Christ Church Boys Tennis still one of the best

By Rob Gantt Special to the HSSR HANAHAN – Hanahan High School’s baseball team waves goodbye to seniors Riley Ballard , Joe Furse and Garrett Brown after finishing the 2025 campaign in the Lower State championship game this spring. Ballard, a Citadel signee, missed a portion of the season but was the Hawks’ ace when healthy. Furse, who batted leadoff and patrolled the outfield, garnered all-region and all-state nods, and Brown contributed to the infield. “It was an awesome season,” second-year Hawks coach Skylar Hunter said . “I think the bottom line is that we competed very well and had great senior leadership. You don’t do what we did without guys like Riley, Joe and Garrett. You’ve got to give it to them.” Hunter’s team capped the year with a 21-11-2 record and finished second in the region. Hanahan won a postseason district title. As for the 2026 season, the Hawks can return a veteran group led by junior catcher Hudson Sprovero , junior second baseman Bo Brabham and eighth-grader pitcher/infielder Nolyn Nickels . All three earned all-region nods, with Sprovero also joining Furse on the South Carolina Baseball Coaches Association’s all-state squad. Sprovero was one of the Lowcountry’s top power hitters this season and finished in double digits home runs. “We’ve seen how these kids can compete with all the chips on the table,” Hunter said. “There are six or seven more months before we get back on the field, and you look forward to seeing what kind of development they’re going to make. We’ll get into the weight room and see what happens.”  More returning starters are sophomore pitcher/infielder Chris Polm , sophomore shortstop Wyatt Muirheid , junior outfielder/pitcher Gunnar Haulbrooks and freshman outfielder Tripp Gallus . Sophomore infielder Zac Jimenez , freshman infielder Richard Atencio and freshman outfielder Charlie Wood were regulars in the lineup, too.

By David Shelton Senior Writer Holly Hill – It was a sour taste that lingered for a year in the mouths of every player on the Holly Hill Academy softball team. Winning is better than mouthwash. The 2025 Raiders completed a 16-4 season by winning the SCISA Class A state championship, defeating W.W. King in two games (6-4, 15-4) in a best-of-three championship series. Holly Hill won their last seven games of the season. The victory makes Holly Hill state champion for the second time in three years but it was not winning the championship in 2024 that fueled the fire this spring. Though heavily favored last season, the Raiders were upset in the state tournament, eliminated by Jefferson Davis Academy. “We didn’t get it done last year but we still felt we were the best team in the state,” coach Kally Knight said. “Losing last year was all the motivation this team needed. They had a great focus all through the offseason and it carried over into the season. We weren’t perfect by any means but the four losses came to good teams and it helped us stay focused.” In the game one win, Holly Hill banged out nine hits. Kaylee Brabham collected three hits and Kloie Mizell had three runs batted in to lead the offense. Pitcher Taylor Wright had two hits and threw a complete game while allowing four runs. The bats stayed hot in game two as the Raiders totaled 12 hits and took advantage of six King errors. King took a 3-1 lead after the first inning but Holly Hill posted eight runs in the second inning and had a five-run fourth inning to close the deal in five innings. Wright had five RBI on three hits, including two doubles. She again tossed a complete game inside the circle. Kaley Bell had two hits and three RBI while Peyton Strickland and Chloe Wren each added a pair of hits and each had an RBI. “We were a good hitting team really all season and a lot of girls contributed from game to game,” Knight said. “We knew if we cut down walks and played good defense, we were going to be tough to beat. “This team deserves this. They worked hard and they built a strong chemistry. It’s great to see them celebrate being champions again.” Rounding out the roster were Milly Kate Prescott, Ariel Stanley, Abby Burleson, Shelby Hanson, Bethany Martin and Kaylee Cuttino. Brabham and Wren are the only seniors on this year’s team so expect the Raiders to be a contender once again.

Dillon rising senior receiver Zay Robertson who caught 63 passes for around 1,000 yards last season. Robertson ran a 4.4 forty at the South Carolina football camp on June, 7th.

By David Shelton Senior Writer Summerville – The track and field program at Cane Bay High is one of the more competitive in the Lower State. After the boys team posted a fifth-place finish in the recent AAAAA Division I state meet, the program is now one of the top in the state. Cane Bay’s performance in the boys meet was highlighted by a strong performance from hurdler Jayden Anderson . Anderson became the second Cobra in recent years to win gold medals in both the 110 meter and 400 meter hurdles.  “He’s very talented and he works really hard to be his best,” coach Greg Hall said. “We’re having a lot of success with our hurdles of late.” Anderson also ran a leg on the 4 x 400 relay team, which finished second. There were no other state champions for Cane Bay but several athletes placed among the top 10 in their respective events. Jamari Blandin earned a silver medal in the long jump. Jacob Tejada finished sixth in the 100 meter dash and 13 th in the 200. Dennis Green placed eighth in the 200 and Josiah Coleman was seventh in the triple jump and Mayson Samuel was eighth in the pole vault. Joshua Frost finished 10 th in the discus. The baseball and softball teams ended their seasons in the state playoffs. The softball team was eliminated with a loss to Ashley Ridge and finished with an 11-12 record while the baseball team (10-15) was eliminated by Summerville. Jasmine Dargan led the softball team in hitting this spring, posting a .375 batting average. Emma Tychek finished at .359 and Charlet Reed batted .344. Pitcher Isabella Kelly had a 2.75 earned run average and had seven wins inside the pitching circle. Catcher Drew Grimm earned baseball all-state honors after hitting .398 for the season. Sophomore Lucas Porcelli finished at .306. Junior Mitchell Bennett batted .500 but was injured and lost for the season in the 14 th game. In soccer, the girls team posted a 14-6 record and finished third in region 7-AAAAA. Senior Claire Orth was named all-state, finishing the season with 23 goals and six assists. Junior Eiliyah Tomes scored 22 goals and assisted on 11 goals. The boys soccer team went 6-12 this spring. Junior Gabriel Munoz , junior Bailey Purvis and sophomore Jayden Hernandez all scored seven goals this season. Junior Jackson Hedges had six goals and five assists.

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