’ve got the three champions of the upper state regions and the three region champions from the lower state still alive. The other team in the upper state is No. 2 seed Lamar , while No. 2 seed Hannah-Pamplico is the fourth lower state team. In years past, a matchup between Lamar and Abbeville would be a premier showdown. While Lamar is still a top program, Abbeville is simply a cut above. Hunter-Kinard-Tyler has had a great season, but Lewisville has been on a mission after going out in the second round last season. These lower state matchups would be fun to watch as the pairings have two teams that go about their business in different ways. Third-round winners: Upper State: Abbeville, Lewisville Lower State: Cross, Bamberg-Ehrhardt SEMIFINALS Upper State Lewisville at Abbeville Lower State Bamberg-Ehrhardt at Cross This would be the “collision course” game of the upper state bracket. Lewisville and Abbeville have been dominant all season. The lower state game will be a pairing of two teams that like to pound the football. However, Bamberg-Ehrhardt has senior quarterback Chanston Crosby to give it a better passing option. Semifinal winners: Abbeville, Bamberg-Ehrhardt STATE CHAMPIONSHIP Abbeville vs. Bamberg-Ehrhardt The Red Raiders will present a physical challenge, but Abbeville has tremendous throughout its roster, especially on the defensive side of the ball. However, I go back to what I said at the beginning of the story. Abbeville has to be considered the favorite to win until someone beats it. Your state champion: Abbeville

By David Shelton Senior Writer Pamplico – Building quality depth is difficult, even more so on the Class A level where numbers are significantly thinner than those at the bigger schools. Hannah-Pamplico head football coach Trey Woodberry has worked hard to establish some consistent, dependable second and third-team personnel but has not been very successful. Nonetheless, the Raiders’ starting 22 has been pretty good, winning four of their first six games. But a key injury at a key position has Woodberry hoping for improved health before the end of the season. “I would put our starting 22 up against any team in Class A,” the coach said. “When the right guys are on the field, we are as competitive as any team. But, some of those go both ways and it’s tough at times. We’ve tried to get some other guys some experience but we’re not there yet. The other option is stay healthy.” In the Raiders’ loss to Lake View on Oct. 4, their first region loss of the schedule, Hannah-Pamplico lost veteran starting quarterback Wade Poston early in the second half. The game was tied 7-7 at the half but the offense stagnated and the result was a 31-7 loss. “We need Wade on the field for us to be effective but we’re going to have to work without him for a few weeks,” Woodberry said. “We couldn’t do anything offensively with Wade out. They put nine in the box to stop the run and we just didn’t have an answer.” Poston, through five and a half games, has passed for 750 yards and 11 touchdowns while rushing for nearly 400 yards and six scores. The heavy lifting in the run game falls on all-state candidate Jamarcus Williams , who has rushed for 887 yards and six touchdowns. He also is an effective receiver. Another key performer is two-way starter Tylin Jenkins , who plays receiver and cornerback. He leads the team in receptions (15) and yards (298) and has been a lockdown corner, according to Woodberry. Starters along the offensive line include returning starters Mason Hanna , Will Faulkenberry , Brandon Cox and Dewey Kimbrough . Faulkenberry is a fourth-year varsity player and Hanna is a third-year starter. Avery Lyerly and Khi Brown also get reps. Cox, a linebacker as well, has been a leader defensively. The Raiders have region games remaining with Green Sea Floyds (Oct. 11), Latta (Oct. 25) and Hemingway (Nov. 1). They have a bye on Oct. 18. The hope is that Poston can return by the Latta game, which could decide second-place in the region standings.

Lewisville WR Jacorreun Howze on the run after a catch.

Willie Kennedy from South Florence, MLB with 29 tackles this season.

Pamplico – After winning the Class A state championship in 2023, the 2024 version of the Hannah-Pamplico softball program has not been able to sneak up on any opposing team this spring. The Raiders entered this season as one of the favorites in Class A so every opposing coach and team immediately had respect for the champs. Through the regular season, the Raiders suffered just one loss in 16 games, that coming to AAA Aynor early in the schedule. Since that loss, coach Amber Knight has seen a determined and focused squad. The Raiders are off to a good start in their chase for a repeat as state champions. Hannah-Pamplico opened the four-team district bracket with an easy win over Whale Branch and followed with a win over Carver’s Bay. Those two wins put the Raiders in the district finals and some team would have to beat them twice (unlikely). The next round will be the Lower State final four bracket with the survivor advancing to the state championship series. Knight said early on that this year’s team was full of young talent and would not rest on their laurels. “We have worked to establish the team as their own identity for the 2024 season, not a continuation of the 2023 State Champions,” she said. “Our team looks different both in the field and at the plate, but as I have told the girls many times, different doesn't mean bad. We have a strong junior and sophomore class and two phenomenal pitchers that we think can take us back to the state championship playoffs.” Kadence Poston and Isabella Davis are the two pitchers that shoulder the load inside the circle. Poston has a 0.39 earned run average with 115 strikeouts while Davis has a 0.70 earned run average and 68 strikeouts. Offensively, Jadan Lee hit .500 with five homers and 29 RBI during the regular season. Savannah Owens hit .390 with 10 RBI and Chloe Cooper hit .351 with 14 RBI. Poston added 12 RBI at the plate and Payten Poston hit .294 with 11 stolen bases. Hannah-Pamplico posted a regular season team batting average of .304. The baseball team also made the Class A state playoffs, finishing second in the region and winning 10 games. The Raiders opened the playoffs with a win over Branchville before a loss to East Clarendon. At press time, the Raiders were set to play an elimination game against Branchville on May 4 with the winner taking on East Clarendon in the district finals. The Raiders got a late season boost with the return of junior centerfielder Jamarcus Williams, who missed most of the season recovering from a knee injury sustained in football. Williams has made an immediate impact on the lineup. Other offensive leaders include Boone Johnson, Logan Bass and Daniel Chandler. Payton Farmer and Mason Smith have done quality work on the mound. 

By Billy G. Baker Moncks Corner - All signs point to number one HSSR rated Hannah-Pamplico , the defending Class A softball champions in South Carolina, eventually engaging with a rematch in the state finals against Lewisville when the gold medal round starts later in May. Last year it took a third game neutral site tie-breaker at McBee High for the winner to be crowned. Hannah-Pamplico earned the school’s first ever state softball championship with an 8-4 win over Lewisville. The Lady Raiders hit four home runs in the third game with three of them being two-run homers and the victory celebration on the field registered like low level seismic activity. Anything can happen in this competitive world of high school sports but H-P and Lewisville have dominant pitching, consistent hitting throughout their line-ups and good coaching staffs. H-P has steam-rolled over their first two playoff opponents Whale Branch (17-0) and Carvers Bay (10-0) and they should little problems winning their district on May, 8. H-P is head coached by alumni Amber Knight . “Our focus right now is being all-business and staying focused on our goals,” said Coach Knight. “I will put up op our top four to six batters against anyone’s in the state. We have never worked harder and everything is all about taking care of business. “I hope we have good weather throughout the playoffs,” said Coach Knight. “Having a bunch of rain slows down your momentum. We know what is in front of us. No softball team in Class A is fortunate to have two quality pitchers like the Lady Raiders who are 18-1 on the year with their only loss to Aynor early in the year. Sophomore Kadence Poston is 9-0 in the circle with a sterling .036 ERA. Poston, who would love to play at Clemson one day, has 126 strike-outs in just 57.2 innings of work with only 14 walks. She and fellow senior pitcher Isabella Davis alternates at first base. Davis is 8-0 with 76 strike-outs in 45 innings of work. At the plate K. Poston is hitting .289 with 14 RBI’s and four home runs. Davis is at .317 with 11 RBI’s. Junior Jaden Lee is a complete shortstop for H-P both in the field and at the plate. She is batting .510 with 33 RBI’s including four doubles six triples and 5 home runs. Lee has speed with 14 stolen bases also. Next on the hit index is soph left fielder Savannah Owens at .364 with 10 RBIs, and 12 stolen bases. Soph third baseman Chloe Cooper is at .340 with 10 RBI’s. Speedy junior center fielder Peyton Poston is batting .315 with six RBI’s and she has 14 stolen bases. Meredith Stone is the sophomore catcher batting .283 with 7 RBI. Senior RF Karah Turner is hitting .271 with 11 RBI’s. The HSSR recently talked to Lewisville head coach Jerry Thomas after his team’s two play-off wins over Thornwell (15-0) and R-S-M (19-5). “Losing to Hannah-Pamplico last year ,in a very competitive three game series, does not haunt us, and we are not seeking revenge on anyone,” said Coach Thomas, who has been the Class A runner up the past two seasons after the Lady Lions won the school’s only state softball championship in daughter when his daughter was the Class A Player of the Year. “You certainly have to have a dedicated team with solid pitching, hitting and defense, but a little luck and getting a break at the right time is a huge part of winning championships also.” The team’s only senior starter is shortstop Saleen Rollins and she is currently batting .492 with 22 stolen bases and three home runs. “She’s our team captain,” said Coach Thomas. “She’s either broken or is about to break the school’s all-time stolen base record. I know she is well over 70 stolen bases right now.” She’s a hard worker and I promise you she experienced some hurt feelings over being in the runner-up spot the past two seasons,” said Coach Thomas. “She is focused on her main goal of leaving Lewisville with a state championship.” Sarah Owens is the Lion’s sophomore pitcher. To date she has hurled 152 strike-outs in 96.7 innings of work with a 1,68 ERA. At the plate she is hitting .431 with 31 RBI’s and two home runs. “She has worked hard at becoming a good pitcher and her goal is to continue to develop towards her focus on being a pitcher at the next level. She is more balanced and focused in the circle this year and she keeps improving all the time.” Championship teams need a good battery and junior catcher Jordyn Miller is starting for the second year behind the plate. She is batting .400 with 17 RBI’s. All-region junior Sydney Rollins is a gold glove type center fielder and after two games of the playoffs she is batting .395. Other starters of the Lewisville team include first baseman Aubrey Smith (.340/15 RBI’s), freshman RF Laney Lambert (.320/10 RBI’s), freshman LF Kylee Waggoner (.255/6 RBI’s) and Kylie Flecther holds down third base (/264/11 RBI’s). The D-H is 8 th grader Kinley Lambert (.278). Abby Barnes is a gold type second baseman who tracks down bunts very well. The team's only other senior, who starts as a flex sometimes, is hard-working Emma Dorsey . “Right now, we are sitting back waiting on who wins between Dixie and Wagener-Salley on Monday,” said Coach Thomas. “If we win on Wednesday (May, 8) it looks like we will be playing either Whitmire or McBee next, depending on what they do.” Class A is divided into 8 four team districts for the play-offs. At press time McBee was in the winner’s bracket in District 1. Whitmire was in the winner’s bracket in District II followed by Lewisville in District III. Dixie was in the winner’s bracket in District four to complete the upper state bracket. In the Lower State, Lake View was in the winner’s bracket in District 5 while Hannah-Pamplico had the upper hand in District 6. Johnsonville was in the winner’s bracket in District 7 and Latta was in the winner’s bracket in District 8. HSSR-SCHSL Class A Softball Ranking - (As Of 5-3-2024) 1. Hannah Pamplico 2. Lewisville 3. Latta 4. Dixie 5. Lake View 6, Whitmire 7. McBee 8. Johnsonville 9. Green Sea Floyds 10. Bamberg Ehrhardt 11. Branchville 12. East Clarendon 13. Lowcountry Leadership 14. Wagener-Salley 15. R-S-M