By: Gerald Doolittle Johnston, S.C. – The Wardlaw Academy Lady Patriots coached by Kristina Spurlock mounted one of the greatest come backs in school history to defeat the Richard Winn Academy Lady Eagles 43-39 for the SCISA Class A 2025-26 Championship . The Lady Eagles led by Senior Abby Lewis owned the first quarter to build a 16-4 lead fueled by 12 turnovers by Wardlaw. The Lady Eagles continued the brutal attack into the second quarter building the lead to 22-7 at the 4:12 mark of the quarter when Coach Spurlock called a timeout. “They were frustrated and I called a timeout to calm them,” said Spurlock. “ I told them the game of basketball is a game of runs. Now was the time to make our run.” Make their run they did. Behind Taylor Hill (sr) and Katherine Trotter (sr) the Lady Patriots finished the second quarter on a 10-2 run to close the first half trailing 17-24. The Lady Patriots continued the 23-3 run through the third quarter behind the fierce play of Hill and Trotter to carry a 30-27 Wardlaw lead into the fourth quarter where the two teams kept trading scores. The Lady Patriots won the quarter 13-12 to make the final score read 43-39 in favor of Wardlaw. The Lady Patriots brought home the first Title since 2009. For Coach Spurlock it was her third time being a part of a Wardlaw Championship. She was a part of two Titles during her playing days at Wardlaw. Trotter led the Lady Patriots with 17 points followed by Hill with 15. Hill got 11 of her points from the charity line while Trotter connected on 7 of 8. Brianna McNeil (sr) had 7 points followed by Lillie Stocum (so) and Mary Blanche Stark (8 th ) with two points each.  Hill, Trotter and McNeil were named to the All-Tournament team. I am sure Coach Spurlock is the SCISA Class A Coach-of-the Year as she led her army of eight to a 14-7 season record.

By Billy G. Baker Publisher Sumter - Injuries get in the way of a team’s goals like no other factor in team sports; so when top ranked Northwood Academy (28-2) lost 2,000 career point scorer Jada Bates to a knee injury in the second quarter, of a highly competitive game against rival First Baptist , it certainly factored in the Hurricanes going on to win the SCISA AAAA girl’s state title 64-60. The Hurricane won their first state title since 1980. First Baptist head coach Presley Singleton , who had won two state titles at Northwood Academy earlier in her career, earned her third career state title with the win. With a 33-29 lead at the half, Coach Singleton, told her team at the break, “I told my team that Northwood does not go away and that Northwood plays hard for 32 minutes,” she said. “Do not think that they are going to roll over because they are not. “Things went back and forth in this game,” said Coach Singleton. “Our biggest key was that we stayed out of foul trouble. Foul trouble has been what has hurt us this season, especially with our interior players. “It helped us a little bit that the officials let both teams play and that helped us stay out of of four trouble,” said Coach Singleton. “Also, they had a very good player get hurt and that was unfortunate. “We have seven players who either play travel ball, or live in the gym and that makes a difference also,” said Coach Singleton. “We were hungry coming into this game after we were upset last season. This team really wanted it.” First Baptist was led in scoring by soph Maddy Pojani who led all scorers with 22 points. “Pojani has a bright future ahead of her,” said Coach Singleton. “She is just a great player who is in the gym all the time.” Coach Singleton said she stressed to her team how difficult it was for any team to beat5 a team three times in one season. (First Baptist had lost to Northwood twice this season.) “It is hard to beat a team three times in one season and I told my kids this very thing,” said Coach Singleton. “It’s hard to beat a team three times in one season. We went with a completely different game plan, then in our two other games with them this season. “It helped us a little bit that the officials let both teams play wide open, and that helped us stay out of foul trouble,” said Coach Singleton. “Also, they had a very good player who got hurt and that was unbfortuante. “We have seven kids who either play travel ball, or live in the gym all the time, and it makes a difference in your program to have committed players,” said Coach Singleton. “We were into this game hungry. We got upset last year and we came this season very hungry and we wanted this game really bad.” Northwood Academy head coach Ginnell Curtis was obviously disappointed in the loss and the injuries to two of her better players. “When you lose a player like Jada Bates who was our second leading scorer, and second in steals, it changes your game plan for sure,” said Coach Curtis. “I just hate that she got hurt for her own well-being. “When she went down, we picked each other up,” said Coach Curtius. “We could have folded at the time we kept playing hard. We also had our number four ( Kylee Clarke ) who played with a braced up torn mimesis, and she had flu-like symptoms all day, and she played off her tail off too. “I feel like the refs were one-sided but that is a story for another day,” said Coach Curtis. “I am so proud of my girls for pushing through despite the adversity. Everybody in the gym knew who was the better team but we were just unlucky tonight.”  Northwood Academy, despite the set-back from the injuries, had ever opportunity to win the game, and the Chargers tied the score at 60 with 1:56 left in the game on a free throw by Alyvia Tocco . “We had our chances late in the game, but we just did not value our possessions that gave us a chance to win had we converted,” said Curtis. “We should have been more patient.” When Bates went down, she had already scored 13 points in the game. Junior guard Maliyah Birch , the leading scorer on the team at 20 points a game, stepped up her game, dribbling through double teams with the skill of a: globe trotter” while finishing with 20 points on several key shots in the second half. “Maliyah has been playing in state championship games since the 8 th grade,” said Coach Curtis. “She knew she had to step it up when Bates left with the injury. “I felt like we deserved to win the championship based on our body of work all season,” said Coach Curtis. “Life can deal you unexpected things and you just have to deal with it under the circumstances. I am so proud of our team putting it all on the line tonight when one of our top players left the game with an injury in the second period. “Our goal will always be to win the state championship,” said Coach Curtis. “We’ll be back next season.” Northwood Academy will lose Bates and Tocco to graduation so they return three starters that should put them in a position to make a run next year also. Prior to the championship their lone loss this season was to the highly regarded Bolles School from Jacksonville, Florida. During the season Northwood played one of the toughest schedules of any team in the state claiming wins over Berkeley , Wando , Keenan , Bishop England , Oceanside Collegiate , Ashley Ridge and Stratford . Some of these teams will be playing for state titles in the SCHSL next week. First Baptist began the game playing very loose as they built a 21-12 first quarter lead. Northwood came back and played stronger in the second period to trail 33-29 at the break. At the half, First Baptist was led in scoring by Pojani with 9 points and senior forward Ellie Blitch had 8 points followed by junior guard Gabby Moore and senior guard Paige Pouyat with five each. At the break Bates had 13 points for the Chargers followed by senior Isabella Heaton with 8 points and Birch had three points. Birch scored 17 second half points to help keep the Chargers in the game. The third quarter was fast paced and First Baptist went into the final period up by only one, 46-45. In the final period the lead changed hands several times and the game was last tied at 60 with 1:56 left in the contest. First Baptist scored the final four points of the game at the free throw line. Pojani’s 22 points for First Baptist was followed up by Blitch (12), senior Clemson signee 6-6 Dyarri Braddick (10), Moore (9) and Pouyat (8). Braddick had several blocks in the paint during the game also. Northwood was led by solid prospect Birch (20), Bates (13), Heaton (12), and Tocco (7). Clarke and Lauren Cosman each had four points. The SCISA girl’s AAAA all-tournament team consisted of Braddick, Moore, and Pojani of First Northwood was represented by Birch and Bates. The final member of the team was Lauren Majurkiewicz of John Paul II .

By Billy G. Baker Publisher Sumter —The land-mark coaching orbit of Pinewood Prep boys’ basketball head coach Pat Eidson keeps getting closer to 1,000 career wins, as the Panthers (27-6) capped off the 2025-26 season with a SCISA AAAA state championship over Heathwood Hall (61-49) at the Sumter Civic Center on February, 27. The Panthers only led 20-18 at the half against the Highlanders, and Coach Eidson, and his staff made some key adjustments at the half. “At halftime, we decided to speed the game up with a more up-tempo offense and to press a little more to try and force turnovers,” said Coach Eidson, who became the state’s all-time wins leader with over 944 career wins at the mid-point of last season. Coach Eidson will enter the 2026-27 season needing around 20 wins to hit the 1,000-career win mark. “We were successful with these adjustments and it ended up being the difference in the game,” said Coach Eidson. “They were basically the same team we saw early in the season. They did all the stuff we expected them to. “This state championship is really sweet,” said Coach Eidson. “As you get older, you learn to appreciate it a whole lot more. I know the amount of effort and work that went into this season so I can appreciate it. Returning all five starters this season, I knew we had a chance to be pretty good and we were. “I’m really happy for the kids, especially the seniors,” said Coach Eidson. “ Jayden Alexander and Jonathan Slawson are senior starters who have done a great job for us and Bralon Blackwell made contributions coming off the bench. “I said all season that this team had Potential to win a state title, and tonight we played up to that potential,” said Coach Eidson. “It was one of our better second halves all season.” Over-all, Coach Eidson has now won 12 state titles in his historic coaching career with 9 of these titles coming at Pinewood Prep. “It has been 15 years, or so since we won out last state title so it feels great to finally get another one for our players, fans and the school,” he said. “We are already looking forward to next season.” Heathwood Hall (21-8) head coach Brian Benator was proud of his team for all of their hard work also. “We had a stretch tonight where we struggled to make some shots and they had a stretch where they hit a couple three’s to go up on us 8 to 10 points,” said Coach Benator. “They also put more pressure defense on us in the second half and that helped them get several transition baskets. “The lid was on the rim tonight against us,” said Coach Benator. “We just had some problems making shots tonight. “We came into the game off a great week of practice and focus,” said Coach Benator. “I felt like we came in ready to play tonight. Our guys have been motivated all season and we had not lost a game since January, 3 rd . “I am proud of the effort of our team tonight and we’ll be back next season,” concluded the coach. Pinewood Prep was led on the scoring index by 6-3 junior forward Tre Green who had 24 points and 6-7 junior forward Kais Parris who had 18 points. Also, 6-8 junior center Tripp Eidson had 12 points and directed the defense from the top of the paint all game. Eidson had a monster dunk, off of a steal, with 3:2 left in the game that extended the Panthers lead to 51-39 at the time. Slawson contributed five points and Jayden Alexander closed out the scoring with two points. With the return of Green, Parris and Eidson to the team next season expect the Panthers to be favored to repeat next season. Heathwood Hall was led on offense by 8 th grader Jackson Dickerson with 10 points followed by senior guard Deuce Claxton and soph Hunter Colins with 9 points each. Senior forward Xander Pertile contributed 8 points and senior Ryan Pfister , soph Peyton Souter , and junior Keon McKinley each scored two points. Heathwood Hall led 14-11 after the first period. However, the Panthers rallied to lead 20-18 at the half. The pace picked up in the third period when the Panthers outscored Heathwood 18-14 to take a 38-32 lead into the final period. The SCISA AAAA boys all-tournament team was represented by Zy Dennis of Laurence Manning , along Chip Ravenell and Keon McKinley from Heathwood Hall. Pinewood Prep was represented by Green, Parris,

Bengals' Chase Thomas scores 29 in 60-54 win

Patriots were trailing by 16 points before coming back for 43-39 triumph over Richard Winn

Friday games were exciting games at the Sumter Civic Center with Wardlaw fighting back to win the Girls 1A state title, then First Baptist and Pinewood Prep toughing it out to claim the 4A Girls and Boys state titles. 

Game roundups, state championship schedule and scores and brackets available

Some highlights of the SCISA basketball tournament action going on at the Sumter Civic Center on Feb 26th.

Championship games set for Friday at Sumter County Civic Center

View Thursday's schedule, Tuesday quarterfinal roundup and updated brackets

The Road to the Championships Is Getting Shorter!

Some the action during the SCISA State Basketball tournament at the Sumter Civic Center for Feb 25th. 

Gators come away with a 59-34 triumph

Chargers face John Paul II in semifinal on Wednesday

Panthers face First Baptist in semifinals on Wednesday

Goose Creek Head Coach Blake Hall.

Some of action in the SCISA Basketball tournament so far!

Monday roundup, Tuesday, Wednesday schedules set, updated brackets for all four classifications

HSSR Basketball Rankings - SCHSL HSSR Div. I AAAAA Boys (As of 2-23-2026) 1. Ridge View 2. Dutch Fork 3. Cane Bay 4. Dorman 5. Byrnes 6.Sumter 7. West Ashley 8. Ashely Ridge 9. Clover 9.Spartanburg HSSR Div. II AAAAA Boys (As of 2-23-2026) 1. Goose Creek 2. Westwood 3. Riverside 4. St. James 5. Greenville 6. TL Hanna 7. Berkeley 8. Irmo 8. St. James 9. Nation Ford 10. Fort Mill HSSR Class AAAA Boys (As of 223=2026) 1. Gray Collegiate 2. North Augusta 3. Crestwood 4. Bluffton 5. Wilson 6. Westside 7. South Pointe 8. Camden 9. Daniel 10. Lancaster HSSR Class AAA Boys (As of 2-23-2026) 1. Christ Church 2. St Joseph’s Catholic 3. Loris 4. Fox Creek 5. Keenan 6.Chapman 7. Orangeburg-Wilkinson 8. Waccamaw 9. Mountain View Prep 10. Battery Creek HSSR Class AA Boys (As of 2-23-2026) 1. High Point Academy 2.Hampton County 3. Andrew Jackson 4. Central 5. Liberty 6. Philip Simmons 7. Mullins 8. Marion 9. American Leadership 10. Clinton HSSR Class A Boys (As of 2-23-2026) 1. Abbeville 2. Carvers Bay 3. Horse Creek Academy 4. Bethune-Bowman 5. Latta 6. HKT 7. Calhoun County 8. Green Sea Floyds 9. Lewisville 10. CA Johnson HSSR AAAAA Div. I Girls (As of 2-23-2026) 1. Dorman 2. Mauldin 3. Byrnes 4. Blythewood 5. Wando 6. Spartanburg 7. Sumter 8. Carolina Forest 9. Lexington 10. Dutch Fork HSSR Div. II Girls (As of 2-23-2026) 1. North Myrtle Beach 2. Goose Creek 3. Gaffney 4. Berkeley 5. Greenwood 6. Irmo 7. Eastside 8. Greenville 9. Fort Mill 10. Chapin HSSR Class AAAA Girls (As of 2-23-2026) 1. North Augusta 2. Westside 3. South Pointe 4. Camden 5. South Florence 6. Gray Collegiate 7. Wilson 8. Daniel 9. Blue Ridge 10. Beaufort HSSR Class AAA Girls (As of 2-23-2026) 1. Walhalla 2. Dillon 3. Oceanside Collegiate 4. Southside Christian 5. Aynor 6. St Joseph’s Catholic 7. West Oak 8. Keenan 9. Chapman 10. Fox Creek HSSR Class AA Girls (As of 2-23-2026) 1. Clinton 2. Atlantic Collegiate Academy 3. Ninety-Six 4. Atlantic Collegiate 5 Kingstree 6. Andrew Jackson 7. Landrum 8. Saluda 9. Timberland 10. Marion HSSR Class A Girls (As of 2-23-2026) 1. Military Magnet 2. Great Falls 3. Latta 4. North 5. HKT 6. Denmark-Olar 7. Lewisville 8. Bamberg-Ehrhardt 9. Abbeville 10. McCormick

By: Gerald Doolittle Batesburg-Leesville, S.C. – The W.W. King Academy Knights coached by Dennis Gibson completed their 2025-26 season with a very competitive season two seasons removed from a 23-6 season under then Coach Jonathan Davis . The 2025-26 season was a season of steady growth for the Knights. The 2024-25 season was the start of the rebuild after losing most of the 23-6 team to graduation and losing Coach Davis moving over to Greenwood Christian . Coach Gibson would come back into coaching the 2024-25 team and start the rebuild. His very young team consisting of mostly freshmen would finish a 0-16 season taking their hard defeats in stride while still developing their skills.  The Knights returned in 2025-26 with the same group, plus several players who moved up from the middle school team, and focused on developing the players already in the program. That approach led to noticeable progress throughout the season and culminated in a Region Tournament runner-up finish to Newberry Academy . During the regular season, the Knights split their two games with Cambridge Academy , which went on to claim the Regular Season Region Championship. When the teams met again in the Region Tournament semi-finals, W.W. King delivered one of its strongest performances of the season, defeating Cambridge Academy 65-29 to advance to the title game against Newberry. Coach Gibson said the season reflected the players’ willingness to stay together and put in the hard work. “This season shows what can happen when players stay committed and keep working,” said Gibson. “Our guys come from families that value determination and dedication, and we have been fortunate to have strong leadership from senior captain Spencer McCormick. Our starting five spent a lot of time with individual workouts last spring and summer, and it made a difference. I am grateful for this group and proud of the way the entire team has represented our school.” While the Knights did not finish with a championship, their progress from last season to this one was clear. The team became more competitive, more confident, and more consistent over the course of the year to finish 9-10. For Wyman King Academy, the 2025-26 season stands as an example of how patience, continuity, and effort can lead to meaningful improvement, on the scoreboard, within a program, and in life. The Knight roster included seniors Wyatt Burbank and Spencer McCormick. Landell Anderson was the only junior . The several sophomores were Bubba Buzhardt, Whitaker Graham, Joseph Morse, Colby Buzhardt, Joey Bradley, Tucker Mayyou and Joshua Oswald. The five freshmen were Tucker McGinty, Drayton Wannamaker, Brady Goff, Jackson Hutto and Jaydan Deese.

Heathwood Hall, senior this year, Henry Morris during the 2025 playoffs.

Gray Collegiate BBall Coach, Dion Betha eyeing a run for the state title.

Games will be played at Sumter County Civic Center, Wilson Hall, Cardinal Newman on both days

Updated girls scores and schedule and boys Saturday schedule available here

Full schedule for all four classifications available here

The 2026 SC Basketball Coaches All-State Team rosters are out. Congratulations to these outstanding student athletes for this great honor by the SCBCA. 

12 state championship games set for March 5-7 at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia

By Billy G. Baker Publisher Gilbert — May River’s second straight AAAA SCHSL wrestling championship, over Traveler’s Rest (31-29) at Gilbert High on February, 11 wasn’t nearly as dramatic as the Sharks rallying from a 35-11 deficit against Laurens in 2025 to win by one point; but the match had a turning point very early in the competition. After the state title win, May River head coach Ashley Powell shared his feelings with the HSSR, “Our senior Blake Butler came through for us with a pin at 157, and he has been coming through for us throughout his career and we knew we could count on him,” said Coach Powell. “His younger brother (Bryce Butler) was the big win for us at 113 when he defeated a returning state champion and his win helped set the tone for us tonight. “We feel like we are a very disciplined team and we train very hard,” said Coach Powell. “Our goal was to take them to the third period in every match, and we felt like if we could do this, we could break them. It feels great to come away with our second straight state championship. “Winning one in a row was special but to now have won two in a row this moment is really special,” said Coach Powell. “Most importantly this is a completing different team this season. We had a bunch of different leaders last year. We have 10 seniors on this year’s team, and I am so proud of them all for answering the bell tonight.” These same two teams had competed against each other on January 3 with the Sharks winning 37-33 earlier. Traveler’s Rest head coach Ted Henderson was just as proud of his team who were competing for their first wrestling title in school history. “This is the first time we have made it past the third round,” said Coach Henderson. “We overcame a lot of injuries throughout the season, and we battled back to get to the finals, and I am very proud of this team and how they competed tonight.  “You have to give credit to May River, and they are a well put together team,” said Coach Henderson. “We had a great season considering all the adversity we overcame to compete for a state championship. I am proud of our kids. We only graduate three seniors, so we expect to be very good next season also.” After May River’s Stephano Calderon’s pin at 106 gave the Sharks an early 6-0 lead in the first match of the event with 8 seconds left in the opening period, it was the 113 pound competition that appeared to favor Traveler’s Rest when state champion and number ranked Stiles Stevens squared off against Bryce Butler who is ranked third over-all by SCMat.com. The first period between Stevens and Butler finished 0-0. At the end of the second period Stevens held a 4-2 lead with Stevens breaking a 2-2 tie with an escape move with six seconds left. In the third period Butler gained the upper hand, nearly pinning Stevens with 1:23 left in the match. Butler went on to win the 113 class, 11-4 to put the Sharks up 9-0 after two matches. This win gave the Sharks momentum going forward. Travelers Rest won the 120-weight class, trimming the deficit to 9-3, when Isaiah Simmons defeated Parker Israeo . 15-9 in a highly competitive match. May River went up 12-3 after four matches when Marcus Foulk defeated Isaiah Simmons 7-3 in the 126-weight class. In the 132-weight class TR’s Jayce Batson gave his team their second win of the title match with a 6-3 win over Liam Engblom. The third period began with a neutral start with Batson holding a 3-2 advantage. His take down with 1:20 left in the final period, along with his escape with seven seconds left gave him and TR the win to cut the deficit to 12-6 at this point. May River sophomore Jacob Alfonso had a dominating 14-1 over John Stevens in the 138-weight class to extend the Shark’s lead to 16-6. Alfonso held his opponent in a pin position for the final 20 seconds of the first period when he built a 7-0 lead early. TR’s Jackson McLees pinned Oliver Wang in the 144-weight class, with 1:04 left in the third period of their match, to earn the Devildogs six points to cut the deficit to 16-12 at that point. In the 150-weight class competition Ayden Hicks of TR defeated Thomas Brough 13-11 in a three-period back-and-forth match, which trimmed the deficit to 16-15. In the 157-weight class, May River senior Blake Butler demonstrated why SCMat.com ranks him number one in AAAA, when he pinned his opponent 30 seconds into the match to put May River up 22-15. Travelers Rest then won the 165-weight class and the 175- pound weight class to take the lead 23-22 with three matches left. TR’s William Jenkins defeated Andre Cavalheiro 6-2 in the 165 match and then Riley Broderick gave the Devildogs a one-point lead when he defeated Leandro Larranaga 15-1. May Rivere rallied to win the 190 and the 215 weight classes to seal their second straight state title. At 190, the Shark’s Henry Santiz put his team back in front 28-23 when he pinned Bryce Muchow with 29 seconds left in the first period. Then at 215, the Shark’s Sean McNulty clinched the title with his 5-2 win over David Hernandez. With the match tied at 2, McNulty scored a take down with seven seconds left to earn a dramatic 5-2 win. At this point, May River led 31-23 and the Sharks forfeited the heavy weight class at 285 to conclude the matches with a 31-29 win.

By WORTHY EVANS Contributing Writer LEXINGTON — The 3A state championship streak for the West - Oak wrestling team continues after a 54-15 victory over Hanahan Wednesday night at the Lexington High School gym.  The Warriors overcame two early Hanahan pins to secure the school’s fifth straight state wrestling championship and 10 th since 1994. They finished 33-1. “We knew they were tough down low, so we knew we had to get through a few early matches,” White-Oak head coach Derek Strobel said. “Then we got to the main part of our lineup with our guys. Give credit to Hanahan, they wrestled us tough. They weren’t laying down, I can tell you that.” Hanahan got two early victories, with Andrew Avery pinning Zier Swilling in the 106-pound weight class and Eddie Yambao pinning Avery Davis at 113. Down 12-0 on the scoresheet, the Warriors went to 21-12 with Gunner Mease pinning Hanahan’s William Pichay at 120. Pichay suffered a neck injury with the pin and had to be transported to a hospital, where he is expected to recover fully, according to the team. A.J. DeLaCruz pinned Jayden Serrano at 126, Peyton Durham pinned Trey Holcombe at 132, and Efrain Rivera won by decision over Owen Miller at 138. The Hawks’ Jackson Stuckey scored a decision win over King Orvosh at 144, but West-Oak wrestlers swept the rest of the classes. Will Hair won by decision over K’Von Ingram at 150, Drake Smith pinned Pedro Afonso at 157, Ryan Driver pinned John Kahnel at 165, Sy Strobel won a technical fall over Tanner Ritche at 175, Wyatt Saxon won by decision over Brody Abrams at 190, Elijah Weston pinned Donovan Manigault at 215, and Logan Whitfield won by decision over Joseph Ivey at 285. “West-Oak has a really good team and they showcased that tonight,” Hanahan head coach Roy Atkins said. “Our guys did come out and fight. We gave them our best match tonight and hat’s off to Coach Strobel and his guys.” With West-Oak wins in all but three weight classes, the match seemed lopsided on the scoreboard. Several Hawk wrestlers battled the length of three two-minute periods, only to come up short. “I’m really proud of the way our guys fought each round. We put a couple of guys out there who went the distance and we have a couple of individuals coming up next who will wind up getting a trophy at the end of the year (in the individuals tournament),” Atkins said. “I’m really proud or our guys. We had a great season. Any year you get a trophy at the end it’s a great year,” Atkins said. “I’m really proud for our kids. We didn’t get the ‘W’ but they fought their butts off tonight, everybody saw that.” What distinguishes this year’s West-Oak team from the other state championship winners Strobel has coached is the Warriors’ resilience over the 2025-2026 season. “They were a lot of fun,” Strobel said. “We had guys who always stepped up, and even when they’re not at their best, they were always working hard and battling, fighting. They were a lot of fun.”

By WORTHY EVANS Contributing Writer LEXINGTON — Clover heavyweight wrestler Messiah Outing’s mission at the 5A Division 1 state championship match Wednesday night was not to get pinned. Going into the 285-pound match between Outing and James Island’s Steven Hernandez at the Lexington High School gym, the Blue Eagles held a 34-28 advantage, and a pin by the Trojan wrestler would subject the matchup to tiebreak criteria established by the National Federation of High School Sports. “We knew it was going to be a tough match,” Clover head coach Michael Fitzgerald said. “We’d wrestled them earlier in the season, we’d seen them at other places, and it was going to be a grind,” Fitzgerald said. “there was a late move there at the end that really put us in a position to win, but yeah it was a nail-biter to say the least.” Outing accomplished the mission and spared the finer points of determining a winner. Through three rounds and six minutes of action, Outing’s defensive posture resisted every effort Hernandez exerted to turn Outing’s shoulders to the mat. While Hernandez won with a score of 8-1, his victory brought only three points to James Island—while Outing’s resistance secured a 34-31 victory and gave the Blue Eagles their first state wrestling championship. “We talk about it with our guys all the time, it’s not necessarily the guy who gets the pin, it’s the guy who doesn’t get pinned,” Fitzgerald said. Taking points away from their opponent was the strategy for the Blue Eagles from the start. Keygan Waters avoided a pin from James Island’s Robby Baty in the 106 match. Even though the Trojans took a 3-0 lead, the Blue Eagles won the next three classes— Beckham Boggess pinned James Baty at 113, Luke Hudson won a technical fall over Caedman Stoyles at 120, and Aiden Santiago won by decision over Sam Harris at 126—to take a 15-3 lead. James Island’s Luke Ridgeway got the Trojans back into it with a pin of Henry Parker at 132, and Trent Collins followed up with a decision over Jamison Smithers at 138 to make it 15-13 Clover. After that match the teams exchanged victories in each weight class. Clover’s Xavier Gonzales pinned Jacob Rasamee at 144, but James Island’s Sebastian Bruno won by decision Keller Brunnelson at 150. Clover’s Tyrone Norris III won by a technical fall over Mikah Brown at 157, but James Island’s Mark Johnson pinned Casey Roden at 165. Clover’s Owen Tatum won by decision over Marcus Van Sickle at 175, but James Island’s Copeland Grooms pinned Will Naves at 190. At that point Clover clung to a 29-28 lead, but when Ethan Vought won by technical fall of James Island’s Morris White at 215, the Blue Eagles were in a position to win—all that was left for Clover to clinch the win was for Outing to outlast Hernandez. “We thought we had a couple of places where we could flip some matches, we knew they were going to kind of flip some as well,” Fitzgerald said. “We kind of stole some points there, but when we won at 157, then we were in a position to match our best with good matchups and seal the victory.” James Island was looking for its first state wrestling championship since 1997 and came close to turning the tide of Clover throughout the match. “I’m definitely super proud of the team,” head coach Tony Bolen said. “They fought, and even our last guy did everything he could. There’s a lot of little things that each guy could do. Three points, you could find that about anywhere in that match. You feel good to get here, but you also hurt for the guys, especially the seniors.”

Eagles win 11 straight matches to cruise to second state title in three years

Yellow Jackets win fourth consecutive title in extending winning streak to 67 matches

The Carolinas Classic rosters are out for both the male and female basketball teams. One classic event, two rosters, now is the time to get hyped and check out these outstanding student athletes.

Orangeburg Prep senior Avery Ravenell is averaging 23 pts per game and on pace for another 400 point season.

Curtis Baptist Senior Maci Butler averaging 20 points per game and closing in on a third straight 300 point season.

By Rob Gantt Special to The HSSR St. Stephen - The Timberland High School boys basketball team seems to be heating up just as the weather turns cooler, when the games become more important. The Wolves started out 0-13 on the season but were competitive most nights during the opening stretch. They dropped seven games by single digits the first half of the campaign. However, Coach Jerome Stewart's club has won three of its last four games. All three victories came on the road. Most recently, the Wolves edged Andrews, 47-41. Junior guard Joshua Deas led the Wolves with 16 points, while sophomore forward Jordan Gorham added nine points. Sophomore wing Ellis Wiggins and senior wing Kevin Brown chipped in eight points apiece. Gorham, also one of the state's top football prospects, led around the glass with seven rebounds and four blocked shots. Wiggins also contributed five rebounds, six assists, three steals and two blocks. Timberland improved to 2-1 in Region 6-2A games heading into a road clash Tuesday, Jan. 20, at fellow Berkeley County School District program Philip Simmons. Three days earlier, Timberland also won a tight contest at Academic Magnet. The Wolves pulled out a 59-53 victory versus the Raptors. Wiggins led three Wolves in double figures with 12 points. Junior guard Joshua Brown and Kevin Brown added 11 points and 10 points, respectively. Senior forward Harold Sanders contributed nine points. Gorham and Kevin Brown tallied 10 rebounds apiece, while Gorham and Wiggins combined on five blocks. Timberland broke through for its first win of the 2025-26 season Jan. 6 at Military Magnet, getting past the Eagles by a score of 62-52. Wiggins and Kevin Brown poured in 18 points each and Sanders chipped in seven points. Wiggins also grabbed nine rebounds and dished out four assists. In between that win and the most recent back-to-back victories, the Wolves lost a competitive clash at home against Burke. Wiggins and Kevin Brown combined for 28 points.  After Philip Simmons Jan. 20, the Wolves host Woodland Jan. 23.

By Billy G. Baker Publisher Greenwood —The passion that first year Emerald head wrestling coach Hayden Lawter has for the sport he starred in at BHP is rubbing off on the Vikings team that won seven dual matches this season for the first time in quite some time. Lawter is a recent graduate of Lander University where he earned a wrestling scholarship after an outstanding high school career at BHP where he was a three-time state qualifier in the 220-pouind class. He also finished among the top three in the state in his weight class in both his junior and senior years. Lawter also earned North-South Honors his senior year with the Bears. He was a two-time all-region champion, and he was named Anderson County Prep Wrester of the Year after he helped lead BHP to a state wrestling title in 2021 when the team went undefeated. “We have some big plans to build the wrestling program at Emerald into a Top 10 program in the state within five years,” said Coach Lawter. “I have seen it done before. This summer we are starting a Summer Take-Down club in the Greenwood area that will range from elementary school age up to high school. We are focused on growth and success. “It will be a challenge to win our region meet this year with strong teams like Westside , Fountian Inn , and Laurens competing against us,” said Coach Lawter. “We do hope to place fourth and that is a good start for us in our first year with a very young team.” The Vikings 2025-26 varsity wrestling team has 34 participants. The team has seven dual meet wins this season over Landrum , Greenwood Christian (twice), Augusta Christian , Seneca (twice), and Crescent . The Vikings will tune up for the upcoming region meet they will host, by competing against five other teams in the West Oak Round Robin Invitational on January 17. The team is led by senior tri-captains Alijah White (190), Kelsey Wright (165), and Gregory Brown (138). White is ranked 6 th in the state in his weight class by SCMAT.com. “Alijah has been on the team for four seasons, and he is a region champion contender for sure,” said Coach Lawter. Wright has also been on the team for four years and he is also a captain. Brown is a first-year senior on the team working extremely hard. Another top performer on the team is junior Caleb Jeffery (126) and he is ranked 7 th in the state by SCMAT.com in his weight class. Jeffery is also a contender for a region individual championship at the region meet late this month. Rounding out the top performers on the team is sophomore Hayden Doerflein in the 215-weight class and he is ranked 8 th in the state by SCMAT.com. He also has an excellent chance at competing for a region championship later this month. There are 14 total weight classes comprising a high school wrestling team. The Vikings have participation in every weight group but the heavy weight class that starts at 285 pounds. Freshman Izabella Ruiz starts at 106 with Izabella Souza also competing at 106. First- year freshman competitor Jacob Villicana competes at 113 and first-year senior Alex Morales represents the team at 120. Jeffery is a solid competitor at 126. First year freshman Ryelan Cubbage leads the 132-weight class. The 144-weight class is held down by junior Brandon Robertsdon. First year junior Tatum Bonaca starts at the 150-weight group.  Marley Fisher is a first-year starter at 157 while tri-captain Kelsey White is a top performer at 165. Sophomore Tristan Boggs is the top Viking performer at 175 while tri-captain Elijah White is a top performer at 190.

By Neill Kirkpatrick Special to the HSSR Hemingway – The Carvers Bay Bears entered the 2025/26 season with high expectations as they returned their top three scorers from last season but head coach Jeff Mezzatesta felt it could take a few games to gel because the Bears football season did not end until the third round of the class A playoffs. “Our biggest challenge at the start of the season was getting our football players back after their great season. We have a lot of athletes that play both sports and we were behind in conditioning, chemistry, etc.. to start the basketball season,” said coach Mezz. Coach continued, “We probably won’t start gelling as a team until after the Holiday Break, unless our seniors can provide the leadership that is needed for early season success. If we can come together and grow we have a chance to have a very special season. We just have to weather the early season with a few football injuries to nurse and bringing the boys back together as a family.” The Bears lost in the third round of the class A playoffs to eventual state champion Denmark-Olar. They finished the year 20-9 and 12-0 in region play to win their second consecutive region championship. They entered the season on a 16-game region winning streak. The Bears are currently ranked number six in the latest HSSR class a poll. They started the season 1-2 but have gone 12-2 since including running their region winning streak to 21 after winning their first five region games. They also own a win over the HSSR’s number five team Latta 81-73 which put Latta in second place in the region race. The two teams will meet again at Latta on February 11 th in game that could decide the region title and a possible number one seed in the playoffs; however, there is a lot of basketball left to play. The strength of the Bears is in their guard play on both sides of the court as their pressure defense turns into instant offense. Senior KK Heyward and juniors Jamie Graham and Mekhi Bromell are the leaders of the team as they have each improved their game from last season. Heyward is a two-times All State selection. The senior is the unquestioned team leader and has upped his scoring average his year he has been on the team. He led the team in scoring last year at 15.7 ppg and is second this season at 16.4 ppg. He is on pace to top 1500 career points by the end of the season. On the defensive side, he leads the team in steals with 3.2 a night. Graham has taken his game to the next level as he leads the team in scoring, rebounding and assists. His scoring average has increased from 11.4 ppg to 18.3 ppg and he is on pace to become another 1000 career point scorer. His 5.8 rebounds per is tied for the top spot and he is dishing out 4.1 dimes a game. Also, he is a returning All Region selection. Bromell is fourth on the team in scoring at 9.7 ppg. That is almost two points more per night than last season and he pulls down 5.2 ppg. Rounding out the starting five are two newcomers in sophomore Ethan Morris and senior Kendall Moore. Morris is third in the team in scoring at 10.6 ppg and is also averaging 5.3 boards per game while Moore may be the most versatile player on the team as he plays anywhere he is needed. The Bears have a solid bench led by senior Jaden Bell . He is demon on the defensive end of the court and has been named the region 6A Defensive Player of the year the past two seasons. Also returning are seniors Tyrone Parson and Herbie Washington and they are joined by newcomers to the Bears roster in junior center Xavier Fredrick and sophomore guard Kamaris Brown . “I would hope that we can continue our success in region and make the playoffs; however, this is truly up to the commitment that our boys put into the season. We can’t become complacent on past success and have to keep our eyes on the present,” said coach Mezz.