Junior RB for Thomas Heyward Academy, Tony O'Banner.

By Neill Kirkpatrick Special to the HSSR North Charleton – Thomas Heyward Academy is synonymous with championships, but it had been two years since they hosted the championship trophy, well they are back on top of SCISA Class A as they avenged a regular season lose by beating Williamsburg Academy 23-8 Saturday at Charleston Southern University The state championship was the 12 th for the Rebels and their first under first year head coach Taylor Malphurs, a former player and coach for the Rebels. They finished the year 12-1with their only loss coming to Williamsburg 28-26 in week four. “We have come a long way since March. It has been a long road and these guys have been getting after every week. I could not be happier or prouder of them. I had a lot of these guys since the sixth grade when I started coaching JV as head coach. To have that group as seniors winning it all is a great feeling,” said Malphurs. The Stallions finished the year at 10-2 with their only losses coming the Class A champion (THA) and the AA champion (Pee Dee). It was their fourth consecutive trip to the championship game with the last three coming at the AA level. They won it all 2022 (AA). “They are a good team but we did not finish our drives. We are not a big play team, we like to drive it down the field and control the clock,” said Williamsburg Academy coach Tyler Boyd . “This group played with a chip on their shoulder all year. I am proud of the effort, they did not quit and played until the end.” Williamsburg started the game by doing what they do best running the ball and controlling the clock. They put together a 15-play drive covering 64-yards that used 8:15 of the clock but when they got to a first and goal at the Thomas Heyward 10-yardline things went array as two delay of games penalties derailed the drive and the Stallions were turned away. Junior quarterback Micah Balder completed three of five passes for 47 yards and rushed for 13 while sophomore running back Grant Smalls had 32 total yards on the drive. THA Senior Beau Pinckney and junior Tony O’Banner had big plays in stopping the Stallions once they got to the 10. Pinckney had a stop for no gain on first down while O’Banner had a five-yard tackle for loss on second down to push the Stallions back to the 20. The Rebels finished out the first quarter be driving the ball 52 yards to the Stallions 24- yard line but on the first play of the second quarter the Stallions defensive front led by seniors Wyatt Floyd and Drake Evans broke through the line and hit THA senior running back Colton Young in the backfield forcing a fumble which was recovered by the Stallions. The Stallions returned the favor four plays later when on first down a bobbled snap led to a fumble where senior Kelan Fripp fell on the ball at the Williamsburg 28. The turnovers continued when on third and eight from the Stallions 23 the Rebel tried a half back pass but O’Banner was pressured as he rolled to his right and his pass was intercepted by William Caulder at the 12. On first down Floyd had five-yard tackle for loss for the Stallions. Williamsburg ended the back-to-back-to-back turnovers by driving the ball 88 yards in just four plays to take the lead when Balder lofted a perfectly thrown deep ball in the waiting arms of junior Jay Kellahan for a 37-yard touchdown. Balder then hit sophomore Michael Ard for the two-point conversion and the Stallions were up 8-0. The Rebels would take one play to get back in the game as O’Banner would take a hand off going left then hit the seam and out raced everyone to the end zone for a 52-yard touchdown run. Senior kicker Donovan Robinson added the PAT making the score 8-7 Stallions. “I definitely wanted to atone for my interception so it was felt good to score a touchdown,” said O’Banner. After a 32-yard kickoff return by Smalls giving the Stallions good field position at their 42 with 5:11 left in the first half. Balder led the Stallions down the field by to the Rebels 10-yardline with 35 seconds before disaster struck. Balder got some pressure as he rolled to his left. As he was going down he tossed a pass to the left, right into the waiting arms of THA junior safety Josh Gibson . Gibson returned the ball 28 yards to the 43 with 22 seconds left in the half. Gibson said of the interception, “I saw that they ran a flat route but both receivers went inside. I knew the quarterback was going to throw it outside so when he threw it I just went and got it. Then ran the ball up the field.” O’Banner would strike again when he took the hand off on a stretch play left. He saw a crease, then made his cut and raced untouched for a 57-yard touchdown run. Robinson added the PAT and the Rebels would have a lead they would not relinquish at 14-8. THA came out after half-time with the intent of putting the game away on their first possession. Starting at their own 28 they moved quickly into Stallion territory after a 15-yard run by O’Banner and a face mask penalty. However, on third and ten from the Stallion 19 sophomore quarterback Kiran Boggess had his pass picked off at the 10 by freshmen Gamble Wilson who returned it 16 yards to the 26. The Rebel defense took over from there. Led by their defensive line of sophomore Dawson Drew , junior Dodge Peeples and freshman Ben Gibson they forced the first punt of the game on Williamsburg’s first possession and then held the Stallions to 76 yards in the second half after allowing 236 yards in the first half. “The defense got hit in the mouth early but they rebounded from that adversity and made the plays when we had to have them. In the second half we were able to push the pedal down,” said coach Malphrus. The Rebels went up two scores on their next drive. Taking over at the Stallions 45 the Rebels started the drive with two penalties putting them in a first and 25 hole. O’Banner picked up 8 yards and then Boggess hit Young with a swing pass to the right. Young run the ball down to the one for a first and goal. After losing 9 yards on their first two play, Boggess hit Gibson in the left corner of the end zone for 20-8 lead. The PAT was no good. While Stallion offense struggled in the second half, the Rebels played keep away with theirs. They had two drives in the third and fourth quarters where they ran 18 plays and ate up over 8 minutes on the clock. The second drive ended in a Robinson 25-yard field goal for a 23-8 lead. The Stallions final three possessions ended it two turnover on downs and one interception when Gibson nabbed his second of the game at the end of third quarter. Seniors Angus Crider Jaiden Edwards along with Pinckney, Peeples and Drew led the offense by opening up holes along the Stallion front to the tune of 285 yards on the ground. O’Banner led all runners with 201 yards (unofficially) and the two touchdowns while Young ran and caught the ball for 107 total yards. Boggess was 5-6 for 46 yards and touchdown and interception and Gibson caught four of those balls for 46 yards, a score and he had two picks. Balder threw for 218 yards while Smalls had 90 yards of total offense. Kellahan had three receptions for 56 yards and a touchdown while Byrce Blackburn had two catches for 58 yards.

By David Shelton Senior Writer High School Sports Report Ridgeland – Since he was a small boy growing up as lifelong student at Thomas Heyward Academy , Taylor Malphrus has lived for Rebels football. Now, he gets the chance to lead them to a state championship. Malphrus is a 2007 graduate of Thomas Heyward and became a coach inside the football program as a part-time assistant late in the 2015 season. The next year, Malphrus became a full-time coach and was a part of an amazing run of four consecutive state championships from 2018-21. The 2022 team also reached the state finals but finished as the runner-up. Malphrus stepped away from the program for the 2023 season but was hired as the head coach last spring. The first-year head man has the Rebels in the Class A state title game with an 11-1 record. “It’s sort of been a whirlwind season, seems to have gone by quickly,” the coach said. “It’s really exciting and a great opportunity for the guys. For me, it’s definitely special because most of these seniors and some juniors were on the first jayvee team that I coached. We went 8-0 and I knew they were a special bunch. Now to be back with them in this season, as their coach, is really special. I am very fortunate to be a part of this program.” The Thomas Heyward program has won 74 games since the 2018 season. A 75th win against Williamsburg Academy in the state championship game would be a nice round number to be proud of. Williamsburg and Thomas Heyward met earlier this season with the Rebels suffering their only loss of the campaign, 28-26. Malphrus expects the championship game to be just as close. “I think the two teams are pretty even,” the coach said. “We made some bad mistakes, had some turnovers in the first half, and they returned the second half kickoff for a touchdown. That was the only score they had in the second half so we battled hard. Obviously we have to play better in all phases to give ourselves a chance to win.” While far from a one-man show, the Rebels do have one of the best players in SCISA football in junior running back Tony O’Banner , who has more than 5,000 career rushing yards as a Rebel. O’Banner began the season as the quarterback but is full-time at running back with the emergence of sophomore Kiran Boggess at quarterback. O’Banner has rushed for 1,756 yards and 25 touchdowns. “Tony is an incredible player, everyone knows that,” Malphrus said. “But he has plenty of help around him and he would tell you that his success is due to the other guys doing their part. I know we are glad he is on our side.” Boggess has steadily improved as a passer over the course of the season with more than 600 yards and nine touchdowns. Aiding in the run game is Colton Young . Who has more than 770 yards and 10 scores while averaging 9.8 yards per carry. The Rebels, as an offense, have rushed for more than 3,200 yards and 45 touchdowns, averaging 9.8 yards per attempt. The three primary pass-catchers include Eli McLemore , Josh Gibson and Kelan Fripp with Gibson leading the way with 384 yards and four touchdown receptions. Malphrus says the offensive line has been a work in progress all season but has seen them play their most consistent football over the last few weeks. “We have several going both ways in key roles so they have put in a lot of work to become a good group,” the coach said. Starters along the front include tackles Angus Crider and Dawson Drew , center Jaiden Edwards , and guards Beau Pinckney and Dodge Peeples . Pinckney also is a team leader defensively, racking up more than 130 tackles and 11 tackles for loss at middle linebacker. Peeples and Drew are starters along the defensive line, along with freshman Ben Gibson . O’Banner sees time defensively at linebacker, sharing time with senior Gus Twenge . Fripp is a starting outside linebacker, with Mitchell White (70 tackles) and Owen Palazzo . Fripp has 74 tackles, including 15 tackles for loss. In the secondary are Young and Nicholas Robinson at corner, with Donovan Robinson and Josh Gibson at safety. Gibson and Donovan Robinson each have four interceptions. The Rebels have 19 interceptions as a team and have blocked three punts and three field goals this season. “Our defense has been a solid group,” Malphrus said. “They play hard and are very disciplined. They’re a hungry group. The score of the game doesn’t affect the effort. They go hard from start to stop.” Thomas Heyward Starters Offense QB – 11 – Kiran Boggess RB - 1 – Tony O’Banner RB - 2 – Colton Young WR – 3 – Eli McLemore WR – 5 – Josh Gibson WR – 10 – Kelan Fripp OL – 54 – Beah Pinckney OL – 51 – Dodge Peeples OL – 58 – Dawson Drew OL – 66 – Jaiden Edwards OL – 60 – Angus Crider Defense DL – 58 – Dawson Drew DL – 51 – Dodge Peeples DL – 64 – Ben Gibson LB – 54 – Beau Pinckney LB – 22 – Gus Twenge LB – 14 – Mitchell White LB – 10 – Kelan Fripp DB – 33 – Nicholas Robinson DB – 5 - Josh Gibson DB – 15 – Donavon Robinson DB – 2 - Colton Young

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 .

Important Information For Schools, Parents, & Fans Concerning The Upcoming SCISA State Football Championship Games Moncks Corner -- The “ High School Sports Report” will be devoting our time, energy and resources this week towards producing individual full-color keepsake souvenir state championship football programs for the 10 teams competing for state titles on Friday (Nov. 22) and Saturday (Nov. 23). All four of the SCISA AAAA, AAA, AA and Class A games will be hosted by Charleston Southern University located in North Charleston at the I-26 205 exit. The SCISA 8-man championship game will be played at W.W. King Academy (near Saluda ) at 7:30 on Friday night. The Hammond School (12-0) will face Porter Gaud (11-1) at Charleston Southern at 7 p.m. Friday night. Then on Saturday, the Class A state title game between Williamsburg Academy (9-1) and Thomas Heyward Academy (11-1) begins at noon. The SCISA AA title game between Pee Dee Academy (11-0) and Bethesda Academy (9-3) follows at 3:30. The night-cap AAA title game on Saturday night is at 7 p.m. between Pinewood Prep (9-2) and Wilson Hall (11-1). Ther HSSR would like to inform all schools involved to please e mail to hsreport@aol.com your varsity football and cheer team pictures by 6 p.m. on Monday. Every team will have their respective football team on the cover of their edition, and your cheer squad will be pictured inside your respective edition. (Important) Each Head of School is offered a free “Welcome Letter” page geared towards your team, fans and community. We need your “Welcome Letter” in at hsreport@aol.com by 7 p.m. on Tuesday (Nov., 19). Please include a picture of yourself and a school logo. The HSSR has four marketing reps assigned to market programs. Should you have interest in supporting your team, along with your favorite player, or cheerleader reps include: Swift Bethea is assigned to market Pee Dee Academy and he can be reached at 843-774-3482. Larry Gamble will be marketing the Hammond School and Wilson Hall’s programs and he can be reached at 414-699-9061. Neill Kirkpatrick will be marketing the Porter - Guad championship program and he can be reached at 704-996-3333. The remaining five schools will be marketed by HSSR Publisher Billy G. Baker and he can be reached at 843-200-9555. Baker will be in Kingstree on Monday with the WA program, Ridgeland on Tuesday with the THA program, and in Summerville on Wednesday wrapping up the Pinewood Prep program. However, feel free to call him or any marketing rep on this list anytime Monday-Thursday. We hope to have the majority of the best wishes ads in house by 9 p.m. on Wednesday night, due to a tight print schedule, but 6 p.m. on Thursday is the final deadline. Fans are asked to follow instructions on the attached official state championship form. Feel free to send your ad information to hsreport@aol.com and Berna Noll will be available at the HSSR “home office” between 9 am and 9 pm to take payment for sponsor ads, or answer any questions. The one request is that once you have all the content for your best wishes ad, please send just one e-mail, and not three or four e mails, so we make sure everything gets in your ad. Participating schools are asked to forward this attached team football program ad order form to the parents and boosters of your team! Good luck to all teams competing for SCISA football championships this weekend!

By David Shelton Senior Writer Ridgeland – Nearing the end of her second season as head coach, Thomas Heyward Academy volleyball coach Alicia Crosby has her 2024 team in a good place. As the regular season winds down, the focus will turn to the upcoming SCISA state playoffs and the Rebels hope to make a postseason splash. As of Oct. 4, Thomas Heyward was 11-3 on the season. “We look forward to a good showing at state,” Crosby says. “This team has a lot of fight and have worked hard in the offseason in the weightroom. We are faster and stronger.” The volleyball program struggled to field a competitive varsity in recent years but it is rebuilding with good numbers from the middle school program to the varsity. Crosby oversees the middle school and junior varsity teams as well. This year’s varsity roster has only two seniors – captains Brooke Smith and Natalie Amerson . Smith is a key middle blocker while Amerson is an outside hitter. Sophomore Errolyn Smith also works in the middle and is a key performer, while junior Cayleigh Smith is an outside hitter. Working at setter are sophomores Olivia Meador and Abaigail Kidwell . Junior Presley Ballagh is the Libero. Rounding out the 2024 squad are junior Abby Rowell , junior Abigail Hansen , sophomore Cadence Graham , and sophomore Cayden Keiffer . Football Update Another team aiming for a strong playoff run in the football team. The Rebels won four of their first five games, losing only to Williamsburg Academy by two points. The running game continues to excel offensively. Quarterback Tony O’banner has 681 yards rushing and nine touchdowns. He averages 10.8 yards per carry. Colton Young has added nearly 200 yards and Nicholas Robinson is closing in on 300 yards after five games. Eli McLemore is the team’s leading receiver with nine catches. Linebacker Beau Pinckney leads a strong defensive team effort with 43 tackles and six tackles for loss. Angus Crider has tallied 32 tackles and Mitchell White has 36 total hits. Dawson Drew , Kelan Fripp and Josh Gibson also rate as key defensive performers.

Williamsburg Academy QB Micah Balder