Dorchester girls basketball team off to 4-5 start
Raiders still young despite returning three starters
St. George – The Dorchester Academy girls basketball team has three returning starters from
last year’s squad that reached the SCISA AA state tournament semifinals. That doesn’t mean the Raiders
aren’t young though.
The returning starters are sophomores Palmer Kizer and Rylee Weathers and freshman Emery
McClure. A fourth starter, Alyssa Grooms, is a sophomore.
Three players are sharing time for the fifth spot – seniors Reagan Burns and Lucy Varnadoe
and eighth-grader Madison Downey.
“Overall, we are a pretty young team,” said head coach Callie McClure, whose other two players
are junior Lyla Owens and freshman Ryann Martin. “We’ve had some girls fighting illnesses the past
couple weeks so I’m hoping we can find some consistency once everyone is 100 percent.”
DA was 4-5 going into the new year. It finished third in the IP Builders Holiday Tournament
held at Colleton Prep Academy. Weathers and Grooms both made the All Tournament team.
Dorchester is a member of Region 2-AA along with 2-time defending AA state champion
Cathedral Academy, Faith Christian and Charleston Collegiate. The Raiders open region play at
home on January 10 against Cathedral.
“I’m looking forward to the growth of this team and seeing them work together during region
play and moving into the playoffs in February,’ Coach McClure said.
DORCHESTER BOYS START 1-5
The Dorchester boys basketball team started its season with a 1-5 record. The Raiders return only
two players from last season in juniors Abe Shuler and John Quattlebuam. However, they have been
without Quattebaum, who is recovering from a football injury as the quarterback.
“They are my two best players,” said DA head coach Nick McIlhany. “Hopefully we will start
playing better when he comes back.”
WHETSELL, CRISP WIN REGION AWARDS
Dorchester running back John Whetsell was selected as the Region 1-Class A Offensive Player
of the Year while Landon Crisp was selected at the Lineman of the Year.
Whetsell, a junior, rushed for 1,757 yards and 16 touchdowns on 257 carries in 10 games with
seven games of 100 yards or more. Crisp, a 6-foot-3-inch, 280-pound senior, led the way up front for
Whetsell at left tackle and started at defensive tackle.
Whetsell and Crisp were joined on the All-Region team by Quattlebaum. Quattlebaum completed
81 of 126 passes for 1,105 yards and 11 touchdowns. As a safety, he had 24 tackles, one tackle for a loss
and three interceptions.
The other All-Region picks are senior offensive guard/inside linebacker Chantz Judy, senior
wide receiver/outside linebacker Wynn Kuskey, freshman RB/LB Warren Judy, Shuler at tight end and
defensive end, senior OT/DT Jason Kositz, senior C/OLB Bryson Connor and senior defensive back
Layton Wimberly.
