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Johnsonville looking to build on last year’s success in athletics

By David Shelton

Staff Writer

Johnsonville – No community in South Carolina takes their high school sports any more serious than the fans of Johnsonville High School.

While football is certainly king in the Palmetto State, and in the Pee Dee town of Johnsonville, all sports are important and well-supported.

Athletic director Lewis Lineberger also serves as the school’s head football coach. Football is his top priority during the fall of the year but Lineberger says success in all sports is something he strives for each year.

“In a small town like Johnsonville, success in sports at our school is very important and it serves as a rallying point for our community,” said Lineberger. “We have good crowds at all of our sporting events. People here love sports. As the football coach, I think it’s important that we do well but we strive to do the best we can in every sport. All of our sports get a lot of support from our community.”

Annually, Johnsonville is one of the more consistent programs across the board in class A athletics. If the Flashes aren’t winning state titles, they are almost always competing for region champions and participating in the post-season.

Johnsonville enjoyed plenty of success during the 2009-10 school year. The highlight of the year came during spring when the girl’s track team captured the class A state title with a remarkable and dominating performance in the state meet.

Coach Stevie Phillips, who doubles as Johnsonville’s principal, guided the Lady Flashes to their 12th state championship in girl’s track by scoring a class A record 142 points. Johnsonville’s 12 state titles is the most in state history.

“Of all the titles we have won, this was the most impressive, the most dominating performance I have ever seen,” said Phillips after this team’s victory.

Also during the spring, Johnsonville’s baseball team made a run at the state title. Johnsonville won the region title and district championship before losing a pair of one-run games to Bamberg-Ehrhardt in the lower state championship series.

Head coach Scott Cook will return next spring and should have another title contender.

The volleyball team made the state playoffs and captured the lower state championshp before losing in the state championship match to Southside Christian.

The volleyball team will have a new coach this fall as assistant Barry Triplett takes over. Triplett replaces coach Tracie Lebherz, who coached the last three years.

The girl’s tennis team, coached by Paige Gaster, finished second in the region and made the state playoffs last season.

The girl’s basketball team, coached by Dennis Miles, won the region and advanced to the second round of the lower state playoffs.

Harris Avant is the boy’s basketball coach and led a young team through a rebuilding season last winter.

Randy Willis guided the softball team into the state playoffs and the lady Flashes won one playoff game.

Brian Welch led the golf team to a 17th-place finish in the class A state meet.

Lineberger will lead the football team once again this fall, needing one win to reach 200 for his career. Assisting on the football staff are Avant (running backs, defensive end, linebackers), Cook (receivers, defensive backs), Welch (quarterbacks) and Denton Graves (offensive and defensive line, strength coach).

“We lost some outstanding seniors from last year’s team but we have more speed and we’re more athletic,” said Lineberger.

 

 

stakes.
    "We don't have to say much about it in terms of getting our kids fired up to play," said the coach. "We do have to maintain focus and really concentrate on executing and playing well. We have to treat it like the next game on the schedule."
    Lineberger says Hemingway presents many challenges for his team.
    "They're really good and they probably have the best athletes in the region," he said. "They have tremendous quickness and speed on both sides of the ball. They always seem to have speed but this might be the fastest team they've ever had."
    The Flashes are coming off a bye week, which they needed badly as several players were nursing injuries and fighting the flu in recent weeks.
    Johnsonville hopes to control the football offensively with a balanced running attack. Kendrick Williams has rushed for 875 yards and seven touchdowns while Jazz Burgess has gained 559 yards and scored five times.
    Anchoring the offensive line are Matt Kelly, Brandon Carter and Tyler Watts.
    Defensively, the senior leader is linebacker Adam Baxley, who leads the team with 55 tackles and five sacks. Jess Rhames also has five sacks. James Allen Howell has three interceptions, while Williams and Wes McCutcheon each have two picks this season.

 

Flashes seek to rebound from tough loss

By David Shelton
Consulting Managing Editor
    Johnsonville - A bruised, battered and ill Johnsonville High football team faces a crucial region contest this week as they battle Green Sea-Floyds.
    The Flashes are trying to bounce back from last week's 28-26 loss to Lake View that would have put the Flashes in first-place all alone. Johnsonville head coach Lewis Lineberger says his team must dig deep to get through this week.
    "We're battling the sickness pretty bad right now and we're doing the best we can do," said Lineberger from his home on Tuesday as he attempted to get well himself. "We have to keep going and bounce back. We have to dig deep and find a way to compete on Friday night. It's probably the most important game of the year.
    "Green Sea-Floyds is the type team that gives people trouble. They have speed and they run the wing-t and we have a lot to prepare for."
    Lineberger says his team must also get ready mentally, bouncing back from a disappointing loss. The Flashes dropped to 4-2 on the season with the loss to Lake View. The game was delayed several times due to lightening and did not finish until after midnight.
    Johnsonville scored late in the game and appeared to tie the game on a two-point conversion run but the officials ruled the runner down before the ball reached the endzone.
    "It was a tough call to go against us," said Lineberger. "Our kids played their hearts out. Both teams did. We had four or five kids out sick but the one's that could play gave it all they had. It's frustrating to play so hard and come up just a little short but that's football. We have to bounce back."
    Running backs Jazz Burgess and Kendrick Williams led the way offensively last week. Williams rushed for 158 yards and two touchdowns and Burgess added 104 yards and two scores.
    Offensive linemen Matt Kelly, Daniel Lowrimore and Brandon Carter posted winning grades up front. Zach Cannon had two receptions for 44 yards.
    Defensively, the Flashes were without leading tackler Adam Baxley, but Lineberger praised the play of Burgess in the secondary, Taylor Strickland and James Allen Howell.