OCTOBER 25 HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL ROUNDUP

From staff reports • October 27, 2024

Manning wins Region 7-AA title with a 38-13 triumph over Marion

Marion – The Manning High School football team secured the Region 7-AA title with a 38-13 victory over Marion on Friday at the Marion field.


 The Monarchs, ranked No. 8 in the High School Sports Report AA poll, won their eighth straight game to improve to 8-1 on the season and 5-0 in the region. Marion fell to 1-8 and 0-5.

 

Joshua Cooper rushed for 81 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries to lead Manning, which ran for 237 yards. Jaylnn Coard had 72 yards and a touchdown on four carries and also had three 2-point conversion runs. Jontavious Canty had 71 yards and a touchdown on nine carries.

 

 Quarterback Ja’Rae Mitchell completed 8 of 11 passes for 112 yards and two TDs. He also had four carries for 22 yards.

 

Jeffery Ceasar had three catches for 54 yards and a touchdown, and Jaron Hammett had an 18-yard TD catch. Lovell Stevenson had three catches for 30 yards.  

 

 Ceasar also had a 63-yard punt return along with four tackles and an interception on defense.

 

 Lamar Hilton led the Manning defense with 11 tackles.

 

Saluda 35

Strom Thurmond 25


Saluda – Saluda remained undefeated with a 35-25 victory over Strom Thurmond on Friday at the SHS field.

 

The Tigers, the No. 1 team in AA, improved to 7-0 overall and 3-0 in Region 2. The Rebels fell to 5-2 and 2-1.

 

Brayden Williams ran for 154 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries and had a 21-yard reception to lead Saluda. Tristan Daniels rushed for 74 yards and two more scores on 11 carries and had a 25-yard catch.

 

         Quarterback Drew Arant completed 9 of 17 passes for 139 yards and a TD. Victavis Gaines had three catches for 25 yards and the TD.

 

         Leading the way for Strom Thurmiond was Lee Brisbaun. He completed 11 of 29 passes for 173 yards and two touchdowns. Jay Sewell had eight catches for 128 yards and the two TDs.

 

         Deonte Phillips had seven carries for 48 yards and a touchdown.

  

Dorman 9

Gaffney 7

Gaffney – Ransom Farr booted the final of his three field goals from 41 yards out with 3:04 remaining in the game to lift Dorman to a 9-7 victory over previously undefeated Gaffney on Friday at The Reservation.


Farr’s other two field goals came in the second quarter, from 41 and 32 yards, respectively, to give the Cavaliers a 6-0 halftime lead.

 

Gaffney, ranked No. 1 in the AAAAA Division II poll, fell to 6-1 overall and 3-1 in Region 2-AAAAA. Dorman improved to 5-3 and 3-2.

 

Kentavion Anderson had eight tackles and two quarterback sacks while Dru Darby had seven tackles and two sacks to lead the DHS defense.

 

 Gaffney’s points came on a 25-yard touchdown pass from Jayvon Gilmore to Jamarcus Smith in the third quarter. Evan Olson added the extra point to make it 7-6.

 

 Gilmore completed 11 of 21 passes for 161 yards while Smith had six catches for 93 yards.

 

Shedrick Sarratt had 10 tackles to lead the Indian defense.

 

Dillon 47

Waccamaw 39

 

Pawleys Island – Jamarion Fling scored six touchdowns to lead Dillon to a 47-39 shootout win over Waccamaw on Friday at the WHS field,

 

Fling ran for 276 yards on 40 carries for the Wildcats, who are ranked third in AAA and improved to 7-2 overall and 3-1 in Region 7-AAA. The Warriors fell to 5-4 and 2-2.

 

Rahmond Hamilton rushed for 56 yards and a score on six carries while completing 8 of 12 passes for 120 yards. Zamaurious Robertson had four catches for 68 yards while having one carry for 23 yards.

 

Daniel Capehart led the defense with 13 tackles while Keryien Brown had 11.


Barnwell 34

Edisto 8

 

Barnwell – Barnwell improved to 8-1 on the season with a 34-8 win over Edisto on Friday at the BHS field.

 

The Warhorses, ranked second in AA, improved to 3-0 in Region 5-AA. They can win the region title with a victory over Whale Branch on Friday.

 

BHS quarterback Cameron Austin completed 10 of 13 passes for 200 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 24 yards and a score on seven carries. Nehemiah Brown had 14 carries for 88 yards and two TDs.

 

Batesburg-Leesville 48

Pelion 0

 

Batesburg-Leesville – Batesburg-Leesville remained undefeated with a 48-0 victory over Pelion on Friday at the B-L field.

 

Quarterback Tanner Watkins completed 8 of 13 passes for 167 yards and a TD while rushing for 50 yards and two scores on five carries. Amadre Wooden had 13 carries for 156 yards and two touchdowns

 

KD Whitt and LJ Williams had scoring runs. Jamerius Clark had three catches for 102 yards, one of them a 70-yard TD. Tyler Classen had four catches for 52 yards.

 

Logan Sturkie had two catches for 97 yards and two touchdowns. William Robinson had five catches for 67 yards.

 

Cheraw 38

 Buford 14

 

Cheraw -- Cheraw clinched the Region 4-AA title with a 38-14 victory over Buford on Friday at the CHS field.

 

The Braves improved to 4-0 in region play and 6-3 overall. Buford fell to 2-6 and 1-3.

 

 Quarterback Kadin Thomas completed 12 of 17 passes for 202 yards and three touchdowns. Nick Gordon had a 46-yard touchdown catch and finished with six catches for 86 yards. Desean Drake had a 40-yard scoring catch among his five catches for 89 yards, and Zay Campbell had a 25-yard TD catch.

 

Sam Phillips added a 25-yard field goal for Cheraw. Cam McClendon and Justyn Joint both had scoring runs.

 

Antonio Amos had 11 carries for 67 yards and a touchdown for Buford. Marvin Randolph ran for 48 yards and a score on nine carries.

 

Clinton 62

Blacksburg 14

 

 Clinton – Clinton remained unbeaten in Region 2-AA with a 61-14 victory over Blacksburg on Friday at Wilder Stadium.

 

The Red Devils, ranked fifth in AA, improved to 6-2 overall and 3-0 in region play. Blacksburg fell to 3-5 and 0-2.

 

 CHS had 605 yards of total offense, including 478 on the ground. Javen Cook led the way by rushing for 152 yards and a score on 12 carries. AZ Simmons had three carries for 82 yards and a touchdown, Tushawan Richardson ran for 73 yards and two scores on seven carries while completing 3 of 8 passes for 102 yards.

 

KJ vance had eight carries for 64 yards and a touchdown. Rhett Gilliam had two scoring runs while Owen Glenn and Angelo Cromer both had a TD run.

 

Shun Rogers caught six passes for 120 yards and a score for Blacksburg. Josh Sims completed 12 of 28 passes for 229 yards and the TD pass while running for the other score.

 

Dominique Odom rushed for 86 yards on 22 carries. Devin Swindler had two catches for 88 yards.

 

Mountain View Prep 49

Broome 20

 

Spartanburg -- Mountain View Prep remained undefeated with a 49-20 triumph over Broome on Friday at the MVP field.


        Mountain View Prep, ranked second in AAA, improved to 8-0 overall and 3-0 in Region 3. Broome fell to 3-5 and 0-2, .

 

Bryson Drummond completed 12 of 16 passes for 273 yards and four touchdowns. Kaveon Washington had four catches for 130 yards and a touchdown, and Kadarius Hainsworth had six catches for 82 yards and two scores.

 

Jaylen McGill had a 55-yard TD catch and rushed for 101 yards and two more scores on 11 carries.


Thomas Heyward 51

Carolina Academy 6

 

Ridgeland -- Joshua Gibson returned two kickoffs for touchdowns as Thomas Heyward Academy improved to 8-1 overall with a 51-6 victory over Carolina Academy on Friday at the THA field.

 

Gibson had two returns, one going for 84 yards and the other for 60 yards.

 

Tony O’Banner rushed for 129 yards and three touchdowns on seven carries to lead the Rebels. Colton Young had 127 yards and a score on seven carries.

 

 Quarterback Kiran Boggess completed 6 of 8 passes for 68 yards and a score. O’Banner had a 20-yard touchdown catch.

 

Beau Pinckney led the THA defense with 12 tackles. Kelan Fripp had 11 tackles and two TFLs, Benjamin Gibson had nine tackles and two TFLs, and Dodge Peeples had seven tackles and two TFLs

 

Northside Christian 34

Florence Christian 7

 

 Florence – Northside Christian Academy scored the game’s first 21 points and went on to a 34-7 win over Florence Christian School on Friday at the FCS field.

 

JR Kunard led Northside, which improved to 8-1, with 126 yards on 10 carries, including a 69-yard touchdown run. Sam Burks rushed for 118 yrds and two scores on 17 carries, BJ Suits had eight carries for 38 yards and a TD.

 

Jake Jeffrey returned an interception 46 yards for the other touchdown.


         FCS fell to 5-4.


Central 34

Chesterfield 8

 

Chesterfield – Central improved to 7-2 on the season with a 34-8 win over Chesterfield on Friday at the Chesterfield field.

 

The Eagles, ranked 12th in AA, improved to 3-1 in Region 4-AA. Fourteenth-ranked Chesterfield fell to 6-3 and 1-3.

 

Dwanye Louallen Jr. led Central offensively. He completed 16 of 24 passes for 249 yards while running for 89 yards and a TD on 11 carries. Aiden Short had 13 catches for 69 yards and two touchdowns while catching four passes for 79 yards.

 

Tray Wilson had five catches for 77 yards and had three carries for 19 yards and a TD.

 

        Marques Allen and Jaiden Hillian led the Central defense with nine tackles apiece. Hillian also had a sack and a TFL.


         South Florence 36

         Lower Richland 19

 

         Florence – South Florence remained unbeaten in Region 5-AAAA with a 36-19 victory over Lower Richland on Friday at Bruin Stadium.

 

         SFHS improved to 7-2 overall and 5-0 in region play. South Florence, ranked seventh in AAAA, will travel to sixth-ranked Hartsville on Friday to play for the region title. The Red Foxes are also 5-0 in region play.

 

         Jayden Sellers returned a punt 44 yards for a touchdown and caught a 20-yard TD pass to lead the Bruins. Tre’ Leonard ran for 174 yards and two TDs on nine carries, while Zion Gilbert ran for 151 yards on 12 carries.

 

         Messiah Jackson threw two TD passes.

 

         LR, which finished the regular season 5-5 with a 3-3 region record, was led by Jordan Hargrave, who had five catches for 97 yards and TD. Quarterback Aiden Jones completed 13 of 17 passes for 138 yards and ran for two scores.


        T.L. Hanna 40

Greenville 27

 

Anderson – T.L. Hanna rolled up over 500 yards of total offense in a 40-27 victory over Greenville on Friday at the Hanna field.

 

The Yellow Jackets, ranked seventh in AAAAA Division II, improved to 6-2 overall and 4-1 in Region 1-AAAAA. Greenville fell to 1-7 and 1-4.

 

KD Patterson led the way with 273 rushing yards and three touchdowns while six other runners had at least 25 yards.

 

The defense blocked two punts and recovered both for TDs.

Denmark-Olar soccer looking to continue success on the pitch

By Neill Kirkpatrick • April 19, 2025
By Neill Kirkpatrick Special to the HSSR Denmark – The Vikings are coming off back-to-back region 4A championships and second round playoff appearances but since the end of last season there have been a couple changes in Denmark; one they have a new coach in Xzavier Goldsmith and they have moved to the lower state in realignment but their goals have not. Coach Goldsmith has a veteran squad returning with some of the top athletes at Denmark-Olar at his disposal so his expectations are to continue to build Vikings soccer. “My expectations coming into my first year as the new head soccer coach at Denmark Olar is to build a team first organization and to build off the success of the previous outstanding years..” said Goldsmith. “I feel that we can compete well in the region if play fundamental soccer and compete to the whistle blows. We play some great teams and accomplish programs so we are ready for the challenge.” The Vikings are definitely holding their own as they are 5-4 overall and 2-3 in region 4A play. They have shut outs on the year and are solid position to earn another trip to the play offs. They have three region contest left and a match with another play off bound A team in region 3A Horse Creek Academy. The Vikings are led by seniors in Terence Hinton, Robert Bovain, Tykeem Ross, Reginald Youmans, Carlos Johnson, Charleston Brown, and Amari Keller . Bovain, a striker, is the top returning scorer for the Vikings. He tallied nine goals and seven assists for a total of 25 points. He was named all region last season and recently hoisted the class A State Basketball championship trophy. Hinton missed last season with an injury. “Agent Zero” as he is known as on the football field was the Vikings top scorer as a sophomore while earning all-region honors. He looks to pick up where he left. He was recently named All State in basketball by the HSSR and the South Carolina Basketball Coaches Association. Keller and Johnson showed they could put the ball in the back of the net last season. Keller scored five goals and had 11 points on the year while Johnson scored three goals. Ross and Brown are imposing figures on the pitch as both weigh over 220lbs a rarity in the beautiful game. They have been solid on the pitch. Ross joined Hinton on the HSSR class A all state basketball team after being named all state in football in the fall. Youmans is the teams keeper. Last season he stopped 116 shots on goal and has three shutouts. He has had three shutouts so far this season. The rest of the Vikings starting lineup are Kenneth Hanberry, Josh Tackett, Geontae Staley, and Nyheeem Brimfield. Brimfield could the next star athlete at Denmark Olar. He started at QB and played a significant role on the basketball as a freshmen.

Spartanburg Day Golfers Focused On Winning Upcoming Region Championship With Eye On State Championships A Week Later

By Billy Baker • April 19, 2025
By Billy G. Baker Publisher Spartanburg —The Spartanburg Day Griffins golf team, under the direction of head coach Travis Linder, are heavily favored to win their SCISA region tournament to be held on April 21 st at the Village Green Golf Course, and one week later, the Griffins are expected to compete very well at the SCISA AAA Golf State Championships to be held once again on the Hackler Course in Myrtle Beach. “We had only two head-to-head matches this Spring because we mainly competed in big tournaments involving larger public schools,” said Coach Linder. “Our best showing so far was in the Spartanburg County Invitational where we competed very well against 14 other teams, including schools like Dorman , Spartanburg , and Gaffney . In the Spartanburg County event, junior Matthew Roff , playing in the number one slot for the Griffins, placed fourth over-all with a round of 75, earning him a spot on the All-tournament team. Eighth grade golfer Kingston Linder was 11 th over-all at the Spartanburg County event when he fired a 77 and just missed earning a spot on the all-tournament team. In most golf matches, or tournaments, a team enters five golfers and the top four scores count. The team’s lone senior is Carter Boyd and he shot a 78 at the Spartanburg County event. Other participants in the county event included 7 th grade golfer Will Miller and freshman Ben Brown . Brown usually shoots in the mid-80’s and he has been on the team for three seasons. Reid Hines is a talented 7 th grader who is the on the varsity team also. The team also participated in the Rebel Invitational hosted by Byrnes High earlier this Spring. The Griffins finished 14th over-all in that event. The top four scorers in that event included Will Miller (82), Kingston Linder (83), Ben Brown (85) and AK Milner (87). The focus now is the upcoming region championship match against region foes First Presbyterian Academy and Spartanburg Christian, scheduled for the Village Green Golf course on April, 21 st . “We will start ramping up our practices to include two 18-hole rounds a week, when at the start of the season we played a lot of 9-hole practice rounds,” said Coach Linder. “These two 18-hole rounds help us determine player seedings for both the region tournament, and if we win the region, we go to state so these matches during the week help us place the players one through for five based on how they are playing at the time. “We are favored to win the region and I was not the head coach last year but I think the team placed third in the SCISA AAA state finals last year,” said Coach Linder. “I think that Matthew Roff’s father told me his son will be playing on the Hackler Course for the 5 th straight year, so being a senior, he will likely play at number one, if we advance to the finals after region as we expect to.” Last year the Griffins shot a team composite of 581 to finish third behind first place Hilton Head Prep (581) and second place Hilton Head Christian (588). Five golfers represent each team and they play two back-to-back 18-hole rounds on consecutive days with the top four lowest scores counting in the team totals. Two golfers return this year to the Griffins who played in the state finals last year. Roff shot 76-80-156 and Boyd shot 78-81-159 last year in the state finals. “In the state finals in May it is usually hot weather, so we start working on our stamina by playing more 18-hole practice rounds later in the season,” said Coach Linder. “Those last six holes on a hot day can be difficult if you do not prepare for them. “I feel like if this young group of golfers stick together, we have the foundation to compete for state championships in the near future,” said Coach Linder. Coach Linder also wanted to cite the talents of two up and coming junior varsity golfers in the Spartanburg Day program. They are 7 th grader Jack Langley and 8 th grader Tab Connor .

Timberland track and field athletes on the move

By Rob Gantt • April 19, 2025
Timberland's Kevin Snwoden on the track.

Cross High athletes having good track season

By David Shelton • April 19, 2025
By David Shelton Senior Writer Cross – With the Class A state track and field meet just a month away, the athletes at Cross High are working hard to be at their peak when the most important meet of the year arrives. Cross has put in a lot of work this spring, competing in several large meets against bigger schools. The hope is that the competition is helping the Trojans improve and see what it takes to be a champion. Cross competed in the Berkeley County track meet, meets at Cane Bay and Timberland, and will have a meet at Woodland on April 23. A lot can happen over the final month of the regular season but it would appear that several athletes will qualify for the state meet. A true state championship contender is Caden Ramsey , a junior three-sport star at the school. Ramsey has earned all-state honors in football and basketball and would like add a gold medal in track. Ramsey’s best event is the 400 meter run where he finished third overall in a highly-competitive Berkeley County track meet. Jonathan Bradley also runs the 400 while William Grant is the top sprinter in the 100 and 200. Corinthian Wilson and Ashton Geathers also work in the sprints. Micah Dukes has been running the 800 and competing in the long jump. Bernard Middleton and Jerry Sweatman are working in the hurdles while Que Taylor and Jeremiah Grant are running the 1600. Jailyn Broughton and Marquis Pringle are tops in the discus while David Wigfall and Dakari President have been best in the shot put. Lavell Joyner has competed well on the long jump and Preston Fuller was fourth in the county meet in the pole vault. Throwing the javelin are Andrew Black and Martrell Forbes . On the girls team, working in the sprints are T aLancia Fuller, Michayla Bennett and Talea Small . Running in the 400 is Aaliyah Davis . In the throws, Caylee Bradley and Abigail Ingram are working the discus and shot put while Tamia McCray is throwing the shot put as well. Competing in the javelin are Milan Davis and Laura Campbell . Davis also has been throwing the discus.

First Baptist athletes competing well this spring

By David Shelton • April 19, 2025
By David Shelton Senior Writer James Island – With the SCISA state playoffs just around the corner, now is the time for athletes and teams to hit their peak level of performance. That’s the goal for the spring sports athletes at First Baptist School as several teams look forward to a postseason opportunity. Both of the First Baptist varsity soccer teams have posted winning seasons to date. The regular season will conclude in less than two weeks. The boys team is in position to claim a region championship if they can finish strong. As of April 13, the Hurricanes were 8-2 overall with a 3-1 record in region play. That lone defeat came to rival Porter-Gaud, 2-1, and the Hurricanes get a rematch on April 22. First Baptist also has two key region contests remaining with Pinewood Prep on April 15 and April 24. Most of the 2025 roster is comprised of underclassmen. In fact, 10 of the rostered players are either sophomores or freshmen. The team has solid senior leadership, however, and those seniors are key factors. The seniors include goalkeeper Thomas Sanders , defenders Parker Thomas and Joshua McClain , and midfielders MacLain Luke and Camp Oliver . The girls soccer team won seven of their first 12 matches and appear headed for a third-place finish in the very competitive region that is controlled by Porter-Gaud and three-time defending state champion Pinewood Prep. Senior Fynn Domrese is the team’s leading goal scorer with 12 tallies, including a hat trick in a win over Northwood Academy. Sophomore Reese Tipton has seven goals and six assists while sophomore Britton Lempesis has a pair of goals. Like the boys team, the girls roster is very young with Domrese the only senior. She and junior midfielder Wells Griffin are the team captains. First Baptist recently restarted the softball program. The program was a dominant winner in the 1990’s but faded as the game changed to fast pitch. The program has a rebirth under coach Katelyn Powell , a former all-state player at Northwood Academy. There were teams dating to 2000-01 but not every season. Interest appears high as the school is fielding a b-team and a junior varsity team this spring. First Baptist has experienced some success with four victories early on. Some of the key players this season include Trissa Medlin, Addison Townsend, Bailey Millemad, Lulu Mayo and Izzie Tracy. The boys golf team is preparing for the SCISA state tournament in late April. Members of that team include sophomore Graham Edwards , junior Bates Walpole , freshmen Jack Finuca n, Slate Shope , William Askins , Elijah Crawford and Banks Cordray ; eighth-grader Tucker Mappus and sixth-grader Will Mappus . The baseball team sits in second-place in the region standings, posting a 12-6-1 overall record as of April 14. The Hurricanes have three region losses, all to Pinewood Prep, with a key three-game series with Porter-Gaud at the end of the regular season.

Laurence Manning baseball, softballt teams having trremedous seasons

By Dennis Brunison hssr.com Associate Editor • April 18, 2025
Lady 'Cats gearing up for another run at SCISA AAAA state title

Emerald Baseball Focused On Strong Finish In Pursuit Of play-off Berth

By Billy Baker • April 18, 2025
By Billy G. Baker Publisher Greenwood — Emerald head baseball coach Mack Hite knew if he could ever get talented freshman Beau Hite back on the mound that his confidence would be restored and positive things would emerge. Hite has been able to bat all season, but an injury prevented him from pitching until recently. “Beau has been able to throw an inning here and there recently, and he had a big strike out against a highly regarded prospect at Laurens who is going to Georgia. Big moments like that have helped him get his confidence back,” said Coach Hite. “It has also helped him increase his hitting average at the plate also.” Hite is now batting .438 with 9 RBI’s, including five doubles and a triple. Hite also has 8 stolen bases. He is a three-sport athlete at Emerald where excels in football and basketball also. One bit of recent bad news for the team was losing the pitching services of LHP and PC commitment Tucker Meredith . “He is still able to play a position and bat, so not all is loss,” said Coach Hite. Other top hitters to date for the Vikings include freshman Ethan Metts at .375 along with sophomore Eli Swancey who is at .400 with five TBI’s including an excellent .978 fielding percentage. Finn Howard is at ,367 with four RBI’s while junior Aaron Polly is hitting .351 with 9 RBI’s. Freshman Coleman Marino is at .360 with six RBI’s. With Meredith off the rubber, Hite, Howard, Marino, and Swancey have all stepped up to share pitching duties. Howard has become the work horse and he is 2-1 with 32 K’s in 28.2 innings of work. As of April, 11 the Vikings were in 5 th place in the region. “I think as competitive as our region has been this season, with so many good teams, that we should have a good case to possibly qualify for an at-large play-off berth,” said Coach Hite. “In the mean time we just need to keep playing with grit and toughness and win as many games as we can. “We have been hitting well is spurts, but we can’t seem to get a timely hit with runners in scoring position,” said Coach Hite. “Hopefully our luck will change as we enter a crucial part of our schedule.” The team had seven games left as of April, 14 when they played at Ware Shoals . Hey have region games against Westside on April 15 and 17. They next play region games against Laurens on April 22 and 24 before hosting Abbeville on the 30 th . They close out the season at home against Ware Shoals on May, 1. Emerald Softball Very Young This Season  Tiaria Agnew is in her fourth season as the Emerald High girls’ softball coach and her team is very young and rebuilding this season. The Lady Vikings are made up of one 7 th grader, three 8 th graders, two freshmen, one sophomore, three juniors and just two seniors so a youth movement has certainly hit the program. The team was 5-3, 2-6 entering the final two weeks of the season. They recently had two confidence wins over Southside (16-1, 20-0). The young team is being led by senior LHP Bria Jones, sophomore Paydyn Stafford and freshman utility athlete Caitlyn Hackett.

Dorchester softball team having a great season

By Dennis Brunson hssr.com Associate Editor • April 18, 2025
Raiders off to an 11-4 start as SCISA AA state playoffs draw near

Spring sports hitting the final stretch of regular season play

By Billy Baker • April 18, 2025
Spring sports hitting the final stretch of regular season play By David Shelton Senior Writer Lake City – Don’t look now but the 2025 spring sports season is nearly over and the athletes at Carolina Academy are prepping for the stretch drive. The spring has been a mixed bag of success to date but all of the teams are looking to finish strong. The baseball team has had a tough go, winning four of their first 15 games. Several losses were close games so the team has been competitive at times. On the mound, getting work are Walker McCutcheon, Bennett Mathews, Hampton Kirby Ryker Rhodes and Ryan Cox . McCutcheon, Rhodes and Matthews have seen time behind the plate as well. Kirby has seen time at short, along with Matthews, while Parker Miles , Carson Hanna and Holden Carsten are seeing time at the corner infield positions. Cox, Tanner Floyd and Kingston Cox are working in the outfield. The boys golf team has had some success this spring and will be playing in the SCISA state tournament on April 26 th in Conway. The Bobcats played in the region tournament on April 10.  The team has a bevy of seniors who are playing in the top group. Seniors include Thomas McDaniel, Cam Porter, Mason Huggins, Michael Wyatt, Blanding Franks, Jamison Andrews and Drake Morri s . Also playing are Landon Crosby , eighth-grader Grady Long , and seventh-graders Braeden Morris and Kohl Elmore . The Carolina Academy softball team has had better luck so far this season, winning nine of their first 12 games to put them in contention for a region title. Coach Scotty Philips felt his team had what it takes to challenge for a state championship if things continue to progress. “I see a lot of potential with this team but they have to focus and continue to work,” Phillips said. The strength of the 2025 team is inside the pitching circle. Junior Raylee Frye is a third-year performer who is as good as any hurler in SCISA when she brings her “A” game. Freshman Ella Ham will log innings at pitcher as well while also playing centerfield and first base. Lauren Sims also will pitch and share third base duties with Frye. “We have three good pitchers, dependable,” Phillips said. “I feel good giving the ball to any of them.” Handling the catching duties is returning starter Carlie Ann Smith , a junior who has been impressive behind the dish early on. Sophomore Jaylyn Davis will play most of the innings at first base while eighth-grader Natalie Braveboy will move from left to second base to replace McCutcheon. Three eighth-graders, Paisley Coker, Kayley Lyerly and Emma Amos are working in rightfield, with Ham also getting reps. Rounding out the varsity roster this season are Katherine Holiday, Lexi McCutcheon, Sarah Emma Garris, Savannah McCUtcheon, Jennifer Vargas and Hannah Grace Matthews.

Panthers enter HIT as region champs

By Roger Lee • April 18, 2025
Max Poulakis has been key to Pinewood’s success this season as a pitcher, infielder and batter.
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