James Island beats Dorman 5-0 to win AAAAA Division I championship series for third straight title

Thomas Grant Jr. Special to HSSR • May 31, 2026

Easterling, Marchand combine to toss shutout for Trojans

James Island Wins Third Straight AAAAA Baseball Title With 5-0 Win Over Dorman

Lexington – There was some hesitation by James Island High School baseball head coach Matt Spivey in selecting River Bluff High School as the location for Saturday’s deciding game against Dorman in the best-of-3 AAAAA Division state championship series.

 

Just nine days earlier, the Trojans visited The Swamp looking to wrap up the Lower State title in Game 2 of that series. Sparked by four runs batted in from All-State senior Taj Marchand, they had a 9-0 lead over the Gators after three innings, and the Trojans were feeling pretty good at that point.

However, a resilient River Bluff rallied for nine unanswered runs to tie the game. James Island regained the lead in the top of the fifth only for Wes Godwin to belt a 2-run home run in the bottom half of the inning to give the Gators the improbable 11-10 comeback win.

 

This time around, the Trojans left their personal “House of Horrors” with a pleasant memory and their third straight state championship. Taking an early lead and with Brayden Easterling and Marchand combining for seven shutout innings on the mound, James Island defeated Dorman 5-0 for the victory.

 

“He doesn’t flinch,” said Spivey of Marchand, the star senior shortstop/pitcher who has signed to play at Mississippi but is expected to be selected in the top three rounds of the Major League Baseball draft in July. “The moment is never too big for that guy and he showed that today.”

 

James Island concluded the season at 31-4 with their third straight title, the last two in AAAAA Division I.

 

“We got together as a staff and then as a team, and said, ‘We have to conquer some demons,’ and this was the place that we wanted to do it, and I think we did that today,” said Spivey.

James Island led 2-0 after the first inning. Junior Trip Ostergard led off with a single. Then senior centerfielder Connor Dantzler, a Tulsa football signee, got a 1-out single to advance Ostergard to third. Dantzler advanced to second on the throw. Senior first baseman Finn Pratt singled to right field, scoring Ostergard to make it 1-0 with Dantzler advancing to third. Brady Dantzler got an RBI groundout to score his brother, making it 2-0 .

 

James Island added three insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth to go up 5-0. Junior outfielder Ethan Stein led off with a double and advanced to third on a groundout out by sophomore outfielder Aiden Spivey. Ostergard reached on a hit by pitch before Marchand was intentionally walked. Stein scored on an RBI groundout by Connor Dantzler to make it 3-0. Pratt then singled on a line drive to center, scoring two runs, courtesy runner Dawson Beldner for Marchand, and Ostergard to make the final score 5-0.

 

It was a pitcher’s duel between Easterling and Cooper Hornick of Dorman most of the way. Both threw four innings and matched each other with two strikeouts and held the opposition scoreless from the second through fourth innings.

 

Each were also relieved by their respective team’s top players in the fifth inning. Marchand replaced Easterling for James Island, while Hornick, the AAAAA DI Player Year, according to the

South Carolina Baseball Coaches Association,  was moved from second base to the mound.

 

With two outs in the top of the sixth, Marchand gave up a walk and two singles to load the bases. The Cavaliers could not capitalize as States Farr struck out to end the threat.

 

“We needed someone to come through,” Marchand said. “I needed to come through that moment. I did, and that’s what needed to happen.”

 

Veteran Dorman head coach Jack Jolly commented, “We started that inning building with two outs,” he said. “So I was really proud with getting the bases loaded. We got to the top of the lineup. That’s what we wanted to try to do in the top of the sixth. So we had everything that we wanted. We just didn’t come through.”

 

After giving up a leadoff single in the seventh to Luke Thompson, Marchand retired the final three batters to end the series. Following the game-ending strikeout of Connor Wells, Marchand tossed his cap high into the air as teammates piled on the mound in celebration.

 

“It’s hard to get back here,” said Coach Spivey. “It’s hard to win 31 baseball games. But my guys show up and work every day. They put the work in and here we are.”

 

Meanwhile, a disappointed Jolly praised his senior class and called this one of the most enjoyable seasons in his career.

 

“It’s going to hurt for a while, but we’ll learn and grow from this and, hopefully, we’ll be able to overcome this mountain,” said Jolly.

 

In the championship game, the Trojans got four innings of mound work from Easterling, a sophomore. He gave up five hits, no runs and he had five strikeouts. Marchand pitched the final three innings, giving up four hits and no runs while striking out three.

 

James Island had eight hits. They were led at the plate by Pratt, who went 3-for4 with three RBI. Ostergard, Connor Dantzler, Brady Dantzler, Stein, and Spivey each had one hit. Marchand was walked three times.

Saluda Football Uses Spring To Build Depth

By Dennis Brunson • July 3, 2026
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.”

Jefferson Davis football focusing on the basics over the summer

By Dennis Brunson hssr.com Associate Editor • July 3, 2026
Raiders return everyone along the line from 8-4 team that reached 8-man semifinals

OCA Football Sets Sights On Four-Peat

By David Shelton • July 2, 2026
Oceanside's rising senior QB, Aiden Manavian is nearing 10,000 career passing yards and threw 42 touchdown passes last season.

W W King Holds Spring Athletic Banquet

By Gerald Doolittle • July 1, 2026
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.

Florence Christian football team lost a few players to more than just graduation

By Dennis Brunson hssr.com Associate Editor • July 1, 2026
Eagles do return Region Defensive Player of the Year in Hayden Schwab

Lodge Begins Fourth Season As Berkeley Coach

By David Shelton • June 30, 2026
By David Shelton Senior Writer Moncks Corner – After a pair of six-win seasons in his first two years , Berkeley head football coach Eric Lodge guided the Stags to a 10-3 record last fall. Lodge is hoping and expecting to see continued growth and development in 2026 and recently put his prospective team through spring drills. The purpose of the spring is to identify roles and hopefully find rising talent that can assist either as backups or starters this fall. “Our spring is about evaluating kids, all of them, to see where they fit in,” Lodge said, “Those practices are very important to the growth of the program. We get everyone involved amd work to get them up to speed. Once we get into the summer, we are working hard to get stronger in the weight room along with seven-on-seven stuff.” Lodge says most of the returning experience is on the offensive side and the Stags should be explosive. Henry Rivers , a senior, will be a fourth-year starter and rates as one of the best in the state. Hethres for more than 1,200 yards and 12 touchdowns last season, adding 803 rushing yards and 16 more scores. Returning at receiver are John Cleveland, Eli Mitchell and Johnathan Mitchell, who combined for more than 60 receptions last season. Anchoring the running game are returners Lawrence Washington, Bryson McGee and Jesse Brown . That trio will work behind a revamped offensive line but Lodge sees potential in the developing unit up front. “I like our depth at running back and receiver, and of course we have a veteran leader at quarterback,” said Lodge. There are significantly more holes to fill on defense. The Stags lost an all-state tackle and three starting linebackers that were three-year starters. There also are three holes to fill on the back endd. “We have identified some young men who we feel will step in and be solid players for us,” Lodge said. “Replacing the experience is tough but we have some guys who will learn and grow over time. We’re not new to having young guys on the field. The talent is there and there are opportunities for guys to get on the field.”

Pinewood Preparing To Move Up A Class

By Roger Lee • June 29, 2026
Expectations are high for Pinewood Prep quarterback Silas Brawner.

Cane Bay Football Looking To Get Back On Track

By David Shelton • June 29, 2026
By David Shelton Senior Writer Summerville – The last two football seasons have been sub-par for the Cane Bay Cobras but veteran head coach Russell Zehr believes the pieces are in place for a potential resurgence. The Cobras finished the last two seasons with three wins each but did win a region championship in 2024. Zehr and his staff have worked hard in the offseason to develop some up and coming talent. They did so through the weight room and spring practice. “We had a good spring overall,” Zehr said. “We were missing a handful of guys due to track but we had good numbers. We spent a lot of time getting everyone up to speed. It was an opportunity for us to see younger kids that are coming up and find out who can help us this season. We had about 80 kids during the sprng and about 75 of those have been consistent in their workouts over the summer.” The Cobras will have a new quarterback this fall. Zehr says senior Coran Houp e is moving from running back to run the option offense this season. Returning in the backfield are Mayson Samuel and Sam Rolston , with some talented backs coming from the lower levels. The offensive line returns two starters, Isaac Siefken and Eli Taylor . Junior JJ Rose is back as the leader along the defensive front, with ends Devin Cobbs and B rennen Shokes also returning. The linebackers will be new starters with only Jackson Williamson returning with experience. The secondary could be a strength with returners Tyrell Bess, Zion Bryant and Caeden Wilson . The kicking game is a solid strength with senior Aiden Thorne returning. Thorne is a deep threat on kickoffs and field goals. “He’s got a leg and can be a real weapon for us,” Zehr said. Cane Bay participated in weekly 7-on-7 passing league scrimmages during June and will play at The Citadel event in July.

Mckoy Continues To Build A Winner At James Island

By David Shelton • June 29, 2026
Head football coach at James Island, Jamar McKoy has worked to build his program into one of the more consistent programs in the state.

Red Fox Football Putting In The Work For 2026 Season

By David Shelton • June 29, 2026
By David Shelton Senior Writer Hartsville – As he embarks on his 22 nd season as the head football coach at Hartsville High, Jeff Calabrese is anxiously anticipating the upcoming 2026 season. Calabrese, with more than 200 career coaching wins, sys his team has put in good work in the offseason and appears focused on bettering last year’s 7-5 record. “We had a good spring practice, a good offseason all together really,” the coach said. “The numbers were maybe a little down but not far off. We spent a lot of time evaluating every position. If we needed to make a change we did. The focus in the spring and summer is making sure we have the right guys in the right spots. We basically are trying to get everyone on the same page.” Like all the schools in the state, the Red Foxes put in training four days a week from 8:30 to 11 am. Calabrese says this summer has been especially important as four new coaches have joined the program, including new defensive coordinator Neil Smith . “Really excited to have coach Smith. He brings a ton of energy and experience and he has really adapted well here,” Calabrese said. In terms of personnel, the Red Foxes have experience returning in several areas, starting with quarterback. Junior Ford Wallace is back as the starter and continues to develop in his role as a leader on the offense.. Returning at running back is Trace Hillian with CJ Hickmon moving from receiver to the backfield. Anchoring the offensive line is two-time all-region performer Fred Turner . Other returning linemen, who could end up on either side of the ball, include Creighton McKnight, Jake Williams, Jaquan Samuel and Pat Rhode. Rod Cranford returns in the back seven as a third-year starter. Zi’Yon Mason is moving from the secondary to linebacker, as is Jamario Scipio-Bishop. Devaris James and Deon McCall are players to watch in the secondary. “At a school our size, sometimes you have to move some kids around to make it all fit,” Calabrese said. “That’s why the summer is so important, to get those kids a lot of reps, good group to work with. We just need to build some depth.”
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