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NOVEMBER 1 HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL HONOR ROLL

From staff reports • November 6, 2024

Irmo quarterback AJ Brand AAAAA Player of the Week

SCHSL

AAAAA

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: AJ Brand Irmo 18-26 passing, 196 yards, 5 TDs; 11 carries, 263 yards, 2 TDs, 1 catch, 42 yards, 1 TD

 

ASHLEY RIDGE

MJ Respass 20 tackles

Trevor Kalisz 359 passing yards, 3 TDs

BOILING SPRINGS

Kyle Patterson 3 catches, 112 yards, 1 TD

John Michael Simmons 1 TD INT return

BYRNES

Tre Segarra 24 carries, 147 yards, 2 TDs; 1 TD catch

CHAPIN

Stone Furrey 9 catches, 125 yards, 2 TDs

CLOVER

Carson Pinti 13 tackles, 3 TFLs, 2 PBUs

DUTCH FOK

Maurice Anderson 15 carries, 71 yards, 2 TDs; 6 catches, 108 yards, 1 TD

Ethan Offing 21-27 passing, 417 yards, 4 TDs; 2 punts, 45.5 average, 1 inside 20

Boykin Bickley 7 catches, 187 yards, 1 TD

KJ Smith 4 catches, 83 yards, 2 TDs

Jayden Westbrook 6 punt returns, 67 yards

Julian Walker 11 tackles, 1 sack, 2 TFLs

Justin Welch 5-5 PATs; 2-7 KO touchbacks

EASLEY

Jojo Coleman 20-34 passings, 298 yards, 3 TDs; 8 carries, 68 yards, 1 TD

Matthew Hillstock 9 catches, 165 yards, 1 TD; 2 carries, 2 yards

Aaron Tolbert 10 carries, 26 yards, 1 TD; 5 catches, 36 yards

Kobe Preston 18 tackles

Evan Massey 5-5 PATs; 2 punts, 35.0 average

IRMO

Donovan Murph 11 catches, 115 yards

Joey Albritton 2 TD catches

Anton Jones 170 rushing yards

MYRTLE BEACH

Israel Brown 2 INTs, 78 TD INT return

Jamarc Carroll 49 TD INT return

NORTH MYRTLE BEACH

Drew Prince 37 carries, 190 yards, 1 TD

John Simmons 8 catches, 147 yards

NATION FORD

Carson Sanford 19-28 passing, 249 yards, 2 TDs

NORTHWESTERN

Zyier Gordon-Miles 11 carries, 101 yards, 3 TDs; 1 catch, 1 yard

Finley Polk 14-18 passing, 196 yards, 2 TDs; 3 carries, 14 yards, 1 TD; 1 punt, 38.0 average

Jayden Nichols 5 catches, 64 yards, 1 TD

Matthew Fish 6-6 PATs; 2-6 KO touchbacks

Dmitri Putnam 5 tackles, 2 ½ TFLs

RIDGE VIEW

Spencer Bobian 18 carries, 125 yards

Khristian Jackson 59 TD punt return; 2 catches, 65 yards, 2 TDs

RIVER BLUFF

Blaine Fowler 12 tackles, 2 TFLs

Hayden Myers 25 carries, 106 yards, 1 TD; 3 catches, 12 yards

Tripp Bryant 7 punts, 36.6 average, 1 inside 20; 3-3 KO touchbacks

SPARTANBURG

Trenton Lynch 8 carries, 92 yards, 4 TDs

SUMMERVILLE

Jayden Cummings 203 passing yards, 1 TD; 83 rushing yards, 4 TDs

Jayven Williams 124 rushing yards, 2 TDs

Jaiden Kelly-Murray 7 catches, 134 yards, 1 TD

SUMTER

John Peeples 12 carries, 120 yards, 2 TDs

Kam Fortune 7 carries, 111 yards, 3 TD

Franklin Richardson 4 carries, 66 yards, 1 TD; 5-5 passing, 115 yards, 2 TDs

Jeremiah Burson 12 tackles, 2 TFLs

Tymaries Durant 12 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 FR

Anthony Addison 11 tackles, 2 ½ sacks, 2 ½ TFL

WOODMONT

Ezekiel Belcher 28 carries, 345 yards, 4 TDS

 

AAAA

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Grayson Clary Daniel 20-24 passing, 354 yards, 5 TDs

 

A.C. FLORA

Roper Wentzky 3 TD passes

BISHOP ENGLAND

Quinn Mahoney 306 passing yards, 3 TDs; 1 TD run

Zach Balog 6 catches, 128 yards, 1 TD

BLUE RIDGE

KB Henderson 25 carries, 280 yards, 4 TDs

BLUFFTON

Aedan McCarthy 16-23 passing, 227 yards, 3 TDs; 10 carries, 62 yards

BROOKLAND-CAYCE

Tyronne Jackson 2 TD runs; 1 TD catch

Dre Dopson 3 TD passes, 1 TD run

CAMDEN

Wyatt Thompson 6-8 passing, 120 yards, 3 TDs; 11 carries, 83 yards, 1 TD; 5 catches, 40 yards; 5 tackles, 1 sack, 4/5 passing, 86 yards, 2 TDs; 84 rushing yards, 1 TD

Logan Freeman 6 tackles, 1 TD INT return

CRESTWOOD
Jeremie Richardson 12 carries, 77 yards, 1 TD; 2 catches, 17 yards, 1 KO return, 36 yards

Da’Shan Scriven 3 INTs, 1 TD INT return, 4 tackles, 1 PBU; 2 catches, 8 yards

Jorge Hernandez-Lara 6-6 PATs; 4 punts, 41.8 yards, 2 inside 20; 1-7 KO touchbacks

GRAY COLLEGIATE

BJ Montgomery 14 carries, 134 rushing yards, 3 TDs

GREER

Nick Holmes 24 carries, 169 yards, 2 TDs

HARTSVILLE

Da’Marion Coe 75 TD KO return; 75 TD INT return

HILTON HEAD ISLAND

Troy Timko 21 carries, 136 yards, 2 TDs

MAY RIVER

Brad Lowery 10 tackles, 2 TFLs, 1 sack

NORTH AUGUSTA

Corey Tillman 4 TD passes, 1 TD run

SOUTH AIKEN

Jevon Edwards 29 carries, 338 yards, 4 TDs

SOUTH FLORENCE

Evan Holland 5-5 PATs

Avan Rosado 10 tackles

Gerkiem Hall 12 tackles

Warnell Prew 10 tackles

Linnex Valarie 6 catches, 86 yards

Tre’ Leonard 19 carries, 115 yards, 1 TD

Zion Gilbert 16 carries, 124 yards, 3 TDs

 

AAA

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Aiden Manavian Oceanside Collegiate 29-38 passing, 387 yards, 6 TDs

 

BELTON-HONEA PATH

Marquise Henderson 97 TD punt return; 1 TD run

KJ Miles 1 TD INT return

Tajeh Watson-Martin 72 TD punt return; 1 TD catch

BROOME

Ty’Qwon Booker 20 carries, 142 yards, 1 TD

Brayden Simpson 9 catches, 97 yards, 1 TD; 94 TD KO return

CHAPMAN

Justin Dawkins 25 carries, 186 yards, 2 TDs

Josiah Moore 13 carries, 124 yards, 1 TD; 10-14 passing, 103 yards, 2 TDs
DILLON

Zamarious Robertson 2 catches, 80 yards, 1 TD; 2 tackles

Ejan Green 2 catches, 60 yards, 1 TD; 1 INT

Jotavious McAllister 2 INTs, 1 FR

Stephen Rojas 6-6 PATs

LORIS

Jacobien Grim Lewis 2 catches, 114 yards, 2 TDs

HANAHAN

Travis Neal 112 rushing yards, 1 TD

Tripp Gallus 218 passing yards, 3 TDs

Dru Goldsmith 6 catches, 108 yards, 1 TD

NEWBERRY

Kenton Caldwell 10-11 passing, 297 passing yards, 3 TDs

ST. JOSEPH’S

William Gillespie 16 carries, 116 yards, 1 TD; 15 tackles, 1 sack

WOODRUFF

Aiden Gibson 19 carries 189 yards, 2 TDs; 4 catches, 89 yards, 1 TD

 

AA

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Tyleek Dukes Kingstree 16 carries, 204 yards, 3 TDs, 2 2PT runs; 1 catch, 21 yards; 2 tackles

 

BARNWELL

Nehemiah Brown 22 carries, 121 yards, 2 TDs

BATESBURG-LEESVILLE

Amadre Wooden 31 carries, 175 yards, 2 TDs; 1 catch, 31 yards

Tanner Watkins 13-18 passing, 181 yards, 2 TDs; 9 carries, 17 yards, 4-4 PATs

Jamerius Clark 6 catches, 86 yards

KD Whitt 5 catches, 55 yards, 2 TDs

CHERAW

Justyn Joint 4 TD runs

CHESNEE

Braylon Blanton 5 catches, 144 yards, 3 TDs

EAST CLARENDON

Colby McKenzie 10 tackles, 2 TFLs

Mike Woods 4 TFLs

Hunter Mixon 11 carries, 122 yards, 1 TD; 9 tackles, 2 TFLs

Takoda Cornelius 8 carries, 56 yards, 1 TD; 5-9 passing, 109 yards, 1 TD, 1 2PT pass

Whit Nesbitt 4 tackles, 1 INT, 1 PBU; 3 catches, 69 yards, 1 TD, 1 2PT catch

EDISTO

Terrell Thomas 133 rushing yards, 2 TDs; 4-7 passing, 86 yards, 1 TD

Khamanti Kennedy 102 rushing yards, 2 TDs; 5 tackles, 1 INT

Zack Jamison 10 tackles, 1 sack

FAIRFIELD CENTRAL

Ty Grier 8 carries, 156 yards, 4 TDs

KINGSTREE

Xavier Dukes 53 TD INT return, 4 tackles

Javian McCrea 65 TD INT return, 1 tackle; 11 carries, 86 yards

LAKE CITY

Kenjae Burgess 2 TD catches

MANNING

Jeffery Ceasar 6 catches, 103 yards, 1 TD; 1 KO return, 79 yards, 1 TD; 4 tackles, 1 FF

Lamar Hilton 13 tackles

Jaylnn Coard 7 tackles, 2 TFLs, 1 FF; 7 carries, 23 yards, 2 TDs

MID-CAROLINA

Jamarian Dewalt TD INT return

Ryker Woolstenhulme TD KO return

PELION

Jamie Johns 34 carries, 244 yards, 1 TD

PHILIP SIMMONS

Tavien Orellana 242 passing yards, 3 TDs

Brody Tonon 12 tackles, 2 TFLs

SALUDA

Jordan Hagler 12 tackles

Devon Wallace 12 tackles, 1 sack

SILVER BLUFF

Jordyn Givens 3 sacks

Drelyn Brown 1 TD punt return; 1 TD run

STROM THURMOND

Shaheed Williams 14 tackles

Gregory Moore 13 tackles, 1 sack

Tranquilis Mathis 9 carries, 126 yards

TIMBERLAND

Deontae Cleveland 19 carries, 151 yards

Montez Addison 11 carries, 64 yards, 3 TDs

 

CLASS A

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Karmello Jones Cross 18 carries, 150 yards, 2 TDs; 4 tackles, 2 TFLs, 1 sack, 1 INT, 1 FF, 1 FR

 

BAMBERG-EHRHARDT

Marcus Cann Jr. 4 catches, 98 yards; 23 rushing yards, 1 TD

BRANCHVILLE

Seth Shaw 4-6 passing, 64 yards, 3 TDs

Daniel Jennings 2 TD catches; 1 INT

Caleb Smith 102 rushing yards, 1 TD

CALHOUN COUNTY

Chris Glover 131 rushing yards, 2 TDs

CROSS

Caden Ramsey 3 catches, 70 yards, 1 TD, 1 2PT catch; 3 carries, 4 yards, 2 TDs; 3 tackles, 1 INT, 1 FR; 1KO return, 22 yards

Willam Grant 12 tackles, 2 TFLs, 1 sack

HANNAH-PAMPLICO

CJ Woodberry 2 TD catches, 2 TD runs

Daniel Chandler 1 TD fumble return

HUNTER-KINARD-TYLER

Stetson Stack 2 TD runs; 1 TD INT return

LAKE VIEW

Tyrell Foxworth 126 rushing yards, 1 TD

Lance Jackson 136 receiving yards, 1 TD

LATTA

Makinley Wallace 4 TD runs

LEE CENTRAL

Shadrach Williams 11 tackles, 5 TFLs, 1 sack

SCOTT’S BRANCH

Quintin Jackson 10 tackles, 2 PBUs, 2 INTs

 

SCISA

11-MAN

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Jeremiah Singleton Pinewood Prep 283 rushing yards, 2 TDs

 

BEAUFORT ACADEMY

Dietrich Shuford 14-23 passing, 172 yards, 2 TDs; 15 carries, 186 yards, 1 TD

BETHESDA ACADEMY

Raleigh Wesley 2 catches, 40 yards; 3 catches, 76 yards; 4 tackles, 1 TFL,

Jordan Cheever 8 carries, 47 yards, 1 TD, 2 2PT runs; 5 tackles, 1 INT

Assir Best 7 carries, 92 yards, 3 TDs, 1 2PT run; 5 tackles, 1 FF

Jordan Turner 3 carries, 46 yards, 1 TD, 1 2PT run; 5-8 passing, 109 yards; 1 punt, 38.0 average, 1 inside 20

CALHOUN ACADEMY

Colt Layton 4-6 passing, 127 yards, 1 TD; 132 rushing yards, 2 TDs

C-Rob Thornton 13 tackles

Asher Ficek 13 tackles

CARDINAL NEWMAN

Caleb Ford 31 carries, 255 rushing yards, 2 TDs

DORCHESTER

John Whetsell 19 carries, 107 yards, 1 TD

John Quattlebaum 17-26 passing, 216 yards, 2TDs

Abe Shuler 6 catches 123 yards, 1 TD

FLORENCE CHRISTIAN

Andrew Miller 103 rushing yards, 1 TD

Josh Davis 46 TD INT return

HAMMOND

Andrew Turner 13-18 passing, 235 yards, 3 TDs; 4 carries, 43 yards

Jack Croft 5 catches, 108 yards, 2 TDs

Manny Johnson 127 rushing yards, 1 TD

Jackson Ross TD INT return

HEATHWOOD HALL

Heyward Belser 16 tackles, 2 TFLs

HILTON HEAD CHRISTIAN

Harrison Arnholt 11 tackles

Ian Kelly 5-5 PATs; 2 punts, 44.0 punt average; 1 catch, 12 yards, 1 TD; 1 2PT run

Kris Langhals 8 carries, 54 yards, 2 TDs; 3-3 passing, 35 yards; 1 catch, 15 yards, 1 TD

Reid McCollum 10-21 passing, 194 yards, 3 TDs; 5 carries, 40 yards

Harrison Arnholt 11 tackles

LAURENCE MANNING

Grainger Powell 3 TD passes

NORTHSIDE CHRISTIAN

Sam Burks 15 carries, 193 yards, 3 TDs; 52 TD punt return; 2 tackles, 2 TFLs

JR Kinard 8 carries, 104 yards; 5 tackles, 2 TFLs, 1 INT, 2 QBPs

Logan Taylor 95 TD fumble return, 1 FF, 7 tackles

Mani Lee 5 tackles, 2 sacks, 2 TFLs

Hudson Shick 8 tackles, 3 sacks, 3 TFLs

NORTHWOOD

Kevan Ford 241 rushing yards, 4 TDs

PEE DEE

Colby Richardson 7-9 passing, 229 yards, 1 TD; 6 tackles, 1 TFL

11 carries, 75 yards, 3 TDs

Ryan Small 8 carries, 104 yards, 1 TD; 5 tackles

Miles Trussell 3 catches, 114 yards, 1 TD; 1 carry 21 yards; 1 tackle; 1 punt, 46.0 average; 5-7 PATs

O’Maury McKelvey 2 INTs, 2 tackles

Tristan Heckman 9 carries, 63 yards, 3 TDs; 3 tackles

PIINEWOOD PREP

Asa Windham 169 passing yards, 3 TDs

PORTER-GAUD

JJ Fludd 210 rushing yards, 4 TDs

THOMAS HEYWARD

Tony O’Banner 10 carries, 178 yards, 2 TDs

Donovan Robinson 13 tackles; 7-7 PATs; 1 punt, 30.0 average, 1 inside 20; 1 catch, 8 yards, 1 TD

Beau Pinckney 16 tackles

Mitchell White 11 tackles, 1 sack, 1 TFL

Owen Palazzo 6 tackles, 2 sacks, 2 TFLs, 1 PBU, 2 QBPs

WILLIAMSBURG

Grant Small 13 carries, 79 yards, 3 TDs; 2 catches, 93 yards, 2 TDs

Micah Balder 10-14 passing, 221 yards, 3 TDs; 10 carries, 39 yards

WILSON HALL

Jackson Bonser 48 FG, 6-6 PATs; 7-8 touchbacks; 1 punt, 38.0 average; 7 tackles

Andrew Segars 4 tackles, 2 sacks

Owen Meyers 7-10 passing, 150 yards, 1 TD; 4 carries, 19 yards; 5 tackles, 1 TFL

 

8-MAN

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Garrett Murphy LAURENS ACADEMY 22 carries, 277 yards, 5 TDs; 3 catches, 51 yards; 9 tackles, 2 TFLs

 

JEFFERSON DAVIS

Nasir Void 15 carries, 80 yards; 5 tackles, 1 INT

LAURENS ACADEMY

Caleb Hardy 10 tackles, 2 TFLs

Nathan Bell 15 tackles, 1 ½ TFLs

Hack Hardy 15 tackles, 5 TFLs

Garrison Vaughan 26 tackles, 10 TFLs

RICHARD WINN

Charlie Bonds 3 TD passes; 1 TD run

Josh Tyndall 2 TD catches

Bennett Nicholson 1 TD catch; 1 TD INT return

THE KING’S ACADEMY

Lucas Fields 154 rushing yards, 3 TDs

Jackson Alexander 144 rushing yards, 2 TDs

WARDLAW

Colt Bailey 3-5 passing, 72 yards, 1 TD; 14 carries, 74 yards; 2 catches, 35 yards, 1 TD; 4 tackles


By Larry Gamble March 10, 2025
Photos from March 8th, the SCHSL Class AAAAA Div. 2 Boys Championship Game between Greenville and Goose Creek . Enjoy this sample of images, follow this link for the full gallery
By Larry Gamble March 10, 2025
Photos from March 8th, the SCHSL Class AAAAA Div. 2 Girls Championship Game between Greenwood and Berkeley . Enjoy this sample of images, follow this link for the full gallery
By Larry Gamble March 10, 2025
Photos from March 8th, the SCHSL Class AA Boys Championship Game between High Point Academy and Atlantic Collegiate . Enjoy this sample of images, follow this link for the full gallery
By Larry Gamble March 10, 2025
Photos from March 8th, the SCHSL Class AA Girls Championship Game between Andrew Jackson and Eau Claire . Enjoy this sample of images, follow this link for the full gallery
By Neill Kirkpatrick March 10, 2025
By Neill Kirkpatrick Special to the HSSR Florence – Since February 28 th, the Florence Center played host to the best SCHSL basketball teams in the state as it ended the best game was saved for last, not only did we get a great game between Goose Creek and Greenville but it took two extra periods for the Red Raiders to finally prevail 81-71 to capture their first AAAAA state championship. The state championship is Greenville’s sixth overall moving them into a tie for fourth on the all-time state championship list with Lower Richland , Gaffney , Irmo and fellow Greenville County school Southside . They won five at the AAA before moving up in classification. They finished the year 28-2. “This is special is very special to me but I am just happy for the guys. We ask a lot of them year-round sometimes it is not fun and it is hard. We have been chasing this moment for a long time,” said Greenville Head Coach Mike Anderson . “It was a heck of a game Goose Creek wouldn’t go away and we made a couple of mistakes. But in the end they were able to make the plays to win the game.” The Gators end the year at 25-4 with their fifth lower state championship in school history but for senior Shane Potts and junior Ja'Quell Brown it was bitter sweet as they were part of the team that came up short against Dorman 2022-23 season. “It is disappointing ending to the season but I am very proud of my guys. They are champions on how they behave in the community, on campus and on the court. I love this guys and the result of a game does not change that,” said Goose Creek head coach Blake Hall. The two biggest difference in the game both went Greenville’s way as they dominated Goose Creek on the boards, out rebounding the Gators 39-18 with half being on the offense. The second was the foul discrepancy and free throw shooting. The Gators were whistled for 29 fouls while the Red Raiders were whistled for 13 despite being the more physical all night. Greenville shot 36 free throws to Goose Creek’s 16 and the Red Raiders made 27 of those free throws which turned out to the difference in the game. Goose Creek made more threes and two-point basket but the free throw line was the difference in the game. If you were a Gator fan you thought the officials were wearing red and white striped shirts instead of black and white. Gator head coach Hall said, “You can’t beat a team when they shoot almost 40 free throws. I told our guys you have no control over the officiating but you have to play through it. For the most part I thought we did but it was too much to overcome.” The first quarter was a harbinger of how the game would play out. Goose Creek’s points came from the field as they hit three-pointers with Ja'Quell Brown nailing two of them. Meanwhile the Red Raiders went 8 for 10 from the line as Caden Coleman went 3 for 4 from the line and had a two-point basket to help the Red Raiders lead after one 14-13. The second quarter saw the Gators continuing to hit three pointers as they had for in the quarter with Shane Potts hitting two and Brown and Terrell Johnson Jr. hitting the other. They helped the Gators go on an 8-0 run to start the quarter to go up 24-16. For Greenville, they countered by going inside to Franklin Whitley and Roman Cooley scoring 13 of the Red Raiders 16 points in the quarter and lead them on a 9-0 run to wipe the Gator lead. The teams went to the half with Greenville still on top by one at 30-29. The third quarter was the only one where the Red Raiders did not go to the free throw. Instead, they attacked on the inside for all of their points in the quarter. Potts dominated the third quarter for the Gators scoring 11 of his game high 29 points and Johnson Jr. added another three as the Gators took a 45-42 lead into the fourth quarter. Leading by three the Gators took their biggest lead of the game after Potts scored in the paint at 47-42. From there you saw Greenville march to the free throw line for most of the quarter as they scored 9 of their 16 points from the charity stripe. The biggest shot of quarter came from Greenville senior Israel Deaver. Setting up in the left corner he hit the first three of the night for the Red Raiders to tie the game. Also, Coleman had a big quarter scoring seven points helping them to a three-point lead 58-55 with 10 seconds remaining in the contest. Needing a three to tie the game and force overtime coach Hall called time out to set up a final play for the Gators. They were inbounded the ball under Greenville’s basket and after getting the ball past half court they ran a play for Brown, who dribbled to the left and then launched a three the hit nothing but the bottom of the net to tie the game at 58-58. Greenville was unable to get a shot up and we were headed to overtime. The Gators found themselves down by three at 65-62 but Potts scored down low and then hit a free throw to send the game into a second over time. The second overtime was all Red Raiders as Deaver hit his second three, this time from the right side to start a 7-0 Red Raider run that the Gators had no answer for the run. The Red Raiders would hit 9-10 free throws to close out the game and bring the championship trophy back to Greenville. Greenville was led by Whitley with 24 points while Coleman dropped in 23 and Coleman and Tucker Scholl scored 12 and 11 points, respectively. Brown finished with 27 points to join Potts as the only Gators in double figures.
By Dennis Brunson hssr.com Associate Editor March 10, 2025
Stags become first AAAAA Division II champion with first ever state crown
By Worthy Evans March 9, 2025
By WORTHY EVANS Contributing Writer FLORENCE – Ridge View’s boys basketball team had played Region 5-5A rival Blythewood twice before—two double-digit victories punctuated the Blazers’ region season in early February. On Friday night, the Blazers added a third victory over the Bengals, a 71-47 win that secured the 5A Division 1 state championship at the Florence Center. “I’m really happy for the young men because they bought into what we’re doing,” Ridge View head coach Josh Staley said. “It’s all about experience when you lead young people, you want to give them experiences to help them grow and be better people, and they bought into the process.” Junior guards Korie Corbett and Yale Davis led the way for the Blazers (23-7). Corbett scored a game-high 23 points and Davis added 13 points. “It was really just rebounds and getting to the basket, being down and dirty with everybody so my team can get the win” Corbett said. He was 8-for-11 from the floor and 7-for-10 from the free-throw line, and got a team-leading seven rebounds and four steals.  “That’s just who he is. He puts the work in, he’s a humble young man who accepts coaching,” Staley said of Corbett. “He does things like he does tonight and we’re not surprised by it.” The win is the second straight state championship for Ridge View, which won the 4A state title last year before moving to the 5A classification. It’s the fifth state championship for the Blazers since 2018. Ridge View jumped to a 7-0 lead off of a Corbett jumper, two foul shots from Malachi Cooper and one foul shot from Treyvon Smith , and a basket from Reginald Mack . Blythewood finally got on the scoreboard with Torrean Sims’ 3-point play at the 4:05 mark of the first quarter. Sims later scored on a dunk to make it 7-5, and Mujahid Jones drained a 3-pointer with 2:58 left to give Blythewood an 8-7 lead. It was the Bengals’ only lead of the game. Seven seconds later, Corbett went to the foul line and sank two free throws to give Ridge View a 9-8 lead. From that point Ridge View’s furious man-to-man coverage flustered Blythewood’s offense. The Bengals shot just 17-for-54, or 31.5 percent. The Blazers ended the first quarter with a 17-11 advantage and outscored the Bengals 13-7 in the second quarter to carry a 30-20 lead into intermission. In the second half Blythewood lost two players to foul trouble—Sims, who fouled out at the 4:25 mark of the third, and Kemuel Little , who fouled out in the 6:42 mark of the fourth. Starting forward Tyler Stephens played with four fouls on him since early in the third quarter. Even with being in foul trouble, the Bengals kept trying to get the ball in the net. At the start of the fourth quarter Little’s layup cut Ridge View’s lead to 46-35. Seeing a score to start the fourth quarter may have given some hope for Blythewood fans, who saw the Bengals rally late for a 46-45 upper-state victory over Dorman the week before. Ridge View blotted that hope out awfully fast. The Blazers went on a 20-4 scoring run to take a 66-39 lead with 1:50 left, and afterward brought in the second-stringers to finish the game. “That’s how you prepare. You prepare to play a whole game, and the work you put in comes out in moments like this,” Staley said. Davis, who scored all his points in the second half, said he put the pressure on himself to improve over the third and fourth quarters. “In the first half I knew my shots weren’t falling, so I had to get to the rack and get my teammates involved,” Davis said. “I just did what I needed to.” Senior T.J. Lewis was the only player who scored in double figures for the Bengals (23-6). Lewis had 17 points, while the rest of his teammates scored six points or less. “It was a really great run,” head coach Zeke Washington said. “We rode our seniors as much as we could. T.J. had a phenomenal year and our seniors played hard. We had some young kids that played hard.” Friday night was Blythewood’s second state championship game. The Bengals fell to Dorman in the 5A state title matchup in 2017. Washington won state titles with Fairfield Central boys (3A) in 1998 and with Chester girls (3A) in 2004. Blythewood 13 7 13 14 – 47 Ridge View 17 13 16 25 – 71 B – T.J. Lewis 17, Tyler Stephens 6, Torrean Sims 6, Kemuel Little 5, Mujahid Jones 5, Terrion Mack 4, Eugenio Bandini 2, Elijah Major 2. R – Korie Corbett 23, Yale Davis 13, Malachi Cooper 9, Talon Staley 8, Robert Wylie 7, Brayden Mack 5, Reginald Mack 3, Joshua Vankallen 2, Treyvon Smith 1.
By Worthy Evans March 9, 2025
By WORTHY EVANS Contributing Writer FLORENCE – Around this time three years ago, the Blythewood girls basketball team finished the season 0-19. On Friday night at the Florence Center, the Bengals won the 5A Division I state championship with a 62-59 victory over lower-state champion Summerville . “Their hard work has definitely paid off,” second-year head coach Emily McElveen - Schaeffer said. “That was what I was most proud of, that they worked hard since June, day in and day out, fall ball, and I’m glad they get to reap the benefit of that.” Over the past three years India Williams , Chase Thomas , and Hayley Hightower have developed into team leaders, and it showed on the court and in the box score Friday night—Williams led Blythewood (29-2) with 22 points, Thomas had 18 points and 11 rebounds, and Hightower had 11 points. “It means a lot, this is the first state title in, like ever,” Williams said. “It’s a great opportunity to be a part of this, and in only my third year here, it’s incredible. We started off working very hard, and we were like, this is our season, and we definitely came out and performed to that.” It was a Williams-Thomas-Hightower show against the Green Wave (24-4) in the first half. The veterans got around Summerville’s 3-2 zone by hitting six 3-pointers in the first half, which was just enough to help the Bengals to a 29-25 halftime lead. Thomas had just four points in the first half, a free throw and a 3-pointer. Williams had 14 points in the first half, but just one layup to join her four 3-pointers. “She stepped up big in the first half,” Schaeffer said of Williams. “She had the first six points of the game from that corner. The corner 3, that’s her shot.” Hightower scored nine points in the first half—a 3-pointer, two foul shots, and two layups. Hitting baskets from behind the 3-point line has been a trait for all Blythewood players this year, and Friday’s 3-pointers—four from Williams, one from Thomas and one from Hightower, proved to be the difference. “I play a little team. We have a lot of guards so we rely on that,” Schaeffer said. “We shoot a lot in practice. We knew they would come out in a zone and I told the girls to occupy the guards, get it to the corners and let us shoot the ball.” While the Green Wave’s zone prevented a lot of easy baskets, Blythewood did just enough in the second half to keep Summerville behind. “Like I told the girls, basketball is a game of runs,” Schaeffer said. “When teams go on runs you’ve got to be able to control those runs. You can’t let the atmosphere take over, because in this kind of atmosphere here, the crowd’s gonna be involved. I think we did a good job of responding to their runs.” Aniyah Guerrero sank the first basket of the second half to give the Bengals a 31-25 lead, but Cailah Tucker and Molly Daugherty put up baskets to cut that margin to two. Williams made good on a jumper and a foul shot, and a jumper from Hightower brought Blythewood’s lead back up to 36-29 at the 4:53 mark of the third quarter. The Bengals outscored Summerville 9-8 the rest of the way to end three quarters of play with a 45-37 lead, even with senior point guard Sharron Waters on the bench in foul trouble. Without Waters, who’s a consistent 3-point hitter as well as a good ball-handler, the team relied on Thomas in the paint and at the free-throw line, and Daniella Bosmans who had nine points in the game, as the game drew to a close. “Our team is more than one person,” second-year head coach Emily McElveen-Schaeffer said. “We rely on each other and Chase had to do her role tonight, and in the fourth quarter they went man, and we could open up against what we’re used to playing all year, and that just shows that all five on the court can go.” Bosmans’ basket early in the fourth gave the Bengals a 47-37 lead, the first double-digit lead of the game. Thomas, who had a 3-point play in the third quarter, made good on another 3-point play in the fourth quarter that put Blythewood up 57-45 with just over three minutes to go. She scored 11 points—seven from foul shots—in the final quarter to help preserve the win. Tucker’s 3-pointer with 19 seconds left was the last score of the game, and as Molly Daugherty’s 3-point attempt failed at the buzzer, Blythewood players cleared the bench in celebration of closing out the season with a victory. Molly Daugherty scored 22 points and Tucker had 18 points to lead Summerville. “One of the things I felt that hurt us was that we had like 10 days off,” Green Wave head coach Calvin Davis said. “But we gave it our all, we left it all on the floor. It didn’t end the way we wanted it to end, but in the end they grew, and they became special in that sense of being developed.” Summerville’s five seniors, tucker, Lavassar, Emma and Molly Daugherty, and Madison Thomas , provided a strong foundation for the team over the past three years. “Three of them will go on to play at the next level, and the other two might,” Davis said. “They’re very special to me. They’ve been with me for at least three to four years. I love them, they grew up as my leaders.” Blythewood 16 13 16 17 – 62 Summerville 13 12 12 19 – 56 B – India Williams 22, Chase Thomas 18, Hayley Hightower 11, Daniella Bosmans 9, Aniya Guerrero 2. S – Molly Daugherty 22, Cailah Tucker 18, Jayden Bennett 5, Emma Daugherty 4, Madison Thomas 3, Krissa Lavassar 2, Destinee Grant 2.
By Neill Kirkpatrick March 8, 2025
By Neill Kirkpatrick Special to the HSSR Florence – When you have two evenly matched teams a lot of times it is the little things that make the most impact in a game such was the case in the Class AA state championship game between Atlantic Collegiate Academy and High Point Academy . Second year Atlantic Collegiate Academy was able to make more plays and hit their free throws as they knocked off High Point Academy 58-52 Saturday at the Florence Civic Center to capture their first state championship. “This is the guys championship. They earned it. They put in a lot of time and effort at work end in a championship. That is what I’m most proud of with this team, ” said Atlantic Collegiate head coach Tanner Massey . The Armanda went 20-2 last year in their initial season beating some the best teams in the state so this run to a championship was not unexpected. This team was ranked number one in class AA all season and they proved they were the best. They finished the year at 24-3. “The rankings proved right as the two best teams battled for the title. I would put my team up against anyone,” Coach Massey said. The Grizzlies were looking for their second state championship and first at the AA level. They won the class A title in 2019. They finish the year 27-4. “We made two many mistakes and didn’t take advantage of our opportunities at the line but they forced us into some of the mistakes so give them a lot of credit,” said High Point head coach Lee Sator . The opening quarter was back and forth with High Point leading by one at 16-15. Senior Chonci Miller led High Point with five point while Atlantic Collegiate was led by Jaylen Bellamy, who also knocked down five points in the quarter. The second quarter was much like the first with neither team gaining control of the contest as they were tied at 21 when a TV time out stopped play. After the timeout, the Armada took control as they went on an 11-0 run to end the quarter and take a 32-21 lead into the half. Bellamy continued to lead the Armada as he had six points in the quarter with Jamie Brooks and Justin Bellamy combining for 8 points. High Point came out on fire in the third quarter as Trapp Morman nailed to three-pointers and Miller had a basket for an 8-0 run to start the quarter cutting the Atlantic lead to three at 32-29 with 5:54. Causing coach Massey to use a time out. “We knew they would come out strong in the third quarter. We called the timeout to settle us down and I put Justin back in the game because he is our defensive stopper and as soon as he went in he forced a turnover,” coach Massey. After Justin Bellamy forced the turnover the Armada went on a 5-0 run to regain control of the game. They would finish the quarter outscoring the Grizzlies 11-6 taking a 43-35 into the fourth quarter. In the fourth quarter High Point cut the lead to four at 46-42 with 2:01 to go but they would got 4 for 10 from the line in the quarter while Atlantic Collegiate would knock down 13 of 22 attempts from the line to maintain their cushion and ultimately close out the game 58-52. Free throw shooting proved to the biggest difference in the game as the Armada went 17 for 25 while the Grizzlies were 13 for 26. The Armada and the Grizzlies were about even in every other category but the free throws were the difference. The Armada was led by Jaylen Bellamy, who had a game high 20 points to go with six rebounds and a team high four steals. Brooks had 14 points and team three blocks while Clayton Hemingway chipped in 9 points. The Grizzlies were led by Morman with 16 points. Also, scoring in double figures were Jaden McNeil with 11 and Miller with 10.
By Dennis Brunson hssr.com Associate Editor March 8, 2025
Volunteers blow game open in 2nd quarter on way to 89-36 triumph over Eau Claire
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