NOVEMBER 29 HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL ROUNDUP

From staff reports • December 3, 2024

Manning, Barnwell to meet for AA lower state championship after third-round wins

Manning – Manning High School advanced to the semifinals of the AA football state playoffs with a 34-21 triumph over Philip Simmons in a third-round game on Friday at Ramsey Stadium.

 

The Monarchs, who improved to 12-1 on the season, will play at Barnwell on Friday for the lower state championship. Barnwell advanced with a 28-27 win over Cheraw.

 

MHS rushed for 328 yards and was led by Jontavious Canty, who had 165 yards and two touchdowns 22 carries. Jaylnn Coard had 20 carries for 120 yards and a TD.

 

Jeffery Ceasar ran for a 13-yard touchdown, caught four passes for 98 yards and returned a kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown. Defensively, Ceasar had two interceptions and three tackles from his cornerback position.


Linebacker Lamar Hilton led in tackles with 10 and tackles for loss with two. Canty had nine tackles from his linebacker slot, while Jaron Hammett and Daniel Robinson both had six tackles.

 

Barnwell 28

Cheraw 27

 

Barnwell – Barnwell High School advanced to the AA lower state championship game with a 28-27 victory over Cheraw in a semifinal game on Friday at the BHS field.

 

The Warhorses took a 7-0 lead in the first quarter on a 10-yard touchdown pass from Cameron Austin to Jaquan Peeples. Lane Evans added the extra point.


CHS tied the game on a 43 -yard pass from Kadin Thomas to Zay Campbell. Charlie Phillips added the PAT. The Braves took a 13-7 with a pair of second-quarter field goals, a 40-yarder by Daniel Rhodes and a 27-yarder from Phillips.

Barnwell took a 14-13 lead into halftime though as Dylan Johnson returned an interception 73 yards for a score. It pushed the lead to 21-13 with a 1-yard run by Austin in the third quarter.

 

Cheraw pulled within 21-19 in the fourth quarter on an 11-yard run by Thomas. The pass on the 2-point conversion failed. The Braves took the lead on a 65-yard TD pass from Thomas to Desean Drake. Nick Gordon then threw to Drake for the 2-point conversion and a 27-21 lead.


Austin threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to William Robinson to tie the game at 27-27. Evans added the extra point for the game-winning point.

 

Austin completed 10 of 2e passes for 143 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 37 yards and a touchdown on eight carries. Robinson had three catches for 72 yards and Peeples had three catches for 34 yards. Jordan Peeples had three rushes for 45 yards.


Thomas completed 16 of 25 passes for 274 yards and two touchdowns while carrying the ball 11 times for 63 yards and a score. Gordon had six catches for 113 yards, while Drake had four catches for 85 yards and Derrick Isaac had five catches for 33 yards.

 

Amari Short had 19 carries for 64 yards. Gordon also had an interception as did Deman Ellerbe.

 

Gaffney 21

T.L. Hanna 7

 

Gaffney – Gaffney High School scored 14 points in the first quarter to go on to a 21-7 victory over T.L. Hanna in the third round of the AAAAA Division II state playoffs on Friday at The Reservation.

 

The Indians will play at Northwestern on Friday for the upper state championship. The winner will advance to the state championship game.

 

Gaffney got on the scoreboard with a 7-yard touchdown pass from Jayvon Gilmore to running back Jaiden McDowell with 8:50f left in the first quarter. Evan Olson added the extra point.

 

GHS limited the Yellow Jackets’ high-powered to 138 yards on 39 carries. Gilmore threw a 14-yard TD pass to wide receiver Shane Davidson at the 4:04 mark of the first quarter to make it 14-0. The Indians pushed the lead to 21-0 on a 15-yard scoring pass from Gilmore to wide receiver Jamarcus Smith.

 

Hanna’s only score came at the 5-minute mark of the third quarter on a 5-yard run by Dylan Williams. David Gorzyca added the PAT to make it 21-7.

 

Gilmore completed 11 of 21 passes for 113 yards. Smith had four catches for 67 yards. McDowell rushed for 121 yards on 17 carries to go with four catches for 13 yards. Smith had three carries for 41 yards.

 

KD Patterson rushed for 70 yards on 15 carries to lead the Yellow Jackets. Williams rushed for 52 yards on nine carries.

 

Zyon Ratchford led Gaffney in tackles with 11. Emari Nance led Hanna with five tackles and a quarterback sack. Shodriques Vance had a sack as well.

 

Clinton 31

Batesburg-Leesville 14

 

         Clinton – Clinton High School shut out Batesburg-Leesville in the second half and scored 17 points of its own for a 31-14 victory in the third round of the AA state playoffs on Friday at Wilder Stadium.

 

         The Red Devils, who improved to 10-2, will play host to Fairfield Central on Friday for the upper state championship. The winner will advance to the state championship game.

 

         B-L finished the year with a 12-1 record.

 

         The Red Devils took a 7-0 lead on a 4-yard run by Javen Cook with 9:31 left in the first quarter. Lukas Kuykendall added the extra point. The Panthers tied the game on a 3-yard run by quarterback Tanner Watkins and he added the extra point with 4:17 left in the opening quarter.

 

         B-L took its only lead on a 8-yard TD pass from Watkins to KD Whitt with 5:14 left in the second quarter. CHS tied the game on the final play of the first half with quarterback Tushawan Richardson scoring from nine yards out.

 

         Cook, who ran for 269 yards and three scores on 24 carries, scored on a 10-yard run with 4:34 left in the third quarter to give Clinton the lead for good. The Red Devils pushed the lead to 24-14 with an 18-yard field goal from Kuykendall with 7:10 remaining in the game.

 

         Cook scored on a 10-yard run with 2:24 left in the game.

 

         Richardson rushed for 86 yards on 13 carries.

 

         Amadre Wooden ran for 85 yards on 21 carries to lead Batesburg-Leesville. Watkins rushed for 52 yards on seven carries while completing 7 of 17 passes for 79 yards. Jamerius Clark had three catches for 47 yards.

 

         Dutch Fork 52

         River Bluff 14

 

         Irmo – Dutch Fork High School remained undefeated with a 52-14 victory over River Bluff in the third round of the AAAAA Division I state playoffs on Friday at Dutch Fork Stadium.

 

         The Silver Foxes, who improved to 11-0, will play host to Spartanburg on Friday for the upper state championship.

 

         Maurice Anderson led DFHS with 152 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 11 carries while catching five passes for 45 yards. Ethan Offing completed 13 of 16 passes for 181 yards while rushing for 52 yards and two TDs on eight carries.

 

         KJ Smith had four catches for 76 yards and scored on a 4-yard run. Jarvis Jackson returned a missed field goal 76 yards for a score, and Quintin Wilson scored on a 10-yard run. Justin Welch booted a 41-yard field goal for the game’s first points and was 7-for-7 on extra point attempts.

 

         Brayden Moore threw a 68-yard scoring pass to Aaron Griffin for River Bluff’s first TD. The other score was a 37-yarder from Parker Murray to Stephen Collier. Hayden Myers ran for 90 yards on 24 carries.

 

         River Bluff finished with a 10-3 record.


         Northwestern 35

         Greenwood 6

 

         Rock Hill – Northwestern High School remained undefeated on the season with a 35-6 victory over Greenwood on Friday in the third round of the AAAAA Division I state playoffs at District 3 Stadium.

 

         The Trojans, who improved to 12-0, will play host to Gaffney for the upper state title on Friday.

 

         NHS led 15-0 after one quarter, 25-0 at halftime and 35-0 after three quarters. Greenwood, which finished 9-3, got its lone score in the final stanza.

 

         Finley Polk led the Northwestern offense, completing 22 of 34 passes for 244 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 29 yards and a score on nine carries. Jayden Nichols had nine catches for 105 yards and a TD, and Daniel Caldwell had four catches for 42 yards and a score.

 

         Zymeir Gordon-Miles ran for a score and 75 yards on 11 carries. Matthew Fish kicked two field goals, an 18-yarder and a 36-yarder, and was 3 of 3 on PATs.

 

         Mason Grier led the Trojan defense with seven tackles and 3 ½ tackles for loss. Will Massey had seven tackles and returned a fumble 37 yards.

 

         Triston Lewis completed 12 of 32 passes for 136 yards and a 27-yard scoring pass to Alijah Wade. Lewis rushed for 72 yards on 19 carries. Landen Still had five catches for 54 yards.



         Sumter 34

         James Island 17

 

         Sumter – Sumter advanced to the semifinals of the state playoffs for the first time since 2020 with a 34-17 victory over James Island on Friday in the third round of the AAAAA Division playoffs at Memorial Stadium.

 

                  The Gamecocks, who are 12-0, will be on the road against Summerville, also 12-0, on Friday for the lower state championship. The winner will advance to the state championship game.

 

         SHS led 13-3 at halftime. The Trojans pulled within 13-10 and 20-17 in the third quarter. After JIHS’ second TD, Sumter quarterback Franklin Richardson broke off an 80-yard scoring run on the next play to make it 27-17.

 

         Richardson rushed for 176 yards and one touchdown on 15 carries. Running back John Peeples scored three touchdowns and had 108 yards on 17 carries and caught Richardson’s only completion of the game for 21 yards.

 

                  Jeremiah Burson had a 66-yard interception return for a touchdown in the second quarter for the game’s first points. Burson also had 18 tackles and forced a fumble.

 

         Tymaries Durant and Jordan Lowery both had nine tackles. Lowery had 2 ½ TFLs while Durant had one. Anthony Addison had five tackles, 1 ½ sacks and 1 ½ TFLs. Ra’Shaun Dickey had three tackles, one sack and 1 ½ TFLs.

 

         Loris 30

         Keenan 13

 

         Loris – Loris High School advanced to the AAA lower state championship game with a 30-14 victory over Keenan on Friday at the LHS field.

 

         The Lions, who improved to 11-1, will play host to Oceanside Collegiate Academy on Friday.

 

         Keenan finished the year with an 8-5 record.

 

         Loris took a 7-0 lead on an 8-yard scoring pass from Moon Gerald to Grim Lewis in the first quarter. Jagger Suggs added the extra point. Deuce Stephens scored from two yards out later in the quarter to make it 14-0.

 

         The Raiders cut the lead to 14-8, still in the first quarter, on a 69-yard pass from Desmond Washington to Nykeim O’Neal. Suggs booted a 27-yard field goal in the second quarter to give LHS a 17-8 halftime lead.

 

         After a scoreless third quarter, Gerald connected with Lewis again, this time for 32 yards, to make it 24-8. Washington threw a 5-yard scoring pass to Jordan Wilson to make it 24-14 before the Lions put the game away on a 2-yard run by Javon Johnson.

 

         Gerald completed 8 of 17 passes for 124 yards while rushing for 58 yards on 10 carries. Lewis had four catches for 75 yards, while Stephens had 79 yards on 16 carries.

 

         Landon Conner led the defense with four sacks and a fumble recovery.

 

         Washington completed 13 of 24 passes for 134 yards and rushed for 52 yards on eight carries to lead KHS. McNeil caught three passes for 82 yards and Wilson had six catches for 40 yards.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


         

Gaffney Baseball Facing Uphill Challenge To arn A Spot In AAAAA baseball Playoffs

By Staff Reports • April 17, 2025
Gaffney Baseball Facing Uphill Challenge To arn A Spot In AAAAA baseball Playoffs From Staff Reports Gaffney -—The Gaffney Indians baseball team went Spring break at 6-10 and 3-9 in the region and head coach Jef Mages is hoping the Indians can finish strong over the next two weeks and possibly earn a play-off berth. Entering the break the top hitters were Sylas Gilfillan at .353 with 9 RBI’s including three doubles and two home runs. Sam Smith was at .318 with five doubles. Jace Bradbury is at .296 with 8 RBI’s and two doubles. Ethan Harvey went into the break at .286 and Sam Carroll was at .273 with seven RBI’s and a double. N the mound Scout Gilfillain has been the work horse with 25.1 innings of date with 39 K’s. He has a very good 1.11 ERA. Sam Carroll is 2-2 on the hill with 20.1 innings of mound duty with 18-K’s. The third Gaffney pitcher of note is Brody Bright who in 22 innings of work has 25 K’s. In a big win over Spartanburg back on April, 1 Sam Caroll worked five innings on the mound giving up only two hits and striking out four to earn the win. Sylas Griffith earned a save in the win. At the plate against the Vikings, Sylas Gilfillan went 2-for3 and scored a run. Jace Bradbury was 2-for-four with an RBI. Veteran senior Braden Beattie had a double in the game. Sam Smith added a hit and one RBI and Sam Carroll had an RBI. Brady Smith had a hit and one RBI against the Vikings and Brody Bright collected a hit in the victory. In addition to their win over Spartanburg the Indians have victories over Chesnee (4-0), Blacksburg (13-2), York (8-1), Wade Hampton (5-3) and a huge win over Byrnes (12-2) on March, 19.  They begin a three game region series against Dorman on April, 14. A week later they start a three game region series with Boiling Springs before closing out he regular season with a three games series against Riverside starting on April, 28.

Lake View softball working on peaking in playoffs

By David Shelton • April 17, 2025
By David Shelton Senior Writer Lake View – All six of the schools that play softball in region 6-A will qualify for the Class A Lower State playoffs. Seeding out of the final region standings will be important in terms of who each team competes with in district play but knowing you are in the postseason means coaches can focus on being at their best come playoff time. Region 6-A is easily the most competitive and balanced region in the state. After realignment by the South Carolina High School League for this season, the final four teams in the Lower State last season are now in region six. The region now is comprised of Hannah-Pamplico, Latta, Johnsonville, Lake View, Carver’s Bay and Green Sea Floyds . Lake View won the state title in 2021 and Hannah-Pamplico won the state title in 2023. Latta is also one of top programs in Class A. Lake View’s softball program has been a perennial contender in the Lower State and coach Brandy Huggins has a team this spring that should continue that trend. Despite losing two key seniors to graduation and a starting centerfielder to a knee injury in basketball, the 2025 team has enough talent and experience to be among the teams that have a chance in the Lower State. Lake View entered spring break with a 6-3 regular season record and a 2-3 record in region games. Depending on how they close out the season, Lake View could finish anywhere from second to sixth in the region standings. Lake View has region games remaining with Latta (Apr.23), Hannah-Pamplico (Apr. 29) and Carver’s Bay (May 1). They also play Dillon (Apr. 21) and Dillon Christian (Apr. 25) in non-region games. Huggins is in her 14 season as head coach and has led the program to 212 wins. While the lineup has several underclassmen, those players have experience. The two senior leaders this spring are pitcher Hollie Scott and outfielder Kaylynn Turner . Junior third baseman Kaleigh Blackmon has been a starter since the seventh-grade, along with Scott. “Hollie Scott and Kaleigh Blackmon both have been starters since the seventh-grade and having the most game experience on the team. Both girls have done a great job so far being leaders with our team and young players. Hollie will be in the circle most of the time, while Kaleigh will be still playing third. “We have a lot of leadership returning on the team this year. We are just working to get better each day at practice and each game we play. We are still trying to figure out what works for us this year due to graduating our seniors and losing one of starters to a knee injury.” Sophomore Chloe Cox is making the move from behind the plate to shortstop, but also could play centerfield. Freshman Hanna Coburn is assuming duties at catcher. Freshman Sarah Price and junior Haley Miller are getting some work inside the circle, though Scott gets most of the innings. Price will play some at second and in the outfield while Miller will play some at first and also as the designated player. Sophomore Maddison Strickland also plays first and DP while freshman Carleigh Matthews is working in the outfield. Madison Hunt and eighth-grader Sophia Rogers are getting work in the outfield. Seventh-grader Callie Smith is playing shortstop and seventh-grader Paisley Alford will play second and in the outfield. “We are still trying to figure out what works for us especially with using multiple pitchers. We have a lot of girls who can play multiple positions, so hopefully the more we are able to scrimmage and play we can figure out what works best behind each pitcher.” Rounding out the roster are seventh-graders Summer Hilburn (OF/C), Emalee Miller (2B), and Lilly Hatcher (3B); eighth-grader Brilee Schirra (OF) and sophomore Katina Genwright (1B/OF). Baseball Update Lake View’s baseball team opened the 2025 season with seven wins in their first eight outings and will once again be in the hunt for a region title. The Wild Gators have been led offensively by senior shortstop Kason Herlong , who hit .489 with a .566 on base average, five doubles, a homer, a triple and nine rims batted in. He also has scored 17 runs. Herlong has been solid on the mound as well, posting four early wins and two saves. He struck out 44 hitters and walked just four, posting a 0.78 earned run average. Braden Borders is hitting .372 and Seth Deese is at .333. Chris McGill is hitting .316 with 10 RBI, two homers and 12 walks. Senior Ian Capps is hitting ,314 with 12 RBI and Bryce King is hitting .288. Chase Price also has been effective on the mound, posting a 1.25 ERA with 44 strikeouts to only three walks.

SCISA BASEBALL TEAMS PREPARE FOR PLAYOFFS

By Gerald Doolittle • April 16, 2025
SCISA BASEBALL TEAMS PREPARE FOR PLAYOFFS By: Gerald Doolittle Goose Creek, S.C. – With spring break over for most SCISA schools the 2025 baseball season heads into the sprint for playoff seedings. Can Augusta Christian (4A), Hilton Head Christian (3A), Dorchester Academy (2A) and Richard Winn Academy (1A) defend their 2024 Titles? Can Cardinal Newman (4A), Pee Dee Academy (3A), Calhoun Academy (2A) and Holly Hill Academy (1A) make the finals again? At this writing the leading contenders for Class 4A are Pinewood Prep (16-2), First Baptist (12-4-1), Ben Lippen (7-2), Laurence Manning (6-1) and Hammond (6-2). The top five contenders in Class 3A are Hilton Head Prep (19-2), Orangeburg Prep (16-2), Oakbrook Prep (15-1 ), Calhoun Academy (15-6) and Pee Dee Academy (11-3). The top two contenders in Class 2A are King’s Academy (10-2) and Andrew Jackson Academy (9-5). Do not count Dorchester Academy and Thomas Heyward Academy out. Class 1A will be a battle between Jefferson Davis Academy (8-7), Holly Hill Academy (4-3), Richard Winn Academy (4-3), W.W. King Academy (5-5) and Wardlaw Academy (3-9). Some of the Class 4A offensive leaders are Luke Bohnsack of Northside Christian batting .538, Grady Fuller of Pinewood Prep batting .532, Matthew Bishop of Ben Lippen batting .529, Finley Taylor of Pinewood Prep batting .511. Other Class 4A leaders are Mason O’Cain of Ben Lippen batting .476, Grayson Crim of Northside Christian batting .455, Will Spotts of Northside Christian batting .435 and Sean Lee of Ben Lippen batting .400. Class 3A offensive leaders are Matty Lyle of Spartanburg Day batting .556, Sam Hatcher of Oakbrook Prep batting .514, Lavonte Henders of Spartanburg Day batting .471, Dallas Collins of Oakbrook Prep batting .438, Sumter Moorer of St. Johns Christian batting .425 and Sims Brunson of Patrick Henry batting .421. Other 3A leaders are Bryce Kinard of Colleton Prep batting .390, Brycen Moore of Greenwood Christian batting .390, Leland Reed of Greenwood Christian batting .381, Bryton Peeples of Patrick Henry batting .355, Greyson Martin of Colleton Prep batting .341 and Rylin Brunson of Patrick Henry batting .341. Class 2A and 1A offensive leaders are Colton Young of Thomas Heyward batting .571, Jack Walling of Andrew Jackson batting .489, Kaiden Kinard of Andrew Jackson batting .488, Colson Loadholt of Jefferson Davis batting .480, Hayden McClung of Andrew Jackson batting .417, Casen Buzhardt of W.W. King batting .400 and Charlie Bonds of Richard Winn batting .400.  Other 2A and 1A leaders are Greyson Rikard of W.W. King batting .389, Joshua Oswald of W.W. King batting .370, Bennett Nicholson of Richard Winn batting .360, Keeler Dineen of Beaufort Academy batting .350, Turner Burchell of Richard Winn Academy batting .333, Channing Terry of Andrew Jackson batting .333 and Dalten Martin of Thomas Heyward batting .333.

Barnwell Track Teams Busy Preparing For Upcoming Region Championship Meet

By Billy Baker • April 16, 2025
Barnwell Track Teams Busy Preparing For Upcoming Region Championship Meet By Billy G. Baker Publisher Barnwell —As the Barnwell boy’s and girl’s track team prepares for the upcoming region track meet 14- year coaching veteran Thomas Davis is focused on getting both teams ready for their best performances of the season. The region meet will be hosted at Whale Branch High on April, 30. “I've been the head track coach at Barnwell for the past 14 years, and it's been a rewarding experience watching our athletes grow and succeed,” said Coach Thomas. “Regarding the upcoming region meet, we are a young team, and while it will be challenging to win a region title, we are hopeful and will give it our best effort.” Some of the better times and performances turned in from Barnwell’s better track athletes this season include: Tavion Johnson has run a 21.75 in the 200 meters and he has jumped 22-5 in the long jump. . Kazeer Wesley has jumped over 20 feet in the long jump.  Damaijah Devoe , a football prospect at defensive back, has jumped over 21 feet in the broad jump. Ashley Barret has jumped over 15 feet in the long jump from the girl’s team. Johnson is the lone returning All-region champion from Barnwell last year. Johnson is a strong contender to place first in the region in both the 200 and the long jump events. The Barnwell boy’s 4x100 meter relay team has been clocked a time of 44.1. They have a chance to place at region and are represented by Wesley, Jayden Peoples , Jordan Peoples , and Johnson. The girls' 4x100 relay team has run a 52.4 and will be represented at the region meet by . Danasia Smoaks , Madeline Brown , Zachariah Devoe , and Zaniya Williams and they have a chance to finish at the top of the region in this event. Coach Thomas is pleased to have 38 girls and 33 boys as members of the 2025 track program at Barnwell High. “We have competed in meets at Calhoun County , Edisto , and Bamberg-Ehrhardt this season ,” said Coach Thomas . “ Our top three performers at these meets have been Tavion Johnson , Jordan Peoples , and Madeline Brown. “While no school records have been established this season so far, every time you enter competition the opportunity to establish new records at your school exists,” said Coach Thomas. Coach Thomas is assisted by Rokeem Williams .

SCISA SOFTBALL TEAMS SEEKING PLAYOFF SPOTS

By Gerald Doolittle • April 16, 2025
SCISA SOFTBALL TEAMS SEEKING PLAYOFF SPOTS  By: Gerald Doolittle Goose Creek, S.C. - With most schools returning from spring break SCISA softball teams will be working hard to clinch playoff spots for the 2025 season. Will Laurence Manning (4A), Pee Dee Academy (3A), Clarendon Hall (2A) and Jefferson Davis Academy (1A) defend their 2024 titles? Can Hammond (4A), Orangeburg Prep (3A), Colleton Prep (2A) and Cross Schools (1A) make another run for the title? At this writing the top contenders in Class 4A are Laurence Manning (14-2), First Baptist (5-1), Augusta Christian (6-4) and Hammond (6-3). The top contenders in Class 3A are Pee Dee Academy (13-1), Dillon Christian (12-4), Calhoun Academy (8-0), Orangeburg Prep (8-5) and Clarendon Hall (5-2). The top contenders in Class 2A are Dorchester Academy (9-1), Carolina Academy (4-1), Marlboro Academy (6-5) and King’s Academy (3-2). The top contenders in Class 1A are W.W. King Academy (6-0), Holly Hill Academy (8-2), Cross Schools (7-4), Richard Winn Academy (4-5) and Jefferson Davis Academy (4-6). Class 4A offensive leaders are Bailey Brown of Augusta Christian batting .778, Mckenzie Krebs of Augusta Christian batting .556, Claire Hamm and Avery Schwarz of Augusta Christian batting .500 and Lyra Pricklemeyer of Laurence Manning batting .500 . Other 4A leaders are Laini Kosinski and Marlee Black of Laurence Manning batting .479, Ava Miller of Hammond batting .476 and Gabby Heathcott and Ellie Heathcott of John Paul ll batting .462. Emory Glass of Augusta Christian is batting .429 and Kaylee Parmenter Avins of Laurence Manning batting .417 . Class 3A offensive leaders are Prestan Schurlknight of Orangeburg Prep batting .750, Anslea Aaron of Calhoun Academy batting .667, Hannah Iambrecht of Orangeburg Prep batting .619, Coker Carson of Calhoun Academy batting .619, Adalynne Fallaw of Calhoun Academy batting .577. Other 3A leaders are Mandy Wells of Clarendon Hall batting .571, Maggie Harrington of Clarendon Hall batting .500, Cailin Shirer of Calhoun Academy batting .478, Molly Andrews of Dillon Christian batting .463, Addison Nivens of Orangeburg Prep batting .444, Lauren Ballew of Orangeburg Prep batting .435, Lilli Shooter of Dillon Christian batting .429, Sherrilynn Shannon of Calhoun Academy and Brynli Brewer of Clarendon Hall batting .429. Class 2A and 1A leaders are Madelyn Roscoe of Marlboro Academy batting .667, Ryan Mayers of Cross Schools batting .667, Alaysia Hollings of Cross Schools batting .629, Ansley Nesbit of Lee Academy batting .553, Emery McClure of Dorchester Academy batting .543, Braylee Burke of Laurens Academy batting .517, Sydney Hollings of Cross Schools batting .516, Jameson Collins of Lee Academy batting .500 and Kate Leslie of Marlboro academy batting .500. Other 2A and 1A leaders are Lyla Owens of Dorchester Academy batting .483, Alyssa Grooms of Dorchester Academy batting .469, Lily Canady of Dorchester Academy batting .462, Savannah Hollings of Cross Schools batting .462, MacKenzie Runyans of Laurens Academy batting .448 and Morgan Bolding of Laurens Academy batting .421.

Spring sports hit final phase for Myrtle Beach athletes

By David Shelton • April 16, 2025
Spring sports hit final phase for Myrtle Beach athletes By David Shelton Senior Writer Myrtle Beach – With state playoff competition looming at the end of the month, the spring sports teams at Myrtle Beach High are aiming for a strong regular season finish. Myrtle Beach has entered the final phase of the region 6-AAAAA schedule and it is likely every team will have a postseason opportunity. Myrtle Beach is classified as a Division II team in AAAAA and will participate in those brackets if they qualify. The baseball team has lacked consistency in the regular season but has shown they can compete. The region is very strong with teams like St. James, North Myrtle Beach, Carolina Forest and Conway. The Seahawks entered play on April 7 with a 6-10 overall record and a 3-6 mark in region play. Some of the top performers through16 games include sophomore Rand Thomas , who batted .351 with six runs batted in during that stretch. Junior Sinclair Bolick batted .306 in the first 16 games while senior Jacob Edwards hit .308 with six RBI. Senior Julian Neagles hit .296 with six RBI while senior Gibson Goodroe and sophomore Garrett Mays each had seven RBI early on. Bolick and senior Andy Wells have done most of the heavy lifting on the mound. Bolick has a 3.79 earned run average in 29 innings while Wells has a 1.62 ERA in 22 innings of work. Neagles also gets time on the mound with a 2.15 ERA in 15 innings of work. The softball team won four of its first 13 games with a 2-8 start in region play. Lilly Langway is pacing the team at the plate with a .486 average and eight RBI. Shianne Neagle is hitting .361 with seven RBI, and Trinity King batted .286 with six RBI through the first 12 games, Madison Ashmore is hitting ,306 with six RBI as well. The boys soccer team went 6-7 overall and 3-3 in region play heading into spring break. Senior Juan Rivera has been a key offensive player with 10 goals. Sophomore Yarin Bouskila scored three goals early and senior Matt Moreira had three assists. The girls soccer team has had some tough luck this season, losing four contests by one goal. The team was 2-7-1 overall and 1-4 in region play midway through the schedule.  Senior Hannah Weidner has been a leader this spring with four goals while postig 64 saves as the keeper. Senior Tia Boatwright leads the team in goals with six tallies while freshman Brooke Bary has five goals.

Andrew Jackson Academy Clinches Region Baseball Title With Win Over Beaufort Academy

By Billy Baker • April 16, 2025
Andrew Jackson Academy Clinches Region Baseball Title With Win Over Beaufort Academy By Billy G. Baker Publisher Ehrhardt —With their 10-0 win over Beaufort Academy at home on April, 10 the Andrew Jackson Academy Warriors baseball team earned a region championship while improving their record to 11-5, 4-0 on the season. Head coach Jason Mathys has seen vast improvement in the AJA baseball team that had not won a region game in the past two seasons, coming into the 2025 season. AJA did win a SCISA Class A baseball state title in 2022, with a win over Richard Winn in the finals when Mathys was an assistant coach. The play of a pair of 8 th graders, Channing Terry and Kaiden Kinard has helped the team have a successful 2025 season, along with the consistent play of senior leader Jack Walling. Channing Terry has worked 30 innings on the mound and he has 33 K’s with an ERA of 2.10 At the plate he has batted .321 with four RBI’s. Kinard, a first baseman, bats in the two-hole and he is currently hitting .467 with 19 RBI’s including five doubles and two triples.  Walling, a shortstop batting third, has been a very consistent hitter over the past three seasons and he leads the Warriors in hitting at .468 including 23 RBI’s, 9 doubles and a home run. “Walling can get hits when no one else can,” said Coach Mathys. “He is a very dedicated baseball player.” Walling has also seen 24 innings of mound duty with 27 K’s to his credit. Another key player has been senior lead-off batter Hayden McClung who started out the season as a catcher, but has recently moved to center field. McClung is batting.442 with 13 RBI’s. “Hayden is not afraid to play anywhere we need him,” said Coach Mathys. “He can play about anywhere on a baseball field. “He even came in the last inning to pitch against Beaufort Academy earlier in the season with our team up by one run when we had made three straight errors to help them load the bases. He had not pitched in three years and he got the batter to pop up for the third out, and get us out of a jam.” Junior Walker Terry is the DH who is hitting .292 with 13 RBI’s in the clean-up slot. Terry has also contributed on the mound with 15 K’s in 17 innings of work. Hall Sease is a solid glove at second base. Sophomore outfielder Eli Mathys bats in the 6 th hole, and he has 8 RBI’s along with one double. Hunter Tucker is a freshman who starts at catcher when Channing Terry pitches. Freshman Jaxson Brandt is having a very good season as an infielder and he is currently batting 333. Landon Johnson bats in the 5 th spot and in 11 innings on the mound he has 24 K’s. Other key reserves include senior pitcher/outfielder Hunter Zorn, senior spot starter Tim Willimas who has seen action in both left and right field, along with base running specialist Grayson Hays. Junior third baseman Conner Mount Brad Hightower round out the 16- member team. “One of my concerns is that we only have two non-region games left against Patrick Henry and Dorchester Academy in the regular season, and then we also have a very late Spring break that starts on April, 21,” said Coach Mathys. “I am concerned about how much quality practice time we can get in with our school on Spring break and many of our players, and their families, already having made Spring break plans before the season started. “We will have some voluntary practices but getting ready for the play-offs is a concern of mine,” said Coach Mathys. Coach Mathis is assisted by Kevin Kinard and Kip Terry .

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