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Lugoff-Elgin moving to AAAA; hires new coaches for coming year

By David Shelton

Staff Writer

Lugoff – Due to increased enrollment numbers, Lugoff-Elgin High School is making the move up from class AAA to AAAA this fall.

Athletic director Scott Jones realizes the task of staying on a competitive level is a big one but he anticipates the athletes and coaches taking on the job with full force.

“The region alignment is a little tough because we’re in one region for football and another region for all the other sports but it’s something we will get adjusted to,” said Jones. “We played in a tough region in AAA in all sports so we’ll be ready for the AAAA programs. You can’t convince me that we’ll see any better athletes than what we saw in AAA with the people we played. We have good facilities and great support and we’re coming off a pretty successful year. We’re looking forward to the challenges ahead.”

Lugoff-Elgin did have a solid athletic year in 2009-10. The highlight of the year was state championship efforts from the wrestling and baseball teams. Most other sports were competitive within the region and several made state playoff appearances.

Jones says the program will have a few new coaches for the coming year. In basketball, boy’s coach Calvin McRoy is stepping down but will continue to assist on the football staff. McRoy will be replaced by former Lugoff-Elgin star Derek Belton, who played several sports as a Blue Demon in the late ‘90’s.

“Derek has been on our staff here for a few years and has coached football and we feel like he will do a great job with the basketball program,” said Jones.

Taking over the cheerleading program this fall is Jessica McIntyre. Diana Henn will coach girl’s cross country this fall and Jones is trying to fill an opening in boy’s cross country.

Returning to coach girl’s soccer next spring is Jennifer Tyree. Back to coach the boy’s soccer team is Matt Brosius.

Zoe Dommel will coach girl’s tennis this fall and Susan Morris returns as the volleyball coach. Evan Moxie heads up the wrestling program and Von Duncan is the girl’s basketball coach.

Randy Stokes is the school’s baseball coach and the 2010 High School Sports Report AAA Coach of the Year. Mike Robinson is the golf coach and Mark Wade is the school’s strength coach.

“We have a few positions to fill but we feel comfortable that we can do that by the time school starts,” said Jones. “Hiring coaches and teachers is not easy these days.”

 

 

a late start, but we're pretty much picked up where we left off last year. This is a fun group to be around and that makes my job a lot easier."
The Demons completed its season sweep of Camden on Dec. 11 at the Bulldogs gym, winning with relative ease, 66-45. L-E got off to a slow start because of poor shooting, but rallied for a 26-18 halftime lead thanks to a 17-6 burst in the second quarter.
Lugoff-Elgin's overall quickness and defensive pressure was simply too much for the rebuilding Bulldogs to deal with.
"We're not tall, but we're real quick. We're at our best when we're pushing the ball on offense and swarming on defense," said McRoy. "Yes, we're off to a nice start, but we played well last year until the end. Maybe our experience will help us this time get over the rough spots that we're sure to encounter along the way."
Last year, the Demons stood at 10-5 overall after opening the Region 4-3A campaign with two wins. A seven-game losing streak doomed the promising season, which ended with a loss to A.C. Flora in a tie-breaking game for the fourth and final region playoff spot.
Senior point guard Jahred Palmer is the man who makes the Demons go. The senior leader, a three-year starter, doesn't score much, but he averaged around eight assists a game last season.
"I've coached some awfully good point guards in my 26 years, but Jahred can do it," said McRoy.
Senior center Shaq Elm and junior small forward Darius Custard and the other returning three-year starters. Elm led the team in scoring last season and was an all-region pick. Senior wing Steven Reed and junior shooting guard Jojo Pellegrino round out the starting lineup. Reed is a three-year letterman, and Pellegrino was a top reserve last season.
Seniors Davonte Alexander, Anthony Myers and Todd Wilson and juniors Rashad Alexander and Tyler Starling are the top reserves. Seniors Julian Baxter, Carlton Baxter and Zach Salmond provided added depth.
Pellegrino paced the Camden sweep win with 20 points and he had double-digit support from Custard and Rashad Alexander, who tallied 12 points apiece. Alexander pumped in 10 points in the key second-quarter move. Pellegrino rang up 19 of his 21 points in the second half.


Loaded Demons set high mat goals again

By John Devlin
Special Writer
Lugoff (11/12/09) Evan Moxie is the new wrestling coach at Lugoff-Elgin, and inherits a well-established, highly successful program that always opens a new campaign with lofty expectations.

Moxie, an Ohio native, wells back the bulk of a varsity team that went 19-4 in dual meets, advanced to the second round of the Class 3A state playoffs and finished fourth in the final team standings at the traditional state tournament that closed out the season.

"We have a very experienced, very talented team, and we are looking forward to making a deep run in the playoffs," said Moxie.

Last season, the Demons were surprised by Riverside in the second round, losing 33-32. It marked the first time since 1996 that L-E failed to advance to advanced to the final four phase of the 3A playoffs.

Perhaps, the Demons had their attention on taking on mighty Eastside in the Upper State championship round for the seventh year in row instead of the upstart Warriors.

"One of the things I'm stressing is that we can't have all our focus on one team this year," said Moxie. "To win a state championship, we have to be focused on beating all the teams to get there."

L-E loses only four starters from a year ago, including state champion Justin McClester at 125 pounds.

The returning cast features state qualifiers Will Connell, Stephen Boneparte, Alonzo Grant, Will Myers and Max Fowler.

Connell went 42-7 last season and won the 171-pound state title as a sophomore. He could be at 171 again or even at 160 this season.

Boneparte (24-15) had a great run at the state tournament ? finishing third at 160 after finishing fourth at the Upper State qualifier. He could be at 160 or 171 this time around.
Grant, Myers and Fowler all went 1-2 at state and did not place. Grant will move up to either 140 or 145 this season. Myers will jump to 145 or 152 after being at 140 last season. Fowler could stay at 189 again, or maybe move up to 215.

Sophomore T.J. Branham, junior Tony Murphy, sophomore Zack Connell and senior Jonathan McManus are the other returning starters in tow. Branham and Murphy were big winners in the lower weights, but failed to advance to state. Zack Connell, Will's younger brother, had more than 25 wins last season at 145. McManus is back at heavyweight.

Moxie has high hopes for immediate impacts by freshmen Harrison Kruger (140), Derrick Miller (160) and Allen Jenerette (189) - if they can crack the starting lineup, that is.


 

 

h Salmond provided added depth.
Pellegrino paced the Camden sweep win with 20 points and he had double-digit support from Custard and Rashad Alexander, who tallied 12 points apiece. Alexander pumped in 10 points in the key second-quarter move. Pellegrino rang up 19 of his 21 points in the second half.


Loaded Demons set high mat goals again

By John Devlin
Special Writer
Lugoff (11/12/09) Evan Moxie is the new wrestling coach at Lugoff-Elgin, and inherits a well-established, highly successful program that always opens a new campaign with lofty expectations.

Moxie, an Ohio native, wells back the bulk of a varsity team that went 19-4 in dual meets, advanced to the second round of the Class 3A state playoffs and finished fourth in the final team standings at the traditional state tournament that closed out the season.

"We have a very experienced, very talented team, and we are looking forward to making a deep run in the playoffs," said Moxie.

Last season, the Demons were surprised by Riverside in the second round, losing 33-32. It marked the first time since 1996 that L-E failed to advance to advanced to the final four phase of the 3A playoffs.

Perhaps, the Demons had their attention on taking on mighty Eastside in the Upper State championship round for the seventh year in row instead of the upstart Warriors.

"One of the things I'm stressing is that we can't have all our focus on one team this year," said Moxie. "To win a state championship, we have to be focused on beating all the teams to get there."

L-E loses only four starters from a year ago, including state champion Justin McClester at 125 pounds.

The returning cast features state qualifiers Will Connell, Stephen Boneparte, Alonzo Grant, Will Myers and Max Fowler.

Connell went 42-7 last season and won the 171-pound state title as a sophomore. He could be at 171 again or even at 160 this season.

Boneparte (24-15) had a great run at the state tournament ? finishing third at 160 after finishing fourth at the Upper State qualifier. He could be at 160 or 171 this time around.
Grant, Myers and Fowler all went 1-2 at state and did not place. Grant will move up to either 140 or 145 this season. Myers will jump to 145 or 152 after being at 140 last season. Fowler could stay at 189 again, or maybe move up to 215.

Sophomore T.J. Branham, junior Tony Murphy, sophomore Zack Connell and senior Jonathan McManus are the other returning starters in tow. Branham and Murphy were big winners in the lower weights, but failed to advance to state. Zack Connell, Will's younger brother, had more than 25 wins last season at 145. McManus is back at heavyweight.

Moxie has high hopes for immediate impacts by freshmen Harrison Kruger (140), Derrick Miller (160) and Allen Jenerette (189) - if they can crack the starting lineup, that is.