A Walk Down Memory Lane After Six Decades Of Covering Prep Sports In SC

By Billy G. Baker

HSSR Publisher

Moncks Corner—Including the time I wrote for the Hanahan News (at the time the largest weekly paper in the state) between 1971 and 1975, and the four years I served as Sports Editor on high school newspapers at Summerville and Goose Creek High Schools, (1969-1973); the conclusion of the 2024-25 prep sports year in the Palmetto State marks 56 years of keeping up with some awesomely great kids, mentored by some outstanding coaches, and the future looks even brighter!

Actually, the best four years of my sustaining journalism career, came about between 1973 and 1977, when an act of God, landed me at the School of Journalism at the University of South Carolina. The following is a true story, and hopefully one day, I can share more stories like this if I find the time to write a Memoir book with 12,000 names in the index! Here is the story:



As I was putting the key in the dorm room door, as I checked in at USC in August of 1973, I thought it was odd that the phone was ringing. Did a dorm room in the Woodrow Tenements actually come with a phone I asked myself? Who in the world would be calling me? How did they even get a phone number to call me?

Answering the phone, after it rang 8 times, the caller stated, “I am Bill Mitchell, the Prep Editor at The State Newspaper and I hope that I am speaking to Billy Baker who recently wrote an article in the Hanahan News about visiting Hanahan football Coach Billy Seigler as he laid dying in his hospital bed at Roper Hospital in Charleston; is this you?”

I replied: “Yes sir, I got a call from Coach Seigler’s wife (Angela) and she said that he had requested to see me before he passed away, and that he felt like it was very important for us to have one last visit together. Mrs. Seigler said that while only close family members were allowed to visit with him, Coach had got it cleared for me to visit with him, and she asked me to come right away, and to bring a tape recorder.”

Mr. Mitchell replied, “I was at football camp in Laurinburg, NC and the Hanahan team was there for a week, and one of their fans gave me the story you had written about your final visit with Coach Seigler. You were put in a tough situation. I enjoyed reading the article and I would like to hire you as a stringer to cover local high school football games on Thursday and Friday nights.”

Six days later, there I was at Wildcat Hollow covering Lexington versus Goose Creek for The State, and the Wildcats won the game 14-0. It was great to meet Cecil Woolbright, the head coach of Lexington and Simon Lewis, who coached the Gators. Although the pay was $15, I would have covered that game for free.

Having just graduated from Goose Creek High in 1973, my girl friend was a senior and a member of the Pep Squad, so she was going to be at the game cheering for the Gators. My plan was to drive back to The State paper after interviews, file the story, and then drive back to Goose Creek with my girl- friend. Her Mom had told me at least five times, “Have her home by 1 a.m. or you die!”

Not ever being on a deadline, at a daily newspaper before, I was about to have a very hallowing experience, to say the least. It was just after 11 p.m. by the time I arrived at the newspaper Mr. Mitchell pointed me to a “type writer” and said, “You have 30 minutes to knock out your story and it needs to be 10 inches long.”

While Coach Mitchell was busy talking to a few local high school coaches about their games, for his round-up, he ignored me until 11:25. “Son, you getting close to wrapping it up and who is that girl with you?”

This might have been one of those “Come To Jesus” moments in my life.

My reply: “Sir, she is my girlfriend from Goose Creek High. She was at the game tonight with the Pep Squad, and her mother said she could ride back to Goose Creek with me tonight, but only if I promised to have her home by 1 a.m., or die! I have the story written out long hand and it just needs to be typed in.”

Mr. Mitchell, and I, became close friends that night when he replied: “It’s almost 11:30 now and you have to have her back in Goose Creek by 1 a. m!  I will type your story in, but you need to get out of here now! Go!”

I put the pedal to the medal driving a six-year-old used Mazda coupe; flying down I-26 as fast as I could push it. At about mile marker 187, the Ridgeville exit, black smoke started coming up from the floor board, the engine light came on, and we rolled to a stop with a blown engine! It was 12:39 and my life was on the line, or I thought it might be.

We got out of the car, thinking it might catch on fire. I began waving my arms at passing cars and a man and his wife headed to Charleston from Atlanta stopped. I explained the dire situation and the man replied, “Jump in, time is wasting.”

At 12:59 a.m. Libby Goldman was already at the front door when we pulled in the drive way of my girlfriend’s house.  I lived on the next street, so I thanked the good Samaritans and went home immediately!

I took a city bus to high school football games at near-by Memorial Stadium for the rest of the football season.  It took me several months to find a used engine I could afford for the car.

Nearly 25 years later, “Coach Mitchell” called me one day and said he had retired from The State, and he wanted to write 8 to 10 stories a month for “The High School Sports Report” to be able to stay in touch with coaches. I felt honored to have his by-line in the HSSR for a couple years until health issues forced him to give it up.