Abbeville Track And Field Looking To The Future With A Young Team
Neill Kirkpatrick • May 24, 2026
Abbeville Tielle Killinsworth hands baton to Tayden Sutton 4x400 relay.
By Neill Kirkpatrick
Special to the HSSR
Columbia - It has been a learning experience for the Abbeville track and field teams during the 2026 season as head coach Jeremiah Boyd has a young team that has the potential to very good as they mature but this season was about preparing for next season and the season’s to come.
“We have a very young team, so the number one goal is to get experience at a high level meet. We had several athletes who were in the mix to get on the podium which is always exciting but we need them to understand not only what it takes to get to the state but what you have to do to get better,” said coach Boyd.
While the state meet did not go as planned the Panthers girls team did bring home two medals and it was the younger girls who brought them home. Freshmen Jayla Paul captured silver in the 400 hurdles with a time of 1:10.78 which was just off her personal best of 1:10.78. She also scored points in the 100 meter hurdles finishing 7th. During the year she also ran the 200, 400 and competed in the long and triple jump.
The girl’s 4x400 relay team earned a bronze medal as they posted a season best of 4:25.56. Joining Paul on the team were Tielle Killingsworth, Tayden Sutton, and Alivia Usher.
Coach said this of his 4x400 relay team, “We also have an incredibly talented girls 4x400 team. They are coming off of a dominant win at the Upper State Championships and are just now putting together all of the pieces to a great relay. They have their work cut out for them at the State Meet with about 4 teams within 5 seconds of each other in the 1A rankings. It should be an exciting race.”
110 meter hurdler junior Khari Gray had the best finish among the boys team when he finished fourth with a time of 15.33.
Coach felt going into the meet that senior Isaiah McNair had the best chance to medal in the 400 meter hurdles. He ran a good race but finished fifth.
On of the biggest surprises of the year was 9th grader Micah Hall qualifying in the 3200 meter run. He finished 11th but ran a personal best of 11:50.33. Coach feels he is going to be one to watch.
“I think the takeaway from this season at Abbeville is how much young talent we have. As our young kids develop I expect we will make a bigger appearance at the state level over the next couple of years. I am proud of how hard our team has worked this year and I am very excited to watch our best athletes compete at state. Obviously, we hope to come home with medal, but this is a year to learn how to perform in high stakes competitions,” coach Boyd said.
By Dennis Brunson hssr.com Associate Editor Camden – At face value, the fact that the Camden High School baseball reached the upper state finals of the AAAA state playoffs isn’t that surprising. After all, it was the third straight year the Bulldogs won their district tournament to be one of the final eight teams playing in their classification. This season, however, was just a little different than the two previous ones. Camden finished fourth in Region 3 this season and was 10-15 at the end of the regular season. “Making it to the quarterfinals this year is very, very special,” said veteran Bulldogs head coach Denny Beckley . “It is the third year in a row for our program to win a district and make it to the final eight (along with the four teams in the lower state finals). This year's team has persevered through a very stressful season. Our record is not very impressive at 13-15, but we are playing our best at the right time.” Beckley made that statement prior to Camden facing region foe A.C. Flora in a best-of-3 series to determine who played for the upper state title. The Falcons swept the series, winning 6-0 and 10-2, to win all four meetings with the Bulldogs and end their season. Along with losing several key players to graduation from last year’s team that finished second in the region, Camden had to deal with a tragic loss just prior to the start of the 2025-26 school year. “We have dedicated this season to Caiden McGuff , who passed away in a car accident on July 29,” Beckley said. “Our players never wavered in their effort or belief that they could turn the season around and it has been an absolute honor to be associated with such a great group of players and coaches.” Camden was the No. 11 seed in the upper state and opened the District B tournament on the road against No. 6 York. The Bulldogs rolled to a 14-2 victory to advance to another road game, this one against No. 3 seed Seneca . Camden picked up a double-digit win in this one as well, winning 12-2. The Bulldogs moved into the championship round of the district and they got to play at home this time against York. Camden came away with a 7-4 triumph to move along. There is no doubt who was leading the way for Camden in the district tournament. “ Thomas Bishop has been unbelievable to for us,” Beckley said. In the three district games, Bishop, a senior, was 7-for-9 with three home runs, one triple, one double, 11 runs batted in and nine runs scored. He also stole four bases, drew two walks and was hit by a pitch. Ini the opening game against York, Bishop was 2-for-2 with a homer, four runs, two RBI, one walk, one HBP and two stolen bases. Against Seneca, all Bishop did was hit two homers – one a grand slam, the other a 3-run shot – for seven RBI. He was 2-for-4, scored three times and also had a steal. In the rematch against York, Bishop was 3-for-3 with a double, a triple, two runs, two RBI a walk and a stolen base.
By Dennis Brunson hssr.com Associate Editor Florence – The West Florence High School softball team was set to begin a best-of-3 series against St. James for the lower state title in the AAAAA Division II state playoffs that will result in the winner playing for a state championship. The Knights were taking a 25-1 record into the first game scheduled for May 18 at St. James. The second game will be played in Florence with a third game, if needed, being played on May 22 at St. James. West Florence head coach Randy Locklair couldn’t have been much happier with where his team was entering the series. “The girls are playing pretty well right now,” Locklair said. “Pressure doesn’t seem to bother them. Our pitching will always keep us in games. We just need to continue to hit the ball like we have throughout the season. “With starting so many young girls I do have a little bit of a concern, but they have produced all year and I do not see why they wouldn’t now. I am pleased and optimistic that we will do well. We definitely have a challenge with a very good (28-1) St. James team.” Locklair’s remark about pitching keeping the Knights in the game might be the understatement of the year. Senior Annie Eliason has not allowed an earned run all season and only two runs total in 130 2/3 innings pitched. Eliason has faced 443 batters and struck out 334 of them. She has given up just 26 hits and 16 walks. Eliason is also swinging a big stick when she steps to the plate. She had a .403 batting average to go with seven doubles, five home runs, 28 runs batted in and 10 runs scored. Four other Knights were hitting .400 or better. Eighth-grader Bayleigh Honeycutt and junior Paityn Daniels shared the highest batting average at .468. Honeycutt had seven doubles, one triple, 10 RBI and 28 runs. Daniels had two doubles, two triples, a homer, 26 runs, 14 stolen bases and 17 RBI. Freshman Hannah Marsik was batting .464 with seven doubles, three triples, five homers, 24 RBI and 15 runs, and eighth-grader Ashley Moody was at an even .400 to go with 28 runs, 14 stolen bases and 13 RBI. SOUTH FLORENCE SOFTBALL IN LOWER STATE TOURNAMENT The South Florence softball team is vying for a spot in the AAAA state championship series, but it has a little bit more work to do to get there. The Bruins lost to defending state champion Gray Collegiate Academy 3-1 on May 16 in a winners bracket game in the 4-team, double-elimination lower state tournament. The 25-6 Bruins were scheduled to play host to North Augusta in an elimination game on May 18. The winner of that game will take on GCA, needing to beat it twice to advance to the title series. WEST GIRLS 2ND IN AAAAA DII STATE MEET The West Florence girls track and field team finished a close second to Fort Mill in the AAAAA Division II state meet on May 16 at the Richland Northeast track in Columbia . The Knights finished with 65, just eight behind Fort Mill. West Florence didn’t win any of the events but placed 13 times to score points. Leading the way was Kamya Young , who finished second in both the 100-meter dash and the 200 dash. Zofia Wierzbicki finished second in the shot put and third in the javelin. Nadia Brooks finished third in the shot put, while the 4x800-meter relay team finished third as well. Fourth-place finishers were Susana Martinez in the 800 run, and Kaylanna Burroughs in both the 400 hurdles and the triple jump. The 4x400 relay team was fifth, Cassidie Williams was seventh in the discus, the 4x100 relay team was eighth, and Shayonna Johnson finished eighth in the 800. Placing for the West Florence boys were Clayton Folse in third and Jude Packard in eighth in the javelin, Jamie Williamson in sixth in the discus and Jonathan Carter in seventh in the 800. In the AAAA meet on May 14 at RNE, South Florence’s Karmen Hanks won the 100 hurdles in the girls competition, while Allyson Watson was sixth. Adrian Singletary won the high jump in the boys meet. Tashawn Lewis finished eighth in the 400 hurdles. Wilson’s 4x100 relay team won state in the boys meet. Tristan Howard was fourth in the javelin, while Evan Addison was eighth in the discus and Kayden Bethea was eighth in the triple jump. The Wilson girls 4x1 relay team finished third while the 4x4 team was fourth. Leah Spears was sixth in the 100, Kamren McFadden was sixth in the 100 hurdles, Lafara Graham was sixth in the long jump, and Stary Samuel was seventh in the high jump.
By Dennis Brunson hssr.com Associate Editor Florence – In completing his second season in his second go-around as the baseball head coach at Florence Christian School , Scotty Keefe knows he had a much improved squad. “We finished 13-6, were able to host a first-round game of the (SCISA AAA) state playoffs and won,” Keefe said. “We had a good season, much improvement from last season’s 10-10 record. The team was able to keep games close and win a few of them. “Headed into the state playoffs we were 12-4. We lost to two better teams at the end, but I’m proud of the team and the season. We look forward to next season and building off this year’s success.” The Eagles were the No. 4 seed in one of the 5-team, double-elimination brackets in the playoffs. They knocked off No. 5 Colleton Prep 6-5 in the first game. They lost to eventual state champion and once-beaten Calhoun Academy in their next game before being eliminated by Pee Dee Academy . Florence Christian had two players selected to the All-Region 3-AAA team in Riley Minton and Brodie Hickson . Minton, a sophomore who also played in the SCISA North-South All-Star Game , was the top pitcher and had a 5-1 win-loss record to go with a 4.00 earned run average. At the plate, he led Florence Christian in hitting with a .404 battnig average. He was also the team leader in hits with 21 and runs scored with 19. Hickson, a junior, was the starting shortstop and had a .298 batting average.
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Bennettsville — Lila English is a rising senior student athlete at Dillon Christian School, where she has been a cheerleader since the sixth grade. English has also been playing volleyball since the seventh grade, basketball since the grade, and plans to play again in her senior season. Not to mention that she is a sport over achiever, when she started playing soccer as a junior. She plans to enjoy her upcoming senior year, being a multiple sport athlete, while continuing to take NETC online classes to help prepare for college. English said her childhood dream was being a varsity cheerleader. Being a multiple sport athlete just adds to her enjoyment of her school experience. With all the demands of sports, high school academics and the NETC online courses, English says her “time management skills” improved by having to balance preparation for multiple classes, with practices and games each week. After high school, English plans to focus on her studies instead of playing sports at the next level. Currently, she is weighing her options of either attending Clemson University’s Agricultural Mechanization and Business Program , but she is also considering attending the Darla Moore Business School at USC. In the classroom, she carries a 4.2438 GPA and says the NETC courses, “Have opened doors to provide me college level work academic learning experiences that have given me a glimpse of what to expect in the future, when I am actually at college,” she said. For all her athletic and academic accomplishments, English has been chosen the “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 that can be transferred to colleges, after a student’s high school graduation. The NETC is currently offering over 44 online dual credit courses for the 2025-26 school year to students in the three counties they serve. Currently, English is enrolled in dual credit online courses offered by NETC. She started taking classes during her junior year and she completing classes that will fulfill basic requirements for her freshman year at college. She has taken US History, World History, and Medical Terminology to date. English looks forward to going to college and preparing for a career. When asked about the NETC experience, English said “NETC has been great,” she said. “I was worried about starting these courses because I had never done anything like it, but the layout is easy to understand, and my professors were always flexible, and willing to help when I needed it.” Considering she only has two semesters of classes completed, English commented “I haven't taken many classes yet, that could reduce my course load in college, but plan on taking some online courses this summer and again during my senior year.” As a high school student, playing sports year-round, and taking NETC online classes, English had this to say about that challenge. “I have to plan, so there is a balance in everything between school, sports, and life,” she said. “I put together a schedule that enables me to get all the course work completed, so I don’t have to give up on doing other things. When asked if all this can be stressful, English summed it up this way: “Time management can be hard with multiple games, or assignments due, but pacing myself has always helped,” she said. “I try not to load myself down, and I try to space my work out throughout the week to avoid stressing myself out.” English reflected on favorite memories as a student athlete, “Some of my favorite sports memories happened at practices,” she said. “The hard work behind the scenes with all the fun, smiles, and laughs can’t be beat. A different type of bond is formed within a team where you are pushing others, and yourself to be better while also having fun doing it.”