Bennettsville - Taniyah Houston has been kept “very busy and focused” pursuing her interests in basketball, golf and soccer during her four-years of attendance at Marlboro County High. She has even found time to be a member of the Marlboro County Marching Band, where she plays the flute and piccolo. This past season she averaged 10 points, two rebounds and one assist a game as a senior leader on the varsity girls’ basketball team. In the fall she was a key member of the golf team, and this Spring she will participate in soccer “as a striker” for the third season in a row. Houston has recently signed on to play college basketball at St Andrews College in Laurinburg, NC. “I love scoring points,” said Houston, who is a shooting guard. For all her hard work in both athletics and academics Houston has been chosen the February “ NETC” Female Student Athlete of the Month. This honor is bestowed through a partnership between the Northeastern Technical College and “The High School Sports Report” with the publication communicating with athletic directors at high schools in the counties of Dillon, Marlboro, and Chesterfield, where NETC serves the needs of high school students seeking to earn dual credits in various subjects. These online course credits can be transferred to college credits after a student’s enrolls in college after high school graduation. While being heavily involved in athletics, Houston is also a top student academically at her high school, carrying a 4.4 GPA. She is ranked number 17 out of 176 seniors enrolled at Marlboro County High School. Houston says she has benefited from taking 16 online dual credit courses through NETC during her high school academic journey. They include: American History, Psychology, American Government, Sociology 101, English Composition I & II, Algebra, Public Speaking, Introduction To Computers, Music Appreciation, Western Civics, Spanish 101, Biological Science I and II, along with Theatre, and Macro Economics. Houston said that over her four years of high school 50 per cent of her academic work has been achieved from taking online dual credit courses offered by NETC. “The hard work I invested in taking 16 online dual credit courses helped boost my GPA and class standing a lot,” said Houston. “The experiences taught me to discipline myself, and to focus on getting these online courses done on time. “It does take time to grasp all the information presented to you,” said Houston. “You are required to write reports to verify what you have learned. I feel like the challenge of taking dual credit courses through NETC was also a great opportunity and benefit to me in my pursuit of academic scholarships also. “I am certainly prepared more than ever for college having taken 16 online courses though NETC,” she said. “I honestly feel like it would be of great benefit to all high school students in the region to talk with their academic advisers about this very worthwhile academic program.” Houston hopes to become an Athletic Trainer after graduating from college.

Bennettsville — Marlboro County junior wrestler Jamison Bethea competes in the 106-pound weight class but don’t let his small stature fool you; 18 of his 33 dual meet wins this season was by pins, often very early in the competition. Bethea was just one win away from the Lower State finals and he finished with a 33-11 record following his third season of competing on the Bulldog wrestling team. Bethea is also in his third year as a center mid-fielder on his high school soccer team. For his dedication as a student athlete, who also excels in the class room, Bethea has been named the February “NETC Male Student Athlete of the Month.” This honor is bestowed through a partnership between the Northeastern Technical College and “The High School Sports Report” with the publication communicating with athletic directors at high schools in the counties of Dillon, Marlboro, and Chesterfield, where NETC serves the needs of high school students seeking to earn dual credits in various academic subjects. These online course credits can be transferred to college credits after a student’s entrance to college, after their high school graduation. Bethea explained why he enjoys being a high school wrestler. “I just enjoy competing against other people my same weight and the sport challenges you both physically and mentally,” he said. “The sport can test you, up to and beyond your limits. I also enjoy making friends with other wrestlers not in my weight class.” On the soccer field, Bethea explains his role as a mid-fielder in these words: “You run, run, and run some more,” he said. “You are never sitting still and the sport has kept me in shape.” Mid-way through his junior year, Bethea has benefitted from taking six online dual credit courses through NETC. They are Psychology, Medical Terminology, Western Civilization, Introduction to Computer Science, Biology and Economics. “Taking online courses through NETC has helped me become better organized, has helped me focused on improving my time management skills, and the experience has given me a glimpse of how the academic challenges will be for me once I enroll in college.” Bethea carries a 4.7 GPA in his academic course work and he is currently ranked number 12 among 173 students in the junior class at Marlboro County High. “My goal is to attend Duke University after high school and work towards a degree in Health Science,” said Bethea. “I hope to become either a Pediatrician or an ophthalmologist.”  Bethea said it would be in the best interest of all high school students in the Chesterfield, Marlboro, and Dillon Counties, served by NETC to talk with their school academic advisers to find out more about the dual credit online courses offered by NETC. “Taking online courses through the NETC, has helped boost my GPA and has helped me achieve higher academic standards, that will help me secure academic scholarships to colleges,” said Bethea. “I would encourage all my fellow students in the area to take dual credit online courses of their choice through NETC. The program has been of great benefit to me personally.”

Bennettsville – Prior to the start of the 2023-24 basketball season, Marlboro County boys basketball coach Demetrius Knox spoke of how competitive the play would be in region 6-AAA. Knox called the league among the most competitive in Class AAA and results this season have proved the coach correct. Region six has two teams, Crestwood and Darlington, ranked in the state’s Class AAA top 10 rankings. Those two schools currently set the pace in the region standings. “You better come to play every night in this region,” Knox said. “There are no off nights. Every team has great coaching and great athletes.” The Bulldogs are locked in a competitive battle for third-place Camden and Lakewood. The top four finishers will qualify for the AAA Lower State playoffs. Entering play on Jan. 30, Marlboro County sat one-game out of fourth-place with a 2-4 league record. The Bulldogs were 10-7 on the overall slate of games, this after a 6-2 start. Senior Nori Adams continues to lead the team in scoring, averaging 13.5 points to go with 5.1 rebounds per game. Senior Keshawn Leach averages 9.1 points and 5.7 rebounds per contest. Junior Ralphier Monroe adds 8.6 points per game, and senior Jaitez Barbour is contributing 7.4 points per game. Senior Ivor Miles and junior Justin Purvis add about six points per game with Purvis dishing three assists per outing. Junior Isaiah Johnson also has reached double figures in scoring in games this season. Rounding out the roster this season are seniors Mason Thomas, Jayce Butler, Quismale Brand, Naszir White and Tyquan Graham, and junior Zakari Parnell. In wrestling, while the boys program continues to face challenges in filling out a complete roster and lineup, the girls program is showing signs of becoming a solid program with decent numbers this season. On the boys side, two of the top performers have been Royal Williams (106) and Jameson Bethea (113). The girls team recently was the highest-scoring team at the Lower State championship meet, scoring 96 points to finish ahead of several AAAAA and AAAA schools. Hayley Duncan finished second in the Lower state qualifier at 117 pounds and Mary Williams was second at 192 pounds. Ja’Neisha Armfield finished third at 237 pounds and Katie Roscoe was third at 172 pounds. Finishing fourth in the Lower State qualifier were Gabrielle Murillo (107) and Sarah Locklear (102). Other solid competitors this season include Graycee Duncan (108), Jasiyah Witherspoon (125) and Tierra Lowery (145). Lynzie Jacobs also competed in the 190-pound weight class.

Larry Gamble Photo Editor, HSSR Photos from the Marlboro County vs Crestwood game on 10-6 in Sumter. High resolution prints and digital downloads from this event are available at www.LarryGamble.com by clicking this link to the photos.

Bennettsville – For a coach whose team has managed just one win this season, Marlboro County’s Ashley Pate is quite upbeat about her 2023 team. Pate is in her first season as the head coach but her third year involved in the volleyball program. Bennettsville, South Carolina is hardly a hotbed for volleyball so it can be difficult to get high school girls interested in a sport they know little about. However, Pate is getting some positive response from her 2023 team. This fall is about building a culture of success and the road is not easy. “We don’t have a feeder program so a lot of these girls come out as freshmen and have to start from scratch,” said Pate, who was named head coach in August. “We didn’t get any work in the summer. We started in August and that made it hard from the start. But we are showing progress and I feel like we are more competitive each time we play. All of the experience we are getting now will definitely help us next year.” The roster lost five seniors, including four starters, from last year’s team. Only a few of the players on this year’s roster have significant experience. One of the strengths of this year’s team, says Pate, is the willingness to learn and compete. “They don’t like losing. They have a competitive attitude,” she said. “They have a positive attitude and that helps in terms of improvement. We realize we have a lot of work to do but if they keep the right attitude and put in the work, we will see success in the future.” Marlboro County has only one senior starter, Leah Benjamin, who can play several positions. Juniors Terilynn Holmes and Abby Quick also start, along with sophomores Anarie Lloyd and Amir Bridges, and freshman Shyanna Wyatt. Holmes is an outside hitter while Quick works in the back. Lloyd in a middle hitter and Bridges is an outside hitter. Wyatt plays opposite. Two other seniors, Sydney McGill and Kendall Miles, rotate in as defensive specialists. Junior Amanda Sulatan and sophomore Sarah Locklear work in the back row and freshman Jordan Zimmerman shows great potential as a middle hitter. Pate says an early issue was serving but the team has improved its percentage as the season progresses. Pate also is encouraged by the level of talent in the junior varsity program and sees the potential for several of those players to make an impact in the future.