Lake View's Jalen Clark.

Cross Coach Shaun Wright optimistic about this upcoming season.

Head coach Shaun Wright, Cross High f ootball, built one of the top Class A programs in the state.

By David Shelton Senior Writer Cross – With the Class A state track and field meet just a month away, the athletes at Cross High are working hard to be at their peak when the most important meet of the year arrives. Cross has put in a lot of work this spring, competing in several large meets against bigger schools. The hope is that the competition is helping the Trojans improve and see what it takes to be a champion. Cross competed in the Berkeley County track meet, meets at Cane Bay and Timberland, and will have a meet at Woodland on April 23. A lot can happen over the final month of the regular season but it would appear that several athletes will qualify for the state meet. A true state championship contender is Caden Ramsey , a junior three-sport star at the school. Ramsey has earned all-state honors in football and basketball and would like add a gold medal in track. Ramsey’s best event is the 400 meter run where he finished third overall in a highly-competitive Berkeley County track meet. Jonathan Bradley also runs the 400 while William Grant is the top sprinter in the 100 and 200. Corinthian Wilson and Ashton Geathers also work in the sprints. Micah Dukes has been running the 800 and competing in the long jump. Bernard Middleton and Jerry Sweatman are working in the hurdles while Que Taylor and Jeremiah Grant are running the 1600. Jailyn Broughton and Marquis Pringle are tops in the discus while David Wigfall and Dakari President have been best in the shot put. Lavell Joyner has competed well on the long jump and Preston Fuller was fourth in the county meet in the pole vault. Throwing the javelin are Andrew Black and Martrell Forbes . On the girls team, working in the sprints are T aLancia Fuller, Michayla Bennett and Talea Small . Running in the 400 is Aaliyah Davis . In the throws, Caylee Bradley and Abigail Ingram are working the discus and shot put while Tamia McCray is throwing the shot put as well. Competing in the javelin are Milan Davis and Laura Campbell . Davis also has been throwing the discus.

By David Shelton Senior Writer  Cross – A one-point loss to Carver’s Bay in the second-round of the Class A Lower State playoffs was a crushing end to the 2024-25 basketball season for the Cross High Trojans. Cross entered the playoffs looking for another great run. The Trojans reached the Lower State finals in 2023-24. While coming up a little short, Cross continued the growth that coach Chaquain Boone had hoped for. Cross finished the season with a 14-3 record despite most of the roster getting a late start to the success of the football team. The Trojans have racked up 50 wins over the last three seasons. And more winning is coming with a good group of underclassmen on the way. “We only have three seniors so we will have most of the team returning next year,” Boone said. “Our players work and play extremely hard. That work ethic and style of play is a great sign for our future. “Apart from two players, the entire team played in the Class A football state championship, so we had a late start to the basketball season. However, none of the players have ever complained about the basketball workload even after a long and hard football season. They have maintained a great attitude and have worked extremely hard. That bodes well for the future.” The top performer this season was 6-4 junior Caden Ramsey , who averaged 15.9 points and 9.8 rebounds per game. He earned Class A all-state honors for the second straight season. Ramsey will be one of the top senior prospects in Class A in football and basketball. The three seniors contributed well to the team’s success. Micah Flute averaged 8.5 points and 9.6 rebounds per game. Lavell Joyner added 9.4 points and 3.4 assists, while Preston Fuller added 9.6 points per game. Among the underclassmen, top contributors included freshman Bernard Middleton (5.0 ppg), sophomore Tyler Harris (4.1 ppg), junior Kenji Polite (4.0 ppg) and freshman Isaiah Wright (3.5 ppg).

Cross boys aiming to peak in playoffs By David Shelton Senior Writer Cross – the 2023-24 basketball season for the Cross High boys team was certainly one to remember. The Trojans are hoping for bigger memories this season. Cross played in the Class A Lower State championship game last season, using a hot playoff run to make a strong dash at the end.  All indications point to Cross having the talent and experience to again challenge for the Class A state title. It has taken some time to bring the chemistry together but coach Chaquain Boone likes where his team is. “Apart from two players, the entire team played in the Class A football state championship, so we had a late start to the basketball season,” Boone reports. “However, none of the players have ever complained about the basketball workload even after a long and hard football season. They have maintained a great attitude and have worked extremely hard. “I feel good about how the season is going so far. We have high goals, so we'll ultimately be judged by how we perform in the postseason.” With the regular season winding down, Cross had won nine of their first 11 games overall and were 4-1 in region 7-A play. A second-place finish in the region would secure a home game in the first round of the playoffs but the goal remains a region title. As was the case last season, the team leader this winter is 6-4 junior forward Caden Ramsey . As one of the team captains, Ramsey is putting up solid numbers across the stat sheet. He averages 14.8 points, 9.6 rebounds, 3.3 steals and 1.3 blocked shots per game. Another captain is senior Lavell Joyner , who adds 10.7 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 3.4 steals per game. The third captain is senior Preston Fuller , who contributes 7.9 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.9 steals per contest. Senior Micah Flute plays a key role inside. Flute is scoring 9.3 points and pulling down 10.1 rebounds per game. Freshman Isaiah Wright is averaging 6.5 points, 3.3 steaks and 2.8 assists per game. Boone is hoping the success of the last two seasons has set the foundation for extended winning down the road. The roster has plenty of underclassmen. “We only have three seniors so we will have most of the team returning next year,” Boone said. “Our players work and play extremely hard. That work ethic and style of play is a great sign for our future.”

By Billy G. Baker Publisher  Cross –Coming out of the holiday break the Cross High boys’ basketball team is 4-1 and the Trojans have strong potential to be competing for a Class A championship at the end of the season. “ We had a late start to the season, because our football team played for the 1-A State football championship,” said head coach Chaquain Boone . “Our entire team played football with the exception of two players. Our guys have done a good job transitioning from football to basketball, and have worked very hard over the break to round into basketball form.” The starting five is comprised of freshman Isaiah Wright , senior Lavell Joyner , senior Preston Fuller , junior football prospect Caden Ramsey , and senior Micah Flute . Ramsey (6-6) is currently averaging 14.8 points and 9 rebounds a game playing on the inside. Joyner is averaging 10,2 points and 5.4 rebounds a game. Flute is averaging 8 points and 9.5 rebounds a game. Fuller is averaging 8.6 points a game and 4.2 rebounds. Wright is playing excellent defense at 2.6 steals a game. The first three players off the bench include freshman BJ Middleton , junior Kerji Polite and sophomore Tyler Harris . Other members of the team include, junior PG Andrew Mack , junior Patrick Montgomery , sophomore Corinthian Wilson , and junior Micah Dukes . So far, Cross has wins over Stall (57-40) in the first game of the season. They followed up that win with victories over Lake Marion (70-61), Beaufort (59-30) and Timberland (64-31). “We have the potential to be playing late into February, or early March and we expect to be battling for a Class A crown,” said Coach Boone. “Our strength is our size and defensive intensity. Players take pride in their defense and they play extremely hard.” Coming out of the holiday break, Cross will play away at Palmetto Scholars on January, 10, host Timberland on the 11 th , travel to Bethune- Bowman on the 14 th and host Baptist Hill on January, 17.

Abbeville's Junior Darius Riley in the State Title game.

Panthers claim program's 13th overall title, ninth in last 15 years