Dillon Christian softball team has tough go of it in SCISA AAA state tournament
Dennis Brunson hssr.com Associate Editor • June 6, 2026
Warriors go 0-2 but lose the games by a combined three runs
Dillon – It was a tough way to end the season for the Dillon Christian School softball team.
The Warriors went 0-2 in the SCISA AAA state tournament played at Patriot Park SportPlex in Sumter on May 8-9. They lost the two games by a combined three runs.
DCS fell to Calhoun Academy 3-2 in its opener. Its second game was at the other end of the spectrum as Williamsburg Academy came away with a 14-12 win.
Coming down the homestretch of the season, Dillon Christian was being led offensively by eighth-grader Katelyn Owens and junior Braylin Carter. Owen was batting .452 with one double, four triples, two home runs, 15 runs and 11 runs batted in. Carter was hitting .417 with three doubles, two triples, 10 RBI and 10 runs.
Senior pitcher Lilli Shooter had worked 68 2/3 innings and had a 2.96 earned run average to go with 89 strikeouts. At the plate, Shooter was batting .311 with a team high 18 runs.
DCS BASEBALL FINISHES 2-12
The Dillon Christian baseball team had its struggles, finishing the year with a 2-12 overall record and a 0-6 mark in the difficult Region 3-AAA.
Two Warriors, Jordan Blackmon and Gray Easterling, were selected to the All-Region team. Blackmon, who was also selected to play in the SCISA North-South All-Star Game, was batting over .500 late in the season.
Teams from around the state attended the HSSR Media Day in 2025.
Andrew Kephart has been hired to head the Ashley Ridge Boys Soccer program.
Coach Beasley will become the 7th high school coach from Barnwell County to be inducted into the SCACA Hall of Fame at a ceremony in conjunction with the annual Coaches Clinic being held at the Greenville Convention Center between July 24-26.
Several Panther teams advanced deep into the postseason, demonstrating the competitiveness and determination that have become hallmarks of Abbeville athletics.
The state's coaches will gather in Greenville July 24-26 for the SCACA Clinic.
Players from around the state are invited to the Jeri and Steve Spurrier Indoor Practice Facility from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
By Dennis Brunson hssr.com Associate Editor Saluda – The Saluda High School football team will have a good amount of experience returning for the 2026 season. The Tigers have six starters back on offense and eight on defense from a team that went 6-6 and reached the second round of the AA state playoffs. However, they didn’t get a lot of work in during spring practice because many of them were on the school’s baseball and track and field teams that made deep runs in the postseason. Saluda head coach Greg Woerner found a silver lining in that though. “We were only able to get eight days of spring practice in and made the most o it and got better learning the offense and defense and developing some depth with the younger guys,” said Woerner, who will be in his second season as head coach. “A lot of our returning starters were making playoff runs in baseball and track, so we got a good luck at our depth.” Saluda returns four players who were selected to the All-Region 2-AA team last year. They are rising junior placekicker Ericson Vasquez , senior running back Tristan Daniels, senior tight end Jahmeer Myers and junior defensive back Ceddion Springs . Vasquez was named the Region 2 Special Teams Player of the year. Woerner is hoping the Tigers can be productive in the month of July leading into the start of fall practice. “For the remainder of the summer we’re really just looking forward to continuing to get stronger but also focusing in more on football,” Woerner said. “We had a good June competing in 7-on-7s (competitions) and getting better at our passing game and pass defense. July will focus more on getting better at the whole game.” The Tigers completed their 7-on-7 competition in June. Their first scrimmage will be on August 6 at Woodland before coming home to scrimmage Gilbert on August 10. Saluda is scheduled to open its season on August 21 at home against Abbeville . The Tigers will be part of a new region in Region 4-AA. The region will include two old Region 2 foes in defending state champion Strom Thurmond and Pelion to go with American Leadership Academy , Orangeburg-Wilkinson and Silver Bluff . MILLER MARTIN SELECTED TO AA ALL-STATE SOFTBALL TEAM Sophomore pitcher Miller Martin , a key figure for Saluda’s AA state championship softball team, was selected to the AA All-State softball team announced by the South Carolina Association for Women’s Sports . Martin had a 15-3 win-loss record and struck out 248 batters in 139 2/3 innings while posting a 0.70 earned run average. At the plate, Martin had a .308 batting average with five home runs and 32 runs batted in. Martin was also named the Region 2 Co-Player of the Year. Martin was joined on the All-Region team by Amy Sorcia , Zoey Springs and Nyla Jordan . Tigers head coach Hannah Towery said the program’s first ever state title sets a precedent for the future. “Future players will walk on to that field knowing a championship can be achieved because this team proved it,” said Towery, who guided Saluda to a 29-3 record. “The banner will hang, the trophy will be displayed, and the record books will always show who did it first. “History remembers champions, but it especially remembers those who paved the way. This team just didn’t win a state championship – they built a legacy.”
Raiders return everyone along the line from 8-4 team that reached 8-man semifinals
Oceanside's rising senior QB, Aiden Manavian is nearing 10,000 career passing yards and threw 42 touchdown passes last season.
By: Gerald Doolittle Contributing Writer, HSSR Batesburg-Leesville, S.C. -W.W. King Academy held its Spring/Winter Athletic Banquet in mid-May to honor their 2025-26 athletic efforts. All the Knight teams were very competitive in their SCISA Class A region where they competed against Wardlaw Academy, Newberry Academy, Cambridge Academy, Richard Winn Academy and Anderson Christian . The Varsity Baseball team won the SCISA Class A Title . The Varsity Softball team was very competitive in the playoffs. Coach Jessica Anderson presented the Varsity Girls Basketball Awards . Blythe Buzhardt won the All-Around Excellence Award. Kenzie Morse won the Defensive Player-of-the-Year Award. Coach Dennis Gibson presented the Varsity Boys Basketball Awards. Spencer McCormick received the Most Outstanding Player Award. Brady Goff received the Sharp-Shooter Award. Coach Allen Guy presented the Varsity Softball Awards. Blythe Buzhardt received the Most Outstanding Player Award. Abby Aull received the Leadership Award and Kenzie Morse received the Iron Athletic Award. Coach Zach Matthews presented five awards to his Varsity Baseball State Champion players. Elijah Hutto received the Offensive Player of the Year Award. Luke Harvey received the Defensive Player of The Year Award. Wyatt Burbank, Zed Watkins and Smith Kirby shared the Team Leadership Award. Athletic Director Kathy Gibson assisted in presenting the Senior Awards. Smith Kirby and Abby Aull received the Senior Student Athlete of the Year Award. Wyatt Burbank and Kenzie Morse received the Athlete of the Year Award. Spencer McCormick and Abby Aull received the Christian Leadership Award. Wyatt Burbank and Kenzie received the Varsity Year-Round Athletes Award.