Katelyn Johnson joins Berry on All-State team; Chayse Walters, Paisley Jackson also All-Region

By Joel Beachum Special Writer LATTA - As with any good championship softball game, there are two key components - clutch pitching and timely hitting. That is exactly what Latta (20-5) got on Wednesday night in a 5-2 victory over Lewisville to capture the Class A state title at home. Maddie Berry , the Wofford commit, started the game in the circle for Latta, but got injured in the fourth inning. She was replaced by Paisley Jackson , who normally plays right field. Jackson provided the energy to shut down the Lewisville (21-11) bats. Berry finished with nine strikeouts. Jackson added five strikeouts. Latta head softball coach Anna Rogers commented on how elated she was of the team's performance. "I'm so proud of these girls,” she said. “We've definitely played some tough competition, even in our region. That prepared us for this moment and we knew Lewisville was a good team. Their pitcher ( Sarah Owens ) is really strong." Junior catcher Samantha Townsend was the catalyst for the Lady Vikings, going 2-for-3 in the win with two singles, an RBI and one run scored. She also added a stolen base and was hit by a pitch in the contest. "Samantha always brings energy,” said Coach Rogers. “She's so aggressive. "We are just thankful for her getting things started and pushing us to get all that we could." This came after Latta lost a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning. Both Owens and Aubree Smith added a hit. Kyleigh Fletcher of Lewisville added the needed RBI to give Lewisville an early 1-0 lead. Latta got things going in the bottom half of the fourth after Sarah Bryant drew a walk and then stole second. That was followed by Madison Kersey making it to first on a passed ball, and then she added a steal. Rylan Hunt then came through with a key sacrifice bunt. Townsend then went to work with a single up the middle for Latta. "It didn't start off how we wanted it to, but in the end, we came through,” said Townsend after the game. “We weren't trying to drive it hard, but just get good solid contact out of the infield," That put the Lady Vikings ahead 3-2 going into the top of the fifth inning. With two more runs in the sixth to increase their lead to 5-2, that was all the offense needed. Jackson, who had come into the game, quieted the Lewisville bats for the win. "It feels great to win the game. When I came into the game, I was ready because I knew my defense was there behind me," Jackson said. "My team was backing me up all the way." Berry allowed one hit and two runs in three and a third innings. Jackson pitched three and two thirds’ innings allowing no runs. Owens allowed four hits and five runs in the loss. Berry commented on the win and how amazing it felt to win the state title. "First of all, I want to give all of the glory to God,” she said. “We have prayed so hard for this very moment from day one. We have worked so hard, day in and day out. There's no other team that I would want to win this with; We came so close when I was a freshman - just to have this full circle moment as a senior just means everything." She also praised Jackson for her performance coming into the game in relief. "I've always known Paisley was going to be something special," Berry added. "When I went out, I had so much confidence in her and I knew she was going to be great." For Latta at the plate, Hunt had two walks in the contest for the Lady Vikings. Latta had five walks for the game. The team finished the contest with five stolen bases. Townsend also praised Jackson, and her team, while expressing her elation in the victory. "I cannot express to you in words what it means to me (to win state),” she said. “ It was our whole team and a total team effort, "Paisley really came through for us (coming in after Maddie went out)." Lewisville finished the game with two hits, two runs, one RBI and one walk. Lewisville coach Jerry Thomas spoke after the game. "We started out the year great, but then we lost a couple of players,” said Coach Thomas. “We got back one, and then we finally got another back before the end of the season. It has been an up and down season with injuries that we've had. This was their (Latta) year. My hats off to them. I'm proud of our girls making it to the state finals. That's a tradition that we started."

By Joel Beachum Special to the HSSR LATTA - As with any good championship softball game, there are two key components - clutch pitching and timely hitting. That is exactly what Latta (20-5, ranked No. 14 in SC) got on Wednesday night in a 5-2 victory over Lewisville to capture the Class A state title at home. Maddie Berry , the Wofford commit, started the game in the circle for Latta, but got injured in the fourth inning. She was replaced by Paisley Jackson , who normally plays right field. Jackson provided the energy to shut down the Lewisville (21-11) bats. Berry finished with nine strikeouts. Jackson added five strikeouts. Latta head softball coach Anna Rogers commented on how elated she was of the team's performance. "I'm so proud of these girls. We've definitely played some tough competition, even in our region," said Rogers. "That prepared us for this moment and we knew Lewisville was a good team. Their pitcher ( Sarah Owens ) is really strong." Junior catcher Samantha Townsend was the catalyst for the Lady Vikings, going 2-for-3 in the win with two singles, a Run Batted In and a run scored. She also added a stolen base and was hit by a pitch in the contest. "Samantha always brings energy. She's so aggressive," Baker said of Townsend. "We are just thankful for her getting things started and pushing us to get all that we could." This came after Latta lost a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning. Both Owens and Aubree Smith added a hit. Kyleigh Fletcher of Lewisville added the needed RBI. Latta got things going in the bottom half of the fourth after Sarah Bryant drew a walk and then stole second. That was followed by Madison Kersey making it first on a passed ball and then she added a steal. Rylan Hunt then came through with a key sacrifice bunt. Townsend then went to work with a single up the middle for Latta. "It didn't start off how we wanted it to, but in the end we came through. We weren't trying to drive it hard, but just get good solid contact out of the infield," Townsend said after the win. That put the Lady Vikings ahead 3-2 going into the top of the fifth inning. With two more runs in the sixth to increase their lead to 5-2, that was all the offense needed. Jackson, who had come into the game, quieted the Lewisville bats for the win. "It feels great to win the game. When I came into the game, I was ready because I knew my defense was there behind me," Jackson said. "My team was backing me up all the way." Berry allowed one hit and two runs in three and a third innings. Jackson pitched three and two thirds innings allowing no runs. Owens allowed four hits and five runs in the loss. Berry commented on the win and how amazing it felt to win the state title. "First of all I want to give all of the glory to God. We have prayed so hard for this very moment from day one. We have worked so hard, day in and day out. There's no other team that I would want to win this with," Berry said about the accomplishment. "We came so close when I was a freshman - just to have this full circle moment as a senior just means everything." She also praised Jackson for her performance coming into the game in relief. "I've always known Paisley was going to be something special," Berry added. "When I went out, I had so much confidence in her and I knew she was going to be great." For Latta at the plate, Hunt had two walks in the contest for the Lady Vikings. Latta had five walks for the game. The team finished the contest with five stolen bases. Townsend also praised Jackson and her team while expressing her elation in the victory. "I can not express to you in words what it means to me (to win states). It was our whole team and a total team effort," Townsend added. "Paisley really came through for us (coming in after Maddie went out)." Lewisville finished the game with two hits, two runs, one RBI and one walk. Lewisville coach Jerry Thomas spoke after the game. "We started out the year great, but then we lost a couple of players. We got back one and then we finally got another back before the end of the season. It has been an up and down season with injuries that we've had," Thomas said. This was their (Latta) year. My hats off to them. I'm proud of our girls making it to the state finals. That's a tradition that we started."

SCHSL Championship Series got started on Saturday with 12 teams in each category striving to earn a state title. It's looking to be a wet week for most of the state, we'll see how the forecast holds up for these games to be completed. Softball 5/26 - Class 5A Div 1. - Byrnes @ Summerville 5/26 - Class 5A Div. 2 - Catawba Ridge @ St. James 6p 5/27 - Class AAAA - York @ Gray Collegiate 6:30p 5/27 - Class AAA - BHP @ Aynor 6p5/27 - 5/27 - Class AA - Saluda @ East Clarendon 7p 5/27 - Class A - Latta @ Lewisville 6p 5/28 - Class 5A Div 1. - Summerville @ Byrnes 5/28 - Class 5A Div. 2 - St. James @ Catawba Ridge 6p 5/28 - Class AAAA - Gray Collegiate @ York 5/29 - Class AAA - Aynor @ BHP 6p 5/29 - Class AA - Lewisville @ Latta 5/29 - Class A - East Clarendon @ Saluda 7p Game 3s (if needed) on 5/30 Baseball - Games Started Saturday, May 24 th with games 5/27, 5/29, and 5/31 5/24 - Class AAA - Southside Christian 14 , Oceanside 1 5/24 - Class AA - Philip Simons 5 , Batesburg-Leesville 3 5/24 - Class A - McBee 5 , LakeView 3 5/27 - Class 5A Div. 1 - Lexington @ James Island 6:30p 5/27 - Class 5A Div. 2 -Catawba Ridge @ Berkeley 5/27 - Class AAAA - Airport @ Seneca 5/27 - Class AAA - Oceanside @ Southside Christian 5/27 - Class AA - Philip Simons @ Batesburg-Leesville 5/27 - Class A - McBee @ Lake View 5/29 - Class 5A Div. 1 -Lexington@ James Island 6:30p 5/29 - Class 5A Div. 2 -Berkeley @ Catawba Ridge 5/29 - Class AAAA - Seneca @ Airport Game 3s (if needed) on 5/31

Kaliyah Herman selected as Region 6 Offensive Player of the Year

Both Vikings teams off to 2-1 starts in Region 6-Class A

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 Dennis Brunson hssr.com Associate Editor Latta – It took a little while for the Latta High School football coaching staff to figure things out, but head coach Brandon Iseman likes where his team is at as it prepares for the Vikings prepare for the Class A state playoffs. After losing three of its first four games, LHS won four of its final six contests. It is taking a 5-5 overall record into the Class A state playoffs after finishing third in Region 6. Latta will open the playoffs on November 15 by going on the road to face Baptist Hill . “Coming off of last year where we had so many seniors, we had a lot of question marks,” said head coach Brandon Iseman, who led Latta to a 9-2 record last year. “We were filling certain holes, and we had to go through a process of fitting puzzle pieces together.” After beating East Columbus from North Carolina 49-6 to open the season, the Vikings lost to Marion 8-7, McBee 28-7 and Mullins 6-0. Following the McBee loss, Iseman and his staff decided to get out of its spread offense and switch to the wishbone. “We were kind of getting the pieces into place all year,” he said. “Where we ran the spread, throw it and run out of it, that didn’t fit us this year. Game 3 we switched into the wishbone. “We were not being as competitive as we could be. We decided to hang out hats there, being physical, controlling the game, controlling the clock. Our mentality changed and we shifted our focus. I wish we would have been in it all year.” LHS is averaging 241.1 rushing yards per game. It is led by Makinley Wallace , who has 119 carries for 885 yards and 14 touchdowns. Amir Rogers has 85 carries for 520 yards and five TDs, quarterback Jayden Alford has 353 yards and six scores on 61 carries, and Fischer Richardson has 50 carries for 293 yards and one TD. Latta has only thrown the ball 38 times, completing 20 of them with no touchdowns. The leading receiver is Adrian McDonald with nine catches for 184 yards. The defense is led by linebacker Xy’Mari Bethea with 71 total tackles for 11. Defensive tackle Tyquan Drawhorn leads in TFLS with 16 to go with 65 tackles, and linebacker Gavin Aubin has 54 tackles and seven TFLs. Drawhorn has a team high six quarterback sacks while Rogers, a defensive end, has four sacks. Iseman is looking forward to seeing what his team can do in the playoffs. “All year we’ve been going through a transition,” he said. “We’ve just got to believe, trust and believe in the work we do each week. If we do that, good things will happen. I think we’re clicking at the right time. We’re going to focus on execution.” 

Lewisville WR Jacorreun Howze on the run after a catch.