By Billy G. Baker Publisher Sumter —The Hilton Head Prep (25-4) boys’ basketball team won their third straight SCISA AAA boy’s state basketball title with a dominating 45-19 win over Pee Dee Academy (18-6) on February, 22 at the Sumter Civic Center. Richard Barron has been the victorious coach in all three state title wins. After the big win he told the HSSR, “I am very proud of our strong senior group who helped lead us to our third state title in a row,” said Coach Barron. “Two of our current seniors ( Billy Barron and Connor Campbell ) started on our first state title team two years ago, and senior Brenden Moore was on the team with them for our second state title last year. “We were fortunate to have senior Ty Harping (6-3, 195) transfer in from Roswell, Ga to join the team this season, and he has been a fantastic player for us,” said Coach Barron. “When you have a strong senior group like these players you expect to compete for state championships. “I was really proud of our defense tonight limiting them to just 19 points,” said Coach Barron. “They had a good game plan, playing deliberate on offense and packing things inside. However, we are tough to beat once we get a lead on a team.”  Harping told the HSSR after the game that he has several small college offers at this time. “My family vacationed at Hilton Head a lot as I was growing up in Georgia, and we loved this area a lot, so I am thankful we made the move for my senior season to Hilton Head Prep,” said Harping after the game. “Working towards a three-peat was our day-one goal this season. It feels great to end my senior season with a state championship and I am considering several offers to play at the next level right now.” Kyle Drew is the head coach of the Golden Eagles. “This certainly isn’t the way we wanted to go out but I am very proud of the boys for getting the team to the finals,” said Coach Drew. “We started five seniors tonight ( Miles Trussell , Colby Richardson , Bennett Causey , Hayden Spivey , and Jamison Rogers ) and as far as I am concerned, they are all like team captains. They have all been with the program since their “B” team days. They are representing the pride of Pee Dee Academy. “They are all home- grown Pee Dee Academy players who love the program and they have been a very close- knit group and such a pleasure to coach,” said Coach Drew. “We will miss all of our seniors who have made the program very successful.” As the first quarter buzzer sounded Causey hit a three-pointer to get the Golden Eagles to within one point as they trailed 10-9 going into the second period. However, the depth and talent of HHP rose to the occasion in the second period as the Dolphins out-scored Pee Dee 13-2 to claim a 23-11 lead at the half with both defenses hunkering down in the first two periods. Harping started off the second period with three straight baskets and then Brenden Moore drilled a three-pointer from the top of the key to give HHP a 23-9 advantage with :57 left in the half. Pee Dee’s only basket in the second quarter came on Colby Richardson’s lay-up. Causey had 9 first-half points or the Golden Eagles. In the third period HHP expanded their lead to 37-13 going into the final period. The final period was dominated again by both team’s defenses as HHP out-scored the Golden Eagles 8-6 to earn a 45-19 win at the final buzzer. For the game HHP was led by Harping with 14 points, Barron had 8 points, followed by Moore at five, and point guard Connor Campbell scored four points. Causey led Pee Dee with 15 points. The other four points were shared by Trussell and Richardson with one basket each. The SCISA AAA boy’s all-tournament team consisted of: Barron, Harping, and Moore while Pee Dee was represented by Causey and Richardson. Orangeburg Prep Big man Tilden “T” Riley , (6-5) who has numerous major college football offers at this time, was the other member of the all-tournament team.

By Billy G. Baker Publisher Sumter —To describe the SCISA AAA girls’ basketball finals as a “knock-down, drag-out defensive battle”, between Pee Dee Academy (23-4) and Orangeburg Prep, would be very accurate with the Golden Eagles prevailing 37-34, to earn Pee Dee a fourth state title in girls’ basketball. After the win, Pee Dee head coach Meagan Thomas , a 2015 graduate of the school, told the HSSR, “I knew this was going to be a hard-fought physical game and I can’t say enough good things about this team who battled and played hard the entire game,” said Coach Thomas. “We knew we had great potential to compete for a state title this season and the great thing about this team is that came to practice every day and worked very hard. Everyone worked together also. “We knew we had to play great defense to win the game and we knew we had to out-rebound them and I thought we did just that,” said Coach Thomas. Coach Thomas also cited the play of the team’s leading scorer Rebecca Hammond who came into the game averaging 18 points a game and she finished with 17 points against O-P. “I can’t say enough good things about that girl,” said Coach Thomas. “She works her butt off and every time you put her on the court you know you are going to get her best efforts every time. As a senior she had led our team all season and she is going to play just as strong from the first quarter to the last quarter. “I told the team at halftime to play like the score is 0-0 and that we had to get back out there and play good defense,” said Coach Thomas. “I told them that we had been leading them pretty much the whole game and that we had to finish it now.” O-P head coach Jan Stoudenmire wrapped up her 40 th year in coaching at the conclusion of the game. She shared her thoughts with the HSSR, “It was just not in the cards for us to win tonight and you have to give credit to Pee Dee and they are a great team and well-coached,” said Coach Stoudenmire. “The game came down to a couple shots here and there. We just couldn’t quite get it done but I was proud of our effort tonight. “Our four seniors ( Jane Walker Yonce , Izzy Exum , Grayson Garrick , and Annabelle Hunter ) who started tonight have carried us all season and we miss them a lot,” said Coach Stoudenmire. “Fortunately, for us we get Hannah Lambrecht back and she plays very hard and carries our team on her back. “With Jane Walker Yonce having to sit on the bench with foul trouble we are just not the team that we can be with her in the game,” said Coach Stoudenmire. “Unfortunately, this is the way it goes sometimes but we have a great program going and we will keep working hard.” The starting five for Pee Dee Academy consisted of Claire Eskridge , leading scorer Rebecca Hammond, Claire Owens, Sydney King and inside player Katie Estes . Orangeburg Prep’s starters consisted of four seniors Izzy Exum , Jane Walker Yonce , Annabelle Hunter, and Grayson Garrick . Junior point guard Hannah Lambrecht is the junior floor general. The two teams scrapped their way to a 5-5 tie after the first period. Pee Dee’s first quarter points came on a three-point shot and a free throw made by leading scorer Rebecca Hammond and a free throw made by Katie Estes . The Lady Indians got all five first quarter offensive points from guard Hannah Lambrecht on a three-point and a two-point basket. In the second period Pee Dee out-scored O-P 7-2, to take a 12-7 lead into the half. Hammond scored 9 of Pee Dee’s first half points. Both offenses were more effective in the third period when O-P out-scored Pee Dee 12-10 to trail 22-19 going into the final period. Senior inside player Jane Walker Yonce scored two quick close-in buckets for O-P to start the third period that cut the deficit to 12-11. Yonce was sent to the bench for most of the second period when she picked up her third foul. While she was out Pee Dee made gains on the score board. In the third period Pee Dee’s Claire Owens made back-to-back three- point shots to give her team a 19-15 lead with 2:35 left in the third quarter. Hannah Lambrecht’s steal and resulting lay-up cut Pee Dee’s led to 19-17 with 1:43 left in the third. Pee Dee’s Sydney King then scored her only basket of the game to extend the lead to 21-17 at the 1:20 mark. In the final period, Hammond extended her team’s lead to 24-19 on a bucket at the 7:10 mark and then Yonce came back with an inside bucket for O-P to cut the deficit to 24-21 with 6:30 left in the game. Then Pee Dee went on a 6-0 run between the 6:18 mark and the 4:05 mark. Hammond scored four of the six points and Owens had the other two. The closest the Indians would come was on a three-point basket by Mary Legare Delaney with 2.9 seconds left that cut the deficit to37-34. As time expired Hannah Lambrecht stole the inbounds pass but the buzzer sounded before a shot could be attempted. For the game Hammond had some great senior moments for Pee Dee with 17 points and Claire Owens was next with 10 points. Eskridge and Estes contributed three points each and King and Caroline Elvington had two points each. O-P was led by Hannah Lambrecht with 10 points while Izzy Exum had 9 points followed by Yonce with six points and she led the team in rebounds also. Delaney contributed four points. Prestan Schurlknight also added two points. The SCISA Girl's AAA All-Tournament Team consisted of Claire Eskridge , Rebecca Hammond , and Claire Owens of Pee Dee along with Hannah Lambrecht , Jane Walker Yonce and Courtney Campbell of Hilton Head Prep.

Photo from both the Girls and Boys SCISA Class AAA title games. In the girls game, Pee Dee Academy faced Orangeburg Prep . In the boys game, Hilton Head Prep faced Pee Dee Academy . This sample of images, follow this link for the full gallery.

Orangeburg Prep to face Pee Dee for girls title; Hilton Head Prep to defend boys title against Pee Dee

Rebecca Hammond leads the way for PDA girls

Golden Eagles win second state championship in three years

The SCISA Class AA Championship game between Bethesda Academy and Pee Dee Academy saw the Pee Dee Golden Eagles dominate the score board by capitalizing on forced and unforced errors by the Blazers resulting in a 52-14 final score. All images copyright Larry Gamble and The High School Sports Report.

By Dennis Brunson hssr.com Associate Editor Mullins – won the SCISA AAA football state championship in 2022 with a 12-1 record. Last season, however, the Golden Eagles went just 3-8 and lost in the first round of the state playoffs. Well, they’re back. The Eagles are back in the championship game, this time in the AA classification, Undefeated PDA will take on defending AA state champion Bethesda Academy on Saturday beginning at 3:30 p.m. at Charleston Southern University’s Buccaneer Field in North Charleston. Pee Dee head coach Jonathan King is not surprised his team had a major uptick this season. With that, he thought the Eagles could be in this position. “We knew we would be a lot better just because we have 18 seniors,” said King, who guided PDA to its first ever 11-man state title in 2022. “A lot of those seniors were major contributors on the 2022 team. “We knew it was possible that we could do this, but you couldn’t have predicted that. We’ve got a talented group of players who work hard. All the credit goes to them and the work they’ve put in.” Pee Dee will take an 11-0 record into the title game. It has scored 478 points while allowing just 183. The Eagles have won all of their games by at least 25 points with the exception of one – on October 25 against Bethesda. PDA won by a 25-22 count. “They’ve put in a lot of work, gotten bigger, faster and stronger,” King said of his senior class. “We’ve been able to see that translate to the field. They’ve bought into being team leaders. We were kind of outgunned in a lot of situations last season. Now we’re just stronger and more experienced.” Pee Dee is led by senior quarterback Colby Richardson . A standout wide receiver on the 2022 team, Richardson took over the quarterback duties last season. He went through growing pains, but that has led to a monster season this year. Richardson, who is committed to Coastal Carolina for baseball, has thrown 150 passes. Only 36 of those have fallen incomplete as he has 114 completions for 2,004 yards and 25 touchdowns. Richardson is a major threat with his legs. He is second on the team in rushing with 612 yards and 12 touchdowns on 71 carries. King said Richardson is one of those seniors who improved via experience. “He’s grown up a lot from last year,” King said. “That was his first time playing quarterback, so he never really had to command an offense a lot. It happened really fast for him. It was a growing year, a developmental year for him. “His ability to run the ball is a big advantage for us. He’s a tough kid who wants to win, he’s competitive and fights for the extra yards. He’s also surrounded by a lot of talented players.” That starts with junior running back Tristan Heckman . He is the Eagles’ leading rusher with 925 yards and 18 touchdowns on 86 carries. He also has six catches for 141 yards and two touchdowns. Junior Ryan Small comes in when the Eagles go to a 2-back set. He has rushed for 359 yards and three touchdowns on just 29 carries. He also has four catches for 95 yards and a touchdown. PDA has a talented receiving corps led by senior Miles Trussell . He has 52 catches for 1,112 yards and 15 touchdowns. Senior Jamison Rogers has 27 catches for 362 yards and two touchdowns, senior O’Maury McKelvy has 10 catches for 134 yards and two touchdowns, and senior Bennett Causey has nine catches for 136 yards and two scores. When PDA goes to sets using a tight end, it’s sophomore Judson Martin . He has two catches for 13 yards and has rushed for 151 yards and a score seeing some time in the backfield. Opening up the running lanes and protecting Richardson when he drops back to pass is a veteran offensive line led by senior center Hayden Spivey . Lining up to the immediate side of Spivey are junior Cole Pursley at left guard and senior Storm Garris at right guard. Senior Keeton Cribbs is the right tackle and junior Chandler James plays left tackle. “None of those guys put up those numbers unless the guys on the line of scrimmage are doing their jobs,” King said. “They want to be the ones leading the charge for us up front. They’re only worried about doing what’s best for us to win. They know it’s not glamorous. They’re just worried about knocking defenders off the ball and creating holes.” The defense has James, Cribbs and Causey starting along the line along with seniors Noah Poston and Kevin Ren. James has 58 tackles and a team high three quarterback sacks, Cribbs has 33 tackles and one tackle for loss, Causey has 14 tackles, Poston has 24 tackles and two tackles for loss and Ren has 18 tackles. Heckman, Martin and Trussell are the linebackers. Heckman, who also sees some time in the secondary, leads in tackles with 87 and tackles for loss with five to go with two interceptions. Trussell has 12 tackles, and Martin has 60 tackles and one tackle for loss. McKelvy and junior Miles Wiggins are the cornerbacks while Richardson and Small are the safeties. McKelvy has 19 tackles and two interceptions, while Wiggins has 24 tackles and a team high three interceptions. Richardson has 33 tackles, one interception and one tackle for loss, and Small has 67 tackles and two interceptions. Those guys in the secondary have had a really good year,” King said. Trussell handles the kicking chores. He is 41 of 50 on extra point attempts and is 2 of 3 on field goals. He’s also the punter, averaging 36.6 yards a punt on 15 attempts with two of them landing inside the opposition’s 20-yard line. Small is the long snapper on punts while Spivey handles the snaps on PATs and field goals. King knows the Golden Eagles have their hands full with Bethesda. He believes it will come down to basics as to who will be the victor. “We’ve got to be able to run the football and control the line of scrimmage,” he said. “Bethesda has big-play ability all over the field. They’re going to take some shots. We Ve got to control the line of scrimmage and stop the run. “We’ve got to limit mistakes and not turn the ball over. They’re not going to give you opportunities. It’s hard to beat team twice like that in a season. The two teams are evenly matched and do the little things well.”

It's a big weekend for high school football. SCISA holds their Championship Weekend starting tonight with two games in different parts of the state. And, the SCHSL playoff round gets one step closer the final playoff round before their big Championship Weekend. SCISA's state title games for Friday night: At W.W. King Academy with kickoff at 7:30pm , the 8-man title game pits Laurens Academy vs. Richard Winn At Charleston Southern with kickoff at 7pm , the Class AAAA title game pits Hammond vs Porter Gaud SCISA's state title games for Saturday : all games at Charleston Southern University Kicking off at 12-Noon , Class A featuring Thomas Heyward vs. Williamsburg Academy Kicking off at 3:30pm , Class AA featuring Pee Dee vs. Bethesda Academy Kicking off at 7:30pm , Class AAA featuring Wilson Hall vs. Pinewood Prep The SCHSL will hold their Championship Weekend Dec 14th and 15th at South Carolina State's Oliver C. Dawson Stadium in Orangeburg, SC. If there is a time for upsets, it's this weekend. See how your team stacks up this week in our exclusive prognostication feature, Doodles Doodles . This season the predictions are right 78.6% of the time with a record of 1089-313-2 .