Bamberg-Ehrhardt's Chaz Breeland in action about to split the uprights again.

By: Gerald Doolittle The South Carolina Independent Schools Association enters October with teams now playing for playoff seeding. Last seasons Champions in Class 3A (Pinewood), Class 2A (Bethesda) and Class 1A (Williamsburg) all moved up a classification in the new alignment. Can Northwood repeat in 4A and can W.W. King repeat in 8-Man? The top 2026 contenders in Class 4A are Hammond (6-0), Pinewood Prep (6-0), Ben Lippen (4-1) and Laurence Manning (3-1). Defending Champion Northwood Academy (4-2) and Porter-Gaud (4-2) could sneak into the finals. The top 2026 contenders in Class 3A are Northside Christian (6-0), First Baptist (5-1), Hilton Head Christian (5-1) and Bethesda (3-1). Florence Christian (4-2) and Wilson Hall (4-2) could determine who make the finals. Class 2A will be a four- way battle between Calhoun Academy (6-1), Colleton Prep (6-1), Greenwood Christian (4-1) and Patrick Henry (4-1). Williamsburg Academy (3-1) will have say on who makes the finals. Class 1A will be a battle between Dorchester Academy (5-1) and Dillon Christian (4-2) SCISA 8-Man will have Jefferson Davis Academy (6-0), Laurens Academy (5-0), W.W. King Academy (4-1) and Newberry Academy (4-1) working hard to win the Title. Wardlaw Academy (2-3) can be a sleeper to pull off a surprise finish. The top rushing leaders leading into October are Jordan Blackmon (Dillon Chr) 935 yds, Isaiah Scott-Palacos (Greenwood Chr) 871 yds, Joseph Morse (W W King) 857 yds, Reed Almers (Dorchester) 839 yds, B J Suits (Northside Chr) 712 yds, Parker Kizer (Holly Hill) 673 yds, Derrick Porter (First Baptist) 683 yds, Michael Polite (Northwood) 583 yds, Kai Sobey (Patrick Henry) 558 yds, Caleb Hardy (Laurens Ac) 533 yds, Grant Smalls (Williamsburg) 480 yds and Ethan Porter (Augusta Chr) 447 yds. The top passing leaders going into October are Silas Brawner (Pinewood) 1898 yds, Cam Werntz (Porter-Gaud) 1387 yds, Cale Owens (Colleton Prep) 1312 yds, Kres Langhals (Hilton Head Chr) 1297 yds, Gibbs Isom (First Baptist) 1256 yds, Ethan Collins (Laurens Ac) 1110 yds, Harris Janik (Augusta Chr) 1070 yds and Kevin Johnson (Northwood) 1053 yards. The top pass receivers going into October are Amir Chisolm (Porter-Gaud) 742 yds, Tre Green (Pinewood) 687 yds, Drew Wolfe (Northwood) 640 yds, Lavoris Lucas (Pinewood) 612 yds, Thomas Corbett (Colleton Prep) 540 yds, Joshua Bradley (First Baptist) 507 yds, Jackson Richardson (Hilton Head Chr) 489 yds, Jimmele Smith (Ben Lippen) 447 yds, Wilson Yarborough (Porter-Gaud) 415 yds and Gray Easterling (Dillon Chr) 404 yards. The top tackle leaders going into October are Jacob Bussey (W W King) 73, Mac Strickland (Orangeburg Prep) 72, Allen Chisolm (Porter-Gaud) 66, Luke Sobey (Patrick Henry) 65, Stone Porter (Ben Lippen) 59, Davis Padgett (Palmetto Chr) 58, Eli Seigler (Greenwood Chr) 57, Chandler Rogers (Dillon Chr) 57, Lincoln Dial (Dillon Chr) 57, Zach Weatherford (Holly Hill) 54, Jake Harrington (Jefferson Davis) 53, Scooter Brown (Porter-Gaud) 52 and Eli Garrett (Laurens Ac) 50.

Ethan Moody is a dedicated senior student-athlete challenging himself academically, and as a football and baseball player for the Dillon Christian School.

Lily King is a senior four-sport athlete at Dillon Christian School, where she plays Volleyball, Basketball, Soccer, and cheers.

By Neill Kirkpatrick Special to the HSSR Dillon – Dillon Christian went 3-7/2-2 in head coach Chris Alphin first season with a very young team with most of the players returning expectations are high and coach is excited to see to see how his young players have grown. “We need to stay health and play our game. We feel like the kids that are juniors now, were going to be our corner stone to flip the culture here. They are a year older and they gained valuable experience last season so we feel really good heading into the season,” said coach Alphin. Coach continued, “We go to camp every year. This year we did a spiritual isolation camp in the mountains of North Carolina and we did it with church. We set all of our season goals but we also had team devotions. I feel this has made our team closer together and the teams knows while we love to play the game. There is a higher purpose,” Coach said. The Warriors evened their record at 1-1 after beating Orangeburg Prep 45-14. Blackmon had 384 yards of offense and passed for three touchdowns and ran for two more scores while the defense held OP to 204 yards of offense We The Warriors have only five seniors led by all region kicker Scott Burgarin . He has already hit from 39 yards out. Middle linebacker Ethan Moody , defensive end Lincoln Dial , guard Chandler Rogers , and wide receiver Rilee Martin. Moody was the team’s leading tackler last season with 65 and a whopping 22 tackles for loss. The junior class is loaded with talent starting with the offensive line in right guard CJ Alford (5-10,275), right tackle John Walker (6-3,235), and quarterback Jordan Blackmon (5-10,155). They are returning offensive starters. Blackmon accounted for over 2200 yards of offense and 19 scores. New junior starters are defensive back Blake Hunt (5-11, 135), WR/DB Gray Easterling (5-10,165), running backs Terry Knight (5-8,145) and Mills Wallace (5-7,140). Knight and Wallace start at linebackers also with Knight leading the team in tackles with 19. Left Tackle is freshmen Bradley Collins and left guard is an eighth grader Chase Huggins. While several players play both ways there are few players that play one side of the ball. Junior Keylan Oxendine (5-9,270) plays just defensive line and sophomore Bentley Clark (6-2,175) only plays defensive end. “To challenge for the region championship, we need to stay healthy and not forgot what got us here. We do those things and give glory to God we will be okay,” said coach.

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!”

Orangeburg Prep girls came out strong in game one of the SCISA tournament games.