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Very Young Dillon Softball Team Focused On Daily Improvement
Billy Baker • March 19, 2025
By Billy G. Baker
Publisher
Dillon—Starting two 7th graders, and two 8th graders, was not in the plans for Dillon head softball coach Stevie Grice as he made plans for the 2025 team. after a 2024 deep play-off run, that saw the Wildcats lose to Aynor, 1-0, in the AAA lower state finals a year ago.
“We had three experienced players decide not to return to the program for various reasons,” said Coach Grice, who also runs a very successful summer travel softball program. “In my four years as the head softball at Dillon this is by far our youngest team.
“We are very young, and we are making way too many errors right now,” said Coach Grice. “We have had very close games with several teams through five innings, or so, and then we give up four runs in the 6th inning like we did against Heritage, Tennessee. In our game against Chesterfield, we are winning 4-3 late in the game and then we give up 8 runs, late in the game when we made six errors that contributed to those unearned runs, and we ended up losing 14-4.
“Our goal is to keep working hard every day in practice, and control the things we can control,” said Coach Grice. “We must shore up our defense, and work on helping the younger players get more comfortable in competition. I realize, with some player departures we have had to throw some 7th and 8th graders in the fire, so to speak. Hopefully, we will be playing our best softball come play-off time.”
After 8 games of the season Dillon is 4-4, despite only having two seniors on the team. The Wildcats have wins over Socastee, Wilson Hall, Carolina Academy and St. Johns out of Washington DC. Their four losses have come against SCISA AAAA champion Laurence Manning, East Clarendon, Heritage Hall of Tennessee, and Chesterfield.
The team is led by senior “Coach on the Field” Cierra Grice, a four-time HSSR all-state selection who is among the most versatile players in South Carolina. Grice is a signee to the softball program at Presbyterian College where her older sister, Logan, is now playing. Cierra was recruited to college as a third baseman and she is also an excellent catcher.
The younger Grice is a six-year member of the team. She is the starting shortstop and currently she is batting 558 including 9 RBI’s and three stolen bases. “No doubt with such a young team Cierra is like our Coach on the Field,” said Coach Grice. “She can play multiple positions and our younger players have relied on her for guidance and even instruction.”
The only other senior on the team is all-region returner McKayla Huggins who is catcher batting .450. Huggins, a commitment to Florence-Darlington Tech is a top catcher behind the plate with a 1,000-fielding percentage to date.
Junior all-region returner MaKenna Meekins has missed a few games with a minor injury and the speedy center fielder is currently batting .500.
When you get past the “Big Three” roll call of Grice, Huggins, and Meekins the youth movement begins.
Sophomore Zoee Chavis is the number one pitcher on the staff having to fill the shoes left behind by graduated record setter Paige Sherman who recently got her first win at Lander University, where she is a freshman. Sherman had 704 K’s in her five- year career at Dillon where she won 75 games and compiled a 1.32 ERA.
“Zoee is getting better with every outing,” said Coach Grice. “She has a good breaking ball and is working on developing other pitches also. In 22.2 innings in the circle this season she has 25 strike-outs and a 0.78 ERA.” Chavis can play second base when she is not pitching.
Haiden Eller is a sophomore part-time starter at first depending on who is pitching. Another sophomore starter is speedy center fielder Ansley Villagomez who is batting .333. Her 9th grade sister, Addison Villagomez, is a reserve catcher.
Kanyla Tanksley, an 8th grade starter in the out-field, who is batting .400 and she leads the team with six stolen bases. Marsiah Bethea is a 7th grader playing in the outfield and batting in the 8- hole. Ashlyn Wallace is a 7th grader starting at third base. Freshman Wanaysia Hughes is starting in right field. Jayla Wright is a 7th grade back-up pitcher.
Madalynn Willis, was just pulled up from the junior varsity and she is seeing action at second base. Emorie Willimson is a 7th grade reserve pitcher and Tristen Dove is a sophomore reserve first-baseman.
Dillon will play at Georgetown on March, 19th, before playing at Green Sea-Floyds the next day. On Friday March, 21st the Wildcats host Waccamaw
Coach Grice is assisted by Will Clark, Twin Lester and Johnna Jones.
LakeCity junior, Na'Shira Starks claiming a rebound against Andrew Jackson in the playoffs.
By Dennis Brunson hssr.com Associate Editor Estill – The seasons didn’t go quite as planned for either of the Patrick Henry Academy basketball teams. However, both boys head coach Claude Terry and girls head coach Anthony Creech had no complaints with the effort put forth by their teams. “Although our record didn’t show it, when we played our best basketball we could play with any team in the league,” said Terry, whose squad posted an 8-16 overall record. As for the season, it was good,” Creech said. “It was our first year playing AAA basketball (moving up because of reclassification), and I thought we did a great job every night. Things didn’t go as planned, but overall, we had a great year.” The Patrick Henry girls went 14-8 on the season, reaching the quarterfinals of the state tournament. They beat Spartanburg Day School 56-39 in the first round before falling to Spartanburg Christian Academy 62-48 in the quarterfinals. Both teams had three players selected to the All-Region 4-AAA teams. Making it for the girls were Lillian Lucas, Laney Futch and Emilee Stanley , while the boys picks were Rowen Croft , Daivon Glover and Mikell Tucker Mathis . Lucas, a senior, led the Patriot girls in scoring with a 15.4 points-per-game average, 3.5 assists and 3.8 steals. She also grabbed 6.2 rebounds a game. Futch, a senior, led in rebounds with a 12.4 average and in blocked shots at 2.2. She also averaged 8.4 points, 2.1 assists and 3.3 steals. Stanley averaged 72 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 2.6 steals. Another key performer for the girls was junior Saquoia Sexton . She averaged 6.7 points and 6.0 rebounds. Croft, a senior, led the PHA boys in scoring at 20.1 to go with 7.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.6 steals. Glover averaged 11.7 points, 2.7 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.4 steals. Mathis led the Patriots in rebounding at 9.5, assists at 3.9 and blocked shots at 1.2. He also averaged 10.9 points. Sophomore Michael Mizzell had a solid season. He averaged 5.6 points and 2.7 rebounds. The PHA boys showed their ability to hang with the top teams in the first round of the state tournament. The Patriots took a 21-win Calhoun Academy to triple overtime before losing 71-68. . “Our seniors and team fought hard with a triple-overtime loss to Calhoun Academy in the first round of the playoffs,” Terry said. “I’m proud of my team.” .
Dillon Christian girls finish 7-17 By Dennis Brunson hssr.com Associate Editor Dillon – The season didn’t go quite the way hoped for by the Dillon Christian School girls basketball team. The Warriors finished just 7-17 overall though they did go 4-4 in SCISA Region 3-AAA. That wasn’t enough to earn a berth in the state tournament. Still head coach Kelly McColl was pleased with the development the team showed from beginning to end. “We lost five from our team from last year (which made the AA state playoffs) and two were starters and key players,” said McColl, who just completed her third season as head coach and is assisted by Bridget Elvington and Sidney Harrelson . “We started off out season slow, having to learn each other all over again. They improved greatly over the season and it has been fun to watch. “We moved up to AAA this season so we knew the competition would be tougher, but they have proved they can compete with them. Offensively and defensively, they’ve grown and working more collectively as a team than in past seasons.” The three returning starrers were Lily King , Chloe Powell and Braylin Carter . King, a senior who McColl called her best shooter, averaged 7.5 points per game and led the team in assists. Powell, also a senior, averaged 5.4 points. Carter, a sophomore post player, led in scoring at 12.6 points and was also the leading rebounder. The other two starters were freshman Shelby Dial , who averaged 2.9 points, and senior Molly Andrews , who averaged 1.7 points. Key reserves off the bench were eighth-graders Alyana Locklear ad Fraley Britt . Locklear averaged 4.4 points. The other member of the team was sophomore Lila English . STONE, OUTLAR BOYS BASKETBALL ALL-REGION PICKS Seniors Thompson Stone and Jackson Outlar were selected to the All-Region 4 boys basketball team. Both also played in the SCISA North-South All-Star Game. Stone led the Warriors in scoring at 20.7 while averaging 4.7 in rebounds, assists and steals. Outlar averaged 20.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.9 steals. DCS finished with an 11-16 record but made the state tournament. The Warriors lost to Spartanburg Day School 76-59 in the first round. “Our season this year was derailed a bit by injuries,” said head coach Bo Stone . “We knew going in that depth was a possible issue. We lost starting guard Walker Chavis to a season-ending knee injury five games into the season. Then after Christmas, point guard Thompson Stone missed significant time with high ankle sprains, then went out early in the state tournament with another injury to the other leg. “While he was out, freshman guards McKinnon Sampson , Jordan Blackmon and Gray Easterling filled in admirably, which will help them in the future. With center Jasper McIntyre improving, that gives us four freshmen with significant experience to pair with juniors Reese Bracey and Braxton Cummings .”
By Dennis Brunson hssr.com Associate Editor North Augusta – All in all, it was a pretty good season for the Fox Creek High School boys basketball team. The Predators, in their first season back in AAA due to reclassification after a 2-year hiatus, finished the year with a 19-11 overall record and a 6-2 mark in Region 3, good for second place and a home game in the first round of the state playoffs. To make things even better, Fox Creek advanced to the quarterfinals. It defeated Hanahan 88-54 in the opener before knocking off Orangeburg-Wilkinson 68-59 in the second round. The Predators lost to Loris 57-52 in the quarterfinals. And to put the cherry on top, Fox Creek had two players selected to the South Carolina Basketball Coaches Association AAA All-State team. They are both sophomores, Kobe Sims and Justin Vining . Sims led the Predators in scoring, averaging 17.6 points per game. He also led the team in steals at 2.2 to go along with 1.9 assists and 3.2 rebounds. Vining was the assists leader at 5.0 while scoring at a 13.2 clip and pulling down 5.0 rebounds. He also averaged 1.6 steals. Senior Brelan Baskett was the leading rebounder at 7.4 and was the third double-figure scorer with a 10.2 average. He also averaged 1.4 assists and 1.7 steals. Sophomore Gavin Baskett just missed out on being in double figures with a 9.4 average. Senior Montez Tillman averaged 4.4 rebounds and 2.5 points in 29 games. JENNINGS, KRYSTALOWYCH GIRLS BASKETBALL ALL-REGION PICKS Jada Jennings and Maya Krystalowych , a pair of sophomores, were selected to the All-Region 3 girls basketball team. Jennings averaged 10.2 points and 4.9 rebounds Krystalowych led the Predators in rebounding with a 10.9 average while scoring at a 7.3 clip. She also averaged a team high 3.2 blocked shots Freshman Mia Price led Fox Creek in scoring with a 10.6 average and in assists at 2.4. Freshman Mariah Price averaged 5.0 points and 2.3 assists. The Predators finished 9-14 overall and 4-4 in region play. They lost to Hanahan in the first round of the playoffs by a 45-39 count. Head coach Aaron Ray sees the season as a positive step forward for his young squad, which had no seniors and just one junior. “We didn’t have a perfect season, but we grew, we fought and we laid the foundation,” Ray said. “Next season, we build on it -- stronger, smarter and hungrier.”
Dymond's 3 hits leads 17-hit attack as Lady Saints win series 2-1
By Dennis Brunson hssr.com Associate Editor Laurens – The future certainly looks bright for the Laurens Academy girls basketball team. The Crusaders, who played for the SCISA AA state championship in their first season in the classification, will return all three players who were selected to the All-Region 4-AA team. That includes a Player of the Year who has five years of eligibility remaining. Seventh-grader Braylee Burke was selected as the Region Player of the Year. She averaged 11.5 points per game and connected on 60 3-point shots during Laurens’ 18-8 season. Joining Burke on the All-Region team were junior Madisyn Graham and freshman Mackenzie Runyans . Graham, the team captain who head coach Jason Marlett calls a versatile defensive player, averaged 5.5 rebounds and 3.5 points. Runyan, who Marlett describes as an excellent defensive guard, averaged 5.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 3.0 steals All three played for the North squad in the AA girls SCISA North-South All-Star Game. Marlett said his inexperienced squad exceeded his expectations. “After losing 90 percent of our scoring and eight players off of last year’s team, I was very proud of how our players worked hard to improve and compete all season long,” Marlett said. “We have a young team who adjusted to varsity basketball well and improved their defense each week. “They have grown up together at Laurens Academy and are multisport athletes. With come-from-behind wins in the state quarterfinals and semifinals, they showed their will to compete. We were able to secure our third region championship in a row and first in Class 2A. We have an outstanding group of ladies who are fun to coach, and I am excited to see how they grow and develop into the future.” The Crusaders opened the state tournament with a 49-43 triumph over Charleston Collegiate in the quarterfinals. That was followed by a 44-43 victory over Dorchester Academy in the semifinals. Laurens lost to Cross Schools , the defending Class A state champion, 45-29 in the championship game . Sadie Bruyere led the Crusaders with 10 points. Burke finished with nine, all on 3s, Abby Howard had four, Graham three, Runyans two and Caroline Robinson one. Bruyere and Howard wee selected to the All-Tournament team. VAUGHAN, BURKE PLAY IN NORTH-SOUTH BOYS GAME Braydon Burke and Garrison Vaughan were selected to play for the North squad in the AA boys North-South Game. Burke and Vaughan are both juniors. The Crusaders went 7-18 on the season. The seniors on the roster were Garrett Murphy and Tristan Bates .
By Dennis Brunson hssr.com Associate Editor Columbia – The South Carolina High School League crowned its first ever girls wrestling state duals champion on Championship Saturday on February 8 at Dreher High School . And the winner was …? Rock Hill , which beat Greenwood 46-36. The first ever AAAAA Division I and AAAAA Division II champions were crowned as well. Carolina Forest beat Boiling Springs 42-31 to claim the DI crown, while Fort Mill edged Lugoff-Elgin 33-28 for the DII title. May River rallied from a 35-11 deficit to beat Laurens 36-35 for the AAAA championship, West-Oak won the AAA crown with a 58-12 triumph over Aynor , and Chester beat Buford 65-17 for the AA-Class A title. Girls: Rock Hill 46, Greenwood 36 Rock Hill head coach Cain Beard and his Bearcats had been waiting for the opportunity for a long time. This is something that the girls and I have been working toward for the last five years,” Beard said. “We started our girls program during the 2019-2020 season with six girls. It has grown tremendously over the course of the last few years. This season we had 16 girls on our roster. We have several girls coming from our middle schools so I am excited about the future of the program.” Winning matches for RH were Maggie Cogar at 130 pounds, Braylon Adams (135), Alyciah Thomas (145), Riley Faris (170), Brismar Velazquez (190), Kamyla Torres (100), Sirenity Davis (105) and Jenger Rhodes (120). Rock Hill has had singles champions before, but this is something different. “What makes this year different and even more special is that all of our girls got to be a part of the playoff run to win the first ever state dual team title,” said Beard of the 16-team tournament. “From our best girls to our least experienced, all of the girls got to feel what it is like to be the very best wrestling team in their state. That feeling will stay with them for the rest of their lives.” 5A Division 1: Carolina Forest 42, Boiling Springs 31 Carolina Forest finished with a 30-4 overall record in winning the first boys state title in any sport in school history. “It means the world to me,” Panthers head coach Matthew Perdue said. “We were the first ever boys team to win a state title for our school, so it was a big deal, not just for us, but for our whole school. It was on my bucket list so getting one early in my coaching career. was awesome. “We knew this year could be the one. We were returning all 14 starters from the previous year.” Winning matches for CF were Joseph Britt (106), Isaac Demedeiras (113), Calvin Grover (126), Amarius Johnson (138), Josh Brown (144), Preston Crone (150), Brody Bailey (157) and Marshall Deforest (165). 5A Division II: Fort Mill 33, Lugoff-Elgin 28 Fort Mill won its third straight state title with the triumph over Lugoff-Elgin. To get to that match though, the Yellow Jackets ended Eastside’s run of nine consecutive state titles in the semifinals. “Although beating Eastside was a major accomplishment, beating Lugoff Elgin for a third state championship was bigger for our program,” said FM head coach Adam Marullo. “ We knew that both matches would be a challenge, and I have the upmost respect for both coaches and programs. “There was concern about keeping the team focused after beating the 9-time defending champion Eastside. It was such a big win and our kids were so excited, I had to immediately remind them that beating Eastside wasn't our goal, winning another state championship was.” Ted Ernst (215), Jon DaSilva (285), Lucas Van Beynum (113), Cole Wartinger (120), Tucker Gibson (126), Lincoln Greene (138), Jayden Nguyen (144) and Vincent Damico (157) were victorious for FM. AAAA: May River 36, Laurens 35 May River won the final five matches to score 25 points and beat Laurens by a point for its first ever wrestling state title. Beau Gwynn won by technical fall at 285 for five points as did Stephano Caderlon at 106. Ryan Seman at 113 and Marcus Foulk at 120 both won by pins for six points apiece to cut the lead to 35-33. Liam Engblom won by decision at 126 for three points that gave MR the title. Other winners for May River were Danon White (132) and Josh Echeverria (190). AAA: West-Oak 58, Aynor 12 West-Oak won the first six matches for a 27-0 lea and never looked back as it won its fourth consecutive title. “Winning a state title is not something you take for granted,” said West-Oak head coach Derek Strobel. “Each one is special. Each team has to face different challenges that the other teams didn’t. It means a lot to this team to win it because they had to prove themselves. We lost a lot of seniors from last year that you just can’t replace. Our newer guys had to step in and make a name for themselves. “Winning four in a row is an amazing feat. something that hasn’t been done at West-Oak before. These guys really bought in to the system and trusted the coaches. Hopefully we can keep the streak going.” Picking up victories for West-Oak were Marcus Thaxton (144), Sy Strobel (150), John Canfield (157), Gatlin Greer (165), Wyatt Saxon (175), Gage Ballard (190), Gunner Mease (106), Luke McLane (113), Peyton Durham (120), Cason Loven (126) and A.J. DeLaCruz (132). AA-CLASS A: Chester 65, Buford 17 Having lost in the Upper State finals to West-Oak the last two seasons, Chester took advantage of West-Oak’s move to AAA to win its first ever wrestling state crown. “Winning the state title was the next step in our program,” said Cyclones head coach Dennis Jensen “We made the Upper State finals the last two years and lost to West Oak and returned all but two kids this season. It was a historic accomplishment for the school as this is only the second male team state title in the last 40-plus years.” Winning for Chester were Travis James (106), Eduardo De Paz (113), Andre Hall (120), Raheem Rambert (126), Jakobe Starks Wright (138), Omari Pendergrass (144), ZyTavious Whitlock (157, Darriyarn Baxley (165), Eris Steele (175, Zion Carson (190) and Jayren Holly (285).
By Neill Kirkpatrick Special to the HSSR Varnville – The Hampton County Hurricanes won their second consecutive region championship in as many years as they finishes year two and the first year under new Head Coach Joshua James with a 20-6 record and 9-1 in region 5 AA. They advanced into the third round of the class AA playoffs losing in overtime to Andrew Jackson 59-54. “My style of play is more up-tempo offense and on defense I want my guys to be in your face. I think the team adjusted to my style of coaching very well and they got better every day. I’m very intense coach and I want my team to play with intensity on both ends of the court. We want to come out and win the first four minutes of the game,” said coach Jones. The Hurricanes will lose their two senior captains in Andre Williams and Joe Gittings but they will return their entire starting five. Williams and Gittings provided leadership and depth to the Hurricane lineup. Coach James returning five starter are Darius Brooks, Jaylen Singletary, Jaquan Solomon , and Desmond Mathis and forward Tyler Davis . Brooks was named to the AA all state team after averaging 17.7 points per game to lead the Hurricanes. He was second the team from behind the arc with 31 made threes. “Darius has been tremendous all year in leading the team. He can play the 1,2 or 3. He is one of the best guards in the state in my opinion,” coach Jones said. Solomon and Davis also averaged in double figures for the Hurricanes at 11.9 and 11 points per game, respectively. Solomon led the team in three’s with 50 while Davis did his damage in the paint. Davis led the team in rebounding with 93. Singletary and Mathis were demons on the defensive end for coach James as they combined for 74 steals. Singletary led the team in blocks with 8. “We are ahead of schedule with this team and we had a good year. I am excited for next year with the group I have returning but we’ll see if they are ready to put in the work to get better,” coach Jones said.
Goose Creek's junior all-state guard Ja’Quell Brown.
By David Shelton Senior Writer Little River – While it is true that the North Myrtle Beach baseball program lost a huge chunk of production from last year’s 26-4 team, veteran head coach Brian Alderson fully expects his 2025 team to be very competitive. Tradition, as they say, never graduates and Alderson has established a winning culture within the program. Alderson entered this season with 176 wins since taking over the program in 2015.The Chiefs have been among the top teams in AAAA the last two seasons, posting 48 wins. “The hope is that our success will carry over with the new, younger guys,” Alderson said. “I think we’re to a point where we can always expect to be competitive against any team we play. But this team is inexperienced in a few areas and we need to grow and develop as we go. But it’s a hard-working group and they have some pride.” Two key returning players this spring are senior catcher CJ Oxendine and junior shortstop Sawyer Smith . Oxendine, a Virginia Tech commit, is a tremendous offensive threat while also rating as one of the top defensive catchers in the state. He hit .545 a year ago and has picked up the same pace in the early part of this season. “He’s our dude,” Alderson says. “Brings it all in every single game, He loves to play and he’s a real competitor.” Smith is a third-year starter at short and verbally committed to North Carolina as a freshman. He is very sound defensively and should be a consistent hitter. He also will see time on the mound. On the mound is where the Chiefs were hit hardest. None of the top four arms are back this spring so there will be a host of new performers getting their shot. In addition to Smith, junior left-hander Gabriel Priest will be a frontline starter. “Both can pitch and pitch well,” Alderson said. “We just didn’t need them as much last year because of who we had. We will need them to produce for us this year. We have some others who will need to step up and fill various roles as well.” Joining Smith as a returner in the middle infield is senior second baseman Asa Board , who is off to a good start offensively this season. Priest will be working at first base while Sophomore Payton Gallup is working at third. Gallup also has gotten off to a solid start at the plate. Gabe Kuznik and Connor Helmicki are slated to start in the outfield. Other team members who will fill various roles include Fisher Nichols, Luke Breeden, Nate O’Connor, Kaden Lank, Noah Nance, Campbell Kingston, Porter Anglin, Jake Frick, Trevor Mitchell, Brown Reaves, Andrew Muncy and Espen Thomas. Alderson says this year’s offensive approach will have to be disciplined and must execute. “We have to manufacture our runs, move runners, steal bases, play small ball,” the coach says. “We have some that are capable hitters but overall that won’t be a strength. We have to be creative in our approach. If we pitch and play defense, we will have enough offense to give us a chance to compete.” With a move up to AAAAA, things will be a little different this spring but the region will consist of all Myrtle Beach area schools. St. James, Carolina Forest and Conway have been two of the better teams in AAAAA and will be in the new region as well, along with Myrtle Beach and Socastee. “We have played a lot of them in the past so we know the competition will be heavy every night,” Alderson said.
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