By Dennis Brunson hssr.com Associate Editor Sumter – Trying to figure out who the best football team is in the South Carolina High School League’s AA classification has not been an easy task. Records have been distorted with teams like defending state champion Clinton and defending runner-up Fairfield Central playing up in non-region games and taking losses. Then you have tough regions like Region 2 with Strom Thurmond , Batesburg-Leesville and Saluda locking up in epic battles. Then there is Region 4. It has the team with the best record among the contenders in Central with a 9-1 record after the first round of the state playoffs. However the Eagles didn’t even wn the region title. They lost to Andrew Jackson , which is the region champion. They could meet again – for the state championship – since Region 4 is a hybrid region. AJ is in the upper state bracket and Central is in the lower state bracket. Another region team, Cheraw , is still alive in the lower state bracket. So you know how we figure all of this out, right? By letting the playoffs play out. With one week in the books, let’s try to figure out who will be playing for the state title on Saturday, December 6, at South Carolina State’s Oliver C. Dawson Stadium in Orangeburg beginning at 4 p.m. Here we go starting with the upper state second round: Saluda at Clinton Fairfield Central at Andrew Jackson Batesburg-Leesville at Chester Liberty at Strom Thurmond These are all teams that have been consequential in AA in the last few years. You have four region champions in Region 1 Clinton, Region 2 Strom Thurmond, Region 3 Chester and Region 4 Andrew Jackson. There are three second-place teams in Fairfield Central, B-L and Liberty. Saluda finished third but it lost to both Thurmond and B-L in overtime and dropped a 1-point decision to Ninety Six . While the Tigers will put up a strong fight, Clinton shoul come away victorious with running back Javen Cook leadin the way. Fairfield Central is 8-3, while AJ is 7-4 with one of thosef losses coming to the Griffins by a 35-0 count. The Volunteers won’t be able to make up enough of that gap. Batesburg-Leesville has rebounded from a slow start and is 8-3. Chester started the season 1-3 but has won six of its last seven to go to 7-4. Running back Amadre Wooden and wide receiver KD Whitt should provde enough plays to give B-L a victory. Strom Thurmond is 9-2 and Liberty is 8-3. Playing in Region 2 should be enough to push the Rebels past Liberty. The quarterfinal games are: Fairfield Central at Clinton Batesburg-Leesville at Strom Thurmond Fairfield and Clinton will meet again in the playoffs only one round earlier. The Red Devils will win again because of their overpowering running game. Thurmond and B-L faced off in their region opener with the Rebels coming away with a 28-26 overtime triumph. They took Region 2 with an undefeated record, but it will come to an end with a Panthers victory. The upper state title game will be: Batesburg-Leesville at Clinton This could be a very quick game as both teams love the running game and rightfully so. Two of the best running backs in the state will play in B-L’s Wooden, the school’s all-time leading rusher, and Clinton’s Cook. They will be toting the rock on a regular basis. Somehow, some way, the Panthers are going to come out victorious and advance to the title game. The four second-round games in the lower state are: Cheraw at Hampton County Timberland at Manning East Clarendon at Central Atlantic Collegiate at Philip Simmons These are four games that are intriguing as well but in a different fashion. Save Central – which again, didn’t win its region – each has had something to overcome. After losing three straighr games, including its first two Region 4 contests to Central and AJ, Cheraw is on a 4-game winning streak and is 7-4. Hampton had a 3-game losing streak of its own but has reeled off five straight wins to claim the Region 6 title. The losses all came to solid to strong teams in higher classes though, and the Hurricanes should be victorious. Manning, which played for the lower state title last year, started 0-2 and lost its Region 7 opener. However, the Monarchs won the rest of their region contests and are on a 6-game winning streak. Timberland is 9-2 but finished second in Region 6 after losing to Philip Simmons 22-0. This will be a slugfest between two teams who methodically run the ball and play tough defense. Manning will be victorious. East Clarendon is 9-2 but finished third in Region 7 with losses to Atlantic Collegiate and Lake City . Central is 9-1 with the lone loss coming to AJ by a 21-20 count. With the exception of a 34-27 win over Cheraw, all of the Eagles’ wins have come in blowout fashion. They will pick up their 10 th win. Atlantic Collegiate, in just its second year of football, has had something of a magical run in the second half of the season. The Armada lost its first five games, albeit against a murderous non-region schedule. However, ACA went 4-2 in Region 7 to finish second and opened with a home win over Woodland . Philip Simmons is on a 9-game winning streak after losing its first two. The Iron Horses will ground the Armada’s season. That means the quarterfinal games are: Hampton County at Manning Central at Philip Simmons Hampton County will have too much offensive firepower for the Monarchs. Central will have to make the almost 3-hour drive from Pageland to Charleston , but the trip back will be a little shorter after a victory. The lower state title game will have: Central at Hampton County Central will make an almost identical trip to Varnville to take on the Hurricanes the following week. Again, the Eagles will be celebrating on the return ride home. And your state title game will be: Batesburg-Leesville vs. Central These are two historically strong programs where their hometowns generally shut down on Friday nights. The Eagles, led by the likes of Dwayne Louallen Jr. , Ashten Wilson , Marques Allen and Taveon Moore , will be too hard for the Panthers to handle. Central will be a state champion for the first time since 2010. First Round Friday Upper State Clinton 56, North Central 7 Saluda 33, Mid-Carolina 13 Andrew Jackson 34, Ninety Six 16 Fairfield Central 50, Chesnee 21 Chester 50, Blacksburg 6 Batesburg-Leesville 42, Eau Claire 0 Strom Thurmond 49, Chesterfield 0 Liberty 35, Pelion 14 Lower State Hampton County 56, Lake City 22 Cheraw 17, Andrews 7 Manning 48, Academic Magnet 7 Timberland 46, Barnwell 8 Central 56, Kingstree 6 East Clarendon 14, Lake Marion 0 Philip Simmons 57, Whale Branch 12 Atlantic Collegiate 14, Woodland 0 Second Round November 14 Upper State Saluda at Clinton Andrew Jackson at Fairfield Central Batesburg-Leesville at Chester Liberty at Strom Thurmond Lower State Cheraw at Hampton County Timberland at Manning East Clarendon at Central Atlantic Collegiate at Philip Simmons

Hampton County Senior Jaylen Singletary has rushed for 1555 yards and 24 touchdowns so far this season.

By Neill Kirkpatrick Special to the HSSR Varnville – The Hampton County Hurricanes had just dropped their third game in a row to Christ Church 40-35 and while they played a solid game against a quality opponent head coach Rob Hanna was frustrated with his team because of their lack of discipline and attention to detail. The Canes got the message as they ran over their region opponents by a combined score of 211 -12 to secure the top spot in region 5 AA and earn the right to host the first two rounds of the playoffs. “I feel like after our loss to Christ Church , the focus and preparation of the players has been much better,” said coach Hanna. “We had some new starters that hadn't had a lot of game experience but I feel they are caught up now.” Coach continued, “Anytime you get to host two playoff games, bring excitement for the postseason and we hope we can stay healthy, continue to improve and obviously get a little luck go our way and maybe make a long run to after Thanksgiving and into early December.” The Canes finished the regular season at 7-3 with the three losses coming against teams that will host first round playoff games and a combined record of 24-6. Coach Hanna feels those teams are the type of teams you face the further you go in the playoffs and he wanted his squad to be prepared for the challenge. One of the main reason for the Cane’s success has been the play of the offensive and defensive lines. They have controlled the line of scrimmage each with the offensive line paving the way for over 2900 yards on the ground. That road grading group of junior left tackle Charles “CJ” Williams , and sophomore left guard Cleavon Maxwell where the only two retuning starters. They were joined by first year starters senior center Hunter Lawson , junior right tackle Ty'Quavian Jones and sophomore right guard Jayden Frazier. Senior Jazmir Goines along with Williams and Maxwell have been very good at holding the line of scrimmage. Seniors, linebacker Malik Terry, and safety Tyler Davis have been solid in run support as they are two of the team’s top tacklers with 76 and 58, respectively. “They are a group that takes pride of being the most physical group on the field on Fridays. Also, with only 1 senior, a 10-game season goes a long way to the development of a unit when they are young, “ said coach Hanna. Senior Jaylen Singletary has been the major beneficiaries of the play of the offensive line as he has rushed for 1555 yards and 24 touchdowns. He is a very patent runner, who can reach max speed in two steps. He has been all state the past two years, once on defense and once on offense. Quarterback Tarell Grant has been a dual threat all year. He has thrown for 676 yards and 10 while rushing for 496 yards and another five scores. He had two runs of over 50 yards against Christ Church. On defense, he, and Singletary form one of the best cornerback combos in the state. Seniors Karinton Sabb and Desmond Mathis have been Grants top targets, each with 14 receptions for over 250 yards and four touchdowns. Mathis has also rushed for 205 yards and another four scores. The Hurricanes opened the playoff s with a 56-22 win over Lake City. Singletary led the way with 279 yards rushing and five touchdowns. The Cane’s will host Cheraw a 17-7 winner over Andrews.

Christ Church head coach Quin Hatfield.

Bulffton QB Aedan McCarthy led the Bobcats to a 31-7 win over Hampton County.

Chesterfield's junior Guard Marquan Blount.

 By Neill Kirkpatrick Special to the HSSR Walterboro – Hurricane Erin passed without much fanfare but Monday night in Walterboro a Hurricane from Varnville blew through Cougar Stadium leaving a path of destruction as Hampton County opened their season with a 59-13 victory over Colleton County. “We had a couple penalties early in the game but after we scored that first touchdown we got rolling,” said Hampton County head coach Rob Hanna. “There was a point in the second quarter that we didn’t touch the ball offensively for three straight drives. We had a defensive score, kick return for a score and a blocked punt for a score. All three phases played great, we still have some things we have to clean up but overall happy with the game.” The Hurricane’s also had a little extra motivation after seeing on MaxPreps that Colleton County had beat them 75-0 on Friday night. Coach said his players saw that and they weren’t happy about it. They wanted to prove a point. The game started like a lot of first games with both teams and the official making early mistakes in the game but after Colleton County’s second punt the Hurricanes made landfall and the rout was on. The Cane’s went 75 yards in seven plays to score their first points of the new season as Jaylen Singletary capped off the drive with an 11-yard touchdown run. He added the two-point conversion and the Cane’s led 8-0. On the drive Singletary had four carries for 40 yards and quarterback Tarell Grant also ran for 30 yards on the drive. After another Colleton County punt, the Hurricanes needed just one play as Karinton Sabb raced around the left end and went untouched for a 49-yard touchdown. Rafe Sullivan added the extra point for a 15-0 lead. Things continued to go bad for the homestanding Cougars. On their next possession the center snapped the ball over the punter Nicholas Jones head. Jones ran back and recovered the ball in the end zone for a safety for the Hurricanes and a 17-0 lead. On the free kick the Hurricanes Desmond Mathis returned it for a touchdown but a penalty wiped it out. However, on their first play after the penalty Grant hit Sabb for a 50-yard touchdown pass and the lead ballooned to 24-0. The Cougars put together their best drive of the first half on their next possession as they went 59 yards in six plays. Kenari Koger finished the drive with a four-yard run up the gut for the score. Jones added the extra point to make the score 24-7 Hurricanes. Quarterback Gail Fraizer was 2-3 for 46 yards on the drive with a 35-yard completion to Dustin Davis . The Hurricanes would essentially end the game without an offensive snap the rest of the quarter. Singletary got things started with a 75-yard kickoff return for six. Next, Grant would cause a fumble, pick it up and ramble 38 yards for another score. Special teams would be responsible for the last score. On fourth down the Cougars were punting from their end zone when Ty’Quavian Jones came up the middle to block the punt and Kaveon Tyler recovered the ball in the end zone for another Cane’s touchdown. Sullivan added all the PAT’s and the teams went to the half with the Cane’s up 45-7. The second half was a formality. Singletary scored for the third time when he went 57 yards for another touchdown. D’Andre Capers - Dobson would finish the Cane’s scoring as he scored on a 19-yard run up the middle. Sullivan was good on the PAT’s. The Cougars would score the final points when Trevy Manigo busted up the middle to score from the 12-yard line as time ran out. Both teams will operate on a short week as the Cougars (0-1) travel to Woodland while the Hurricanes (1-0) will head to Allendale to take on area rival Allendale- Fairfax.

By Neill Kirkpatrick Special to the HSSR Varnville – The Hampton County Hurricane football team has gone 20-5/7-1 since their inception in 2023 and like all schools they have graduated some talented players the past two years with several going to play in college so spring practice 2025 was about creating depth and finding new leaders. “Heading into spring practice we were looking to increase our eighth-grade participation and find depth throughout the lineup,” said head coach Rob Hanna. “We had a total of 66 guys participate in spring practices. With spring sports going on we were able to get in 14 practices with six being in pads. The guys worked hard and got better with each practice.” The Hurricanes will have to replace two of their leader from the past years in quarterback Chris Terry on offense and outside linebacker Mandrell Sanders on defense. “Both Chris and Mandrell did everything right for the past three years so it is tough to lose players like that from your team. They showed the commitment, drive and passion to their teammates and taught the young guys how to do it the right way,” said coach Hanna. Two juniors that are battling it out for the starting quarterback job are Tarell Grant and Jayvin Risher. They are both dynamic players that bring a different skill set to the Hurricanes offenses as they can make plays with their feet and score any time they have the ball. Grant has a strong arm and made a lot of progress during spring ball. Last season Grant had a team high 10 passes defended and made 29 tackles. “Tarell is an electric player with a totally different skill set then we had the past three years. He throws the ball very well and has the ability to take any play for a TD with his legs. He is one of the best athletes on the team,” coach Hanna said. Risher was the team’s second leading rusher last season with over 700 yards to go with 11 touchdowns. Defensively, he had 40 tackles and tied for the team lead in tackles for loss with 12. Coach said he is a true running back and the offense runs a little different when he is behind center. Wide receiver Karinton Sabb is a new weapon on the outside for the Hurricanes and he looked good during spring. Along the offensive line right tackle Ty'Quavian Jones adds depth to the offensive line while Cleavon Maxwell stood out at outside linebacker. “We are excited about this group of seniors and excited to be in year three of the program. We have been fortunate to win a lot of games in years one and two and hope we can continue to push towards being one of the best 2A programs in the state. We started a couple freshman and a lot of sophomores last season and hope that pays off for us the next couple of years,” said coach Hanna.

Hampton County girls track and field young but talented By Neill Kirkpatrick Special to the HSSR Varnville – The 2024 track and field season came to an exciting end for the Hampton County girls track and field as they rode to third place finishes and a fourth place in the relay races to finish in the top ten at sixth in the state AA meet. “We had a great finish last year at the State Meet but lost 12 Seniors who were all strong competitors. With a solid core returning, we want to keep improving and building back what we graduated,” said head coach Myrriah Hanna. “We have depth and numbers on our team. I am confident we will do well because of that.” Coach continued, “I feel like we are pretty steady across all events, but the area that has improved the most is the throws. The Hurricanes have depth as coach pointed out but they also return key runners in the sprints, middle distance and distance which will help develop the younger girls Junior Areyana Allen is back after finishing sixth in the 100 meters at the AA state meet last season when she set a new personal best of 12.56. She has already lowered her PR this year to 12.23 at the Iron Horse Stampede where she placed first. She is also the anchor of the 4x100 and runs the 200 with a personal best of 26.44. Taryn Hanna has been going to the state meet since she was an eighth grader in the 3200. The junior has become more of a middle-distance runner, running 800 and 1600 meters. She has also lowered her previous PR’s in both events; 5:44 in the 1600 and 2:34 in the 800. Freshman Chandler Gordon has been working hard since the 7 th grade to improve her 100-meter and 400-meter hurdle times and like her teammates has sent new PR’s in both events. In field events, sophomore Kya McQuire has been dominating shotput and has qualified for the Coaches Classic at Spring Valley with a put of 35.59 feet. She is also strong in disc with a toss of 101.60. A'Brionna Johnson is a sophomore, who is new this year and is one of the Hurricanes fastest girls on the team. She is running the 100-meter hurdles and has posted a time of 18.50 and runs the third leg on the 4x100. Two other newcomers are 7 th grader Mikah Taylor and 8th grader A'riyona Sanders. They have added depth in the sprinting events. Taylor runs the 100-meter hurdles and Sanders runs the 100 meters. “I have a very young team, with only five seniors graduating. These girls want to get better and always willing to step up and run an event for the team. They have been a very easy and hardworking group to coach,” said coach Hanna.