After state championship, A.C. Flora golf coach steps down
By WORTHY EVANS
A.C. Flora spring sports all made decent runs in the postseason, but the Falcons golf team claimed their 18th state championship May 14 in Hilton Head. The team finished the 2-day 4A state tournament with a total score of 589, 10 shots lower than second-place North Augusta.
Thomas Lamar led the team with a two-day total of 145. Coleman Ferguson came in with a 147. James Rhodes and Charles Cauthen shot a 149 and 153, respectively.
The championship is a fitting end to the tenure of head coach Robert Dargan, who announced May 31 that this golf season would be his last as head of the boys program.
“I told the kids halfway through the season,” Dargan told the Columbia Star. “It was something I’ve been thinking about for a couple of years.
Dargan coached the boys team for 12 years and the girls team for 10 years. His boys teams won six state championships, and the girls team under his leadership was a state runner-up once and had a third-place finish once.
Ferguson and Lamar made All-State. Dargan was named Region 5-4A Coach of the Year and Cauthen was Region Player of the Year. Owen Atkinson, Ferguson, Lamar, and Rhodes made All-Region.
Among team awards, Cauthen won the Harry Huntley Award, Price Roof was named Most Improved, Zim Atkinson and Layton Joye won the Nic Poole Award, and Thomas Sabalis won the Academic Award.
Falcons spring sports teams won six region championships, in golf, baseball, softball, boys and girls soccer, and boys tennis.
The A.C. Flora softball team (16-6) won the region 5-4A championship and beat Northwestern 3-1 in the first round of the playoffs April 30. The Falcons’ season took a downward turn two days later with a 2-1 loss to Hartsville and then were eliminated May 4 in a 4-2 loss to South Florence.
“We’re excited about the future of our pitching staff with (Garner) Lanford, with (Pressli) Reynolds,” A.C. Flora head coach James Marlow said after the Hartsville game. “They have both come out and did what Lanford did tonight. They have thrown complete games. They’ve given their team a great chance to win. I’m proud of the effort tonight. This is probably the longest Lanford has gone, and the temperature is up a little bit. I’m just super proud of her tonight.”
Nostrant made the All-Star team and Reynolds made All-State. Reynolds also made All-Region along with Nostrant, Johanna Anderson, and Zy’Kayah Thomas. Among team honors, Anderson received the Toughness award, Ava Grier won the Coach’s Award and the Academic Award, Nostrant won the Spirit Award, Annie Storm won the Sportsmanship Award, and Reynolds won the Hustle Award.
In baseball A.C. Flora (14-12) won the Region championship. Rence Best made the All-Star team and Roper Wentzky made All-State. Head coach Andy Hallett was named Region Coach of the Year, and Best, Wentzky, Sam McCutcheon, and Charlie Scott made All-Region.
Among team awards, McCutcheon won the Cy Young Award, Jack Chetwood won the Rookie of the Year and Gold Glove awards. Wentzky was named team MVP, Colby Ridgell won the Moody-Tresky Award, and Culver Choate won the Academic Award.
In boys tennis, James Smith was named Region Player of the Year, Amy Martin was named Region Coach of the Year, and Jude Smyth, Will Hewitt, and William Beasley made All-Region. Among team awards, William Beasley won the Falcon Award, Smyth was named MVP, Tripp Van Vlake won the Sportsmanship and Spirit Award, and Hugh Smith won the Academic Award.
In boys soccer, Walker Miller made the All-Star team and All-State. Cullen Maas also made All-State and was Region Player of the Year. Finn Porter, J.C. Blackwelder, Shep Huggins and Miller made All-Region.
Among team awards, Miller was Defensive MVP, Maas was Offensive MVP. Smith Templeton and Farid Tavakoli won the Falcon Award, Miller won the Raymond Dean Ellis Award, and Blackwelder won the Academic Award.
In girls soccer, Harlan Lyons, Greylyn Rentz, and Emma Valdes made All-State. Lyons, Valdes, Lilly Anne Stokes, and Mary Elizabeth Riddle made All-Region. Among team awards, Lyons won the Falcon Award, the Golden Boot (Top Scorer), and the Academic Award. Sammi Lawther won the Scurry Award (Defense), and Stokes won the Talon Award (Leadership).
In boys lacrosse, Wright Gibson, Owen Barker, Palmer Mood and Win Milliken made All-State. Gibson was named Upper State Attackman of the Year. Gibson, Barker, Mood, Michael Quinn, Alex Hammond, Milliken, Gerritt Degood made All-Upper State. William King was named MVP.
Among the team awards, Gibson won MVP, Pope Johnson was Offensive Player of the Year, Max Elliott was Defensive Player of the Year, Mood won the Coaches Award and Hammond won the Academic Award.
In girls lacrosse, Arden Gallagher and Louise Vipperman made All-Upper State. Vipperman was the Upper State Attack Player of the Year. Among team awards, Savannah Bradley was Most Impactful Player, Caroline Herpel was Defender of the Year, Vipperman was Attack Player of the Year, Arden Gallagher was Midfielder of the Year and Margaret Gallagher won the Academic Award.
In boys track, Jack O’Cain was All-Region. Among team awards, Solomon Kelson was Most Improved, Elyjah Montaque was Most Valuable Athlete, Kaleb Smith was Most Valuable Distance Runner, O’Cain was Most Valuable Jumper and also won the Academic Award.
In girls track, Jazmine McDonald-Craft made All-Region. Among team awards, Tyve Wilson was Most Improved, Destiny Wilson was Most Valuable Sprinter, Emory Dargan was Most Valuable Distance Runner, McDonald-Craft was Most Valuable Field-Event Athlete and she also won the Academic Award.
