Central – All in all, the 2022-23 school year was a very good one for the D.W. Daniel High
School athletic program.
The Lions came away with 10 Region 1-AAA championships out of their 20 athletic teams.
Nineteen of the teams reached their form of the state playoffs with one of them winning a state
championship and another finishing as the upper state champion.
Nineteen of the 20 head coaches will be back with their respective programs for the soon-to-start
school year.
The program that won the state title is boys soccer, doing so for the second straight year. The Lions
finished the year with a 19-4 overall record under head coach Thomas Izaguirre. Daniel beat Beaufort
3-0 in the championship matchand outscored its opponents 23-2 in five playoff matches.
"Me and my staff worked hard and put in countless hours, my boys worked hard and were dedicated,"
Izaguirre said. "It would just be a matter of time before it paid off. We then go on to win it back to back."
The boys tennis team reached the championship match of the AAA state playoffs where it lost to
Camden. Zaina Nait Omar will return as the head coach.
It was an “off” year for the football team. The Lions “only” went 12-1 and “only” reached the
third round of the state playoffs. That pales in comparison to the two previous seasons when Daniel
posted perfect state championship seasons under Jeff Fruster.
The cross country teams had strong seasons, the girls finishing third in the state meet under head
coach Ashley Perry and the boys finishing sixth under Paul Dawson.
The softball team under Cora Downer swept its district tournament to advance to the 4-team
upper state tournament. The competitive cheer team led by Courtney Lesley finished fourth in the state
competition.
Ben Touchberry led the boys basketball team to a 21-8 record, a region championship and the
third round of the state playoffs. Chad Perry led the girls soccer team to a 13-11 record, a region title and
the third round of the playoffs, while the volleyball team under Hayley Hoover went 22-8, won a region
crown and reached the third round.
Laura Henry led the boys swim team to fifth place in the state meet and the girls to a sixth-place
finish. Andy Swords guided the girls golf team to a third-place finish in the upper state tournament and to
sixth in the state tourmament.
The girls track and field team under Jacob Wichelns finished fifth in the state meet while the
boys team led by Alvin Abrams was 14th . Craig Wells led the girls tennis team to the third round of the
playoffs, while Ron Thomas guided the boys golf team to 10 th in the state tournament.
The wrestling team under Andy Akers made the state playoffs as did the baseball team under
David Weathers. However, Weathers won’t return as the baseball and has been replaced by Jarrod
Payne.
Cosandar Griffin is back as the girls coach after going 11-15 last season. Tommy Plumblee
returns as the athletic director.
"The Daniel coaching staff works hard to provide the best possible experience for our student-athletes,"
Plumblee said. "The coaches are dedicated to the students and creating a positive culture while realizing
the high expectations that the community has for the athletic program."
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