By Billy G. Baker Publisher Bamberg —The Class AA HSSR third ranked Barnwell Warhorses and the Class A Bamberg - Ehrhardt Raider baseball teams have both already won region titles, and they will both host four-team district play-offs in early May, so they met in a play-off tune-up game on Tuesday night with Barnwell winning 12-1. The two teams also met on April, 9 with Barnwell prevailing 3-0 in that game. Barnwell senior ace pitcher Cameron Austin, a five time all-region and four-time all-state honoree , improved his record to 5-2 on the season working five innings against the Raiders. Austin had six K’s and allowed only four hits. On the season, Austin has worked 39.1 innings with 58 K’s with a 1.23 ERA. The top hitters for Barnwell in the win were outfielder Tommy Reid with two hits, while Austin collected three RBI’s and scored two runs. Three players, Hayden Pierce, senior catcher Kaleb McCormack, and third baseman Trey Boleman , each had one hit and one RBI respectively . Carl Hines added a hit also. Bamberg was hampered by giving up 10 walks and four errors during the game. The Raiders were led at the plate by left-fielder Weston Stokes who went 2-of- three. He also saw late action on the mound. The team’s other two hits came from second baseman Dakota Black and center fielder Brent Amaker . The starting pitcher for B-E was Cooper Sandifer who worked 4.2 innings, giving up three hits with six K’s. After the game, Barnwell head coach Cody McCollum shared some thoughts with the HSSR. “We always have a good chance of winning with Cameron on the mound, especially when he is throwing strikes, and the guys are playing good defense behind him; and we are swinging the bats well,” said Coach McCollum, who played baseball at Barnwell where he graduated in 2012. “They walked a lot of guys tonight and that helped us too. “Winning the region was something I talked about with the boys at the beginning of the season because I felt like this team was good enough to go undefeated in the region,” said Coach McCollum. “We fell a little short last year, losing a region game to Edisto, and that stuck in the back of our heads, and this year our expectation was to go 10-0 in the region. “Our other internal goal is to win at least 20 games before the playoffs start and we are 18-4 right now, with four games left,” said Coach McCollum. “We need to win at least two more. We play Batesburg - Leesville tomorrow, (April, 23), South Aiken twice next week, and Woodland one more time. We are going to try hard to get two more wins.” Coach McCollum said that Austin, batting .468 with 26 RBI’s and six home runs, has played more third base, when not pitching this season. “Before I came back to Barnwell last year, I was at Hampton, and I had to coach against him, and I glad he is now on my team. He’s a very good player.” Coach McCollum said Barnwell has relied on Austin, and three other seniors for most of the load this season. “We have a sophomore and a freshman starting in the middle, and we have two sophomore starters in the outfield, and a junior started in center field tonight,” said Coach McCollum. “We are kind of young and old at the same time. “The other seniors are Kaleb McCormack , our catcher, who has improved his hitting this season along with and Trey Boleman who started at third tonight and Hayden Pierce was at first tonight, and he hit a double off the wall. Kaleb is a very good on defense behind the plate and we feel good about him, behind the plate, regardless of who is pitching.” Case Davis is a freshman starting shortstop with a .411 batting average. Pierce is at .390 and McCormick is at .289 with 16 RBI’s and a .999 fielding percentage. Joe Huggins is the DH and he is hitting .367. Sophomore Dakota Black starts at second. Tommy Reid is a junior center fielder currently batting .333.  Vincent Gibson is a sophomore in the outfield for Barnwell. Jax Mead is a sophomore starting at second base. Caiden Roland is the sophomore starting right fielder. Some additional Barnwell pitching depth has come from, Pierce (5-0, 35 K’s, ERA 2.54), along with Bradley Richardson (2-0, 9 K’s), Boleman (26-K’s) and Davis (24 K’s with a 1.07 ERA). After the game, Bamberg Ehrhardt (8-6) head coach Gene Schwarting told the HSSR, “We have three 8 graders who start for us, two 9 th graders, one sophomore, a junior and two seniors so for the most part we are a young team,” said Coach Schwarting. “Our two seniors, Weston Stokes and Brent Amaker are co-captains” Stokes is the team’s number one pitcher. Stokes started in left against Barnwell and batted lead-off. Amaker started in center and batted third. Nasi Singleton, an 8 th grader , will typically start in the outfield and Garrett Wade usually starts at third base. Chip Brewer, or Stokes, will start at short and Dakota Black is at second while 8 th grader Chase Collins holds down first. Asiel Graham is usually the starting B-E catcher, backed up by Davis Ehrhardt . Singleton is the top hitter for the Raider at .477 and 8 RBI’s. Stokes is at .410 and 12 RBI’s. Black is third on the hit index at .333 and 15 RBI’s. Other top hitters include: Amaker (.317 with 17 RBI’s & a HR), Wade (.306 & 10 RBI’s) along with Cooper Sandifer (.300 & five RBI’s). Stokes has 26 innings pitched with 48 K’s. Sandifer has worked 22.1 innings on the mound with 38 K’s, and Brewer has 14 innings pitched to date with 25 K’s. “In terms of our pitching this season, it has been pretty good, but at times it has also been like a roller- coaster,” said Coach Schwarting. “We will pitch well one game, and not so well the next game. We also need to improve on our timely hitting before we start the play-offs also. “The other night we lost to Orangeburg Prep 6-3, and we left the bases loaded in the second, third, fourth and 5 th innings,” said Coach Schwarting. “”We have to get stronger in our hitting, up and down the line-up, one through nine. “Our pitching has been outstanding, our defense has been solid, and we just need to do a much better job getting hits with runners on base,” said Coach Schwarting, a Bamberg-Ehrhardt graduate now in his 7 th season as the Raiders head coach.

By Neill Kirkpatrick Special to the HSSR  Bamberg – When Spring time approaches it also signals the start of high school baseball season across the country and in South Carolina Spring time is synonymous with 15 times state champion Bamberg Ehrhardt. The Red Raiders haven’t reached the championship series since 2015 and each year when the season starts that is always one of the team goals for the season. Heading into the 2025 season Head coach Gene Schwarting has a young with only two seniors but expectations remain the same. “We play for state championships here, coach Horton coached here 45 years, and you see all the state championships he set the standard. The region championship is the first step. We hope to keep rolling at the end of the year and stay hot in the District, Lower State and then the State,” said coach Schwarting. Coach continued, “We have started off slow in the Wyndham turf (Pelion) pre-season tournament earlier this year but hope to get it going once the regular season starts. We have a solid team that should get better as the season goes and we get deeper into the schedule.” Seniors Weston Stokes and Brent Amaker are the leaders of the team. Stokes is a returning class A All-State selection. He is the ace of the pitching staff and when not on the bump he is the team’s shortstop. Very disciplined hitter, who uses the entire field. He has also been named all-region the past two years. Amaker sees most of his time behind the plate but also plays first base for the Red Raiders. He played in the outfield last season. The rest of the pitching staff are Dakota Black, Cooper Sandifer, Tripp Brewer, Chase Collins, Nasir Singleton, and Davis Ehrhardt. “Our pitching should be our strength this year with most of our pitchers returning from last year, so we will be still very young but they will have that experience and familiarity with each other,” coach Schwarting said. The infield has Collins at first base, Black at second, Singleton at shortstop (when Stokes is on the hill), Wade at third and Amaker behind the dish. Collins and Singleton are eighth graders. Backing up Amaker are eighth graders Asiel Graham and Ehrhardt. Graham will also see time a third for the Red Raiders. Sandifer and Brewer our joined in the starting outfield by BJ Ayer. Each player will also play in the infield when needed . Chaz Breland, Riley Caddell, Reese Caddell and Josh Jennings will help anchor the outfield. “We have only two teams to play in our region this year, so we had to add several non-region teams to fill the schedule. I am Excited for the year and hope to stay healthy, play well and make a run in May,” coach said.

Bamberg Ehrhardt getting ready for the class A playoffs  By Neill Kirkpatrick Special to the HSSR Bamberg – In Head Coach Candace Jones first season (23-24) at the helm of the Bamberg Ehrhardt girls basketball her team finished the season with a 20-6 record and a second-round appearance in the class AA playoffs so as the 24-25 season approached expectations were high with her entire roster returning. However, an injury to senior captain My'Chiya Johnson changed coach Jones expectations for her team. “When we lost My'Chiya it changed our approach as a team. Each player found something they do well and together we started playing at a high level. Our goal is to be one of the top teams/programs in the area and Class 1A,” said coach Jones. “This team has exceeded my expectations and continues to play at a high level.” The Lady Red Raiders are currently ranked number four by the HSSR and are 20-2 after beating Ridgeland 67-29 on Monday. They are currently 6-1 in region 4 A with three games remaining including a rematch against third ranked Denmark-Olar. A win and the Lady Red Raiders would tie Denmark-Olar atop the region standings. The Lady Raider are lead by three senior in Raven Brown , Markayla Thomas and Cailyn Youmans. Brown is a returning All State and All Region player. She was named as one of the top five players in Class A. Heading into the season she had an outside shot at hitting the 1000 career point barrier. She leads the team in scoring and in steals per game. Coach Jones said she is the leader of the team and a coach on the floor. Seniors Cailyn Youmans and Markayla Thomas have stepped up their games. Youmans is also a captain and returning all-region performer. Last season she was like Windex, cleaning the glass at 12 per game to lead the team. This season she has up her game on the offensive end and it averaging a double-double this season. Thomas has taken over the point guard position and sets the tone for the Lady Red Raider offense and defense. She is dropping five dimes a game and leads the team in steals. Rounding out the starting five are sophomore Carmyn Folk and freshman Jada Sanders. Folk made the all-region team as a freshmen after averaging 5.5 ppg, 8 rpg and 4 steals per game last season. This season she has increased her scoring and continues to crash the boards. Sanders has emerged a lockdown perimeter defender for our team and brings intensity to the floor. She is second on the team in assists. Three juniors have played well off the bench for the Lady Red Raiders in Ah'Minah Brunson, Ezariah Williams and Maureal Kimble. Brunson has been on fire in the second half of the season averaging a double/ double. She is able to play different positions on defense allowing the Lady Red Raiders to change up their schemes. Williams is coming off a solid sophomore season where she averaged eight points per game and nine rebounds per game. She is another versatile low post player who can play the four or five position. Kimble provides instant offense off the bench and stretch the defense with her three-point shot. “My team needs to play more consistently on the offensive end and limit turnovers if we want to make a run in the playoffs,” said coach Jones.“ I think we have learned as a team that accountability is the key to ensuring all players are carrying their weight and doing what is needed of them in order to compete at a high level at all times.”

By Dennis Brunson hssr.com Associate Editor Sumter – The regular season in high school football is always special, but there is nothing that compares to the postseason. Looking at the brackets, seeing what has to happen for this particular matchup to happen, the anticipation of said matchups and the excitement that builds up as teams try to make a run toward a state championship. With the reclassification put forward by the South Carolina High School League for this year, all of the classifications will have a different vibe. Class A no longer will have Christ Church , Southside Christan School and St. Joseph’s because of the multiplier rule, but it does have a new dominant force in Abbeville . The Panthers, long a force in AA, is now in Class A and has to be seen as the prohibitive favorite. Still though, you’ve got to play the games and see what happens. We can’t do that, but we can fill out the bracket to see who we have facing off for the championship in Orangeburg the second week of December. WHO’S IN: Upper State Region 1 : 1. Abbeville 2. Ware Shoals 3. Whitmire 4. Dixie 5. McCormick 6. Calhoun Falls Region 2 : 1. Lewisville 2. Lamar 3. Lee Central 4. McBee 5. C.A. Johnson Region 3 : 1. Hunter-Kinard-Tyler 2. Blackville-Hilda 3. Calhoun County 4. Ridge Spring-Monetta 5. Williston-Elko Lower State Region 4 : 1. Bamberg-Ehrhart 2. Ridgeland 3. Denmark-Olar 4. Hardeeville Region 5 : 1. Cross 2. Branchville 3. Baptist Hill 4. Scott’s Branch 5. Military Magnet 6. Bethune-Bowman Region 6 : 1. Lake View 2. Hannah-Pamplico 3. Latta 4. Carvers Bay 5. Johnsonville 6. Green Sea Floyds FIRST ROUND Upper State C.A. Johnson (2-8) at Abbeville (8-1) Dixie (7-2) at Blackville-Hilda (8-2) McCormick (3-7) at Lamar (7-3) Calhoun County (3-7) at Lee Central (5-4) McBee (4-5) at Hunter-Kinard-Tyler (9-1) Williston-Elko (2-7) at Ware Shoals (4-5) Calhoun Falls (1-8) at Lewisville (9-1) Ridge Spring-Monetta (5-5) at Whitmire (3=7) Lower State Green Sea Floyds (1-9) at Cross (8-2) Scott’s Branch (4-6) at Ridgeland (6-4) Military Magnet (2-6) at Hannah-Pamplico (7-2) Carvers Bay (4-6) at Denmark-Olar (3-6) Hardeeville (3-7) at Lake View (8-1) Johnsonville (4=6) at Branchville (8-2) Bethune-Bowman (1-9) at Bamberg-Ehrhardt (6-2) Latta (5-5) at Baptist Hill (6-3) The first round of any high school sports playoff is usually filled with blowouts, and that could easily be the case with these 16 games. However, there are intriguing matchups in this group. While Blackville-Hilda has to be the favorite with an 8-2 record, it will take on a 7-2 Dixie squad. Ridgeland finished second in a weak Region 6, while Scott’s Branch came on strong down the stretch to go 4-6. Carvers Bay is 4-6 and will play at 3-6 Denmark-Olar . Latta at Baptist Hill will be an intriguing matchup because the Vikings pound the ball while Baptist Hill pushes the ball through the air. Johnsonville may be just 4-6 and going against an 8-2 Branchville squad, but Johnsonville is the 2-time defending lower state champion. Don’t look for them to go down easy. First-round winners: Upper State: Abbeville, Blackville-Hilda, Lamar, Lee Central, Hunter-Kinard-Tyler, Ware Shoals, Lewisville, Ridge-Spring Monetta. Lower State: Cross, Scott’s Branch, Hannah-Pamplico, Carvers Bay, Lake View, Branchville, Bamberg-Ehrhardt, Latta. SECOND ROUND Upper State Blackville-Hilda at Abbeville Lee Central at Lamar Ware Shoals at Hunter-Kinard-Tyler Ridge Spring-Monetta at Lewisvlle Lower State Scott’s Branch at Cross Carvers Bay at Hannah-Pamplico Branchville at Lake View Latta at Bamberg-Ehrhardt This is the round where the fun starts to kick in with matchups of teams with gaudy records and outstanding reputations. Also, with the Class A regions so widespread, you can easily get pairings of teams that aren’t geographically close, thus leading to first-time matchups. The two most noteworthy showdowns in this round would be 2-loss Blackville-Hilda playing at 1-loss Abbeville. The Panthers will be favored and are led by Damarcus Leach . He will be going up against a future teammate at South Carolina in B-H’s Jaquel Holman . The best lower state matchup will have 2-loss Branchville at 1-loss Lake View . Second-round winners: Upper State: Abbeville, Lamar, Hunter-Kinard-Tyler, Lewisville: Lower State: Cross, Hannah-Pamplico, Lake View, Bamberg-Ehrhardt THIRD ROUND Upper State Lamar at Abbeville Lewisville at Hunter-Kinard-Tyler Lower State Hannah-Pamplico at Cross Bamberg-Ehrhardt at Lake View You’ve got the three champions of the upper state regions and the three region champions from the lower state still alive. The other team in the upper state is No. 2 seed Lamar , while No. 2 seed Hannah-Pamplico is the fourth lower state team. In years past, a matchup between Lamar and Abbeville would be a premier showdown. While Lamar is still a top program, Abbeville is simply a cut above. Hunter-Kinard-Tyler has had a great season, but Lewisville has been on a mission after going out in the second round last season. These lower state matchups would be fun to watch as the pairings have two teams that go about their business in different ways. Third-round winners: Upper State: Abbeville, Lewisville Lower State: Cross, Bamberg-Ehrhardt SEMIFINALS Upper State Lewisville at Abbeville Lower State Bamberg-Ehrhardt at Cross This would be the “collision course” game of the upper state bracket. Lewisville and Abbeville have been dominant all season. The lower state game will be a pairing of two teams that like to pound the football. However, Bamberg-Ehrhardt has senior quarterback Chanston Crosby to give it a better passing option. Semifinal winners: Abbeville, Bamberg-Ehrhardt STATE CHAMPIONSHIP Abbeville vs. Bamberg-Ehrhardt The Red Raiders will present a physical challenge, but Abbeville has tremendous throughout its roster, especially on the defensive side of the ball. However, I go back to what I said at the beginning of the story. Abbeville has to be considered the favorite to win until someone beats it. Your state champion: Abbeville

By Neill Kirkpatrick Special to the HSSSR Bamberg – The old saying ‘goes the more things change the more they stay the same’ and it applies to the Bamberg-Ehrhardt Volleyball team as Lauren Etheridge took the reins from Deanna Merchant and the Lady Red Raiders are again among the top-class A volleyball teams in the state. The Lady Red Raiders currently sit at 13-1-8 overall and they currently sit a top region 7A. They have two region matches left and if they win those they will reach their first goal on the season of winning the region and two home matches when the playoffs start. “ I am proud of our play so far this season. We set have high expectations for our team. We always prioritize scheduling with high level teams to help expose our strengths and weaknesses and push us to improve,” said coach Etheridge. “We have been strong at the net and in our service game this year and we are always working to improve defensively.” The Lady Red Raiders are led by senior starters Brantley Brown , Kathleen Evans , Cailyn Youmans , and Addi Jameson . Youmans has 71 kills on the year as part of a front line that has 230 kills on the year. Evans and Brown have been the teams top servers and have a 30% ace percentage with Evans having severed a time high 229 times. Jameson is the teams libero and defensive specialist. She is not afraid to hit the floor as her team high 54 digs would attest. Rounding out the starting lineup are juniors Briaunjenai McMillan and E’zariah Williams and sophomore Raelynn Jarrett . Williams leads the team in kills with 72. Coming off the bench to provide valuable minute are seniors Nalanie Eckels , Neaeha Ricks and junior Shantell Black . The Lady Red Raiders have region matches against Allendale Fairfax and rival Branchville as well as two non-region matches against Silver Bluff and one of the top AAA teams in Orangeburg-Wilkinson . “After coaching all of these ladies on JV and many of them in club, I am honored to be working with them at the varsity level! It is my goal to send the seniors off with a season to remember,” said coach Etheridge.

Lewisville WR Jacorreun Howze on the run after a catch.

Barnwell's Sr. QB Cameron Austin

Abbeville is the clear cut "team to beat" in Class A football in 2024!