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.

Bulldogs were off to 8-3 start despite having to replace nine seniors 

Loris RB Deuce Stephens

By David Shelton Senior Writer Bennettsville – The Marlboro County football program has a history of success, winning state title in 1998 and 2001. But things slipped in recent years and the winning dried up. Coming into the 2024 season, Marlboro County had managed only 15 wins in the last five seasons with the last winning season coming in 2018 under former coach Dean Boyd. That is changing under first-year head coach Cory Johnson , who came to Bennettsville after a successful run in North Carolina. In addition to a new head coach and coaching staff, the football program benefitted from a solid group of transfers that have increased the talent level significantly. The results have been off the chart. After opening region play with a win over Aynor , the Bulldogs were 6-0 on the season and steadily climbing in the statewide AAA ranking of teams. The Bulldogs have yet to be seriously challenged in a game, except for a 12-point win over Scotland County . They have scored at least 40 points in five games. The schedule promises to get more challenging down the stretch as the Bulldogs have region games against Dillon and Loris . Both, like Marlboro County, are ranked in the AAA top 10 statewide. Marlboro County plays Dillon on Oct. 18 and takes on Loris on Oct. 25. Offensively, the Bulldogs show solid balance. Quarterback Nydarion Blackwell , a senior, has passed for nearly 700 yards and six touchdowns. Seniors Justin Purvis (17-338, 3 TD) and Damon Short (7-180) are the leading receivers. In the run game, senior Josiah Robinson leads the way with more than 500 yards and is averaging about 11 yards per carry with six touchdowns. Donovan Pauling-Outlaw is nearing 300 rushing yards while Purvis and freshman Tre Blakeney are nearing 200 rushing yards. Filling in the offensive line are Dymiek Covington , Zyrell McIver-Barker , Jamari Taylor , Rayshawn James , and Dennis Turner . On the defensive side, the Bulldogs have a balanced attack with a host of players getting into the tackle stats. Senior Jahdon Covington is among the leading tacklers, averaging about five tackles per game. Sophomore Kaiden Walton has nearly 10 tackles for loss among his total hits while sophomore Kaiden McCoy has been an active performer for the defense. Seniors Josiah Dwyer and Yakarrion Kenan also average about four tackles per game.

Wayne White Special to the HSSR Myrtle Beach - The North Myrtle Beach Chiefs (0-4) will host Marlboro County (4-0) , currently ranked #3 in the Class 3A HSSR Poll, this Friday night at The Hank. The kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. Tonight’s game will be the eighth meeting between the Chiefs and Bulldogs on the gridiron with North Myrtle Beach holding a 4-3 advantage. After losing three straight to Marlboro County to open the series, the Chiefs enter tonight’s game riding a four-game winning streak in the series. NMB is 2-1 against the Bulldogs at The Hank.  You can catch all of the action on the Chiefs Sports Network on WRNN 99.5 FM and also watch live online as we stream the game on the NMB Chiefs Facebook page as well as the Chiefs Sports Network's Youtube Channel. The James Plumbing Countdown to Kickoff begins at 6:30 p.m.