Jernigan shines at SCISA state track meet

Lake City – After years of hard work and preparation, Carolina Academy senior Dakota Jernigan saw it all pay off at the 2024 Division II SCISA state track and field meet on May 3 in Orangeburg.

Jernigan closed out her prep career with gold medal-winning performances, winning the high jump and the triple jump. She also finished third in the long jump.

Jernigan has cemented herself as the most successful female track and field athlete in school history. In 2022, she finished third in the triple jump and fifth in the long jump. Last spring, Jernigan pulled off the perfect trifecta, collecting gold in all three jumps.

Jernigan was the only state meet participant from the girls team this spring but the overall program continues to grow after starting up just a few years ago.

Ashton Rambo and Garrett Sauls represented the boys program at the state meet. Rambo finished fifth in the 110 meter hurdles while Sauls was seventh in the long jump and ninth in the triple jump.

Golf finishes fourth at state tournament

The Carolina Academy’s boys golf team posted a fourth-place finish at the 2024 Class AAA SCISA golf tournament in late April. The Bobcats posted a 36-hole team score of 653, finishing behind Hilton Head Prep, Hilton Head Christian and Spartanburg Day in the team standings.

The top Carolina Academy performer at the tournament was Blanding Franks, who shot 78 and 77 for a final score of 155. Landon Crosby and Thomas McDaniel each posted final scores of 163. Crosby shot 81-82 while McDaniel shot 76 on day one but slipped to 87 in the second round.

Jamison Andrews shot 176 (93-83) while Drake Morris shot 195 (89-106).

Baseball season ends in playoffs

The 2024 baseball season was a bit of a roller coaster ride for The Carolina Academy Bobcats this spring. Coach Lindsey Robinson says his team battled inconsistency all season, especially offensively where the bats never got going throughout the lineup.

The final record was 10-14, including a 1-2 performance in the state AA playoffs. The Bobcats opened the playoffs against Orangeburg Prep. Holding a 5-4 lead into the seventh, the Bobcats allowed two runs and fell, 6-5.

The Bobcats held off elimination with a 4-3 win over Greenwood Christian, which set up a game against one of the state championship favorites, Pee Dee Academy. Despite a solid pitching effort, the Carolina Academy bats went cold again, failing to scratch a hit in a 3-0 loss.

Aside from the no hit performance, the offense did find some consistency late in the year. The Bobcats tallied 13 hits in their final regular season game, a 7-6 win over Lee Academy. Sophomore Hayden Timmons, junior Walker McCutcheon, junior David Driggers, and seniors Dyson Lamb and Cole Bailey each had two hits in the win.

Lamb and senior outfielder Tyler Smart each had two hits in the loss to Orangeburg Prep.

Timmons and Bailey also had two hits each in the playoff win over Greenwood Christian as the Bobcats were able to bang out nine hits.

Senior Walker Joyner had a strong pitching performance in the win, allowing one earned run with seven strikeouts in six innings. Joyner will be among a solid list of seniors that will be missed as the Bobcats look to next season.

Lamb, Bailey, Hunter Irwin and Smart were regular senior starters as well. But the cupboard is not bare as Timmons, Driggers, McCutcheon, and freshman Hampton Kirby will be the guys to build around next spring.

Timmons will likely move into the No. 1 starting pitching role while Driggers will be a solid No. 2 performer after a solid 2024 campaign. Kirby played second base this season but could move over to shortstop next spring.