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Hartsville Pounds Out 420 Rushing Yards To Rally For 51-34 Win Over Dillon In Week Four

Billy Baker • Sep 11, 2023

By Billy G. Baker

Publisher


Dillon -- No matter how productive your offense is, Dillon (2-1) found out for the second time in four games, that when your defense gives up 420 rushing yards, you are not likely to win the game, as Hartsville (4-0) used a punishing ground attack, led by Hakeem Watters and Carmello McDaniel to overcome a two- touchdown halftime deficit (28-14) to rally the Red Foxes to a 51-34 win on September, 8th.


Dillon concluded the 2022 season with their only loss to Beaufort, in the AAA Lower State finals. In that game the Wildcats gave up 420 rushing yards also.


(Should Dillon face a team with a potent one-two running back combination in the playoffs this season, like the 2022 Beaufort team, or the 2023 Hartsville rushing machine, it might be a sound idea to start working out both OL tackles Josiah Thompson (6-7-290)  and Jayden Benjamin. 6-4-320) for limited DL spot duty in the red zone once the playoffs start. Such a bold, and rare move, could land the Wildcats the 2023 AAA state title.)


Hartsville came into the game having scored 55 points in three straight wins, so scoring 51 on the usual potent Wildcat defense makes the Red Foxes strong contenders for the AAAA state title in their own right. Hartsville is the new number one AAAA team in the HSSR rankings of September, 11. Dillon slides to number two in AAA, behind top rated Daniel, led by two talented running backs Kari Bennett and Tony Shaw. Bennett had 121 yards rushing on just 8 carries in the Lions season opener.  


After the comeback win road win, Hartsville head coach Jeff Calabrese said, “At half-time I told the team that we had not played very well and that I wanted to see what they were made of in the second half,” said Coach Calabrese. “I wanted to see how well we would respond to adversity. We have not been behind a lot this season. We have not seen many people knock us off the ball like we did and we got knocked off the ball a lot in the first half.


“We had to look deep down within ourselves to see how we were going to respond and I felt like our kids responded well,” said Coach Calabrese. “I got to Hartsville in 1994, and in 1992 and 1993 the games between Dillon and Hartsville were among the biggest games ever seen in the Pee Dee region. It went dormant for a long time, although we scrimmaged some. These two games we have had the past two years have been very competitive and I think it has been great for both communities and I hope it continues.


“Last year they had a big second half come-back to win and this year we had one of our own to get a win so I hope we keep playing for the next couple of years,” said Coach Calabrese. “Being able to convert that recovery into a touchdown was huge for us. We saw something in the alignment that we thought we could recover the kick, and being down two touchdowns, we needed to gain some momentum so that was a huge way for us to start off the third quarter.”   


Hartsville out-scored the Wildcats 37-6 in the second half. For the game Watters had 192 yards rushing on 17 carries  and four touchdowns averaging 11.3 yards a carry. McDaniel was 19 for 170 yards and two touchdowns averaging 8.9 yards a carry. Starting QB McKendric Douglas was injured during the game but he totaled 56 yards on four carries.


After four games McDaniel (65-705-12 TD’s) and Watters (52-620-10 TD’s) are among the top two rushers in the state stats wise.


The top Red Fox tacklers against Dillon included DB DaMarion Coe- 18 tackles; LB Coleman Ratcliff-12 tackles; LB Xavier Robinson-10 tackles; DB Kylif Miller-9 tackles along with LB JaQuez Coe-9 tackles.


Dillon head coach Kelvin Roller said after the game, “I thought our guys fought hard throughout the game and during practice this week we had to make several changes due to some injuries, moving receivers to running backs, and it was a challenge to teach them what to do in our running game.


“But I do not want to take anything away from Hartsville and Coach Calabrese,” said Coach Roller. “They have a tremendous football team. They are first-class all the way. A game like this is just going to make us better. We wish them well.


“We have a lot of work to do as a football team,” said Coach Roller. “We just did not do a good job finishing out this game after playing a very sound first half. “


Dillon was without the services of sophomore RB Domonick Felton. The Wildcats other RB Jamarion Fling missed the game due to suspension. Converted WR Kamarion Singletary responded well with 228 yards rushing on 33 carries and three TD’s. LB Sirmod McCallum led the defense with 11 tackles and he was used in the Wildcat with 21 net yards on six carries and two touchdowns.


Other Nasty Cat tackle leaders were LB Keryien Brown (11), DL Wayvon Bright (5) and LB James Scott (4). Zay Robertson had an interception.


Dillon sophomore QB Josiah Oxendine completed 10-of16- passes for 116 yards. He added 17 yards on the ground. The top receiver for Dillon was Rahmond Hamilton with three catches.


Hartville will play Irmo this week while Dillon hosts Socastee.

 

Laurence Manning captures SCISA AAAA softball state championshiip

By Dennis Brunson hssr.com Associate Editor • 15 May, 2024
LMA claims ninth state championship, first since 2017

SCISA Softball and Baseball Championship Update for Tuesday

By Larry Gamble • 15 May, 2024
Updates to the SCISA Championship Series for Softball and Baseball. Some games in this best of three series are not complete, others were weather postponed. SCISA SOFTBALL STATE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES CLASS AAAA Champions - Laurence Manning Monday Laurence Manning 5 Hammond 4 Tuesday Hammond 0 Laurence Manning 9 CLASS AAA Champions - Pee Dee Academy (third straight state title) Monday Orangeburg Prep 0 Pee Dee Academy 3 Tuesday Pee Dee 6 Orangeburg Prep 5 AA Monday Colleton Prep 1 Clarendon Hall 6 Tuesday rescheduled for Wednesday at 5pm Clarendon Hall Colleton Prep Wednesday At Neutral Site if Needed CLASS A Champions- JEFFERSON DAVIS ACADEMY Monday Cross Schools 0 Jefferson Davis 4 Tuesday Jefferson Davis 11 Cross Schools 0 SCISA BASEBALL STATE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES Best-of-3 series AAAA Monday Augusta Christian 3 Cardinal Newman 1 Tuesday rescheduled to Wednesday Cardinal Newman at Augusta Christian, 6 p.m. Thursday At - Lexington HS - if Needed AAA Monday Hilton Head Christian 3 Pee Dee Academy 1 Tuesday rescheduled to Wednesday Pee Dee at Hilton Head Christian, 6 p.m. Thursday At Neutral Site if Needed CLASS AA Champion - Dorchester Academy Monday Calhoun Academy 2 Dorchester 6 Tuesday Dorchester 5 Calhoun Academy 1 CLASS A Monday Richard Winn 8 Holly Hill 2 Tuesday rescheduled for Wednesday Holly Hill at Richard Winn, 6 p.m. Thursday At Neutral Site if Needed

LMA, Pee Dee, JDA win SCISA softball titles, Dorchester claims baseball crown

By Staff reports • 15 May, 2024
Other four Game 2s postponed, rescheduled for Wednesday

Clarendon Hall Uses Five Run Second Inning to Defeat Colleton Prep 6-1, In Game One Of SCISA AA Softball Best-of-Three Championship Series

By Billy Baker • 14 May, 2024
By Billy G. Baker Publisher Summerton — Softball championships are not always won just by the plays of the moment; they are won by the players on championship teams who prepare on a year-round basis, through summer ball, fall ball, outside instruction, and a total commitment to the sport. In Clarendon Hall’s 6-1 win over Colleton Prep (18-5-2) in Monday’s first game in the best- of- three SCISA AA state title series, observers could see the aforementioned on full display as a relaxed and well-trained team from Clarendon Hall played error free softball. Pitcher Calli Yount had 11 strike-outs, and the Saints produced timely hits with runners in scorer’s position.  It was the third time the two teams had meet this season and it was the third win for Clarendon Hall. The two previous wins were 8-0 and 6-0 so Colleton Prep improved by scoring a run this time. They hope to score even more as the two teams (weather permitting) get ready to play game two at 5 p.m. at Colleton Prep today. After the game Clarendon Hall head coach Jeffrey Bays , told the HSSR, “We definitely got some timely hits today but we didn’t hit the ball like we usually do,” said Coach Bays. “You do have those games where you are not as strong as you usually are at the plate, and we tell our girls to be patient and wait on their pitch. “Getting some walks, mixed in with a few timely hits, proved to be a game changer for us, said Coach Bays. “I was really proud of how the girls responded to the challenge today. I can’t think of an error we made, and that is really important, and we have played very clean ball most of the year. “Our pitcher tomorrow will be a game time situation,” said Coach Bays. “Calli had a good outing today but we do have several pitchers who can throw strikes so we’ll just have to wait and see.” Colleton Prep head coach Tiger Martin told the HSSR , “They scored six runs total and five of them came in the second inning and then they got a solo home run later and made some errors and gave them some walks that helped them score the six runs,” said Coach Martin. “More games are lost then ever won. The team that makes the fewest mistakes usually comes out on top and they played a cleaner ball game then we did tonight. “It didn’t help that we had four backward K’s and we need to swing the bats more,” said Coach Martin. “We have to lay off her riser ball that was coming in high today and it can be virtually unhittable. Hopefully, we will have an umpire today that likes them thrown a little lower. We have to hope she can bring the ball down a little.” The Saints pushed across five runs in the bottom of the second inning. Yount led off with a single and then Colleen McIntosh drew a walk. Lacey Corbett singled to score Yount for a 1-0 lead and a throwing error on the throw in allowed both runners to advance to second to third. Two batters later, Macie McIntosh drew a one-out walk to load the bases. Brynlee Brewer , the only new starter on the team this season, reached on an error allowing two runs to score to make it 3-0. Two batters later, Macie McIntosh , drew a one-out walk to load the bases. An RBI ground-out RBI by junior Mandy Wells made it 4-0. The Saints 5 th run scored on a passed ball. In the CP 4 th inning, Ava Murray led off with a double down the third base line. She was brought in on a two-out single by Hannah Strickland to close the deficit to 5-1. CH added an insurance run in the bottom of the 5 th on a solo home run by Yount over the left field fence. Yount had three hits in the game including a home run. Clarendon Hall had six hits for the game and they benefitted from several CP errors and five walks they were issued. Yount gave up five hits in the game with two walks to go along with her 11 K’s. Senior Sydney Stivender pitched all six innings for CP. She recorded four strike-outs in taking the loss.

SCISA BASEBALL STATE CHAMPIONSHIP ROUNDUP

By Staff reports • 14 May, 2024
Hilton Head Christian, Augusta Christian, Dorchester, Richard Winn take openers

SCISA SOFTBALL STATE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES ROUNDUP

By Staff reports • 14 May, 2024
Laurence Manning, Pee Dee, Clarendon Hall, Jefferson Davis win openers

Cardinal Newman wins fifth consecutive SCISA boys soccer state title

By Dennis Brunson hssr.com Associate Editor • 14 May, 2024
Cardinals beat Hammond 4-0 to finish as undefeated AAAA champion

SCISA Softball and Baseball Championship Scores

By Larry Gamble • 14 May, 2024
Scores from around the SCISA universe from Game 1 Monday. SCISA SOFTBALL STATE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES Best-of-3 series AAAA Monday Laurence Manning 5 Hammond 4 Tuesday Hammond at Laurence Manning, 6:30 p.m. Wednesday At Neutral Site if Needed AAA Monday Orangeburg Prep 0 Pee Dee Academy 3 Tuesday Pee Dee at Orangeburg Prep, 6 p.m. Wednesday At Neutral Site if Needed AA Monday Colleton Prep 1 Clarendon Hall 6 Tuesday Clarendon Hall at Colleton Prep, 5 p.m. Wednesday At Neutral Site if Needed CLASS A Monday Cross Schools 0 Jefferson Davis 4 Tuesday Jefferson Davis vs Cross Schools, @ Bluffton High School Wednesday At Neutral Site if Needed SCISA BASEBALL STATE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES Best-of-3 series AAAA Monday Augusta Christian 3 Cardinal Newman 1 Tuesday Cardinal Newman at Augusta Christian, 6 p.m. Thursday At Neutral Site if Needed AAA Monday Hilton Head Christian 3 Pee Dee Academy 1 Tuesday Pee Dee at Hilton Head Christian, 6 p.m. Thursday At Neutral Site if Needed AA Monday Calhoun Academy 2 Dorchester 6 Tuesday Dorchester at Calhoun Academy, 6:30 p.m. Thursday At Neutral Site if Needed CLASS A Monday Richard Winn 8 Holly Hill 2 Tuesday Holly Hill at Richard Winn, 6 p.m. Thursday At Neutral Site if Needed

SCISA softball, baseball state championship series set to begin on Monday

By Dennis Brunson hssr.com Associate Editor • 13 May, 2024
Five of eight series will have teams trying to defend titles

Day Two Of SCISA Softball Tournament Establishes Final Two Teams In All Four Classifications For State Title Starting On Monday

By Billy Baker • 13 May, 2024
By Billy G. Baker Publisher Sumter — The good news was that no rain fell on Sumter’s Patriot Park on May, 11 providing for some great games in the annual SCISA softball playoffs with 8 teams qualifying to compete for AAAA, AAA, AA and Class A state titles starting on Monday. Game two will be played on Tuesday at the opposite site of the home team on Monday. If a third game is needed it will be played at a neutral site on Wednesday. One notable highlight from the games on Saturday was junior Mandy Wells of Clarendon Hall hitting three consecutive home runs in her team’s 15-0 win over Calhoun Academy to advance the Saints to the AA finals on Monday against Colleton Prep . Wells hit her two home runs to dead center field and her second homer was a base clearing grand slam. Her third home run was a line drive over right center field. Wells came into the SCISA tournament batting .481 with 28 RBI’s. Game one between Clarendon Hall and Colleton Prep is schduled for 6pm on Monday in Summerton. Laurence Manning defeated Hammond 5-3 to advance to the AAAA finals. The lost sent Hammond to the loser’s bracket finale against Wilson Hall and Hammond the defeated the Barons 14-4 to earn the right to play Laurence Manning for the title starting on Monday at 6 p.m. in Manning. “We started out hitting the ball right at people and Hammond gave us a great game,” said LMA head coach Buddy Truett . ´We didn’t like having to get up at 7 a.m. to get over here by 9 a.m. and it took us awhile to get going. We are excited to playing for a state championship. It should be a very competitive series and having finished runner-up the past two seasons we are focused on winning it all this year.” LMA trailed Hammond 3-3 going into the bottom of the 6 th inning. Lily Welborn led off with a single and made it all the way to third on a throwing error. An RBI single by Kaylee Avins scored Welborn to tie the score at 3. The difference in the game was a two- run homer from 8 th grader Karly Bjork the next batter up for LMA. “I told her after she hit the home run that I didn’t think I could love her anymore but I do now,” said Coach Truett. “I am very proud of the girls. We made some errors early in the game we do not normally make but we came back from being down and I very proud of all of them. ”We know that Pee Dee has good pitching and they are a solid hitting team also so we are expecting quite a series against them,” said Coach Kinard. “We went over there last year and kicked the ball around a bit. Our goal is playing better defense against them. Defense wins championships.” In Class AAA action, Orangeburg Prep defeated Thomas Sumter 15-0 to advance to the AAA finals. The Class AAA championship games for Pee Dee and Orangeburg Prep start Monday in Mullins at 6pm. Pee Dee Academy head coach Wes Eskridge told the HSSR after his team’s big win over John Paul II Saturday: “We have been fortunate to win three state titles in a row and we are competing in the finals for the 7 th straight time and I could not be prouder of this team,” said Coach Eskridge. ”Jo Jo Perritt is just a sophomore and she gets the job down in the circle for us. “Orangeburg Prep is a tough team and the key for us is for us to play our game and not theirs,” said Coach Eskridge. “We know we have to keep working hard.” In Class A action Jefferson Davis Academy will compete against Cross Schools , who defeated Laurens Academy 4-3 to advance. Jefferson Davis earned the right to play for a Class A title by defeating Cross School 7-1 on Saturday. Head JDA head coach Bart Owens told the HSSR , “Regan Still did a great job pitching all three games in the tournament and she is headed to Florence-Darlington Tech to play next season,” said Coach Owens. “We beat Wardlaw 16-3 and Laurens Academy in our other two tournament games ”Regan is an outstanding pitcher and she is the best that I have ever had at JDA,” said Coach Owens. “Super proud of the whole team today. Or goal now is to win the state championship next week.” The Class A championship series starts Monday at JDA game time is 6pm.
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