Tigers return 4 All-Region players in Williams, Arant, Shaw, Uhlar

Saluda boys part of 4-way tie for first in region

Tigers have already matched win total from last season

By David Shelton Senior Writer Moncks Corner – At long last, the regular season came to an end and the Class AA state playoffs are upon us. The brackets are set and the fans of the favorites are hoping to make plans in mid-December for Orangeburg and the state finals scene. Who are the favorites in AA? Is there a sleeper or two that may surprise everyone and get to the title game. Most of the time, the teams that survive the grind and reach the fifth week of the playoffs, the title game, are teams that everyone who follows the sport predicts will be there. Let’s have a little fun and handicap the AA field. My process is to list my top four teams in the Upper State bracket and top four in the Lower State, as I see it. Any team not in my top four would be considered a sleeper to make it through the bracket. But, it can be done. In the Upper State, my No. 1 team is Batesburg-Leesville . I know, shocker. The 10-0 Panthers have answered every challenge and have proven to be quite formidable. They allow seven points per game with a defense that has speed and physicality. Nearly half of the total points they have allowed in 10 games came in one game, to Abbeville, in a two-point win. Abbeville is the top-ranked team in Class A and their coach , Jamie Nickles , is a believer. “They are certainly capable of winning the state championship,” he said. Running back Amadre Wooden and quarterback Tanner Watkins are a solid one-two punch offensively. Wooden has rushed for more than 1,500 yards and Watkins has passed for more than 1200 yards. My No. 2 pick to win the Upper State is Clinton. The 7-2 Red Devils have lost only to Woodruff and Daniel. Each of those teams has just one loss this season. The tough non-region schedule makes me feel the Red Devils are battle-tested for close, big games. Quarterback Tashawan Richardson makes it all go for the offense with James Cook adding a major threat in the run game. My No. 3 pick in the Upper State is Fairfield Central . The Griffins lost their season opener to Ridge View and have won nine straight games since. The scouting report needs just one word – speed. The Griffins can run and are explosive. Running back Tydarion Grier has gained more than 1.400 yards and averages 9.3 yards per carry. And, my No. 4 is Saluda . The Tigers’ only loss came to Batesburg-Leesville and they would love another shot at their region rivals. Saluda is another of the top defensive teams in AA and defense wins championships. Tahe your pick as the favorite in the Lower State cause several teams have a shot. My No. 1 going in is Barnwell . While not flashy or dominant, the Warhorses are solid and athletic. Senior Cameron Austin is a great leader at quarterback and if they have success on the ground, game over. No. 2 is Barnwell rival Hampton County . Again, the Hurricanes run the football and have good solid play at quarterback. They made a good run a year ago and I think their confidence level is high. The last two favorite picks are difficult and I ended up with three teams for two spots. At No. 3 I am going with Cheraw . The 8-2 Braves are not great at anything but very solid at most. Running back Cam McClendon is a threat to score from anywhere and the defense gets after it pretty good. For No. 4, I am sharing the spot between Manning and Philip Simmons . Manning has just one loss, the season opener to Crestwood, but their schedule and region was not overly difficult.  Philip Simmons went undefeated in a tougher region and seems to be peaking at the right time. The Iron Horses have a veteran quarterback and they really play hard on defense. Class AA state playoff first-round pairings Upper State Pelion at Clinton Strom Thurmond at Chester Columbia at Batesburg-Leesville Andrew Jackson at Liberty Chesterfield at Fairfield-Central Ninety Six at Chesnee Landrum at Central Mid-Carolina at Saluda Lower State Academic Magnet at Barnwell Lake City at Timberland Edisto at Cheraw Andrews at East Clarendon North Central at Manning Woodland at Hampton Co. Mullins at Philip Simmons Kingstree at Whale Branch

Barnwell's Cameron Austin

By Dennis Brunson hssr.com Associate Editor Saluda – Life as the people of Saluda County – as well as other counties in South Carolina and throughout the Southeast – took a drastic turn a couple of weeks ago because of Hurricane Helene. For the time being, what was the start of a tremendous football season for Saluda High School has been brought to a halt. The Tigers, ranked first in the High School Sports Report AA poll, are 4-0 on the season. Saluda has yet to begin region play. The Tigers had beaten Crescent 20-6, Ridge Spring-Monetta 41-0, Chester 16-12 and Southside Christian School 19-14. Saluda’s defense has made it very hard on the opposition. The unit is led by All-State defensive lineman JT Lott . He has 36 tackles, nine tackles for loss, two quarterback sacks, a forced fumble and an interception. Amir Johnson and Devon Wallace are the sack leaders with five apiece. Johnson has 14 tackles and two forced fumbles and Wallace has 21 tackles and six TFLs. Jordan Hagler has 25 tackles, a sack, two interceptions, a defensive touchdown, a fumble recovery and two TFLs. Jayden Foulks also had two interceptions to go with 15 tackles. The offense is led by quarterback Brayden Williams , who has passed for a touchdown, rushed for a touchdown and caught a pass for a touchdown. He has rushed for 217 yards and four touchdowns on 44 carries while completing 18 of 35 passes for 371 yards and four TDs. He has two catches for 73 yards and a score. Tristan Daniels is the leading rusher with 224 yards and a touchdown on 63 carries. Victavis Gaines is the leading pass catcher with 10 receptions for 187 yards and two scores. Daniels has two catches for 82 yards and a score Josh Uhlar has three catches for 36 yards. VOLLEYBALL TEAM OFF TO GOOD START Like every other sport at Saluda, volleyball has been in a holding pattern as well. However, the Tigers were off to a 5-2 start. That means Saluda had already won two more matches than it did in all of 2023 when it was 3-13 and lost in the first round of the state playoffs. Head coach Meredith Wertz said a lot of hard work has gone into making that marked improvement happen. “We have started off a lot stronger this year than last year,” said Wertz, who is in her fourth season as head coach. “The girls have worked hard at practice. We only lost one senior and most of our starters are returning players.” The starting lineup is made up of junior setter Addy Buzhardt , senior outside hitter Abby Moore , sophomore middle hitter Amy Sorcia , senior rightside hitter Eboni Thomas , senior outside hitter Alyssa McDonald and outside hitter/middle hitter junior Ava Martin . The libero is junior Dayna Ortiz-Lopez . The rest of the roster is made up of sophomore defensive specialist Karalynn Clary , sophomore middle hitter Kristy Long , outside hitter/middle hitter Abril Rodriguez , sophomore outside hitter/defensive specialist MariCarmen Sanchez and rightside hitter Oz’Lyn Springs . “We have a good team chemistry, and we are working hard to get to where we need to be,” Wertz said. “I believe if we keep up the hard work we will be able to make the playoffs, but it will take a lot of hard work and dedication.”

Willie Kennedy from South Florence, MLB with 29 tackles this season.

Darryl Smith new DC, Greg Woerner in charge of offense

Door is Wide Open for Class AA Football State Championship in 2024!