By David Shelton Senior Writer Chesterfield – Region play is the most important part of the regular season and ramping up the intensity and focus is paramount for any team hoping to contend for a region title and state playoff berth. To that end, a young but up and coming Chesterfield girls basketball team is competing well in the early part of their 2025-26 region 4-AA schedule. The Lady Rams won four of their first six region games and were 10-7 overall this season as of Jan. 18. The team won 11 games all of last season. “We are playing pretty well so far,” said head coach Nick Jolly earlier this season. “This is a competitive team. We’re still fairly young overall but we have some talented girls. We will make youthful mistakes but we will learn from those mistakes and work hard to correct things as we go. I definitely feel good about the potential.” Chesterfield regularly starts four sophomores and Jolly’s top two players are sophomores Reagan Rivers and Yaya Robinson . Rivers was a class AA all-state selection as a freshman, averaging 14 points and eight rebounds per game. This season, she is averaging 14.6 points and 9.6 rebounds per game. She also dishes 3.4 assists per game and has nearly three steals per contest. Robinson averaged 13.9 points last season and is at 15.9 points per game this season. Eighth-grader Le’Asia Brown is leading the team in rebounds, grabbing 9.9 boards per game while scoring 6.7 rebounds per contest this season. Sopho,ore Ki’Yonna Peurifoy is pulling down 7.0 rebounds per contest while senior Jordan Evans is adding 2.6 steals and nearly two assists per game. Sophomore Alivia Honeycutt scores about three points and pulls down 4.5 rebounds per game. She also averages close to four blocked shots per outing. Sophomore Tayler McCoy is adding six points per game. Senior Jaylen Evans , along with junior Kaylee Leonard , see considerable minutes as well. Freshman Taylee Clyburn , sophomore Ava Knight , freshman Kamari Patterson , freshman Allison Brown , and senior Jenna Kelly round out this year’s squad. Jolly says his biggest point of emphasis in the early season has been physical toughness. “With the youth, sometimes they play a little timid,” the coach said. “I keep telling them we have to play tougher. They are responding well. I’m pretty happy with where we are and I know we are going to continue to grow and improve as we play more. We will compete with most of the teams that we play.” The boys team went 1-12 against non-region competition in December but is showing solid growth in region play with an early 2-2 record. Senior leaders and team captains are Kamron Patterson, Derrick Lockhart, Ronnie Little and Josh Miller . Juniors include Amir Pickett, Jackson Dalton, Mark Moten, Josh Bittle, Jayden Johnson, Treyvon Smith and DJ Merriman. Rounding out the roster are sophomores Jamison Dalton and Holden Lowry .

Chesterfield Senior Kathryn Johnson is the NETC Female Student Athlete of the Month for August..

Chesterfield Junior OL, Marquan Blount is the August NETC Male Student Athlete of the Month.

Chesterfield's junior Guard Marquan Blount.

Chesterfield High has hired a former player and alum, Nick Dixon, to head up its football program.

By David Shelton Senior Writer Chesterfield – Chesterfield High athletic director Kevin Kenny is quite pleased with the overall performance and efforts of the 2025 spring sports athletes. Kenny and the coaches of the baseball, softball and track programs recently honored the top performers with banquets celebrating their respective seasons. The top athletic awards are the male and female athletes of the year. The honorees this year were JaQuavis Clark and Kai Pace . The varsity baseball team finished this season with a 13-11 overall record and qualified for the Class AA Lower State playoffs. Unfortunately, a pair of one-run losses to Atlantic Collegiate and Academic Magnet ended the season. Selected all-region were John Brody Banasiewicz , Rocket Watford and Bryce Adams . Banasiewicz also was recognized for making the AA all-state team, He and Watford shared the offensive player of the year award for the team. Sky Courtney was the defensive player of the year and Brayden Burr was most improved player. Top pitching awards went to Adams and Max Gulledge while Avery Keith and Holden Lowry received Coach’s awards. The Stuart Rayfield award went to Trent Trexler , and the team player honor went to Parker Tolson . Will Evans was the team’s rookie of the year. The softball team got hot at the end of the season before a 1-0 loss to Saluda in the playoffs ended the run. The Lady Rams finished with a 13-15 overall record. All-region selections in softball included Kaylee Eubanks , Pace, and Michaela Lisenby . Eubanks and Ashton Cassidy shared MVP honors while Pace shared offensive MVP honors with Ariana Vanderpool and Jameson Miles . Lisenby and Brylie Harpe were the defensive most valuable players and Harley Hatcher was the most improved player. Jordan Evans and Sydney Sowell received the Heart of the Ram award. Jenna Stafford w as the overall MVP and offensive MVP for the jayvee softball team. Madison Vanderpool and Reagan Rivers shared defensive MVP honors while Camryn Horton and Shayla Evans were most improved. Madison Vanderpool and Addyson Hancock received the Heart of the Ram award. The track and field program also honored their top athletes. Several members of the team qualified for the Class AA state meet. In running events, the MVP’s were Josh Miller for the boys team, and Kinsley Lowe and Amrie Lowe for the girls team. In the field events, the MVP’s were Taye Diggs for the boys and Justyce Sellers for the girls. The track and field rookies of the year went to Levi Jones and Bria Lowe .

Chesterfield’s Marah Brock Named “NETC” Female Student Athlete of the Month Chesterfield — Marah Brock is a senior two-sport athlete at Chesterfield High, where she plays volleyball and softball. She was on their 2023 team that won the state title that season, but missed much of last season due to injury, and she is excited about this season. Brock said she that while she enjoys volleyball, softball is her favorite sport. “Playing both sports helped prepare me for the other sport, both mentally and physically,” she said. “ Another advantage of being a multi-sport athlete is that it keeps me a part of a team, working together, and having a schedule to maintain.” In the classroom, she carries a 4.0 GPA, and she says that after high school she doesn’t expect to have time for next level sports while pursuing a degree as a Registered Nurse at the University of South Carolina.  For all her athletic and academic accomplishments, Brock 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 2024-25 school year to students in Marlboro County, Dillon County, and Chesterfield County, where they serve the academic needs of high school students. Currently, Brock is enrolled in two dual credit online courses offered by NETC. She already completed many basic requirements for freshman year and has taken key classes for her nursing major like Anatomy, Physiology, and Micro-Biology. Brock looks forward to college and becoming an RN. When asked about what NETC did to help her, Brock said she’s “taken classes since the ninth grade which keeps her busy with the extra schoolwork, but it also helps with keeping good study habits and not “slacking off.” “Overall, it was a good experience taking online courses through NETC,” said Brock. “Some courses were more challenging than others. It prepares you for what the college experience will be like, and what the set up will be like.” Another advantage of taking online courses through “NETC” has allowed Brock to be able to graduate from Chesterfield High with an Associate’s Degree in Science, and this has made her very proud indeed. She is also very proud of the value of her high school Diploma from Chesterfield High that qualifies her for advanced placement once she enrolls in college. As a high school student, playing two sports, Brock said being enrolled in NETC online classes, has helped her learn valuable time management skills. “It hones your time management skills, and there is no time to procrastinate,” she said. “This helps you focus, while building good study habits, and I have learned to allocate my time wisely.” Brock recalled her favorite time playing softball was in the state title game in 2023. “We were playing at the USC softball park in Columbia,” she said. “It was game three and we won to clinch the title. Being in a college stadium was an awesome experience.”

Chesterfield’s Xander Hamilton Named “NETC” Male Student Athlete of the Month Chesterfield — Xander Hamilton is a senior two-sport athlete at Chesterfield High, where he plays soccer while also participating on the Ram’s wrestling team. Soccer is his favorite sport of the two, and he has played on soccer teams since he was three years old. Hamilton has excelled in wrestling also; a sport he did not take up until he started high school. Hamilton has 98 career wins on his resume as a wrestler at Chesterfield High. After his high school career, he is looking to continue playing soccer as a walk-on at the next level. He is currently considering Coastal Carolina, UNC-Wilmington, and he has a visit to the University of South Carolina planned for April, 28.  In the classroom, Hamilton carries a 3.8 GPA, while maintaining his online course load, and participating in two sports. Of the two sports he participates in, Hamilton has a strong desire to play soccer at the next level. For all his athletic and academic accomplishments, Hamilton 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 2024-25 school year to students in Marlboro County, Dillon County, and Chesterfield County, where they serve the academic needs of high school students. Xander is currently enrolled in dual credit online courses offered by NETC and will has earned enough credits for an associate’s degree. He is focused on completing all the required classes for the first year of college to give a head start on his college credits. For his education after high school, Xander has a strong desire to major in Marine Biology in college. By taking the online courses through the NETC, Xander says, when I graduate high school, I’ll also be awarded my Associate’s in Science degree. When asked the difficulty to enroll and take classes, he replied that “it was nice that courses were so easy to access and to complete the work.” “The NETC online work helped me prep for college by “improving my ability to communicate, that made it easier for me to interact better with my teachers and professors.” The other advantage Xander noted by taking college level classes in high school, “it will help take away some of the stress of my first year.” Hamilton said that enjoyed wrestling, but his favorite sport is soccer which he started playing when he was 3-years old. He is mainly a defensive player, and his goal is making the team as a walk once he gets in college if he does not get an offer up front.

By David Shelton Senior Writer Chesterfield – With two weeks remaining in the 2025 regular season, the baseball and softball teams at Chesterfield High are fighting for a spot in the upcoming Class AA state playoff bracket. Entering the week of April 7, both teams were in position to place among the top four teams in region 4-AA, which would be good enough to be in the playoffs. A strong finish down the stretch would likely secure a first-round home game. Baseball coach Steven Sellers watched his team win eight of their first 13 games overall, with a 3-3 start in region play. The final four games later this month, two against Central and two against York Prep, will have a major impact on where the Rams finish. Robert Watford and Brent Banasiewicz have been key performers early. Watford hit .474 with 15 RBI’s through 13 games while Banasiewicz hit .465 with 14 RBI’s. Will Evans was hitting .344 with 12 RBI’s through 13 games while Holden Lowery and Sky Courtney were hitting .276, each with seven runs batted in. Max Gulledge and Bryce Adams have been leaders on the mound. The duo leads the pitching staff in innings pitched while Adams has a 2.26 earned run average. Watford is third in innings pitched and freshman Landon Trexler has seen work. The softball team went 2-3 in their first five region games, going 5-7-1 overall through the first week of April. Second-year coach Graham Harpe has been pushing his team to be more consistent. “If we play to our potential and get everyone going at the same time, we have a chance. It won’t be easy in our region but it never is. We won the state title two years ago and didn’t win the region. The tough region prepares all of the teams for the playoffs.” The top returning player is senior shortstop Kayleigh Eubanks , a returning all-state performer and a fourth-year starter. Eubanks is joined on the left side of the infield by Kai Pace, a senior third baseman, one of the top hitters in the batting order. Taking on duties at second base is sophomore Baylie Harpe , a returning starter as well. Senior K endall Brock returns as the starting first baseman while sophomore Jamison Miles returns behind the plate. Freshman Trinity Traxler is the team’s No. 1 pitcher but has help. Eighth-graders Ashton Cassidy and Sydney Sowell also work inside the circle. Seniors Marah Brock, Michaela Lisenby , and Arianna Vanderpool are seeing most of the action in the outfield. Vanderpool is one of the top hitters and has pitched some in the past.