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Holly Hill Academy Raiders
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HHA has only girls team in Region 1; Raiders one of only 3 boys teams
Holly Hill Academy's senior guard Jody Gillam
By David Shelton Senior Writer Holly Hill – The main goal of the 2024 Holly Hill Academy football team is a return to the top of the mountain. A streak of three straight state titles in the SCISA 8-man ranks was ended last season with a loss to Jefferson Davis Academy . This year’s Raiders team is aiming to return to the championship level. So far, so good. The Raiders are off to a good start this fall. Winning five of their first six games of the season. The lone loss came to nemesis Jefferson Davis Academy by a 36-18 score in mid-September. Remaining games on the schedule include Kings Academy (10/11), Cathedral Academy (10/18), Cross Schools (10/25) and Jefferson Davis again to close out the regular season. As is usually the case with the Raiders, there have been a host of solid contributors to the success this season. At quarterback, senior Ashton Soles has rushed for 265 yards and seven touchdowns while passing for 174 yards and four scores. Three players share the bulk of the load in the running game. Sophomore Parker Kizer has rushed for 488 yards and five touchdowns, averaging 9.4 yards per carry. Senior Ax Wolpert has rushed for 391 yards and six scores while averaging 11.1 yards per carry. And, senior Camdin Harmon has gained 214 yards and averages 11.9 yards per attempt. Jody Gillam is the team’s leading receiver with 93 yards on seven catches. Harmon has 77 receiving yards. Senior Tyler Green is a returning right guard. Senior Brodon Murray is working at left guard and senior Jagger Edmonds is the center. Juniors Ryan Brown and Shade Snyder are getting reps at right guard, while freshmen Kaz Brown and Aarav Patel are working on the left side. Backing up Edmonds are junior Evan Floyd and freshman Caleb Bell . Many of the same players are key performers on the defensive side as well. Junior Jason Iller has 42 tackles, including 17 tackles for loss. Kizer has 39 tackles and Wolpert has 33 tackles. Soles has 38 tackles and eight tackles for loss while Harmon has a team-high 48 tackles with 11 tackles for loss and two interceptions.
By David Shelton Senior Writer Holly Hill – For three years, the Holly Hill Academy football program ruled the eight-man ranks of SCISA football. The Raiders won three straight state championships from 2020-22 and posted 39 consecutive wins. But streaks don’t last forever and the winning streak and state title run ended in 2023. Holly Hill Academy suffered two losses, both to Jefferson Davis, with the last defeat coming in the state championship game. The Raiders were seven points from a fourth consecutive championship. The losses last season will serve as fuel for the fire as the Raiders take on the 2024 season. They opened the season with a 34-26 win over the Carolina Wildcats on Aug. 23. Second-year head coach Andy Palmer lost some key players from last year’s team and this year’s lineup will include several first-year starters. But the prospects are good for another strong campaign. The quarterback position is arguably the most important in football and the Raiders will have experience under center with the return of senior Ashton Soles . Soles threw for nearly 800 yards and 12 touchdowns while rushing for six more scores. He also is a key leader defensively at outside linebacker, totaling 71 tackles last season. Gone are the top two rushers from last season. Tyree James accounted for more than 1,900 yards and 34 touchdowns on the ground while Mason Rudd added nearly 400 yards and nine scores. Looking to step into bigger offensive roles at running back are senior Camdin Harmon and sophomore Parker Kizer . Both also are key defenders at linebacker with Harmon posting 146 tackles and Kizer racking up 89 total tackles last season. Sophomore JP McGriff and senior Ax Wolpert also figure into the running back mix. Juniors Aaron Johnson and Takobe Sweatman are the starting tight ends. Senior Tyler Green is a returning right guard. Senior Brodon Murray is working at left guard and senior Jagger Edmonds is the center. Juniors Ryan Brown and Shade Snyder are getting reps at right guard, while freshmen Kaz Brown and Aarav Patel are working on the left side. Backing up Edmonds are junior Evan Floyd and freshman Caleb Bell. Senior Jody Gilliam is the top returner at receiver with senior Brayden Mizell also getting work. Many of the same offensive players also see time on defense. Along the front will be junior Jason Iler . Murray will start at the other end and Floyd or junior Brady Garing will start at nose. Working at linebacker will be a group including Soles, Harmon, Kizer, senior Connor Teague , Johnson, McGriff and freshman Jake Kirven . Senior Jonathan Boyd is a safety, as is Wolpert. Gilliam is a returning starter at safety but is recovering from injury as the season begins.
Eagles sweep best-of-3 series against Holly Hill Academy
Holly Hill – While playing a schedule consisting mostly of bigger schools, the early season record for the Holly Hill Academy baseball team was nothing to brag about. However, things have turned around considerably for the 2024 Raiders and a strong finish has them contending for the SCISA Class A state title. The Raiders opened the playoffs with a two-game sweep of Laurens Academy in a best-of-three series. The wins pushed the overall record to 10-6 and the Raiders have advanced to the semi-final round, which begins on May 6. “We played a pretty tough schedule, several AA schools, and some of those are playing still,” head coach Andy Green said. “I was never worried about the record. I just wanted us to get better each week and be playing our best baseball at the right time. I like to the fact that we seem to be peaking at the right time.” The sweep of Laurens Academy pushed Holly Hill Academy’s winning streak to six games. That included a win over AA Dorchester Academy, a team in the mix for the AA state title. Green says his team is not one that hits homers out of the park but has been efficient at manufacturing runs. The pitching, he says, only needs a few runs to give the Raiders a chance to win. Anchoring the pitching staff are juniors Ashton Soles and Mason Connor, a transfer from nearby Branchville High School. Soles has been one of the top hurlers for the last three seasons while Connor has come in and provided several quality starts. Senior Mason Rudd would be a third option on the bump but Green prefers to use Rudd at his best position, catcher. Rudd is the lone senior among the starting lineup this spring. Freshman Tyler Green is starting at first base and provides offense in the middle of the lineup. Junior Mason McGriff is starting at second base while Connor is the regular shortstop and a sterling defensive performer. Junior Jody Gilliam is starting at third and has been a solid performer after not playing baseball for a few years. Junior Jonathan Boyd leads the team offensively with a .480 batting average while patrolling left field. Soles plays center when not pitching with Braden Mizzell filling in when Soles is on the mound. Freshman Parker Kizer starts in right field. Should the Raiders advance to the state championship series the likely opponent will be perennial contender Richard Winn. “I like our chances with the way we are playing and with our mindset right now,” Green said.
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