Quality Teams Compete In Jamboree of Champions Hosted By Dillon High

Billy Baker • August 18, 2024

Dillon FB players at the HSSR Media Day 2024

By Billy G. Baker

Publisher

Dillon — The Jamboree of Champions Jamboree, hosted by Dillon High School on August, 16, was comprised of five competitive games between West Florence and Richmond County, Chesterfield versus Lake View, Darlington versus Latta, Hartsville versus Scotland County, and the night cap game was between Dillon and Cheraw.


The HSSR interviewed each coach involved with a team in the high-profile Jamboree with a brief recap of each game. Each game involved a two-quarter scrimmage.


Richmond County Beat West Florence 14-7:

Richmond County scored first on an 83-yard scoring reception from QB Evan Hodges to Jade Hamilton. West Florence came back in the second period to tie the score the score at 7 on a pass from QB Avery Weaver to Jaden Perkins. Richmond County won the game 14-7 on a pick-six late in the second quarter.  


Coming off to rare back-to-back 5-6 seasons Richmond County head coach Brad Denson shared a few thoughts with the HSSR afterwards: “This is my first year as head coach at my alma mater and I was born and raised here and coached here for 14 years before coming the head coach this season,” said Coach Denson. “The kids have bought in to what we are wanting to do. We have high hopes after two back-to-back 5-6 records in Richmond County and that is not like us at all.


“Right now, we have zero college offers on our team and that is a shame and colleges need to get here and check out our players,” said Coach Denson. “Joe parsons is our leader on defense and Tehran Smith is another leader on defense.


“On offense we are really young with only one starting senior,” said Coach Denson. “We also have only two offensive starters back in the offensive line.”


Comments from Jody Jenerette of West Florence: “I love this football team so much and it is one of my favorite teams I’ve ever had,” said Coach Jenerette after the scrimmage. “They care about each other and they care about West Florence football and they do what they have to improve and get better. “We will be a very good football team before it is over.”


Some team leaders coming into the season include Keyshawn Johnson and Lavern Evans, they are two players who stand-out for us without a doubt,” said Coach Jenerette. “Our goals and expectations are same as everybody’s and we hope to win it all. We hope to find a way to win a game, or two, we were not supposed to win, make the play-offs, and keep on playing.


“We play South Florence to start the season and with this bad rain we’ve had we have not really had much of a chance to work on our special teams,” said Coach Jenerette. “We have a lot of catching up to do over the next week before we play our first game.”


Lake View Beat Chesterfield 14-7:   

Lake View all-state candidate Tyrell Foxworth got the Wild Gators on the board first with a 30-yard touchdown run in the first period to give LV a 7-0 lead. Chesterfield tied the score on a 70-yard TD pass from QB Bryce Adams to Jaquavious Clark (6-2, 192). The Wild Gators scored mid-way through the second period on a 25-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Kason Herlong to Ashton Locklair to give his team the win.


Comments from Lake View Head Coach Daryl King: “Some of our key leaders are quarterback Kason Herlong who is starting for his third season along with running back Tyrell Foxworth,” said Coach King. “We  also feel good about our first year starting center Chase Brice who took his first snap at center tonight.”


Coach King said that other returning starters include offensive linemen Chris McGill, Lance Floyd, and Tyree Ford. The defense will be led by the return of linebackers Landon King, Seth Desee, and Dawson Hunt.


“Our expectation every year is to play for a state championship and we never set our expectations any lower,” said Coach King. “We didn’t get in any of the scrimmages because of the weather. This scrimmage was what I thought it would be. We needed to work on timing issues and getting plays in on time.


“We start the season on Thursday night with Marion and they will be a lot bigger, stronger and faster than we are,” said Coach King. “We will have our hands full with them fort sure.”


Comments From First Year Head Coach Matt Quinn At Chesterfield: “For our first time out, I am pleased,” said Coach Quinn. “We had some things to clean up but you do not scout for a jamboree. We put our defense in some tough situations against Lake View’s offense. I thought the defense played well for the most part.


“Some of our leadership players are Quay Clark who is a big-time receiver and quarterback Bryce Adams is a good leader,” said Coach Quinn.  “We had a lot of newcomers play well tonight led by first year player, junior outside linebacker Derrick Lockhart in his first year of football after being a basketball player most of the time.  


“Our offensive line played well tonight and they are led by Page up-front,  Xavier Rivers, Porter, and Deaver,” said Coach Quinn.

Marion will start the 2024 season against Johnsonville.  


Darlington Defeats Latta 14-0:

Running back Trey Hailey scored twice for Darlington on two short runs to lead his team to a 14-0 win over Latta in game three of the jamboree. 


Lata had several good drives during the game and junior QB Jayden Alford had several nice runs. The Vikings missed a field goal from the 15-yard line with 1:24 left in the scrimmage.


Comments From Second year Darlington Head Coach Jamie Johnson: “Our defense is pretty good, and they get after it, so if we can continue to play good defense and not turn it over on offense, I think we have a shot at a very good season,” said Coach Johnson. “Our whole back field is back and running back Troy Hailey  is back and he is as tough as nails and I would take that kid over anybody.


“Our defensive line  is really good led by Treyshawn James, Nydrez Walls, Shadreck Holmes and Dedrion Durant,” said Coach  Johnson.  “On defense we have seven starters back and on offense we have seven starters back.”


QB Jaylen Augustus (6-5, 180) is a junior expected to have a good season for the Falcons. NyQuan Williams is a top DB also back.


“We have never hosted a playoff game in our new stadium and that is certainly one of our goals this season,” said Coach Johnson. “Hopefully, we can host one this year and give our fans something special.” Darlington will begin the 2024 season against Lamar.


Comments From Latta Head Coach Brandon Iseman: “This was a test we needed tonight,” said Coach Iseman. “Darlington was a very athletic team and a powerful team and we needed that test to see who we really are right now.


“We are not short on ability, we just have to work on the little things and find a little more focus,” said Coach Iseman. “Some of our leaders back are Amir Rogers at linebacker along with receiver MaKinley Wallace. Our starting quarterback (Jaylen Alford) has been moved from receiver and tonight was his first snaps at quarterback in a game tonight.”


Latta will start the season at East Columbia High, NC on August, 23.


Hartsville versus Scotland County Plays To 14-14 Tie

Hartsville pulled most of their starters early in the second quarter with a 14-7 lead that helped allow Scotland County, NC to tie the game late in the second period. The Red Foxes are led by veteran RB Hykeem Waters and he scored on a 40-yard run in the first quarter. The other Red Fox TD came on a 20-yard run by junior RB Kylif Miller and Xavier Robinson made both of his PAT’s. 


Scotland County QB Ji’San McPhatter tossed touchdown passes of 20 yards to WR Nasiah McLean and a 31- yard scroing strike to Quantavious Everette to account for both of their scores.


Comments from Hartsville Head Coach Jeff Calabrese After The Game:  

“We are very blessed to have a player like Waters and he is a pleasure to coach,” said Coach Calabrese. “We had 10 new starters out there on offense tonight. I was very pleased with their progress and how hard they have worked.


“Our new quarterback, EJ Smith, had been playing receiver and running back for us but he stepped up when we graduated a three-year starter,” said Coach Calabrese. “Our three defensive ends Chris Price, Jordan Davis and Jackson Chavis all played well along with our two nose guards.


“We always sub in a lot of players in the second quarter because all our guys battle hard and we like to get as many of them in the game as possible,” said Coach Calabrese. “I was proud of the effort tonight but we have a few things to clean up.”


Hartsville will host Carolina Forest this week to start the season.


Comments From Scotland Couty Head Coach Richard Bailey:

“To be fair, Hartsville subbed in a lot of players after the first couple series and they had a very strong first group,” said Coach Bailey who is also the head Shrine Bowl coach for North Carolina this year. “We played much better on defense tonight then we did a scrimmage the other day. 


“On offense we had three sophomores at one time tonight,” said Coach Bailey. “We are young in a lot of places but we do have several experienced players back also. Our all-region quarterback Ji’San McPhatter is back and Quantavious Edwards, and DaQuan Gibson are our best skill guys.


“Our best offensive lineman is Isaiah Locklear (6-3., 300) and he is probably going to a Shrine bowl lineman,” said Coach Bailey. “Morrison, at defensive end is another one of our senior leaders who has a chance to be a better good player.”


Scotland County will start the 2024 season at Dillon on August, 23.   


Dillon defeats Cheraw 21-3:

 Running back Jamarion Fling broke tackles, the entire game and scored the Wildcat’s first touchdown on an 8-yard run early in the first quarter. Dillon next made it 14-0 as QB Rahmad Hamilton tossed a 10-yard scoring pass to highly regarded junior receiver Zay Robertson. Robertson caught a 49-yard scoring pass from Hamilton late in the second quarter to make it 21-0. Steven Rojas made all three PAT’s.


Cheraw avoided the shut-out when Charlie Phiilips made a 26-yard field goal in the waning seconds of the scrimmage. 


Comments from Dillon head coach Kelvin Roller:

“Fling and all our running backs ran the ball well tonight, and the offensive line blocked well also,” said Coach Roller. “We finally got Kyheim Lester (6-4, 265) to come out and play football from the basketball team and he is developing well at left tackle for us. Kiele Pompey (6-1, 230) will be at left guard and he is one of the strongest, if not the strongest player on our team.


“Nicholas Byrd (5-10,230) has done a good job at center so far and Mishad Gilchrist is at right guard and Ke’Shawn Ray is starting at right tackle so with football being a developmental game it will take time for the offensive line to develop but Coach Parker is doing a great job with them,” said Coach Roller.


Coach Roller is very high on WR/DB Zay Robertson. “He is a tremendous receiver with great hands and speed and he is going to be a special player. I honestly think he is one of the best receivers in the state.”


Rahmad Hamilton has ben moved from WR to QB. “I thought Rahmad did a really good job tonight,” said Coach Roller. “At the quarterback position you need to get reps and he has only been at the position for a few weeks but he is getting better every day.”


Some of the Nasty Cats of defense cited include DL Azavion Deberry (6-0,270) along with linebackers Keriyon Brown (5-10, 185), Daniel Capehart (5-11, 195) and Kelvien Manning (6-2, 170). Dan Graves, Robertson, and Fling provide depth in the secondary.


“This was just a jamboree tonight and our real season starts next week with Scotland County,” said Coach Roller. ”Our guys played fast and physical tonight and that is what we coach them to do.”


Comments From Cheraw Head Coach Andy Poole:

“This is our first time out going against the number one team in 3-A and Dillon is a quality ball club and I thought our kids responded pretty well,” said head coach Andy Poole. “Some of them got big-eyed their first time in action.”


Coach Poole complimented the play of Nick Gordan who came in and moved the offense as a Wild Cat quarterback late in the second period. “He came in and gave us a god spark,” said Coach Poole.


Coach Poole cited the offensive line as the leadership focus coming into the season. ”Guys like Ed Meeks, Caleb Terry, John Campbell and Bernard Joyner give us four seniors up-front and they do a good job pushing people around.”


Cheraw will start the season on August, 23 against McBee.

 

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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