Camden volleyball team opens with 8-9 record in Tristany Radford's first season
Dennis Brunson hssr.com Associate Editor • October 8, 2025
Bulldogs football teams opens with 5-2 record
Camden – Tristany Radford’s first season as the head coach of the Camden High School volleyball team hasn’t gone as she expected. That, however, hasn’t left her undeterred.
“Stepping into any position like this is a whirlwind in a sense,” said Radford, whose team won eight of its first 17 matches and was 6-5 in Region 3-AAAA. “I've coached the game for a long time now, there's just a lot of pieces to balance and keep up with, but I'm up for that challenge.”
Radford took over for Paige Wilson, who retired after 32 years as head coach. The Bulldogs made the playoffs in 30 of those seasons, winning two state titles. Radford was Wilson’s assistant for the last 10 seasons, something that has aided her immensely in the transition.
“Luckily this wasn't too hard of an adjustment seeing that I've been a part of this program for 10 years leading up to this season, and these girls know me,” said Radford. “I've coached them already, I taught many of them, and have known them for years. Every day we show up, work hard, and play the game.”
Radford knew there could be some growing pains this season. Camden had only two returning starters from last year’s 22-5 team. They are senior Leah Hendrix and junior Aubrey Thompson.
“We are a young team,” Radford said. “Graduating as many as we did, we were very open with the fact that we're rebuilding, we're going to have to put in the work to get the outcomes we desire.
“My expectations are to leave everything on the court, walk away feeling OK with the results of whatever happens, knowing we did all we could. Seeing how hard they've played, how far they've come, I can confidently say they're putting in the work to improve every day.”
Hendrix is the team leader in kills with 246, service aces with 33, serves received with 210 and digs with 129 to go with eight blocked shots and 12 assists. Thompson has 36 kills, 16 digs and nine blocks.
Freshman Laekyn Peebles has 60 kills, 208 serves received, 95 digs and 23 aces while junior Skyler Mathis has a team high 20 blocks to go with 51 kills, 45 digs and 10 aces.
Other members of the rotation are sophomore Ryan Neal, junior Lilli Hall, senior Marley Vincent and junior Tristen Ware.
Neal leads the team with 208 assists to go with 116 digs, nine kills, 21 aces, while Hall has six kills, 15 aces, 90 digs and 14 assists. Vincent has 51 digs, 13 kills, 25 aces, five blocks and 48 assists. Ware has 63 digs and 16 assists.
Other members of the team are senior Anaiah Cain, junior Kaelyn Johnson, junior Gray Grumbach, junior Lillian Chmiel, freshman Reeves Beckham and junior Emma Oddie.
“This team is extremely coachable, they want to be good at what they do,” Radford said. “And they're a very versatile team. Many of them can hold their own in various positions, and we use that to our advantage.”
CAMDEN FOOTBALL STARTS 5-2
The Camden football team owned a 5-2 overall record and a 2-1 region record after falling to top-rated South Pointe 28-7 on October 3.
While winning the region title may prove difficult, the Bulldogs are in position to finish second and get a home game in the first round of the state playoffs. Their regular-season finale against once-beaten A.C. Flora will likely determine that.
Tylin Drakeford was selected to the Shrine Bowl roster as a defensive back. Through six games, Drakeford had two interceptions for 46 return yards, nine tackles and one pass breakup. As a wide receiver, he had 22 catches for 365 yards and seven touchdowns. He also had nine carries for 198 yards.
Quarterback Greyson Rimpf had 66 completions in 102 attempts for 1,005 yards and 16 TD passes.
Tigers' Erik Martinez scores two second-half goals to spur victory
Hawkettes will face either Crescent or Belton-Honea Path for state title next week
Billy Baker's been on a 40-year pursuit to discover the South Carolina’s best high school athletes and recognize their achievements in this unique statewide prep sports only publication.
Christ Church's senior SS/3B Bo Lowrance (6-5,200) with a 6.6 time in the sixty and he can move left or right with same dexterity plus he is currently batting .433 with 39 RBI’s, including 12 home runs and three triples.
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.”
Bennettsville — Reese Bracey is a senior three-sport athlete at the Dillon Christian School, where he participates in the sports of football, basketball and soccer. He readily admits that football is his favorite sport among the three. He started playing football in the fifth grade, and he has played multiple positions as a receiver, tight end, running back, and also at linebacker. In the eighth grade, he started playing basketball as a small forward. In the ninth grade, he started playing soccer. During his prep school career, he twice earned All-Region honors as a running back in football with over 1,000 all-purpose yards achieved. He has also earned All-Region honors in soccer. Bracey closes his high school athletics having played all three sports in his senior year. He says one lesson being a multi-sport athlete taught him is to be on time. “If you are late to practice, you will have some type of punishment,” he said. “This translates well to schoolwork, when it comes to scheduling, doing, and turning in assignments on time.” In the classroom, he carries a 5.2 GPA, while maintaining his online course load, and participating in sports. After graduation, he plans to attend USC and pursue a career in the medical field. For all his athletic and academic accomplishments, Reese Bracey has been chosen the “NETC” Male 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. Bracey is currently enrolled in dual credit courses offered by NETC. He has completed classes in Psychology, Public Speaking, English 101 and 102, plus History 101 and 102. By taking the online courses through the NETC, Bracey says, this, “Helps prepare me for the workload and schedule I can expect with college work once I get to college,” he said. It has taught me always to use any free time to complete assignments. I apply this lesson, whether that be at home, or at school.” When asked about a memorable moment in his sports career, Bracey said, “That was involved a play that I will never forget,” he said. “We made the football playoffs and with our first snap of the game, we scored a touchdown!”
By Neill Kirkpatrick Special to the HSSR Columbia – Bamberg-Ehrhardt high school and Calhoun County high school are 33.9 miles apart on US-601 with a lot in common as they are two of the top Class A athletic programs in the state and now they share back-to-back class A track and field state championships. The Red Raiders beat the Governor’s School to capture the girls title while Calhoun County defeated Blackville-Hilda to win the boy’s title. “I felt if we did what we are capable of doing today we had a good chance to repeat,” said BE head coach Travis Wilson . “I want to make sure we to get the race, do our job and focus. Coach Wilson continued, “Motivation was a big thing coming into the year. Winning last year put us in the hunted role and so we tried to stress it is harder to repeat. The girls started picking it up at the region and lower state meets.” Calhoun County head coach Wayne Farmer is no stranger to back-to-back state championship as this is the third school that he has led to back-to-back class A state championships, the others being Allendale Fairfax and Scott’s Branch. It was also the 10 th state championship in his career. “Our focus was to come back and repeat. The challenge this year was that we became the hunted instead of the hunter. The biggest thing is the kids performed with no hick ups. We scheduled a lot of big meets to learn how to compete and it paid off today,” said coach Farmer. The girls meet started off perfect for the Red Raider as their 4x100 team of Zyasia Whiley, Carmyn Folk, Keyaunjanay Corbit and Daisha Etheridge blazed around the track in a season’s best of 50.38 to win gold in the day’s first running event. The 4x800 relay team also won gold in a time of 10:56.16. Kymyhia Jamison, Jayda Sanders, Nilayah Edwards and Rashida Quattara made up the team. Sanders picked up a silver medal when she finished second in the 800 meters. Ezariah Williams won a gold and silver medal for the Red Raiders in the Discus and shot put, respectively. She threw the discus 36.73 meters for a new personal record and set another personal best in the shot put with a put of 11.39 meters. Both events earned her Silver Elite performance. She also scored in the Javelin by finishing seventh. Briaunjenai McMillian won a bronze medal in the Javelin with a toss of 32.94. She also scored in the shot put finishing eighth. There were a few individual double gold medal winners. Bethune Bowman’ s Makiyah Johnson won the 100 and 200 meters. Her winning time in the 100 of 12.17 was a silver elite performance. “It feels great to win two gold medals. I want this for a long time. Last year I came in second in both events. I put in a lot of hard work and it paid off,” said Johnson. Riverwalk Academy’s Emme Herring won gold in both the 800 and 1600 meters while Blackville Hilda’s Breyanna Williams won gold in both hurdle events as well as winning a silver medal in the 200. The Saints were led by Wofford signee Kamari Kelly. Kelly won the 400 meters in a time of 48.56 and then won the 800 meters in 2:03.55. He ran the second leg of the gold medal winning 4x800 meter relay team. He also ran the second leg on the 4x400 meter relay team which won a silver medal. “These last couple of years to see all the hard work pay off. I very grateful for coaches and family and I just want to thank God,” Kelly said. Joining Kelly on the 4x800 meter relay team were Kamron Johnson, Traveon Baker, and V’Jay Thomas while Baker, Eddie Coleman and Thomas were on the 4x400 relay team with Kelly. Jamani Canty won two golds in the discus and shot put. His toss of 49.17 in the discus was a new personal best. Also winning medals for the Saints were St. Julian Johnson won two silver medals in the shot put and the Javelin. He set personal best in both events with a toss of 45.68 in the Javelin and he put the shot 14.22. Bringing home bronze medals were Kamron Kelly (800), Eddie Coleman (400 meter hurdles), and Darren Ben (Triple Jump). Ben also scored points in the high jump (4 th ) and in the long jump (8 th ). In the 100 and 200 Da’Shaun Albany of Ridgeland Secondary School and Camari Brown of Hardeeville Jr-Sr high finished one-two in each race with Albany winning the 100 and Brown taking the 200. Hunter Willis of Riverwalk Academy won gold in the 1600 and silver in the 800. Blackville-Hilda’s Da’Montray Allen was a double gold winner as he won the 110 hurdles in a time of 14.84 and the 400 hurdles in 58.16. Jordan Strong of Lewisville won two bronze medals in the long jump and high jump while capturing a gold in the triple jump
By WORTHY EVANS HSSR Contributing Writer Columbia --Just after the AA state track and field meet in 2025, when the Philip Simmons girls dominated the field with 148 points, the boys were runners up to state champion Fairfield Central , Iron Horses track and field coaches Emma Santor and Ryan McCauley got married. Together, the couple packed the field with Philip Simmons runners and field athletes in the 2026 meet, and while the girls scored 159 points in their repeat victory, the boys scored 106.5 points and claimed their second state championship in three years. The girl’s total was 107.67 points higher than runner-up Landrum’s 51.33 points. “We have a huge team that’s full of depth, and we’ve got an amazing group of girls who are always willing to rally around each other, and they know when to show up when it’s time,” said Coach Emma McCauley. “They trust the training, they trust the process, and fortunately for us they all peaked at the right moment, and we were able to pull off another state title.” The boy’s team’s point total was 59.5 points higher than runner-up Fairfield Central’s 48, and that was after the Griffins 4x400 team of Jamie Brown , Brenton Mack , Kenyan Douglas , and Da’Qwan Kelly closed out the meet with a winning time of (320:41) “I think we had a little chip on our shoulder from last year and the boys really wanted it this year,” said Ryan McCauley. “The boys really showed up in big ways in multiple events.” The girls’ team led early and never looked back, just as the Iron Horses did last year. Sophomore distance runner Laura Perry took gold in the 1600 (5:11.73) and 3200 (5:11.73) runs. Behind Perry in the 1600 were teammates Flynn Taylor , second, Stella Wininger placed 5th, and Avah Mallek was 7 th . In the 3200, Wininger took 2 nd and Keziah Varner took 6 th .. “It’s actually insane, it’s like so much support,” Perry said about running events with teammates as opposed to running solo. “If there are so many people, it makes you feel like you’re so much better, and it pushes you to be better.” Taylor took gold in the 800 (2:16.30), and the 4x800 relay team of Taylor, Mallek, Varner, and Samantha Watson won gold in 9:47.92. Julia Reilly won the triple jump (10.91) meters 5 th in the long jump. Ashley Roush won the pole vault (3.8-meters). Averi Cable took 4 th . Roush was second in long jump and third in high jump. Other placers for the girls were Chloe Woods , Jordyn Washington - Spencer , and Cora Gabriel , who took 4 th , 5 th , and 6 th in the Javelin, respectively. Lilah May took 4 th in high jump. The 4x100 team of Madison Cobb , Roush, Reilly, and Ashlynn Johnson finished third, and so did the 4x400 team of Paris Harrison , Riley Payne , Elle Corbin , and Taylor . In the boy’s events, Philip Simmons won gold in just two events, but their depth often had two or three competitors earn points. Jeremiah Richardson took first in the 200 dash with a time of 21.79 and the 4x800 relay team of Brian Stanbaugh , Keaton Stuart , Gavin Conjurski and Stone Sweatman won gold with a time of 8:09.41. “I just wanted to put it all out for my team, especially the seniors,” said Richardson. “I was so proud of everybody who raced, all the coaches who helped us throughout the whole season.” The 4x100 team of Luke Chambers , Brady Cobb , Cameron Steed, and Richardson took second and the 4x400 team of Steed, Connor Roberts , Montrell Mungin , and Zack Venning took 6 th . In the rest of the events, several Iron Horse runners competed with one another. Richardson was 4 th 100, in front of Brady Cobb’s 5 th place finish. Luke Chambers took 8th place. Behind Richardson in the 200 dash were Cobb (second) and Chambers (seventh). Sweatman placed fourth in the 800 and Grady Castiglia was 7 th and Trent Manning (8 th ). Manning also took 4 th place in 1600, with Griffin Tollison just behind in 5 th ). Brian Stanbaugh placed 3 rd in the 3200, while Tollison was 4th and Castiglia was 6 th . Mungin took 2 nd in 400 hurdles. In field events, Omonte Taylor placed 4 th he high jump and Cole Tonon took eighth in the pole vault. In javelin Jack Robinson placed 3rd and Luke Robinson was 4 th . “We’re super fortunate to have two awesome middle school’s feeder programs that go into our school,” said Emma McCauley. “Every year we get around 40 middle schoolers that will come out and try out for the team. We’re returning a really strong junior class as well, which we’re excited about.”
Mountain View Girls and Waccamaw Boys Earn SCHSL State Track & Field Titles.
Since the school was opened in 2005, South Pointe High School has been known as a football school, with eight state championships in nine appearances at the 3A and 4A classifications, most recently last December. On Thursday night at Richland Northeast, the Stallions added a boys track and field win, holding off a late charge from May River to win the 4A boys track and field state championship by a half a point. “Half a point winning the state championship? Can’t get no better than that,” South Pointe head coach Calvin McCullough said. South Pointe’s win came after an unfortunate injury. While qualifying in the 4x100 meter relay for the state meet last week, Devin Isley , one of the state’s top sprinters in any classification, got injured. “He tweaked something, so he didn’t run today,” McCollough said. “We were counting on winning the 100, 200, and 4x1. We came in fifth in the 4x1, but we only got one point in the 200.” Instead of counting on the sprinters for a high score, the Stallions turned to the crew of distance runners who just happened to claim the school’s boys 4A cross country title last fall. “We figured we were pretty good in the distance,” McCullough said. “They actually pulled through and got us not only the top points, but they also got some of the low-end points as well that kept added up.” South Pointe took the lead with strong distance-running finishes. Senior Keller Brown finished first in the 3200-meter run with a time of nine minutes, 21.13 seconds. Brown finished just over 10 seconds faster than May River’s Talan Farrington . Stallions sophomore Copeland Crawford finished seventh to give South Pointe 12 points in the event. Brown took second behind May River’s Jackson Wright’s 4:16.54 time in the 1600 run with a time of 4:16.71. Reece Adams and Luke Stralow finished fifth and sixth in the race as well to give South Pointe 15 points in the event. “The 1600 I was coming in with a PR (personal record) of 4:18 and it was a 4:11 guy (Wright),” Brown said. “I knew that one was going to be more tactical. I was going to have to work for that one. I felt really good about my execution and just got past him at the last second. I got beat by .2 seconds, so I felt pretty good about that. “But in the 3200 I ran it really well all season, I felt like I had the legs to just go and run hard and eventually people would drop off,” he added. Jayden Finney took fourth place in the 800 run for an additional five points. The team of Finney, Gray Shelton , Jett Shelton and Felix Cassidy took gold in the 4x800 relay with a time of 8:06.59, after the 4x100 team of Cash Truesdale , Ethan Howze , Jalen Davis , and Isley’s replacement took fifth place. South Pointe gained 14 points on those finishes. Houze was the only top finisher for South Pointe in the dashes, taking eighth in the 200 dash for one point. The Stallions picked up 14.5 points In field events. De’onta Watson took first in the long jump with an effort of 6.72 meters. Jalen Davis placed seventh and Cain Cousar eighth in the event. Jayden White tied with Darlington’s Donte McCray for seventh place in the high jump for the 1.5 points that clinched the win. South Pointe had all of its points with several track and field events still being contested. The Stallions led May River 48-42, then 60-50, and then with White’s high jump result posted, 61.5-50. The Sharks’ 4x400 team of Antonio Corvato , Daeton Z . Altacho , Braihilin Paylor and Brennan Chase finished second to boost the team score to 58. Zavier Polite’s sixth-place finish in the triple jump gave May River its total of 61 points. Earlier in the afternoon the Sharks got first-place finishes from Wright in the 800 run (1:56.88) and the 1600 run. Farrington took fourth place in the 1600 and second place in the 3200. In the dashes, Jeremiah Grant finished fourth in the 200 and Corvato placed eighth in the 400. The 4x100 team of Mason Sweigart , Edward Cooper , Chase, and Grant placed fourth, and the 4x800 team of Farrington, Altacho, Xavier Flores , and Polite took third. Hilton Head Girls win first title since 2017 On the strength of two golds in the relay races and distance runner Julia McKenna , who won gold in the 1600, second place in the 800 and fifth place in the 3200, the Hilton Head girls track and field team held off a late charge from Westside to claim its first state championship since 2017 and fifth in school history. Seahawks head coach Frank Holland credits McKenna as being a big help in boosting the middle distance and distance runners. “She is a dynamic runner,” Holland said of McKenna, who took a warm interest in track by her sophomore year but really got into the sport as a junior. “She fell in love with it and all of a sudden her times were incredible to a point where she couldn’t get enough running. She encouraged other girls to compete and train with her. She’s a big inspiration.” McKenna, a senior and University of Tampa signee, finished atop the field in the 1600 run with a time of 5:00.96. With her finishes in the 800 and 3200, she earned the Seahawks 22 points. Also finishing in the 800 for Hilton Head were Aly Saleme and Stella Morgan , who placed fourth and fifth respectively, to give the Seahawks an additional nine points in that event. McKenna was also part of the 4x800 team that took gold with a time of 9:41.33. Her teammates were Ava Pankuch , Saleme, and Autumn Pearson . “I felt like I did really well considering all four events even though it can get really tiring,” McKenna said. “I just wanted to end it in a really good way and that’s why I decided to do all four. I’m really happy about how my mile and 4x8 went.” The 4x400 team of Jourdyn Mootry , Pankuch, Saleme and Kyndal Cohen beat out second place Bishop England by less than two seconds with a time of 3:58.29. Cohen won the 400 dash with a time of 55.26. She also took eighth in the 100 dash. Mootry took eighth in the 200 dash. Helana Fister tied with May River’s Lily Gluck for fifth place in the pole vault for 2.5 points. The Seahawks totaled 65.5 points to the Rams 58 points. Hilton Head overtook host team Richland Northeast midway through the event, holding a 51.5 lead to the then-second place Cavaliers. Bishop England later vaulted into second place with 41 points to Hilton Head’s 55.5 points. Westside’s highest track finishers were Na’ima Jackson , who took fourth in the 100 hurdles, and the 4x100 relay team of Jamy’a Tucker , Ta’Nijah Speed , Gervonna Williams , and Amber Henry , which also placed fourth. Henry took sixth in the 100 dash. The Rams’ push for the title did not come until the field events scores started to fall onto the scorer’s table. Janilah Rhodes took gold in the long jump with an effort of 5.35 meters and won another gold in the triple jump with an 11.52-meter jump. Behind Rhodes in the long jump was Williams, who finished fifth, and in the triple jump Williams placed second and Brooke Bryant placed sixth. Bryant placed fourth in the high jump, and Rhodes took eighth in that event. Madison Richardson took fourth in the shot put. All tolled, 46 of Westside’s 58 points came from field events. While the Rams’ scores came late enough to bolt into second place, Hilton Head stockpiled enough points to have a 7-plus point cushion on the evening. “We all trained really hard as a team, probably like any other team, but we all really love each other as if we’re a family,” McKenna said. “We all support each other, the sprinters support the distance runners and the distance runners support the sprinters.” Holland said that while McKenna graduates, she has left a mark on the program. Among returners are Cohen, whom Holland noted broke three school records just as McKenna did this year, and Mootry, along with several underclassmen and seventh- and eighth-graders. “We’ve got some young athletes coming up as well, so we’ve got a pretty good solid future,” he said.