Hilton Head Prep beats Orangeburg Prep 5-3 to claim SCISA AAA baseball state title

Dennis Brunson hssr.com Associate Editor • May 21, 2025

HHP rallies from 3-1 deficit with 4-run 6th to win program's first ever baseball championship

           St. George – Hilton Head Prep took a 5-3 lead into the bottom of the seventh inning against Orangeburg Prep in a game in the SCISA AAA baseball state championship series.

 

           Wait …..

 

           “Didn’t it look a lot like the other night,” questioned HHP head coach Chris Wells.

 

           As in Game 2 of the championship series on Thursday at Indian Field in Orangeburg The Dolphins led 5-3 going into the bottom of the seventh, three outs away from winning a state title. That didn’t turn out very well as the Indians scored three runs to win 6-5.

 

           And that’s why OP and HHP were playing Game 3 on Monday at the Dorchester Academy field. Hilton Head Prep flipped the script.

 

           Orangeburg Prep got the tying run on base, but Hilton Head Prep didn’t let it slip away this time behind the pitching of Brandon Espinoza to win 5-3 and give the program its first ever state championship.

 

           Senior catcher Jackson Stanyard said there were a few choice words bandied about in the Dolphins dugout prior to taking the field in the seventh. However, it all really came down to this.

 

           “Let’s go out there and let’s play our game,” Stanyard said. “A lot of us got caught in the moment (in Game 2). We were about to win a state championship and we lost our minds. We said we need to go play our game, make the fundamental plays, throw strikes and get outs. And that’s what we did.”

 

           The right-handed Espinoza took the mound in the seventh just shy of 90 pitches with a pitch limit of 105. He walked Hunter Judy to start the inning before getting Landon Kuck to hit into a fielder’s choice. Morrison Burroughs, who had the walk-off base hit in Game 2, drew a walk.

 

           That brought Eli Pantaleon, who homered earlier in the game, to the plate. Espinoza and Pantaleon battled before Pantaleon hit a sinking line drive that second baseman Calvin Middleton snagged on a diving catch for the second out.

 

           Espinoza struck out Orangeburg Prep leadoff hitter Mason Tyler with his 101st pitch to secure the win.

 

           “This is really kind of surreal,” said Espinoza, a sophomore in his first year at HHP after transferring from May River High School. “I knew we had the team to do it. My team is very, very talented. I knew they had my back. I just had to pitch my game and do my stuff and we’d be fine.”

 

                       Hilton Head Prep finished the year with a 29-3 record, while the Indians finished with a 26-5 record. Each of the games in the best-of-3 series was highly competitive with the Dolphins winning the opener 3-0 on Wednesday in Hilton Head Island.

 

           That developed a lot of mutual respect between the two teams.

 

           “Hats off to the Hilton Head Prep team and Coach Chris Wells,” said OP head coach Tate Jameson. “He’s got a heck of a ball club.”

 

           “We made the plays this time against a hell pf a ball club and a hell of a coach,” said Wells, who just completed his seventh season in charge of the Dolphins. “I told Coach Jameson after the game that I wish they were AAAA or AA in another division and would have won the state championship. I would have rather beat anybody else than Coach Jameson. He’s a class act.

 

“If this was a 7-game series we would have played seven.”

 

           Espinoza was making his first start of the season after serving mostly as a short reliever. In going the distance, he allowed four hits while walking two and striking out five. Only one of the three runs was earned.

 

           Wells said the circumstances of the series led him to go with Espinoza.

 

           “He’s a little bit of a wildcard,” the head coach said. “He hasn’t pitched much for us. You look at his stats. He’s at the bottom of our roster in innings pitched. We’ve used him in other situations. We haven’t had three tough games in a week. He was fresh and I knew he was probably our second best pitcher all year, and we never used him.

 

           “It was a roll of the dice, and my coaching staff will tell you I’m a gambler, and we gambled and won. Hie’s probably our MVP tonight.”

 

           Wells said there was a lot of discussion during the last couple of innings as to how long to stick with Espinoza. The coaching staff went to Stanyard for his opinion.

 

           “This was our first year with him, he’s a sophomore, but he looks like he’s a vet,” Stanyard said. “It was amazing. I can’t even tell you what I was thinking. He just fought all night long. He had a tight (strike) zone, and he just worked with it. He never gave up, always kept his head up.”

 

           Burroughs, one of eight seniors on the Orangeburg Prep roster, started on the mound. The left-hander got off to a slow start but was helped out by a fortuitous play.

 

           Sammy Middleton led off the game with a single before Stanyard drew a walk. Espinoza came through with a single to score Middleton and put the Dolphins up 1-0.

 

Burroughs threw a wild pitch that hit the brick wall backstop and bounced right back to Judy, the catcher. Courtesy runner Sam Bocian, In for Espinoza, ran straight to second while Stanyard backtracked to the bag. However, Stanyard got tagged out. Burroughs then struck out Connor Campbell and got JP Pirkey to ground out to get out of the inning.

 

           HHP missed out on a big scoring opportunity in the second. Tyler Britschke led off with a single and reached second when he beat the throw on a sacrifice bunt by Brody Hausher. Britschke did get forced at third, but an infield single by Calvin Middleton loaded the bases with one out.

 

           Burroughs responded by getting both Sammy Middleton and Stanyard to pop out on the infield.
 

           Espinoza allowed just one hit batter in the first two innings before the Indians got to him in the third. Eli Pantaleon picked up a 1-out single and Tyler reached on a throwing error that left runners on second and third. Tadd Jameson picked up a run batted in with a groundout and Charlie McCutchen delivered an RBI single to make it 2-1.

 

 OP expanded the lead to 3-1 in the fifth with Pantaleon’s solo homer in the fifth. Hilton Head Prep responded with four runs in the sixth. It came against Pantaleon, who came on in relief of Burroughs with one out in the third and had retired seven of the eight batters he faced with the one reaching on an error before being eliminated by a double play.

 

           Pirkey drew a leadoff walk before Pantaleon struck out Britschke. Hausher singled before Rooney and Calvin Middleton drew walks to force in a run and make it 3-2.

 

           Bryson Williams came on in relief of Pantaleon to face Sammy Middleton. Middleton hit a high chopper to Kuck at third base. Kuck initially looked home but then went to first and threw the ball away. Two runs scored. An RBI single by Stanyard made it 5-3.

 

           The Dolphins finished with six hits coming from six players. Sammy Middleton had a hit, a run and an RBI as did Calvin Middleton. Hausher had a hit and a run, Stanyard had a hit and an RBI, and Britschke and Campbell both had hits.

 

           Pantaleon had two of OP’s four hits, scoring twice and driving in a run. Tilden “T” Riley and McCutchen had the other hits. McCutchen and Jameson both drove in a run and Tyler scored the other run.

 

           Orangeburg Prep last won a state title in baseball in 1991 and had not played for a state championship since 2003. Coach Jameson had nothing but praise for his eight seniors – McCutchen, Tadd Jameson, Pantaleon, Kyle Cooper, Burroughs, Tyler, Judy and Williams. The head coach said McCutchen, his son, Pantaleon, Cooper and Burroughs along with Riley, a junior, were major cogs in the rebuild, starting with the program in the sixth grade.

 

“They are the core group that has built Orangeburg Prep baseball back along with the coaches,” he said. “We’ve made the playoffs the last four years, and it’s been a long time since that happened.

 

“They got good pitching and were just a little bit better than us. We had a chance to win the game in the seventh, and you can’t ask for much more than that.”

 

           For Wells, winning the state title is a culmination of a lot of hard work from his players.

 

“I was in tears about 10 minutes ago,” Wells said. “It means the world (winning state). You ask these kids to sign up and commit and give it all they’ve got, to look back with no regrets, and they bought in. Early in the season, the seniors – the best group of seniors I ever had, and I don’t say that lightly because I’ve had some outstanding young men over my career – they took it upon themselves to draw up the mantra together, and we did this together.

 

“We don’t have elite (NCAA Division I) DI talent top to bottom, we’re just a gritty bunch of guys from Hilton Head and the Lowcountry who fought tooth and nail and eared it. It means the world to this group. Those pictures we just took they’ll look back on those for the next hundred years and it will be something very special to them. It feels good to me personally, but I can’t get over the joy I have for these young men right now.”

 

“I can’t even put into words,” Stanyard said of what it means to be a state champion. “We’ve worked so hard for this, day in and day out. We’ve been playing baseball since we go to school, playing every single day. I can’t explain to you how much work we put in and how much this has been due for us. I’m just so excited.”

SCHSL Release 2026-2028 Realignment Final

By Staff Reports • December 22, 2025
SCHSL Release 2026-2028 Realignment Final Columbia, SC (12-19-25) -- The South Carolina High School League (SCHSL) has finalized the classification placement of all schools beginning with the 2026-27 school year. This classification placement will be in effect for two years. The guidelines established by the Reclassification/Realignment Guidelines Committee served as the blueprint for schools’ placements. Schools were assigned based on their enrollment count, to include district additions and the 3.0 multiplier. Flexibility, as approved by the Reclassification/Realignment Guidelines Committee, was also used with consideration given to geographics and travel. “Appreciation is expressed to those who served on the Reclassification/Realignment Guidelines Committee,” said Dr. Jerome Singleton, Commissioner of the SCHSL. “Classification placement of schools is the initial phase of the process. The next step for the League staff is to place the schools into regions in their respective classifications.” The SCHSL’s Executive Committee will meet January 13-14, 2026, to hear appeals regarding the classification placements. The final reclassifications are attached.

Stratford’s Davis Leads South Carolina to 17-7 Win in 89th Shrine Bowl

By David Shelton • December 21, 2025
By David Shelton Senior Writer Spartanburg – Stratford quarterback Jachin Davis threw a pair of touchdown passes and South Carolina defeated North Carolina, 17-7, in the 89 th Shrine Bowl all-star game in Spartanburg on December 20. Davis , named the offensive most valuable player for the Sandlappers, completed 10 of 15 passes for 184 yards in the game. He is headed to Liberty University as an early enrollee. “Great experience and great to get a win,” Davis said. “Playing with all of these great players was something I will never forget.” South Carolina dominated the game defensively, allowing only 136 total yards. The Tarheels completed just five of 19 passes. Stratford running back Maliq McGowan , a late addition to the roster, finished as the leading rusher for South Carolina with 42 yards on nine carries. West Ashley’s Bristol Biegenzahn played on the defensive front for the Sandlappers while Berkeley’s Zion Britt started on the offensive line. Cross safety, and South Carolina signee Caden Ramsey , Berkeley linebacker Gehad Sneed , and Timberland offensive lineman Desmond Green, who is headed to Florida, also played for the Sandlappers. “You win all-star games with defense and our defense was outstanding,” said SC head coach Paul Sutherland , who retired as the head coach at Liberty High after the season. “Glad to get the win for South Carolina. The kids were great. I am very blessed to have had this opportunity.” It took less than 10 seconds for the Sandlappers to score the game’s first touchdown as Davis combined with Dillon receiver Zay Robertson , heading to North Carolina , on an 80-yard bomb on the first play of the game for a quick 7-0 lead. Robertson finished the game with four catches for 131 yards. “He’s a great player,” said Davis of Robertson. “Getting that first touchdown was a tone setter.” South Carolina lost fumbles on their next two possessions, the second miscue leading to North Carolina’s game-tying touchdown after a 23-yard drive. Spartanburg’s Will Love , heading to Virginia Tech , kicked a 35-yard field goal late in the second quarter for a 10-7 halftime lead for the Sandlappers. South Carolina’s last play offensive snap in the game was Davis’s nine-yard touchdown pass to Jude Hall of Christ Church with :59 seconds left on the game clock. Chester linebacker Terry Rayford , who had 11 tackles, was the defensive most valuable player for the Sandlappers. Dorman's Kentavion Anderson and Ridge View's Jordan Best recorded interceptions The win gives South Carolina a 48-34 lead in the series. There have been seven ties.

SCHSL releases proposed reclassification for 2026-27, '27-28 school years

By Dennis Brunson hssr.com Associate Editor • December 20, 2025
Proposal has AAAAA going from 54 schools to 40 and not being split into divisions

Hilton Head Christian Overcomes Adversity

By Dennis Brunson • December 19, 2025
By Dennis Brunson hssr.com Associate Editor Bluffton – The 2025 football season was an unusual one for the Hilton Head Christian Academy football team. The Eagles, who had won three SCISA state titles in the five previous seasons, got off to a 2-5 start. On top of that, starting quarterback Reid McCollum left the school in the middle of the season. With the reshuffling, Hilton Head Christian lost its first game. However, the Eagles responded with four consecutive wins, including a 42-20 win over Trinity Collegiate in the first round of the AAA state playoffs. The season came to an end the next week with a 50-29 semifinal loss to Wilson Hall . Eagles head coach Ron Peduzzi is happy with the way his players rebounded to finish with a 6-6 record. “I was really proud of our guys, the way they rallied around the team and each other,” Peduzzi said. “They literally battled the second half of the year every play. “It was a very tough season. A lot of guys stood up and elevated their games. They had to stand up and become leaders also, so I was really happy with that.” HHCA had four players selected to the All-Region 1-AAA offensive first team in junior wide receivers Joey Houpt and Jackson Richardson , sophomore wide receiver Sam Strom and senior kick returner Tommy Gehm . Those on the first-team defense were sophomore defensive lineman Hayne Burden , junior linebacker Kres Langhals , sophomore linebacker Chase White and senior linebacker Finn Ussery . Houpt, who was named HHCA’s outstanding offensive contributor, was the leading pass catcher with 69 receptions for 1,313 yards and 13 touchdowns. Richardson had 45 catches for 645 yards and five scores, while Strum had 31 catches for 415 yards and five scores. Gehm returned two kickoffs for touchdowns and averaged 21.1 yards per return on 24 attempts. He returned six punts for 46 yards. Burden, who was named Hilton Head Christian’s outstanding defensive contributor, led the team in tackles with 105, tackles for loss with 13, quarterback sacks with four and quarterback hurries with 21. Langhals, who was the quarterback in the second half of the season, had 39 tackles, five TFLs, 2 ½ sacks, two interceptions, two caused fumbles and two fumble recoveries. White, who received HHCA’s Sledgehammer Award, had 82 tackles, five TFLs, one sack and one interception. Ussery, who received the team’s Captains Award, had 87 tackles, five TFLs, one sack and one interception.. Ussery and Gehm played in the SCISA North-South Seniors All-Star Game, while Houpt, Richardson, Strom, Burden and Langhals played in the Futures contest. Senior running back Hudson Baker , sophomore offensive linemen Caleb Altizer and Josh Koepke and sophomore cornerback Keyvon Aiken were selected second-team All-Region. Baker received the team’s Coaches Award and Burleson Award, and freshman Max Zwilsky earned the Lunchpail Award. Peduzzi believes good things await the Eagles in 2026. “We have a very large sophomore class that will be juniors next year, so I look forward for to next season,” he said. “We do need to elevate the number of players in our program playing, so that’s something we’ll be working on.”

OCA Wins Third Consecutive State Title with 28-7 Win Over BHP

By David Shelton • December 19, 2025
Oceanside senior WR, Terence Johnson, a Shrine Bowl all-star game selection, had 57 catches for 1,153 yards and 17 touchdowns plus 9 rushing touchdowns this season.

Panthers aim to remain a contender

By Roger Lee • December 19, 2025
Running back Grayson Salego is one of several starters who should return to the Panthers’ football team next season. Photo by Roger Lee. 

Timberland girls basketball team off to torrid start

By Rob Gantt • December 19, 2025
Timberland's Zion Prioleau, named on of Class AA's top seniors by the SC Basketball Coaches Association, averaged 14.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 2.8 steals per game in 2024-20225.

Wilson Hall senior class 32-7 last 3 years

By Dennis Brunson • December 19, 2025
 By Dennis Brunson hssr.com Associate Editor Sumter – The Wilson Hall football team played in its third straight SCISA AAA state championship game in November. And for the third straight year, the Barons came out on the short end of the stick. WH lost to Pinewood Prep for the second consecutive year, falling by a score of 55-13. That being said, Wilson Hall head coach Adam Jarecki could only praise his team, especially the 17-man senior class. “This group of seniors graduates with three trips to the state championship and not many people can say that,” Jarecki said of the Class of 2026, which went 32-7 over that 3-year stretch. “I’m extremely proud of them. They’re our leaders at the school. They’re the influential people at our school. We’d love to see them go out with success in the end, but what they accomplished is pretty special, and they’ve got to take pride in that. “They had a great year (finishing with an 11-2 record for the second straight year) and they’ve had a great career. It’s tough not to come out on top, but they know what it takes to get here and they bought into it.” Six of those seniors were among the eight Barons named to the All-Region 2-AAA team. Leading the way was quarterback Ford Wilder , who was selected as the Region Offensive Player of the Year. Wilder completed 41 of 79 passes for 565 yards and five touchdowns while rushing for 483 yards and 12 TDs on 87 carries. Senior running backs Ben McLaurin and Milling Galloway were selected. McLaurin rushed for 1,234 yars and 16 scores on 121 carries. Galloway rushed for 585 yards and 11 touchdowns 62 carries despite missing three games and the majority of a fourth due to injury. The other senior All-Region picks were free safety Harris Naylor and defensive linemen Walker Wilson and Andrew Howle . Naylor had 35 tackles, one tackle for loss, two interceptions and three pass deflections. Wilson had 39 tackles, seven TFLs, two quarterback sacks and one PD. Howle had 28 tackles, a team high nine TFLs and two sacks. The other two All-Region selections were junior defensive lineman Reese Wilson and junior linebacker Peyton Gilley . Reese Wilson shared the team lead in sacks with four to go with 21 tackles, eight TFLs, one PD and one fumble recovery. Gilley had a team high 61 tackles and shared the team lead in interceptions with three, returning one for a touchdown, to go with three sacks and six TFLs. Along with being All-Region picks, each of the eight were All-State selections and were chosen to play in the SCISA North-South All-Star Games.

Lee Academy basketball teams start slow

By Dennis Brunson • December 19, 2025
By Dennis Brunson Hssr.com Associate Editor Bishopville – Both the boys and girls basketball teams for Lee Academy got off to 1-3 starts, but neither of the head coaches are close to making a determination on what the season holds for their squads. “I am really excited about the team we have for this season,” said boys head coach Kemp DeWitt , who is in his second season at Lee. “We return four players that gave us crucial minutes last season. Brayden Davis , Cain June , Gavin Makela and Paxton Greene give me a solid base surrounded by the new faces we have this season. “We look to find our identity as a team before we head into Christmas break, so we can come out strong when region play starts.” Davis, a sophomore point guard, and June, a senior small forward, are the two returning starters. Davis was averaging 9.3 points per game, while June was scoring at a 9.0 clip. Makela is a junior center while Greene is a senior shooting guard. The other starter is junior power forward Aiden Fitzgerald . Greene was averaging 6.3 points, Fitzgerald 3.5 and Makela 1.6. Other members of the boys team are senior Collins Drayton , junior Cannon Hopkins , who was averaging 5.0, junior Tucker Rodgers , junior James Watson , junior Matthew Inabinet and junior Keegan Gainey . Girls head coach Kim Langston , a decades-long veteran of the SCISA wars, said she hadn’t seen enough of her team to form an opinion. The Lady Cavaliers are young with just one senior starter in Mazie Tomlinson . The other starters are junior Mallori Frye , sophomore Karagan Melton , freshman Kaisley Melton and eighth-grader Beth Whiteside . Karagan Melton was the leading scorer with a 9.5 average to go with 3.8 rebounds. Tomlinson was averaging 6.3 points, 3.3 steals, 4.3 assists and 9.5 boards, Whiteside was at 5.0 points, 1.0 blocked shots and 6.8 rebounds, Frye was averaging 2.0 points and 3.3 rebounds, and Kaisley Melton was averaging 2.3 steals, 2.3 points and 2.5 rebounds. The rest of the roster includes sophomore Emma Beasley , senior Sara Bell , senior Zana Brazell , senior Raylee Catoe and junior Addie Grace Wilkes . 4 CAVALIERS FOOTBALL ALL REGION The Lee football team had four players selected to the All-Region 1-Class A team. The selections were wide receiver/linebacker Cain June, senior quarterback/defensive back Andrew Bowers , senior offensive lineman/defensive lineman Hampton Layton and senior linebacker/running back Tucker Boyce .

Hartsville Boys Basketball Looks To Be Improved This Season

By David Shelton • December 18, 2025
By David Shelton Senior Writer Hartsville – Now in his third season, Hartsville High boys basketball coach Jason Earle feels his rebuilding project is starting to see positive results. The Red Foxes won four games in Earle’s first season and improved to six wins last season. The 2025-26 season saw Hartsville win their first three games, giving Earle a reason to be optimistic about the chances of improvement. “Most of these guys have been playing for me now for three years,” reports the coach. “We have continued to get better each year. The expectation that I have for this team is to play really hard and make the playoffs.” Most of the heavy lifting this season comes from seniors and juniors who have gained experience while taking their lumps. Junior guard Kayson Dawson and junior forward Derion Gattison are setting the early pace as scoring leaders. Dawson is averaging 14.5 points and 6.0 rebounds per game early on while Gattison is at 13.5 points and nearly five boards per game. Dawson averaged 11 points per game a season ago while Gattison scored 5.1 points per game. Senior Zaries Huggins is a starting guard, averaging 7.5 points early on. Senior Tristian Spann also starts as a wing and senior Dorian Mason starts at forward and contributes 5.5 points and 5.5 rebounds per game in the early going. Earle says the leadership this season comes primarily from Dawson, Gattison and Mason. Sophomore CJ Hickmon is first off the bench and can play guard or forward. Remaining players include junior Kelly Price , junior Zi’yon Mason , junior Karmelo Pooler , junior Jamyari Scipio-Bishop , junior Justin Hines and junior Eli Lynch . Hartsville competes in region 6-AAAA, a highly competitive basketball league. Earle sees Crestwood and Wilson as two of the top teams and is hopeful his team can join in the mix for the region title. “The region should be a real battle every night,” the coach said. The girls team opened the season at 1-1 and also looks to contend for a playoff berth this season. The top returning player this season is junior guard Nay Gibson , who is averaging 17.4 points per game early on. Senior Sha’Niyah Richardson contributes offensively as well, along with junior Ariel Leatch , each better than six points per game.  The only other senior on the girls roster is Kamori Williams . Juniors are Aniyah Robinson, Zariyah Spann, Makayla Chapman, Brianna Watson and Chaniyah Thompson . Rounding out this year’s team are sophomores Zanaya Blakney and Trinity Thomas , and freshman Chassidy Johnson.
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