Hartsville's rising senior Mayah Harvey hit .522 with 39 RBIs and 25 stolen bases.

By Billy G. Baker Publisher  Florence ---The AAAA Lower State softball playoff game between region foes South Florence and Hartsville was likely a “Good News Versus Bad News” situation for the winner, and that honor goes to the host Bruins, who rallied for a 6-2 win after trailing early in the game. The Good News is the win itself, and the Bad News is that South Florence has to travel to Gray Collegiate later this week, needing to defeat the War Eagles twice in order to advance to the gold medal round that starts next week. The Bruns lost to Gray Collegiate on Monday 8-2 in the double elimination play-off. After the game, South Florence head coach Bobby Jones, drew his comparison of his team versus Gray Collegiate , the top ranked AAAA softball team in the state with these comments. “First of all, Gray has college prospects sitting on their bench who don’t even start,” said Coach Jones. “As a charter school they draw their players from all over Columbia, and our players all come from South Florence. “They have four Division I college prospects starting on their team, and in all my years coaching softball, I have never had a Division I signee,” said Coach Jones. “Gray is strong one through 15, all the way down the line. “We played a tough schedule against teams like Summerville and Catawba Ridge to get ready for them,” said Coach Jones. “We knew at the start of the season they were the team to beat in AAAA. Our goal is be very competitive and paly our best game of the season when we fact them again.” In reflecting on the Bruins win over Hartsville, Coach Jones said. “Our pitcher ( Payton Perry ) had a good night and our batters came through with key hits when we needed them the most,” said Coach Jones. “Our little 8 th grader ( Rylee Rowsey ) got a triple in the bottom of the 6 th that scored two runs when the game had been tied at two. It was a solid team win tonight.” Coach Jones, in his 29 th year of coaching, said the Bruins will miss all three senior starters from this year’s 24-8 team. Perry is headed to Coker College after a solid career . The other two starting seniors are outfielders Alaina Floyd and Riley Owens and they have been hard workers on the team.” Hartsville (23-6) is head coached by Amber Harvey, concluding her 6th season as the head coach at her alma mater . “ Unfortunately, we have averaged one bad inning on defense, in several of our games this season, and that is what happened again in this game, that cost us the game,” said Coach Harvey. “We have a total of four seniors on the team, and three of them start. Carter Shumate starts at first while Allie Bailey is our main pitcher, and Jaysha McCullough is our starting center fielder. Our other senior is Jenna Storm . Shumate came in to the game batting .513. “Allie Bailey really had a good year for us pitching and she sort of waited her turn and it was her time to shine and we are really proud of her contributions this season,” said Coach Harvey. “Carter has helped us on both defense and at the plate and she had a great throw to the plate from first base to get an out, and we practice that throw from first to home a lot in practice and she executed it very well,” said Coach Harvey. “We are proud of our season this year and with six starters returning for next year we are looking forward to further success.” The Red Foxes were led at the plate by junior shortstop prospect Myah Harvey who batted .522 with 8 home runs, 25 stolen bases, and 39 RBI’s. Shumate was second at .513 and 28 RBI’s followed by McCullough at .488 with 18 RBI’s. Hartsville took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second. Sophomore Emma Kate Hudson led off with an infield single and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by 9 th grader Claire Smith . A ground-out by freshman Aliyah Smith moved Hudson to third. Junior catcher Mary Ellyn Hickey then singled in Hudson to give the Red Foxes an early lead. Hartsville extended the lead to 2-0 after batting in the 4 th inning. Shumate led off with a single and advanced to third on a double by Hudson. Two batters later Shumate scored on an RBI ground-out by Smith. South Florence tied the game at 2-2 in the bottom of the 5 th . Riley Rowsey reached on a one-out single. She advanced to second on a walk to Riley Owens . A single by Page White scored Rowsey to cut the deficit to 2-1. Two batters later Ryleigh Hux doubled in White to tie the game. SF was hoping to make it a 3-2 lead but Hux was gunned down at the plate on a perfect throw by Shumate. In the bottom of the 6 th inning, the Bruins sent 8 batters to the plate when they broke the game open with four runs. Blakely Blue drew a one-out walk. Ava Black then reached on an error to put runners on first and second. Ryle Rowsey delivered the big hit of the game, a triple into the deep corner of left field that scored Blue and Black to give SF a 4-2 lead. Riley Owens then singled in Rowsey to make it 5-2. Owens scored the Bruins final run on a throwing error to give SF the final margin of 6-2. South Florence has players batting .354 or better. They are Hux (.395 & 24 RBI’s), Perry (.391 & 28 RBI’s) White (.388 & 24 RTBI’s), R Rowsey (.364 & 21 RBI’s) while Black and Owens are hitting .354.

By David Shelton Senior Writer Hartsville – The softball program at Hartsville High has a strong tradition of winning. The Red Foxes have state championship trophies displayed in the school so expectations are always high for the team from year to year. This spring is no different as the 2025 Red Foxes have goals that include contending for the state AAAA championship in May. First, however, Hartsville finds themselves in contention for the region 6-AAAA title. Entering play on April 7, Hartsville was 7-1 in region play while posting a 13-4 record overall. That win total already matched last year’s total wins so Hartsville has clearly improved this season. Coach Amber Harvey , in her seventh season, likes the overall makeup of this year’s team. “We have really good team chemistry and we are benefitting from having a large number of returners in the starting lineup,” Harvey reports. The lineup has a nice mixture of upperclassmen and players in their early years of high school but most have played significant innings coming into this season. One of the key seniors is outfielder Jaysha McCullough , who batted .622 with 17 stolen bases in the first 17 games. Junior infielder Myah Harvey , a Wofford commit, has belted five homers and five triples through 17 games, posting a .583 overall batting average with 32 runs scored and 24 RBI’s. Freshman Aliyah Smith is playing third base and has a team-high 26 RBI’s with a .404 average in 17 games. Senior first baseman Carter Shumate is hitting .464 with 11 RBI’s and 13 stolen bases while junior catcher Mary Hickey has hit two homers. Sophomore outfielder Terriney Thompson is hitting .333 this season. Junior Abbey Byrd is also starting in the outfield while seventh-grader Claire Smith is a key utility player. Sophomore Emma Kate Hudson is hitting .308 while the No. 1 pitcher, Allie Bailey , has a 2.51 earned run average. Despite the early success, Harvey says her team is still working hard on pitch selection at the plate. Defensively she would like her team to be more aggressive with pickoff plays to eliminate scoring threats. The baseball team also is hunting a region title this spring. Hartsville won their first five region games and went 10-3 overall heading into play on April 7. Bryce Oliver and Jackson Moore lead the team offensively. Oliver is hitting .567 early, totaling 17 RBI’s and eight doubles, and Moore is at .529 with 11 runs batted in. Senior Web Barnes is hitting .479 with 14 RBI’s while Brandon Anderson is hitting .455 with 19 RBI’s. Anderson also has been an ace on the mound with a 5-0 record and a 1.13 earned run average. Two other hitters over .400 are Casey Hawkins (.414) and Jaden Atkinson (.404). Atkinson also has three wins on the mound early on.

Da'Marion Coe, Hakeem Watters selected as Co-Region Players of the Year

Reporting by Dennis Brunson Images by Larry Gamble Kelleytown – The return trip to Hartsville and Kelleytown Stadium was much, much better for the South Florence High School football team. After falling to Hartsville 54-35 on November 1 in a game that decided the Region 5-AAAA champion, the Bruins sojourned to Darlington County on Friday, this time for a quarterfinal game in the AAAA state playoffs. SFHS jumped out to a 27-0 lead and held off a couple of rallies by the Red Foxes for a 49-21 win. South Florence, the 2-time defending lower state champion which improved to 10-3 on the season, will be going for its third straight lower state title when it travels to North Augusta on December 6. North Augusta improved to 12-1 with a 63-14 quarterfinal win over Gilbert on Friday. “We had a great three days of practice,” Bruins head coach Drew Marlowe said of the preparation for the rematch. “Our defense was totally different from last time. I’m super proud of the way they fought. I’m proud of the way our coaches prepared them. It was a great win all the way around.” In the first meeting, HHS’ offense was almost unstoppable as it scored eight touchdowns. SFHS couldn’t keep up, though it tried, trailing just 40-35 early in the fourth quarter. Marlowe said the South Florence defense had a different feel to it on Friday. “What we were doing was good, but we were sitting back, we were timid,” the fifth-year head coach said. “We decided to be more aggressive and force them to make the turnovers, try to force them into some holding calls, just try to force the issue and not sit back.” Bruins quarterback Messiah Jackson led the way for the offense. He accounted for six of the seven touchdowns – four TD passes and two scoring runs. He completed 5 of 8 passes for 172 yards. The first touchdown pass came less than a minute into the game when Jackson hooked up with wide receiver Lennix Valarie for 57-yarder at 11:09. Evan Holland added the extra point to make it 7-0. Hartsville fumbled the ensuing kickoff with SFHS recovering. It took advantage of the short field with Jackson scoring on a 4-yard run. The PAT was blocked, leaving the score at 13-0 with 7:57 still remaining in the first quarter. South Florence pushed the lead to 20-0 on a 36-yard run by Jayden Sellers with 2:31 left in the first quarter. Sellers scored again, this time on a 44-yard pass from Jackson, to make it 27-0 with 9:45 remaining in the first half. The Red Foxes, who finished the year with a 10-2-1 record, weren’t going to go away easily though. Hakeem Watters scored on a 13-yard run and Gerardo Segura added the extra point to make it 27-7 with 8:49 left in the second quarter. Quarterback EJ Smith threw a 27-yard scoring pass to Tristian Spann with 6:17 left to make it 27-14. The Bruins broke the run with a 1-yard run from Jackson with 41 seconds to go in the half. Sellers ran for the 2-point conversion to make it 35-21. However, the Red Foxes scored again before halftime with Smith connecting with Spann once more, this one for 25 yards with 13 seconds left to make the halftime score 35-21. HHS received the second-half kickoff, but was turned the ball over on downs at the South Florence 46. The Bruins respnded, putting another score on the board. Coach Marlowe had this to say about the resiliency of this Hartsville team, "I knew they were coming back. (they) Cut it two scores right before the half. We talked all week about composure. We did a good job in the second half controlling the clock." "I prayed all week that the Lord would strengthen us to play beyond our abilities." About the overall play, the cold weather, Marlowe commented, "That was a physical, physical football game. We were just fortunate enough to make a few more plays." With the Bruins next game at North Augusta on Dec. 6th, coach Marlowe said, "Right now I’m just really happy with my team and how much we improved from a month ago, particularly on defense. We’ve got to rest up and get people healthy. Got to keep attacking and make things happen."

By Billy G. Baker Publisher  Moncks Corner —In AAAA of the SCHSL, the Westside (9-0) Rams finished the regular season undefeated and they are favored to defend the state title they won a year ago with a fourth quarter rally to defeat South Florence . The AAAA state title game will be played at South Carolina State University on Friday December, 13 at 7:30 p.m. While Westside has the horses to pull another state championship wagon in a future victory parade, “we” can’t rule out Daniel, as the spoiler if the two teams keep winning in the play-offs, when could meet at Westside on December, 6 for the upper state AAAA championship. After going a combined 8-14 in his first two seasons at Daniel back in 2016 and 2017, head Daniel coach Jeff Fruster , has said he was thankful that he was not fired at the time. What a great decision school officials made to retain him. Since 2018, under Coach Fruster, Daniel has a collective record of 82-5, including three state titles as they prepare to play host Dreher High this week in the first round of the AAAA play-offs. Daniel’s only loss was to AAAAA member JL Mann (28-23) early in the season. To date Daniel is 9-1 and they have defeated teams 496-153 at the end of the regular season. Daniel won the Region 2-AAAA title with a 6-0 record after beating Seneca 42-21 in the regular-season finale last week. Daniel was trailing 14-7 late in the first half before coming up with a pair of long touchdown passes in the final minute to take a 21-14 lead to the locker room. That started a run of 35 straight points. Quarterback Grayson Clary had a monster game, completing 19 of 27 passes for 374 yards and five touchdowns. Trey Wimbley had a big night, catching four passes for 157 yards and three touchdowns. Jason Bish had seven catches for 147 yards and the other two touchdown receptions. Clary’s performance put an exclamation point on what was a tremendous regular season for him. Heading into the Seneca contest, the sophomore had completed 120- of-162 passes for 1,847 yards and 26 touchdowns. That means he has 31 touchdown passes on the season when you add in his performance against the Bobcats. Bish had 29 catches for 481 yards and six scores while Wimbley had 21 receptions for 405 yards and five scores. Quint Cumbie had 30 catches for 354 yards and five scores, and Elijah Lipsey had 23 catches for 438 yards and six touchdowns. Clary had also rushed for 240 yards and five touchdowns. Tremaine Davis Jr. was the leading rusher with 332 yards and five scores on 29 carries. The Daniel defense is led by senior linebacker Spencer Conn and junior defensive end Dexter Johnson . Conn has a team high 78 tackles to go with nine tackles for loss. Johnson has a team 14 ½ TFLs among his 57 stops. Johnson is also the sack leader with 6 ½. Junior Bryson Freeman has 4 ½. Davis and Christian Chancellor Jr. led in interceptions with two apiece. They had both returned an interception for a touchdown as had Conn. When the Lions can’t get the ball in the end zone, they have pretty good opportunity to get some points. Placekicker Bruce Brown, a North-South pick , was 9- of -11 on field goal attempts with a long of 48 yards. He’s also made 48- of 49- PAT’s. extra points. Westside will host Lakewood this week in the first round of the play-offs. Woods, a South Carolina football commitment, was also chosen for the Shrine Bowl. After 8 games of the season Woods had completed 107-0f-164 passes for 2,045 yards and 24 TD’s. His top WR targets are fellow Shrine Bowl member Chamarryus Bomar who had 777 receiving yards on 77 catches and 11 TD’s after 8 games. The leading rusher for the Rams is senior Sharode Richardson with 650 net yards on 80 carries and 9 TD’s after 8 games. On defense the rams are very stout. They are led by junior MLB Jaxx Wilson (55 tackles) and senior OLB Jameson Wilson (50 tackles), Soph LB Malachi Peterson has also contributed (42 tackles, 1 TFL). MLB Jaydon Hall (5-10, 190) has 44 tackles and the sack leader is junior DT Kwon Simpkins with four. A favorite to win the lower state AAAA is ball control Hartsville (8-1-1) who is ranked third in the current HSSR AAAA ranking. The Red Foxes have out-scored teams 453-181 this season and they have a quality win over Dillon on their resume this season. Hartsville has pounded out 2,628 rushing yards on 348 carries. Their top three running backs are Hakeen Watters (119-1,053-17 TD’s) along with Kylif Miller (102-696). Dual threat QB EJ Smith has completed 66-0f-123 passes for 1,302 yards and as a rusher he has gained 535 yards on 78 carries and 9 TD’s. (Please see feature story on Hartsville on page 55 of this issue) South Pointe is also loaded with a lot of talent and they have state championship tradition on their resume as well.

By David Shelton Senior Writer Hartsville - As the regular season winds down, Hartsville High volleyball coach Parker Oldham feels his team is in good position to make a solid run in the 2024 class AAAA state playoffs. Hartsville entered the second week of October with an 8-4 record overall and a 5-2 mark in region 5-AAAA, which placed them among the top three teams in the standings. Hartsville looks for a strong finish and is hoping to crack the top two by season’s end. Oldham’s goals for his team are simple. “Win the region, host a playoff game, and make a deep run in the playoffs,” the coach said. We are well within our goals of winning the region and making the playoffs.” Oldham describes his team as hard-working. He feels the team has strong leadership and a competitive spirit, to go with a great attitude and work ethic.’ Among the key contributors this season is junior outside hitter Myah Harvey , whose 102 kills leads the team. Harvey also has 30 service aces and 88 digs. Senior middle blockers Carter Shumate and Riley Brunson are next in kills and control the middle of the net as solid defenders as well. Sophomore setter Mya Madaris has more than 200 assists and nearly 100 defensive digs while junior Libero Ava Wilcox has 115 digs and 27 aces. Rounding out the starting group are sophomore outside hitter Stella Smith and freshman opposite hitter Eliza Privette. The team has good depth will several players seeing significant action off the bench. Those include sophomore defensive specialist Emmakate Hudson, junior defender Brianna Jones , senior opposite Cheyenne Peavy , and junior middle blocker Lindy Atkinson . Football Update As region play begins, the Hartsville football team sits with a 3-1-1 record and is playing solid football overall. Among the early wins was a victory over Dillon , which was the No.1 ranked team in AAA at the time. One of the early season stars has been senior Da’Marion Coe , who has excelled defensively and on special teams. Coe returned two kicks for touchdowns in the win over Dillon and has three returns for scores this season. He also has 39 tackles, two blocked field goals and a blocked punt. Senior Hakeem Watters has anchored the running game with 446 yards, averaging 7.3 yards per carry. Kylif Miller has 349 yards and averages 7.0 yards per carry. Quarterback EJ Smith has thrown for 600 yards and five touchdowns while adding six scores on the ground. Casey Hawkins and Dorian Mason are the top pass-catchers. Linebacker Coleman Radcliff has a team-high 49 tackles. Web Barnes has tallied 39 tackles and Jackson Chavis has 28 tackles.

Camden's Lavonte Williams (Sr. DB/WR)

Dillon FB players at the HSSR Media Day 2024

By David Shelton Senior Writer Pamplico - The Hannah-Pamplico boys golf team had a strong season but saved their best for the last event of the 2025 season. The Raiders came up a stroke short in the bid to win the region championship but turned in a strong performance at the Class A state tournament in Chester, South Carolina. Hannah-Pamplico shot 346 in the 18-hole event, good enough for second-place in the team standings. Dixie High won the state championship. “It was a good showing for our boys,” coach Jay Watson said. “This was a competitive group. We basically had six players for most of the season until right at the end we added one, Two of our top five players never played golf until last summer. They got hooked and then started putting in the work to get better.” Two members of the team finished among the top 10 individually, good enough to earn all-state honors. Senior Gage Foxworth shot 83 for his round, good for ninth-place. Eighth-grader Austin Taylor shot 86 to finish 10 th overall. “Happy for those two. Getting all-state is a big deal,” Watson said. Junior Tyler Bowen finished 13 th overall and freshman Zachary Turner finished 18 th . Mason Hanna, a first-year player who also played football and basketball, was 32 nd overall. Turner also played junior varsity baseball this spring and joined the golf team after that season was completed. Johnsonville, the team that edged Hannah-Pamplico for the region championship, ended up in fifth-place in the state tournament. “We share the same home course so the boys are friends and play a lot together,” Watson said. “It’s good competition between the two teams. We were disappointed to lose in the region but finishing second at state makes up for that.”  Watson has a long affiliation with Hannah-Pamplico athletics. His father, Tim, was a coach at the school for more than 40 years. Watson is the school’s resource officer.

By David Shelton Senior Writer Pamplico – With several quality teams in the Lower State, it is difficult to pick a favorite to win the Class A Lower State softball title. However, one of the teams that should be in the hunt this May is the Raiders of Hannah-Pamplico . The Raiders have been one of the top contenders for the last several years, winning the Class A state championship in 2023. The last three seasons have produced at least 20 wins. While the early record of 5-7 overall and 3-2 in region play is not optimal, it is clear that if this team gets hot at the right time, another deep run is a possibility. Coach Amber Knight has a handful of veteran players who have been a part of the recent success but the Raiders have yet to get clicking on all cylinders. Nonetheless, several players are putting up solid numbers through April 7. One is junior catcher Meredith Stone , who was hitting .692 with three homeruns and 19 RBI through the first 12 games. Senior outfielder Payten Poston was hitting .481 with 13 runs scored while junior outfielder Savannah Owens was hitting .370 with 10 RBI. Junior infielder Chloe Cooper was hitting .343 with 12 runs batted in. Inside the circle, pitcher Kadence Poston , a junior, has been quite effective. Through 52 innings, Poston fanned 82 hitters while posting a 1.06 earned run average. Opponents are hitting just .150 against the Class A all-state candidate. The only other senior on the roster this spring is Jadan Lee , a catcher and third baseman who has been a productive hitter in past seasons but has been limited to just five games early. Two juniors are outfielder/second baseman Khloe Jones and first baseman Madison Newton. Sophomores include outfielder Logan Owens and outfielder/infielder Allie Nettles. Rounding out this year’s roster are freshman infielder London Lee and seventh-graders Khloe Avant , Kaylie Avant and Ava Johnson . The baseball team also looks to make the Class A playoffs. As of April 7, the Raiders were 4-7 overall and 2-3 in region play. The top two pitchers this spring are Payton Farmer and Mason Smith . Sophomore Jonah Poston is on the shelf early but should be a good hurler when healthy, Boone Johnson and Jackson Fitch also are expected to see time on the mound in various roles and situations. Johnson is one of three returning starters on the infield at first base. Sophomore Kolby Hyman is back at second base while junior Davis Kimbrough is a steady glove at shortstop. At third base is Ty Daves , who missed last season but was a starter two seasons ago. New behind the plate this spring is sophomore Dewey Kimbrough , who looks to be a solid receiver. Due to a football injury to centerfielder Jamarcus Williams , the Raiders have only one returning starter with senior Wade Poston back in left. Fitch will replace Williams and Daniel Chandler , the designated hitter last season, is working in right.

Johnsonville avenged their Jan 13 loss to Hanah Pamplico with a 47-39 win on Feb 12th. Images courtesy of Tamara Rhodes

Raiders reach third round of Class A state playoffs

By Neill Kirkpatrick Special to the HSSR Cross – Momentum in any football game can change in the blink of an eye, Friday night at A.E. Ravenell Stadium on the campus of Cross High School it took 1:59 for the homestanding Trojans to completely change their third-round match up with Hannah-Pamplico as they forced two turnovers that led to two scores on their way to a 12-7 win over the Raiders. The Trojans (11-2) will host the Lake View Wild Gators (11-1) a 42-32 winner over Bamberg Ehrhardt . The HSSR’s number three (Lake View) and number four (Cross) teams have met several times in the Class A playoffs with the Trojans defeating the Wild Gators 21-8 in their last meeting in 2022. “I told the kids all week to play for four quarters. Do not worry about the score, do not worry about the clock just keep playing play after play and we did that. Our defense is as good as it comes in one A and hats off to our guys to keep fighting and we came out on top,” said Trojan head coach Shaun Wright . About Lake View coach Wright said, “We figured that we would play Lake View and that is what we wanted. We wanted to be one of the last four teams playing in Class A and now we have a big challenge ahead.” The Raiders finished the year at 9-3 with their only losses coming against Lee Central a play-off team and the Class A lower state finalist Cross/Lake View. Raider head coach Trey Woodberry told his team after the game, “Very proud of the effort that his team played with all night long. Tough lose but it did not take away from the season.” Cross and Hannah Pamplico came into Friday’s contest with offenses averaging over 30 points per game but it was the defenses that took center stage as only 19 points were scored in the contest. On their first possession the Trojan’s with Karmello Jones running behind Marquis Pringle, Michael Bennett, Jailyn Broughton, David Wigfall, Dakari President, and Andrew Hocket moved the ball down the field reaching the Raiders 35-yardline. After picking up a first down on a fourth and five on a completion from Tyler Harris to Caden Ramsey to the Raider 20-yard line. Jones was injured a play earlier and with him out the Raider defense stiffened as William Faulkenberry , Kain Calcutt and Jaquann Bryant put pressure on Harris forcing back-to-back incompletions and they turned the Trojans over on downs. The drive took 8:14 off the clock with no score. Taking over at the 18 the Raiders also moved the ball down the field with quarterback Wade Poston connecting on two of three throws with a 23-yarder to Tylin Jenkins that gave them a first down at the Trojan 27. However, on fourth down the Blue Steel defense rose to the occasions as Wigfall burst through the line and sacked Poston for a ten-yard loss and a turnover on downs for the Trojans. Defense dominated the rest of the first half as the Raiders would turn the Trojans over on downs and then the Trojan defense forced a punt. The Trojans got the ball back with 1:01 to go in the first half. Jones ripped off a 25-yard run to give the Trojans a first down at the Hannah Pamplico 48-yard line. After Harris spiked the ball to stop the clock. Harris attempted to hit Ramsey deep down the right side but the Raiders Demarion Amonte Sparks went high and made the pick to stop the drive and send the teams to the half tied at 0. The Raiders received the second half kickoff and after Aveion Wells returned the ball 24-yards to the Cross 43. On first down, Poston his Sparks for an eight-yard gain and he ripped off a 14-yard run. A facemask penalty moved the ball to the Cross 19. Poston then hit Jenkins with a 10-yard pass to a first and goal at the Cross nine yard. Then momentum turned on Hannah Pamplico as Jones broke through the line, hit Chris Eldridge, and ripped the ball out. He then picked it up and took off on an 84-yard touchdown fumble return. The two-point conversion was no good but the Trojans led 6-0. The Raiders were unfazed as Poston hit Sparks on first down for a 23-yard gain to the 46. After an incompletion disaster struck again for the Raiders when Poston’s pass was tipped at the line of scrimmage and into the waiting arms of Ramsey for a turnover. Starting at the Hannah Pamplico 49, the Trojans handed the ball off to Jones who gained 22 yards to the Raider 27 and chop block called on the Raiders moved the ball to the 12. Harris then hit Ramsey down to the two and Jones finished the drive with a two-yard touchdown run. The two-point was no good but the lead was 12-0. “What can you say about Karmello, he stripped the ball and then picked the ball up and went the distance. He is a great football player on both sides of the ball. We are just waiting for him to get some offers,” said coach Wright. The Trojan defense forced a quick three and out and appeared poised to break the game open. Starting at the Raiders 45, Harris moved the Trojans down the field by completing three passes, two to Lavell Joyner setting up a first down at the Raiders 16. The Raider defense then stepped up as the Trojans bobbled the hand off and the ball hit the ground where the Raiders Xavier Self fell on the ball at the Cross 14. Poston then led the Raiders on an 86-yard march in 10-plays to get the Raiders on the board when he connected with Jenkins on a three-yard scoring pass on the first play of the fourth quartet. The point after by Lazaro Santiago cut the Trojan’s lead to five at 12-7. The Trojans appeared to have put the game away on their next play as Jones started right, then cut back left and went untouched for a 69-yard touchdown run. However, behind the play a flag was thrown for holding wiping out the touchdown jaunt. The Trojans would run over four- minutes off the clock before they punted for the first time all game. The Raider started off the next drive off just like the previous drive as Poston hit Jenkins and Keimonti Wilson moving the ball into Trojan territory to the 35. The Trojan defense would not allow the Raiders to go any further and they forced a turnover on downs. “Our defense has been outstanding all year. Our coaches do a great job of getting the guys prepared and ready each week,” said coach Wright. “This was the best quarterback we faced all year and he made some plays but at the end we were able to make enough to win.” The Trojan got the ball back with 4:38 left. They gave the ball to Jones on 7 of 8 plays and carried it for 37 yards but more importantly they ate up over four minutes on the clock before the punted the ball away to the Raiders with less than 20 seconds to go.

By Dennis Brunson hssr.com Associate Editor Sumter – The regular season in high school football is always special, but there is nothing that compares to the postseason. Looking at the brackets, seeing what has to happen for this particular matchup to happen, the anticipation of said matchups and the excitement that builds up as teams try to make a run toward a state championship. With the reclassification put forward by the South Carolina High School League for this year, all of the classifications will have a different vibe. Class A no longer will have Christ Church , Southside Christan School and St. Joseph’s because of the multiplier rule, but it does have a new dominant force in Abbeville . The Panthers, long a force in AA, is now in Class A and has to be seen as the prohibitive favorite. Still though, you’ve got to play the games and see what happens. We can’t do that, but we can fill out the bracket to see who we have facing off for the championship in Orangeburg the second week of December. WHO’S IN: Upper State Region 1 : 1. Abbeville 2. Ware Shoals 3. Whitmire 4. Dixie 5. McCormick 6. Calhoun Falls Region 2 : 1. Lewisville 2. Lamar 3. Lee Central 4. McBee 5. C.A. Johnson Region 3 : 1. Hunter-Kinard-Tyler 2. Blackville-Hilda 3. Calhoun County 4. Ridge Spring-Monetta 5. Williston-Elko Lower State Region 4 : 1. Bamberg-Ehrhart 2. Ridgeland 3. Denmark-Olar 4. Hardeeville Region 5 : 1. Cross 2. Branchville 3. Baptist Hill 4. Scott’s Branch 5. Military Magnet 6. Bethune-Bowman Region 6 : 1. Lake View 2. Hannah-Pamplico 3. Latta 4. Carvers Bay 5. Johnsonville 6. Green Sea Floyds FIRST ROUND Upper State C.A. Johnson (2-8) at Abbeville (8-1) Dixie (7-2) at Blackville-Hilda (8-2) McCormick (3-7) at Lamar (7-3) Calhoun County (3-7) at Lee Central (5-4) McBee (4-5) at Hunter-Kinard-Tyler (9-1) Williston-Elko (2-7) at Ware Shoals (4-5) Calhoun Falls (1-8) at Lewisville (9-1) Ridge Spring-Monetta (5-5) at Whitmire (3=7) Lower State Green Sea Floyds (1-9) at Cross (8-2) Scott’s Branch (4-6) at Ridgeland (6-4) Military Magnet (2-6) at Hannah-Pamplico (7-2) Carvers Bay (4-6) at Denmark-Olar (3-6) Hardeeville (3-7) at Lake View (8-1) Johnsonville (4=6) at Branchville (8-2) Bethune-Bowman (1-9) at Bamberg-Ehrhardt (6-2) Latta (5-5) at Baptist Hill (6-3) The first round of any high school sports playoff is usually filled with blowouts, and that could easily be the case with these 16 games. However, there are intriguing matchups in this group. While Blackville-Hilda has to be the favorite with an 8-2 record, it will take on a 7-2 Dixie squad. Ridgeland finished second in a weak Region 6, while Scott’s Branch came on strong down the stretch to go 4-6. Carvers Bay is 4-6 and will play at 3-6 Denmark-Olar . Latta at Baptist Hill will be an intriguing matchup because the Vikings pound the ball while Baptist Hill pushes the ball through the air. Johnsonville may be just 4-6 and going against an 8-2 Branchville squad, but Johnsonville is the 2-time defending lower state champion. Don’t look for them to go down easy. First-round winners: Upper State: Abbeville, Blackville-Hilda, Lamar, Lee Central, Hunter-Kinard-Tyler, Ware Shoals, Lewisville, Ridge-Spring Monetta. Lower State: Cross, Scott’s Branch, Hannah-Pamplico, Carvers Bay, Lake View, Branchville, Bamberg-Ehrhardt, Latta. SECOND ROUND Upper State Blackville-Hilda at Abbeville Lee Central at Lamar Ware Shoals at Hunter-Kinard-Tyler Ridge Spring-Monetta at Lewisvlle Lower State Scott’s Branch at Cross Carvers Bay at Hannah-Pamplico Branchville at Lake View Latta at Bamberg-Ehrhardt This is the round where the fun starts to kick in with matchups of teams with gaudy records and outstanding reputations. Also, with the Class A regions so widespread, you can easily get pairings of teams that aren’t geographically close, thus leading to first-time matchups. The two most noteworthy showdowns in this round would be 2-loss Blackville-Hilda playing at 1-loss Abbeville. The Panthers will be favored and are led by Damarcus Leach . He will be going up against a future teammate at South Carolina in B-H’s Jaquel Holman . The best lower state matchup will have 2-loss Branchville at 1-loss Lake View . Second-round winners: Upper State: Abbeville, Lamar, Hunter-Kinard-Tyler, Lewisville: Lower State: Cross, Hannah-Pamplico, Lake View, Bamberg-Ehrhardt THIRD ROUND Upper State Lamar at Abbeville Lewisville at Hunter-Kinard-Tyler Lower State Hannah-Pamplico at Cross Bamberg-Ehrhardt at Lake View You’ve got the three champions of the upper state regions and the three region champions from the lower state still alive. The other team in the upper state is No. 2 seed Lamar , while No. 2 seed Hannah-Pamplico is the fourth lower state team. In years past, a matchup between Lamar and Abbeville would be a premier showdown. While Lamar is still a top program, Abbeville is simply a cut above. Hunter-Kinard-Tyler has had a great season, but Lewisville has been on a mission after going out in the second round last season. These lower state matchups would be fun to watch as the pairings have two teams that go about their business in different ways. Third-round winners: Upper State: Abbeville, Lewisville Lower State: Cross, Bamberg-Ehrhardt SEMIFINALS Upper State Lewisville at Abbeville Lower State Bamberg-Ehrhardt at Cross This would be the “collision course” game of the upper state bracket. Lewisville and Abbeville have been dominant all season. The lower state game will be a pairing of two teams that like to pound the football. However, Bamberg-Ehrhardt has senior quarterback Chanston Crosby to give it a better passing option. Semifinal winners: Abbeville, Bamberg-Ehrhardt STATE CHAMPIONSHIP Abbeville vs. Bamberg-Ehrhardt The Red Raiders will present a physical challenge, but Abbeville has tremendous throughout its roster, especially on the defensive side of the ball. However, I go back to what I said at the beginning of the story. Abbeville has to be considered the favorite to win until someone beats it. Your state champion: Abbeville

By David Shelton Senior Writer Pamplico – Building quality depth is difficult, even more so on the Class A level where numbers are significantly thinner than those at the bigger schools. Hannah-Pamplico head football coach Trey Woodberry has worked hard to establish some consistent, dependable second and third-team personnel but has not been very successful. Nonetheless, the Raiders’ starting 22 has been pretty good, winning four of their first six games. But a key injury at a key position has Woodberry hoping for improved health before the end of the season. “I would put our starting 22 up against any team in Class A,” the coach said. “When the right guys are on the field, we are as competitive as any team. But, some of those go both ways and it’s tough at times. We’ve tried to get some other guys some experience but we’re not there yet. The other option is stay healthy.” In the Raiders’ loss to Lake View on Oct. 4, their first region loss of the schedule, Hannah-Pamplico lost veteran starting quarterback Wade Poston early in the second half. The game was tied 7-7 at the half but the offense stagnated and the result was a 31-7 loss. “We need Wade on the field for us to be effective but we’re going to have to work without him for a few weeks,” Woodberry said. “We couldn’t do anything offensively with Wade out. They put nine in the box to stop the run and we just didn’t have an answer.” Poston, through five and a half games, has passed for 750 yards and 11 touchdowns while rushing for nearly 400 yards and six scores. The heavy lifting in the run game falls on all-state candidate Jamarcus Williams , who has rushed for 887 yards and six touchdowns. He also is an effective receiver. Another key performer is two-way starter Tylin Jenkins , who plays receiver and cornerback. He leads the team in receptions (15) and yards (298) and has been a lockdown corner, according to Woodberry. Starters along the offensive line include returning starters Mason Hanna , Will Faulkenberry , Brandon Cox and Dewey Kimbrough . Faulkenberry is a fourth-year varsity player and Hanna is a third-year starter. Avery Lyerly and Khi Brown also get reps. Cox, a linebacker as well, has been a leader defensively. The Raiders have region games remaining with Green Sea Floyds (Oct. 11), Latta (Oct. 25) and Hemingway (Nov. 1). They have a bye on Oct. 18. The hope is that Poston can return by the Latta game, which could decide second-place in the region standings.

Lewisville WR Jacorreun Howze on the run after a catch.

Willie Kennedy from South Florence, MLB with 29 tackles this season.