White Knoll Softball overcoming loss of senior hitter; baseball struggles

By Neill Kirkpatrick Special to the HSSR Moncks Corner – St. John’s Christian Academy has gotten off to a solid start to the season at 8-5/4-2 and sits comfortably in playoff position as they head into their final three games of the season with two of the games against teams they could meet once the SCISA playoffs start in Orangeburg Prep and Williamsburg Academy . The third is against SCISA class A perennial power Holly Hill Academy . Fortunately Head coach Stewart Pierce has a veteran group that understands what it takes to be successful to make a deep run in the playoffs. “This a veteran group with seven seniors that have played a lot of baseball,” said coach Pierce. “We have worked hard to correct the little mistakes and we are playing our best baseball at the right time.” Seniors Mason Ritter , Tyler Black and Sumpter Moorer have been the leaders of the team this season at the plate, in the field and on the bump. Moore leads the team in hits with 19, runs scored with 13, RBI’s with 8 and has hit for the cycle with three doubles, two triples and the teams lone round tripper. He also has stolen six bases. He has been just as impressive when he has taken the hill. He is 1-0 with a 1.14 era in eight appearance (team high) and leads the Cavs with three saves. Black and Ritter are tied for the team lead in wins with three each. Black has a 1.68 era and leads the team with 45 strikeouts in 33 innings of work. He is hitting .300 with five RBI’s. Ritter is 3-3 with a 2.17 era to go with 36 strikeouts in 26.2 innings of work. Teams have a .236 on base percentage against him. Senior Landon Chipman is second on the team in most offensive categories. He is currently hitting .317 with 13 hits on the year. He is also second in stolen bases with eight. He has been solid at second base with a .951 fielding percentage and only two errors in 41 chances. Lucas Morrison leads the team in stolen bases with 9. He continues to improve in other aspects of the game and is playing his best baseball as the playoffs near. Junior catcher Jacob Glover has been outstanding behind the plate this season. He has two errors in a 111 chances for a .982 fielding percentage but his biggest value is how he has handles the pitchers.

By David Shelton Senior Writer Hilton Head – The casual high school soccer fan may have taken strong notice when the Hilton Head Prep girls soccer team opened the 2025 season with three straight losses against a highly competitive early schedule. Veteran coach Risa McMillan , however, has felt her team is capable of winning a third consecutive SCISA Class AAA state championship. As of April 7, the Dolphins had won four of their last five games to even their record at 4-4. All is well. McMillan, in her 12 th season at Prep and her 23 rd in coaching overall, feels she has a team with the right makeup to make another run at the title. While there are a lot of underclassmen playing key roles, the talent and playing experience is evident. “This team has experience and great chemistry,” the coach said. “A lot of these girls have been playing together for many years, both at club level and at Prep. We have great cohesiveness. We should definitely contend for the state title again.” Senior leadership is another strength of the 2025 team. Leading the way this spring are three veteran seniors – Courtney Campbell, Callah Dando and Layla Esquivel . “They are very vocal and they help with the less-experienced players on the team,” McMillan said, Dando, who has signed to play at Furman, is one of the program’s all-time leading scorers. She tallied seven goals with three assists in the first eight contests. Dando scored 34 goals with 29 assists last season and tallied 25 goals with 18 assists as a sophomore.  Campbell, a fourth-year varsity performer and an all-state volleyball and basketball player, scored six goals with six assists early on while Esquivel scored five goals with two assists. Sophomore Brooke Heins starts in goal and is one of the best keepers in SCISA. Defenders in the back include freshman Alexa Pallazo, sophomore Ava Zeolli , freshman Marisa Moira and freshman Zoe Hays. Joining Campbell in the midfield are juniors Riley Wilbert, Helen Kerkow and Sophia Schlieman. Kerkow and Wilbert have scored three goals early on. Millie Pulliam , the teams fourth senior, comes off the bench. Other juniors on the roster include Madeline Schlieman, Ellie Lorenz, Mabry Sutton and Samantha Rehling . Rounding out the team roster are freshmen Giovanna Franco, Katie Deweerd and Lysa Brattin.

By Neill Kirkpatrick Special to the HSSR Hemingway – Class A sports are always tricky when it comes to team numbers no matter what sport is in season especially at schools like Hemingway where it is a challenge sometime to field a team and in track and field the issues usually how many events will your team be able to compete in at each meet. The Tigers track and field team is small in numbers but they have some very competitive athletes that work hard every day to get better. They are also young and hungry for success with all them being underclassmen. Leading the girls team is do everything junior Elisha Singletary. In her career she has thrown the Javelin, long jumped, ran the 100, 100 hurdles and the 200 for the Tigers. She is also an all-region volleyball and basketball player. Junior Shakiya Cooper is the Tigers top sprinter. She recently placed second at Carvers Bay meet in the 100 meter. She also runs the 200 and the 400. Kennedi Hayward and Leanna Washington are freshmen and Jaela Lewis is a seventh grader who run the 100, 200 and 400 meters The hurdles (100 and 400) are in good hands with eighth grader Honesty Anderson who also runs the open 400. Junior Zaniya Woods, junior Terriana Turne r and eighth graders Shaesha Turner and Jasmir Taylor handle the throwing events and continue to improve each meet. Two juniors lead the boys team in Akiem Holman and Alexander Timmons. Holman runs the 400 meters and long jumps for the Tigers while Timmons is the top 100-meter man. Deandre Cooper and Daveon Gamble are eighth graders that are making an impact in the 100 and 200. Cooper just posted another personal best at the Hannah Pamlico meet with a time 12.94.  Cayden Hannah is a sixth grader that has shown he can compete at the varsity level already and if he continues to improve he will be a youngster to watch in the coming years.

By Neill Kirkpatrick Special to the HSSR Denmark – The Vikings are coming off back-to-back region 4A championships and second round playoff appearances but since the end of last season there have been a couple changes in Denmark; one they have a new coach in Xzavier Goldsmith and they have moved to the lower state in realignment but their goals have not. Coach Goldsmith has a veteran squad returning with some of the top athletes at Denmark-Olar at his disposal so his expectations are to continue to build Vikings soccer. “My expectations coming into my first year as the new head soccer coach at Denmark Olar is to build a team first organization and to build off the success of the previous outstanding years..” said Goldsmith. “I feel that we can compete well in the region if play fundamental soccer and compete to the whistle blows. We play some great teams and accomplish programs so we are ready for the challenge.” The Vikings are definitely holding their own as they are 5-4 overall and 2-3 in region 4A play. They have shut outs on the year and are solid position to earn another trip to the play offs. They have three region contest left and a match with another play off bound A team in region 3A Horse Creek Academy. The Vikings are led by seniors in Terence Hinton, Robert Bovain, Tykeem Ross, Reginald Youmans, Carlos Johnson, Charleston Brown, and Amari Keller . Bovain, a striker, is the top returning scorer for the Vikings. He tallied nine goals and seven assists for a total of 25 points. He was named all region last season and recently hoisted the class A State Basketball championship trophy. Hinton missed last season with an injury. “Agent Zero” as he is known as on the football field was the Vikings top scorer as a sophomore while earning all-region honors. He looks to pick up where he left. He was recently named All State in basketball by the HSSR and the South Carolina Basketball Coaches Association. Keller and Johnson showed they could put the ball in the back of the net last season. Keller scored five goals and had 11 points on the year while Johnson scored three goals. Ross and Brown are imposing figures on the pitch as both weigh over 220lbs a rarity in the beautiful game. They have been solid on the pitch. Ross joined Hinton on the HSSR class A all state basketball team after being named all state in football in the fall. Youmans is the teams keeper. Last season he stopped 116 shots on goal and has three shutouts. He has had three shutouts so far this season. The rest of the Vikings starting lineup are Kenneth Hanberry, Josh Tackett, Geontae Staley, and Nyheeem Brimfield. Brimfield could the next star athlete at Denmark Olar. He started at QB and played a significant role on the basketball as a freshmen.

By Billy G. Baker Publisher Spartanburg —The Spartanburg Day Griffins golf team, under the direction of head coach Travis Linder, are heavily favored to win their SCISA region tournament to be held on April 21 st at the Village Green Golf Course, and one week later, the Griffins are expected to compete very well at the SCISA AAA Golf State Championships to be held once again on the Hackler Course in Myrtle Beach. “We had only two head-to-head matches this Spring because we mainly competed in big tournaments involving larger public schools,” said Coach Linder. “Our best showing so far was in the Spartanburg County Invitational where we competed very well against 14 other teams, including schools like Dorman , Spartanburg , and Gaffney . In the Spartanburg County event, junior Matthew Roff , playing in the number one slot for the Griffins, placed fourth over-all with a round of 75, earning him a spot on the All-tournament team. Eighth grade golfer Kingston Linder was 11 th over-all at the Spartanburg County event when he fired a 77 and just missed earning a spot on the all-tournament team. In most golf matches, or tournaments, a team enters five golfers and the top four scores count. The team’s lone senior is Carter Boyd and he shot a 78 at the Spartanburg County event. Other participants in the county event included 7 th grade golfer Will Miller and freshman Ben Brown . Brown usually shoots in the mid-80’s and he has been on the team for three seasons. Reid Hines is a talented 7 th grader who is the on the varsity team also. The team also participated in the Rebel Invitational hosted by Byrnes High earlier this Spring. The Griffins finished 14th over-all in that event. The top four scorers in that event included Will Miller (82), Kingston Linder (83), Ben Brown (85) and AK Milner (87). The focus now is the upcoming region championship match against region foes First Presbyterian Academy and Spartanburg Christian, scheduled for the Village Green Golf course on April, 21 st . “We will start ramping up our practices to include two 18-hole rounds a week, when at the start of the season we played a lot of 9-hole practice rounds,” said Coach Linder. “These two 18-hole rounds help us determine player seedings for both the region tournament, and if we win the region, we go to state so these matches during the week help us place the players one through for five based on how they are playing at the time. “We are favored to win the region and I was not the head coach last year but I think the team placed third in the SCISA AAA state finals last year,” said Coach Linder. “I think that Matthew Roff’s father told me his son will be playing on the Hackler Course for the 5 th straight year, so being a senior, he will likely play at number one, if we advance to the finals after region as we expect to.” Last year the Griffins shot a team composite of 581 to finish third behind first place Hilton Head Prep (581) and second place Hilton Head Christian (588). Five golfers represent each team and they play two back-to-back 18-hole rounds on consecutive days with the top four lowest scores counting in the team totals. Two golfers return this year to the Griffins who played in the state finals last year. Roff shot 76-80-156 and Boyd shot 78-81-159 last year in the state finals. “In the state finals in May it is usually hot weather, so we start working on our stamina by playing more 18-hole practice rounds later in the season,” said Coach Linder. “Those last six holes on a hot day can be difficult if you do not prepare for them. “I feel like if this young group of golfers stick together, we have the foundation to compete for state championships in the near future,” said Coach Linder. Coach Linder also wanted to cite the talents of two up and coming junior varsity golfers in the Spartanburg Day program. They are 7 th grader Jack Langley and 8 th grader Tab Connor .

Timberland's Kevin Snwoden on the track.

By David Shelton Senior Writer Cross – With the Class A state track and field meet just a month away, the athletes at Cross High are working hard to be at their peak when the most important meet of the year arrives. Cross has put in a lot of work this spring, competing in several large meets against bigger schools. The hope is that the competition is helping the Trojans improve and see what it takes to be a champion. Cross competed in the Berkeley County track meet, meets at Cane Bay and Timberland, and will have a meet at Woodland on April 23. A lot can happen over the final month of the regular season but it would appear that several athletes will qualify for the state meet. A true state championship contender is Caden Ramsey , a junior three-sport star at the school. Ramsey has earned all-state honors in football and basketball and would like add a gold medal in track. Ramsey’s best event is the 400 meter run where he finished third overall in a highly-competitive Berkeley County track meet. Jonathan Bradley also runs the 400 while William Grant is the top sprinter in the 100 and 200. Corinthian Wilson and Ashton Geathers also work in the sprints. Micah Dukes has been running the 800 and competing in the long jump. Bernard Middleton and Jerry Sweatman are working in the hurdles while Que Taylor and Jeremiah Grant are running the 1600. Jailyn Broughton and Marquis Pringle are tops in the discus while David Wigfall and Dakari President have been best in the shot put. Lavell Joyner has competed well on the long jump and Preston Fuller was fourth in the county meet in the pole vault. Throwing the javelin are Andrew Black and Martrell Forbes . On the girls team, working in the sprints are T aLancia Fuller, Michayla Bennett and Talea Small . Running in the 400 is Aaliyah Davis . In the throws, Caylee Bradley and Abigail Ingram are working the discus and shot put while Tamia McCray is throwing the shot put as well. Competing in the javelin are Milan Davis and Laura Campbell . Davis also has been throwing the discus.

By David Shelton Senior Writer James Island – With the SCISA state playoffs just around the corner, now is the time for athletes and teams to hit their peak level of performance. That’s the goal for the spring sports athletes at First Baptist School as several teams look forward to a postseason opportunity. Both of the First Baptist varsity soccer teams have posted winning seasons to date. The regular season will conclude in less than two weeks. The boys team is in position to claim a region championship if they can finish strong. As of April 13, the Hurricanes were 8-2 overall with a 3-1 record in region play. That lone defeat came to rival Porter-Gaud, 2-1, and the Hurricanes get a rematch on April 22. First Baptist also has two key region contests remaining with Pinewood Prep on April 15 and April 24. Most of the 2025 roster is comprised of underclassmen. In fact, 10 of the rostered players are either sophomores or freshmen. The team has solid senior leadership, however, and those seniors are key factors. The seniors include goalkeeper Thomas Sanders , defenders Parker Thomas and Joshua McClain , and midfielders MacLain Luke and Camp Oliver . The girls soccer team won seven of their first 12 matches and appear headed for a third-place finish in the very competitive region that is controlled by Porter-Gaud and three-time defending state champion Pinewood Prep. Senior Fynn Domrese is the team’s leading goal scorer with 12 tallies, including a hat trick in a win over Northwood Academy. Sophomore Reese Tipton has seven goals and six assists while sophomore Britton Lempesis has a pair of goals. Like the boys team, the girls roster is very young with Domrese the only senior. She and junior midfielder Wells Griffin are the team captains. First Baptist recently restarted the softball program. The program was a dominant winner in the 1990’s but faded as the game changed to fast pitch. The program has a rebirth under coach Katelyn Powell , a former all-state player at Northwood Academy. There were teams dating to 2000-01 but not every season. Interest appears high as the school is fielding a b-team and a junior varsity team this spring. First Baptist has experienced some success with four victories early on. Some of the key players this season include Trissa Medlin, Addison Townsend, Bailey Millemad, Lulu Mayo and Izzie Tracy. The boys golf team is preparing for the SCISA state tournament in late April. Members of that team include sophomore Graham Edwards , junior Bates Walpole , freshmen Jack Finuca n, Slate Shope , William Askins , Elijah Crawford and Banks Cordray ; eighth-grader Tucker Mappus and sixth-grader Will Mappus . The baseball team sits in second-place in the region standings, posting a 12-6-1 overall record as of April 14. The Hurricanes have three region losses, all to Pinewood Prep, with a key three-game series with Porter-Gaud at the end of the regular season.

Lady 'Cats gearing up for another run at SCISA AAAA state title