Bamberg-Ehrhardt Athletics Keep It In The Family
For 2025/26 athletic season, Bamberg-Ehrhardt Red Raiders started the year with a state championship and finished the year with the girls track and field team winning their second consecutive class A state championship.
By Neill Kirkpatrick
Special to the HSSR
Bamberg – The 2025/26 athletic season saw the Bamberg-Ehrhardt Red Raiders start the year with a state championship and finished the year with the girls track and field team winning their second consecutive class A state championship and in between those championships they enjoyed a lot of success with their other athletic programs.
When talking with head football coach Corey Crosby and head track and field coach Travis Wilson they both say the same thing, “We don’t have boy athletes or girl athletes, we have athletes.”
At the state class A track and field meet coach Wilson said, “I coach the same way regardless of the sport. I’m also the defensive coordinator and I expect the same effort from both teams. I told our girls last year to win a state championship we need dogs and they understood what I was talking about. The girls dug deep and would not settle for second place. ”
The coaches also talk about how important it is to have a staff that is from the area and has roots in the community.
“Our coaches are from here so they have been in the trenches and they understand the hard work that has been put in before now. It means a lot because they coach not just for job or paycheck but for the town and the people around,” said coach Crosby
Athletic Director Robert Williams said, “The one thing about being a small community like ours is athletics is serious business within the community. Our coaches take it seriously, they are dedicated, and they take pride in what they are coaching and the effect they have on our student/athletes.”
Coach Willaims softball had another strong season hosting the district 8 tournament. They fell in the final game.
On the diamond the Red Raiders were back in a familiar spot as head Coach Gene Schwarting had his team hosting the district 8 tournament as the number one seed. They won their first two games and were in the drivers seat before they fell in the finals.
Coach Wilson’s girls team won their second straight state championship and with most of his team back they will be looking for a three-peat next season. The boys team finished in the top ten.
“I could not be prouder of the girls. I told them that we could repeat but we had to recommit to the process that got them here. They worked harder and the results were another state championship,” said coach Wilson.
Mary Templeton’s boys’ and girls’ cross-country teams had good years with the girls placing fourth at the state cross-country meet while the boy’s finished in 16th place.
In basketball, the boy’s and girl’s teams both advanced into the class A playoffs. Willie Carter led the boys’ team to a region championship with a 16-4/9-1 record while Marcus Cann led the girls’ team to 13-5/7-2 record.
Faron Mixon led the volleyball team to another playoff berth and they advanced into the second round while Terrell Haynes’s wrestling team finished their season in the third round where they fell to lower state champion Edisto.
Jan McCormack and Bryce Compton coached the girls tennis team and boys soccer team, respectively. Both squads reached the second round of the class A playoffs.
