By David Shelton Senior Writer Little River – Despite some back-and-forth coaching changes in recent years, the girls volleyball program at North Myrtle Beach High School has remained a state championship contender. The program has three state titles in recent years and has yet another new coach in 2024 as Jenn Loeswick takes the helm. The Chiefs have not missed a beat and has positioned themselves to capture the region 6-AAAAA championship. Entering play on Oct. 7, North Myrtle Beach was 19-6 overall and 8-0 in region play. The need a win over rival Myrtle Beach on Oct. 10 to secure the region title. They beat Myrtle Beach in an earlier meeting. What makes the season even more impressive, according to Loeswick, is that the team has been without its best player, senior Olivia Borgman, who is injured. “She has been the region player of the year so it’s a big loss,” the coach said. “But this team has continued to grow and improve throughout the season.” Even without Borgman, the lineup is quite formidable. Senior Bella Loeswick is the starting setter and runs the show. She has 544 assists, 30 aces and 146 defensive digs. The power supply comes from junior outside hitter Clara Cloninger , who is over 268 kills with 200 digs and 46 service aces. Sophomore Lilly Loeswick is a starter on the outside and is over 200 kills and 200 digs. Junior Raphaella Nunes is a starter in the middle, along with sophomore Madison Johnson . Senior Addison Leonard works as an opposite and junior Katlyn Powers is the libero. The team has loads of depth with a bevy of players getting their turn on the floor. Senior Kiera Olson works as a defensive specialist while senior Anna Hutton can play setter and defense. Sophomore Harlow Horton and junior Ah’Layia Clarida sub in the middle of the net. “This team has exceeded expectations,” Loeswick said. “Our motto this season is ‘Nobody Cares. Work.’ That is who we are this year. We’ve talked a lot about the process of the game and how that is how we get better. You can play with confidence when you’ve put in the work. “One of our strengths is that they are a true team. They all respect and support and want the best for each other. It has been really fun to see and be a part of. Our goal is simple. To be the best we can be. Let’s put in the work and see what we can do.” Remaining members of the 2024 team include senior defensive specialist Ella Joyner , senior outside hitter Sidney Palmerico , and junior defender Kylee Rollings . A bigger challenge awaits the Chiefs in the upcoming state playoffs. North Myrtle Beach is competing in Class AAAAA this fall, which means a step up in competition. However, the Chiefs have played a competitive non-region slate and have taken on a host of AAAAA programs in the process. Football Update After a tough 0-4 start to the 2024 season, the football team opened region play with a win over Conway . The Chiefs look to build confidence as they go through the region with games upcoming against Socastee , Myrtle Beach , St. James and Carolina Forest . Quarterback Landon Cloninger has thrown for more than 800 yards in five games, with Kaden Gore and Andrew Kreider working as his top targets. Drew Prince is the leading rusher with nearly 400 yards, averaging better than six yards per carry. Among the early defensive leaders are Sloan McIntyre , Bricey Gore , LaMontae Smith and DJ Gause . Gause leads the team in sacks and tackles for loss.

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.

Wayne White Special to the HSSR Myrtle Beach – The North Myrtle Beach Chiefs (0-3) will host the Loris Lions (3-0) on Friday, Sept. 13 th with the kick off at 7:05pm. This makes the 54 th game of this rivalry. Last season, this game went to double overtime before Loris got the 27-21 win. Fans will be able to hear this game on the Charlie Stuart State Farm Chiefs Sports Network and watched live on the NMB Chiefs Facebook page as well as the Chiefs Sports Network's YouTube channel. The Chiefs come into this game winless for the season, with a tough loss to Goose Creek in Week Zero, followed by two close but losing effort games to Darlington then West Brunswick (NC) to put their record at 0-3. For this game, NMB’s third year head coach Greg Hill will count on senior Drew Prince RB (5-11, 170) to continue his 7.8 yards per carry average and add to his 3 TDs for the season. The Lions come off a 7-3 season last year and got to the first round of the playoffs. This is the fourth season for head coach Greg Mance who has 14 starters returning. Junior QB Zamire “Moon” Gerald and senior RB/WR/FS Quantez Dyson (5-11, 160) and junior WR/DB Jacobian Lewis (6-2, 170) are their keys on offense, while the defense is solid with junior HB/LB/DE Landon Connor (6-0, 225), junior DE Damarea Thurmond , and senior OLB/RB Javon Johnson (5-10, 210) anchoring the Loris defense. The Chiefs are playing their first season in Class 5A. Loris is in Class AAA. So far this season, the Lions are score over 30 points per game while NMB is putting up 20s. With a rivalry this long term and a double OT game last year, this should be an exciting game.  Loris will have a bye week for 9/20 and NMB will host Marlboro County that day.

Little River – After scratching and clawing their way through a competitive regular season, many of the spring sports teams at North Myrtle Beach High are experiencing the joys of postseason play as the calendar turns to May. May means state playoff time in South Carolina and the door quickly closes for teams hoping to claim a state championship in 2024. At press time, most of the teams that had qualified for the Class AAAA Lower State playoffs have seen their season end. However, the baseball team continues on its trek to repeat as the Lower State champs and members of the track and field program are preparing for the Lower State qualifying meet. The softball team, coached by Danny Susral, saw its season end in heart-breaking fashion. The Chiefs opened the playoffs with a win over May River but was pushed to the loser’s bracket after a 6-2 loss to Lugoff-Elgin. In an elimination game against Lucy Beckham, North Myrtle Beach held a 5-2 lead into the bottom of the seventh inning. The Chiefs were unable to hold on as the Bengals scored four runs in the final frame to earn the walk-off win. The final record this spring was 14-13. Some of the top performers this spring included pitcher Nealy Lockner, who worked nearly 100 innings inside the circle while batting .284 with 13 RBI. Sadie Olson batted .395 with 13 RBI for the regular season and Kiera Olson batted .380 with 12 RBI. Sophomores Hadley Leonhardt and Isabella Bruno also contributed offensively. Bruno hit .362 with 15 RBI while Leonhardt hit .324 with 15 RBI. Another sophomore, Lilly Carney, hit .370 and drove in 17 runs. A lot of this year’s team is slated to return next season so the prospects remain high for success in 2025. The boys and girls soccer teams made the state playoffs. The boys team lost to Lucy Beckham in the first round, finishing with an 8-11 record. The girls team recorded a first-round playoff win before a loss in round two ended their season with a 9-9 record. In golf, the Chiefs qualified for the AAAA Lower State tournament. Bradley Hardee shot a 2-under 70 to earn co-medalist honors at the region 6-AAAA meet. The baseball team sits at 24-2 and will host the district championship game on May 10. The Chiefs are seeking a return trip to the Class AAAA state finals. They lost in the finals last season to Catawba Ridge. North Myrtle Beach posted three playoff wins to reach the district finals, earning victories over Bluffton (3-2), May River (5-1) and Lucy Beckham (2-1). Catcher CJ Oxendine has been a leader at the plate with four hits in the postseason. Pitching, a strength all season, has been strong as well with Josh Surigao, Luke Roupe and Austin Long leading the way. Long has been a shutdown reliever all season. Chiefs compete in region 6-AAAA meet The track and field program competed in the region 6-AAAA championship meet on Apr. 30. In the final team standings, the girls finished second with 143 points while the boys finished second with 100 points. West Florence High won both team titles. Several athletes had medal winning days individually. On the girls team, Janiya Bragg was the region champion in the 100 meter dash and finished second in the 200 meter sprint. Carley Halloran was second in the 800 meter run and Fenna Hollo was the region champion in the 3200 meter run. She finished third in the 1600 meter run. Robyn Walsh finished third in the 3200 meter run. Sydney Hilburn won the region title in the pole vault with teammate Alexandra Hines finishing second. Jakira McCallum was second in the long jump and Kennedy Fields was third in the pole vault and fourth in the long jump. Lauren Hubert finished fourth in the triple jump. Alexandra Beltran finished second in the javelin and Destinee Vereen was second in the shot put. Mya Clarke was third in the shot. The 4x800 meter relay team won the region title. On the boys side, region titles were won by Syncere Jefferson (200), Elijah Lewis (400) and Dylan Kempf (pole vault). Lewis took second in the 200 and Jahmaurie Wilson was second in the 400. Lashaun Scott finished third in the 400 and Dawson Wisely was fourth in the 3200. Ny’Ray Hannah was second in the 400 hurdles with Jerell Bellamy taking fourth. The Chiefs won gold in the 400 and 1600 meter relays, placing second in the 3200 relay.