NOVEMBER 1 HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL ROUNDUP

Dennis Brunson hssr.com Associate Editor • November 4, 2024

Batesburg-Leesville beats Saluda 28-7 in battle of unbeatens

Saluda – The Batesburg-Leesville High School football team went on the road to beat Saluda 28-7 on Friday in a battle of unbeatens.

 

Saluda, ranked No. 1 in the High School Sports Report AA poll, dropped to 7-1 overall and 3-1 in Region 2. Third-ranked B-L improved to 9-0 and 4-0 in region play.

 

Amadre Wooden ran for 175 yards and two touchdowns on 31 carries to lead the Panthers, who improved to 9-0 for the first time since 2000. Tanner Watkins completed 13 of 18 passes for 181 yards and two scores with KD Whitt catching five passes for 55 yards and the two TDs. Jamerius Clark had six catches for 86 yards. Wooden also had a 31-yard catch.

 

Drew Arant led Saluda, which fell to 8-1, by completing 9 of 16 passes for 119 yards and a touchdown. The TD pass went to Victavis Gaines, who had three catches for 44 yards.

 

Tristan Daniels ran for 49 yards on 10 carries while Jah Foulks had two catches for 52 yards.

 

The Panthers can wrap up the region title when it plays at Strom Thurmond on Friday. Saluda will be taking on American Leadership Academy. A Strom Thurmond win and a Saluda victory would leave a 3-way tie for first place.

 

Hartsville 54

South Florence 35

 

Kelleytown – Hartsville won the Region 5-AAAA title with a 54-35 victory over South Florence on Friday at Kelleytown Stadium.

 

The Red Foxes, ranked seventh in AAAA, led 34-28 entering the fourth quarter before outscoring SFHS 20-7 to secure their first region title since 2018. HHS improved to 8-1-1 overall and finished 6-0 in the region. Eighth-ranked South Florence fell to 7-3 overall and finished 5-1 in the region.

 

Da’Marion Coe took a kickoff back 75 yards for a touchdown after having the ball pitched to him by Hakeem Watters to lead Hartsville. Coe later returned an interception 75 yards for a touchdown.

 

Zion Gilbert led the Bruins by rushing for 124 yards and three touchdowns on 16 carries. Tre’ Leonard had 19 carries for 115 yards and a TD.

 

Lennix Valarie had six catches for 86 yards, while Jayden Sellers had two catches for 40 yards and a score.

 

Gerkiem Hall led the South Florence defense with 12 tackles. Avan Rosado and Warnell Prew both had 10 tackles.

 

Both teams next play again on November 15 in the first round of the state playoffs.

 

Dillon 56

Georgetown 0

 

Dillon -- Dillon scored 36 points in the first quarter on the way to a 56-0 victory over Georgetown on Friday at Dillon Memorial Stadium.

 

The Wildcats, ranked fourth in AAA, finished the regular season at 8-2 and a 4-1 mark in Region 5. Georgetown finished 2-7 and 0-5.

 

Rahmond Hamilton completed 5 of 6 passes for 148 yards and two touchdowns while running for a touchdown. Zamaurious Robertson had two catches for 80 yards and a TD, and EJan Green had two catches for 60 yards and a score.

 

Trayvon Brown, Nigel Gillespie Bruce and Jalen McGill each ran for a touchdown.

 

Jotavious McAllister led the defense with two interceptions and a fumble recovery.

 

Manning 24

Lake City 18

 

Lake City – Manning finished the regular season with a 9-1 record by beating Lake City 24-18 on Friday at the LCHS field.

 

The Monarchs, ranked eighth in AA, finished 6-0 in winning Region 7. Lake City is 4-6 and finished 3-3 in region play.

 

Jeffery Ceasar led the Monarchs with six catches for 103 yards and a touchdown and a 79-yard kickoff return for a score.

 

Jaylnn Coard scored two touchdowns while rushing for 23 yards on seven carries. Ja’Rae Mitchell completed 9 of 14 passes for 118 yards and a TD while rushing for 38 yards on eight carries.

 

Lamar Hilton had 13 tackles to lead the defense. Coard had seven tackles, two TFLs and forced a fumble, and Jordan Thompson had an interception.

 

Sumter 65

Westwood 28

 

Sumter – Sumter improved to 9-0 on the season with a 65-28 victory over Westwood on Friday at Memorial Stadium.

 

The Gamecocks, ranked third in the AAAAA Division I poll, are 5-0 in Region 5-AAAAA. They will travel to Columbia to take on Ridge View for the region title on Friday.

 

Westwood fell to 5-5 and finished region play at 3-3.

 

SHS led 37-14 at halftime and 58-14 after three quarters. Sumter rolled up 552 yards of total offense.

 

John Peeples rushed for 120 yards and two TDs on 12 carries, while Kam Fortune had seven carries for 111 yards and three TDs. Franklin Richardson had four carries for 66 yards and a touchdown while completing all five of his pass attempts for 55 yards and two scores.

 

Chris Bentley had two catches for 56 yards and a score, and Cory Bailey had a 20-yard TD catch.

 

Jeremiah Burson led the defense with 17 tackles and two TFLs. Tymaries Durant had 12 tackles, one TFL and a fumble recovery, while Anthony Addison had 11 tackles, 2 ½ sacks and 2 ½ TFLs.

 

Northside Christian 48

Camden Military 14

 

Lexington – Northside Christian Academy concluded the regular season with a 9-1 record after beating Camden Military 48-14 on Friday at the NCA field.

 

Sam Burks led the Crusaders, ranked third in the SCISA AAA poll,  by rushing for 193 yards and three touchdowns on 15 carries. JR Kinard had 104 yards on eight carries. Jared Jeffrey had two catches for 27 yards and a TD.

 

Logan Taylor forced a fumble and returned it 95 yards for a touchdown. He also had seven tackles. Hudson Shick had eight tackles, three sacks and three TFLs, while Mani Lee had five tackles, two sacks and two TFLs. Kinard, Burks, Trevor Hoffman, Jack Knight, Kai Finkheimer and Zachary Gebhard all had two TFLs.

 

Northside Christian will play host to First Baptist in the first round of the state playoffs on Friday.

 

Bethesda Academy 40

St. John’s Christian 15

 

Savannah, Ga. – Bethesda Academy finished the regular season with a 7-3 record by beating St. John’s Christian Academy 40-15 on Friday at the BA field.


          Jordan Turner completed 5 of 8 passes for 109 yards and ran for 46 yards and a TD to lead the Blazers. Assir Best had seven carries for 92 yards and three touchdowns.

 

Jordan Cheever had eight carries for 47 yards and a TD. Raleigh Wesley had three catches for 76 yards and two carries for 40 yards.

 

Jeffrey Armstrong had six tackles to lead the defense, while Isaiah Reynolds had two TFLs.

 

Kingstree 44

Atlantic Collegiate 0

 

Myrtle Beach -- Tyleek Dukes ran for over 200 yards and scored 22 points to lead Kingstree to a 44-0 victory over Atlantic Collegiate Academy on Friday at the ACA field.

 

Dukes had 204 yards and scored three touchdowns on 16 carries. He also ran for a pair of 2-point conversions. He also had a 21-yard reception,

 

Javian McCrea had 1 carries for 86 yards, quarterback Makhi Shaw had 11 carries for 73 yards and a score, and Chiquan Giles had eight carries for 63 yards.

 

Xavier Dukes led the defense, returning an interception 53 yards for a touchdown. He also had four tackles. McCrea returned an interception 65 yards for a score, and Maleek Dukes had seven tackles.

 

The Blazers will play at Whale Branch in the first round of the state playoffs.

 

Williamsburg 45

Dorchester 22

 

Kingstree -- Williamsburg Academy won the SCISA Region 1-Class A title with a 45-22 victory over Dorchester on Friday at the WA field.

 

         The Stallions, ranked first in the Class A poll, improved to 8-1 overall and finished 3-0 in region play. Fourth-ranked DA fell to 7-2 overall and finished 2-1 in the region.

 

Grant Small scored five touchdowns for the Stallions. Small had 13 carries for 79 yards and three touchdowns while catching two passes for 93 yards and two scores.

 

Micah Balder completed 10 of 14 passes for 221 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for 39 yards on 10 carries.

 

John Whetsell ran for 107 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries. John Quattlebaum completed 17 of 26 passes for 216 yards and two scores. Abe Shuler had six catches for 123 yards and two scores, while Wynn Kuskey had six catches for 64 yards and a touchdown.

 

Chantz Judy had nine tackles to lead the defense. Warren Judy had seven and Reed Almers six.

 

Williamsburg will play host to defending Class A state champion Patrick Henry on Friday in the first round of the state playoffs. Dorchester will be at home against Colleton Prep.

 

East Clarendon 42

Marion 22

 

Turbeville – East Clarendon secured the No. 2 seed from Region 7 in the AA state playoffs with a 42-22 victory over Marion on Friday at Shad Hall Field.

 

The Wolverines improved to 7-3 overall and finished 4-2 in region play. MHS finished 1-9 and 0-6.

 

Colby McKenzie led the defense with 10 tackles, two of them for a loss, while Hunter Mixon had nine tackles and two TFLs. Mike Woods had four TFLs while Jaylon Barron, Xavier Smith, Jesse Floyd and Jordan Wright all had two TFLs.

 

Whit Nesbitt, Dawson Beard and Picasso Brown all had an interception.

 

Mixon led the offense, carrying the ball 11 times fo 122 yards and a touchdown. Syrus Brown ran for 89 yards and two TDs on 15 carries.

 

Quarterback Takoda Cornelius came off the bench to complete 5 of 9 passes for 109 yards and one touchdown while rushing for 56 yards and two TDs on eight carries.

 

Beard had five catches for 61 yards, while Nesbitt had three catches for 69 yards and a score.

 

East Clarendon will play host to Andrews in the first round of the state playoffs on November 15.

 

Wilson Hall 45

First Baptist 7

 

Sumter -- Wilson Hall closed out its regular season with a 9-1 record by beating First Baptist 45-7 on Friday at Spencer Field.

 

Cameron Wilsey ran for 99 yards on eight carries for the Barons, ranked second in SCISA AAA. Ben McLaurin had 11 carries for 69 yards and two scores.

 

Jackson Bonser booted a 48-yard field goal, was 6-for-6 on extra points and had seven touchbacks.

 

Wilson Hall will play host to John Paul II in the first round of the AAA state playoffs on Friday. First Baptist will play at Northside Christian Academy.

   

Camden 44

A.C. Flora 21

 

Camden – Camden secured the No. 2 seed from Region 3-AAAA with a 44-21 win over A.C. Flora on Friday at Zemp Stadium.

 

The 14th-ranked Bulldogs improved to 7-3 while the 11th-ranked Falcons dropped to 7-3. Both finished 4-2 in region play.

 

Wyatt Thompson led the Bulldogs by rushing for 84 yards and a touchdown and completing 4 of 5 passes for 86 yards and two TDs. Treyvon Wright ran for 77 yards and two scores

 

Logan Freeman had six tackles and returned an interception for a touchdown. Lavonte Williams had seven tackles.

 

Dutch Fork 41

River Bluff 14

 

Lexington – Ethan Offing threw for over 400 yards with four touchdown passes to lead Dutch Fork to a 41-14 victory over River Bluff on Friday at The Swamp.

 

The Silver Foxes, ranked first in the AAAAA Division I poll, improved to 9-0 overall and 5-0 in Region 3-AAAAA. Fifth-ranked River Bluff fell to 7-2 and 2-2.

 

Offing connected on 20 of 27 passes for 417 yards. Boykin Bickley had seven catches for 187 yards and a score, Maurice Anderson had six catches for 108 yards and a TD, and KJ Smith had four catches for 83 yards and two touchdowns.

 

Anderson also ran for 71 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries.

 

Julian Walker led the defense with 11 tackles, two TFLs and one sack. Josh Smith had eight tackles, a sack and two TFLs, and Ethan Moze had two TFLs.

 

Blaine Fender had 12 tackles and two TFLs to lead the Gators. Griffin Lindler had six tackles and two TFLs.

 

Hayden Myers ran for 106 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries.

 

Dutch Fork will play host to AAAAA Division II No. 1 and undefeated Irmo for the region title on Friday. River Bluff will play at Lexington.

 

Northwestern 45

Indian Land 0

 

Lancaster – Northwestern finished the regular season undefeated with a 45-0 victory over Indian Land on Friday at Indian Land Stadium.

 

The Trojans, ranked second in AAAAA Division II, improved to 10-0 and won the Region 3 title with a 6-0 record. Indian Land fell to 5-5 and 2-4.

 

Zyier Gordon Miles ran for 101 yards and three touchdowns on 11 carries. Quarterback Finley Polk completed 14 of 18 passes for 196 yards and two TDs and ran for a score.

 

Jayden Nichols had five catches for 64 yards and a TD, and TaDarrian Knox had four catches for 38 yards and a TD.

 

Dmitri Putnam had five tackles and 2 ½ tackles for loss to lead the defense.

 

Both teams now await to find out their playoff destinations with the first round set to begin on November 15.

SCACA Carolinas Classic Rosters

By Staff Reports • January 28, 2026
The Carolinas Classic rosters are out for both the male and female basketball teams. One classic event, two rosters, now is the time to get hyped and check out these outstanding student athletes.

SCISA Boys Basketball Region Battles Heat Up

By Gerald Doolittle • January 22, 2026
Orangeburg Prep senior Avery Ravenell is averaging 23 pts per game and on pace for another 400 point season.

SCISA Girls Basketball Races Take Shape

By Gerald Doolittle • January 22, 2026
Curtis Baptist Senior Maci Butler averaging 20 points per game and closing in on a third straight 300 point season.

Timberland Boys Basketball Team Heating Up On Hardwood As Season Enters Second Half

By Rob Gantt • January 22, 2026
By Rob Gantt Special to The HSSR St. Stephen - The Timberland High School boys basketball team seems to be heating up just as the weather turns cooler, when the games become more important. The Wolves started out 0-13 on the season but were competitive most nights during the opening stretch. They dropped seven games by single digits the first half of the campaign. However, Coach Jerome Stewart's club has won three of its last four games. All three victories came on the road. Most recently, the Wolves edged Andrews, 47-41. Junior guard Joshua Deas led the Wolves with 16 points, while sophomore forward Jordan Gorham added nine points. Sophomore wing Ellis Wiggins and senior wing Kevin Brown chipped in eight points apiece. Gorham, also one of the state's top football prospects, led around the glass with seven rebounds and four blocked shots. Wiggins also contributed five rebounds, six assists, three steals and two blocks. Timberland improved to 2-1 in Region 6-2A games heading into a road clash Tuesday, Jan. 20, at fellow Berkeley County School District program Philip Simmons. Three days earlier, Timberland also won a tight contest at Academic Magnet. The Wolves pulled out a 59-53 victory versus the Raptors. Wiggins led three Wolves in double figures with 12 points. Junior guard Joshua Brown and Kevin Brown added 11 points and 10 points, respectively. Senior forward Harold Sanders contributed nine points. Gorham and Kevin Brown tallied 10 rebounds apiece, while Gorham and Wiggins combined on five blocks. Timberland broke through for its first win of the 2025-26 season Jan. 6 at Military Magnet, getting past the Eagles by a score of 62-52. Wiggins and Kevin Brown poured in 18 points each and Sanders chipped in seven points. Wiggins also grabbed nine rebounds and dished out four assists. In between that win and the most recent back-to-back victories, the Wolves lost a competitive clash at home against Burke. Wiggins and Kevin Brown combined for 28 points.  After Philip Simmons Jan. 20, the Wolves host Woodland Jan. 23.

Lawter Has Big Plans For The Emerald Wrestling Program

By Billy Baker • January 22, 2026
By Billy G. Baker Publisher Greenwood —The passion that first year Emerald head wrestling coach Hayden Lawter has for the sport he starred in at BHP is rubbing off on the Vikings team that won seven dual matches this season for the first time in quite some time. Lawter is a recent graduate of Lander University where he earned a wrestling scholarship after an outstanding high school career at BHP where he was a three-time state qualifier in the 220-pouind class. He also finished among the top three in the state in his weight class in both his junior and senior years. Lawter also earned North-South Honors his senior year with the Bears. He was a two-time all-region champion, and he was named Anderson County Prep Wrester of the Year after he helped lead BHP to a state wrestling title in 2021 when the team went undefeated. “We have some big plans to build the wrestling program at Emerald into a Top 10 program in the state within five years,” said Coach Lawter. “I have seen it done before. This summer we are starting a Summer Take-Down club in the Greenwood area that will range from elementary school age up to high school. We are focused on growth and success. “It will be a challenge to win our region meet this year with strong teams like Westside , Fountian Inn , and Laurens competing against us,” said Coach Lawter. “We do hope to place fourth and that is a good start for us in our first year with a very young team.” The Vikings 2025-26 varsity wrestling team has 34 participants. The team has seven dual meet wins this season over Landrum , Greenwood Christian (twice), Augusta Christian , Seneca (twice), and Crescent . The Vikings will tune up for the upcoming region meet they will host, by competing against five other teams in the West Oak Round Robin Invitational on January 17. The team is led by senior tri-captains Alijah White (190), Kelsey Wright (165), and Gregory Brown (138). White is ranked 6 th in the state in his weight class by SCMAT.com. “Alijah has been on the team for four seasons, and he is a region champion contender for sure,” said Coach Lawter. Wright has also been on the team for four years and he is also a captain. Brown is a first-year senior on the team working extremely hard. Another top performer on the team is junior Caleb Jeffery (126) and he is ranked 7 th in the state by SCMAT.com in his weight class. Jeffery is also a contender for a region individual championship at the region meet late this month. Rounding out the top performers on the team is sophomore Hayden Doerflein in the 215-weight class and he is ranked 8 th in the state by SCMAT.com. He also has an excellent chance at competing for a region championship later this month. There are 14 total weight classes comprising a high school wrestling team. The Vikings have participation in every weight group but the heavy weight class that starts at 285 pounds. Freshman Izabella Ruiz starts at 106 with Izabella Souza also competing at 106. First- year freshman competitor Jacob Villicana competes at 113 and first-year senior Alex Morales represents the team at 120. Jeffery is a solid competitor at 126. First year freshman Ryelan Cubbage leads the 132-weight class. The 144-weight class is held down by junior Brandon Robertsdon. First year junior Tatum Bonaca starts at the 150-weight group.  Marley Fisher is a first-year starter at 157 while tri-captain Kelsey White is a top performer at 165. Sophomore Tristan Boggs is the top Viking performer at 175 while tri-captain Elijah White is a top performer at 190.

Carvers Bay Looking To Make Deeper Play Off Run This Season

By Neill Kirkpatrick • January 22, 2026
By Neill Kirkpatrick Special to the HSSR Hemingway – The Carvers Bay Bears entered the 2025/26 season with high expectations as they returned their top three scorers from last season but head coach Jeff Mezzatesta felt it could take a few games to gel because the Bears football season did not end until the third round of the class A playoffs. “Our biggest challenge at the start of the season was getting our football players back after their great season. We have a lot of athletes that play both sports and we were behind in conditioning, chemistry, etc.. to start the basketball season,” said coach Mezz. Coach continued, “We probably won’t start gelling as a team until after the Holiday Break, unless our seniors can provide the leadership that is needed for early season success. If we can come together and grow we have a chance to have a very special season. We just have to weather the early season with a few football injuries to nurse and bringing the boys back together as a family.” The Bears lost in the third round of the class A playoffs to eventual state champion Denmark-Olar. They finished the year 20-9 and 12-0 in region play to win their second consecutive region championship. They entered the season on a 16-game region winning streak. The Bears are currently ranked number six in the latest HSSR class a poll. They started the season 1-2 but have gone 12-2 since including running their region winning streak to 21 after winning their first five region games. They also own a win over the HSSR’s number five team Latta 81-73 which put Latta in second place in the region race. The two teams will meet again at Latta on February 11 th in game that could decide the region title and a possible number one seed in the playoffs; however, there is a lot of basketball left to play. The strength of the Bears is in their guard play on both sides of the court as their pressure defense turns into instant offense. Senior KK Heyward and juniors Jamie Graham and Mekhi Bromell are the leaders of the team as they have each improved their game from last season. Heyward is a two-times All State selection. The senior is the unquestioned team leader and has upped his scoring average his year he has been on the team. He led the team in scoring last year at 15.7 ppg and is second this season at 16.4 ppg. He is on pace to top 1500 career points by the end of the season. On the defensive side, he leads the team in steals with 3.2 a night. Graham has taken his game to the next level as he leads the team in scoring, rebounding and assists. His scoring average has increased from 11.4 ppg to 18.3 ppg and he is on pace to become another 1000 career point scorer. His 5.8 rebounds per is tied for the top spot and he is dishing out 4.1 dimes a game. Also, he is a returning All Region selection. Bromell is fourth on the team in scoring at 9.7 ppg. That is almost two points more per night than last season and he pulls down 5.2 ppg. Rounding out the starting five are two newcomers in sophomore Ethan Morris and senior Kendall Moore. Morris is third in the team in scoring at 10.6 ppg and is also averaging 5.3 boards per game while Moore may be the most versatile player on the team as he plays anywhere he is needed. The Bears have a solid bench led by senior Jaden Bell . He is demon on the defensive end of the court and has been named the region 6A Defensive Player of the year the past two seasons. Also returning are seniors Tyrone Parson and Herbie Washington and they are joined by newcomers to the Bears roster in junior center Xavier Fredrick and sophomore guard Kamaris Brown . “I would hope that we can continue our success in region and make the playoffs; however, this is truly up to the commitment that our boys put into the season. We can’t become complacent on past success and have to keep our eyes on the present,” said coach Mezz.

Beaufort Girls Basketball Off To Great Start

By David Shelton • January 22, 2026
By David Shelton Senior Writer Beaufort – With the non-region schedule completed, the focus for basketball teams in the state turn to region play in January. Playoff berths and seedings are determined by region finish, making region play the most important part of the regular season. To that end, the Beaufort girls basketball team is off to a great start, posting wins in their first two region 7-AAAA contests and winning 11 of their first 15 games overall this season. The team is on track to bettermg last year’s win total of 16 while contending for the region title. Among the top performers early on this season are junior Amiyah Brown , sophomore Jania Hayward , freshman Da’Leah LaBoard , and freshman Zaria Coaxum . Hayward is leading the team in scoring, averaging 19.4 points per game. She also averages nearly five rebounds and three assists per contest. Brown adds 13.7 points per game, adding 3.7 boards, while Coaxum is scoring 7.9 points per game. LaBoard is adding just over five points per game. Coming off a 1-19 season of a year ago, the boys basketball team is looking to improve but has found it to be a tough road. The Eagles managed just one win in their first 11 contests, including an 0-2 start to region play. But coach Jeremy Huff is optimistic about his team showing marked improvement in the 2025-26 season. “The sky is the limit for these young guys,” Huff says. “They have been working hard, but with our schedule and region, the competition is tough. We are expecting to be middle of the region and contend for a playoff spot.” Huff has several returning players and the playing experience gained last season, despite the record, should lead to improvement overall. As the season begins, Huff lists only one senior, guard Austin Miles , as starting. Miles is a returner from last season and is a team captain averaging 4.1 points per game. Junior guard Kobe Hernandez averages 4.0 points per game and junior guard Willis Watson is averaging 7.4 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. Junior Qualeek Isnar is the starting center and averages 7.3 points per game. Freshman Keaton Layman averages 5.2 points per game. season. Sophomore forward PJ Davis rounds out the starting lineup. The wrestling season also is heavy into region competition and Beaufort has several grapplers ranked among the best in AAAA in their weight class. Colton Freeman is the second-ranked wrestler in the 215-pound weight class and Santino Communale is ranked fifth in AAAA at 120-pounds. Jaden Proctor is ranked sixth at 285 pounds and Jessob Paris is ranked seventh at 157 pounds. Another key performer is Cameron Posey in the 144-pound weight class. Among female wrestlers, Olesya Mullins is the top-ranked wrestler at 105 pounds.

Barnwell Girl’s Basketball Focused On Making AA Playoffs

By Staff Reports • January 22, 2026
Barnwell Girl’s Basketball Focused On Making AA Playoffs From Staff Reports Barnwell —With their 40-32 region win over Edisto on January, 16 the Lady Warhorses have pulled into a tie with Hampton County (2-2) for the region lead going into the home stretch of the regular season. Junior guard Savannah Rountree scored 12 points and senior guard Gabrielle Thomas added 10 points to lead the Lady Warhorses to the win. Sophomore center Bre’Yanna Bostick chipped in six points against Edisto also. Others contributing points in the Edisto game for Barnwell included freshman guard Za’Cariah Devoe (3), senior guard Aurielle Sanders (2), freshman forward Kennide Williams (2), freshman guard Zamari Williams (2), and junior wing Gracie Carter (1). “We are playing much better defense now,” said head coach William Hammonds . “We still need to find ways to score but our defense is coming along well. “Rountree is shooting the ball really well and she is getting it going on offense for us,” said Coach Hammonds. “Both Bostick and Devoe are two of most improved players since the start of the season. Bostick is our top rebounder coming off the bench.  “Gabby is starting to making better decisions on her passes from the point guard position,” said Coach Hammonds. “She is starting to make the right plays.” Coach Hammonds that with six region games to play he is hoping his team can finish strong and place at least third in the region and then go on and play well in the playoffs. “Hampton County and Lake Marion have two really good teams this year but if we continue to improve, I feel like we can place at least third in the region.” Maddie Brown is a 5-10 small forward and she is one of the team’s co-captains. Brown is a good rebounder and plays good defense in the paint. Barnwell will host Hampton County on February, 3. To date, a shooting guard, Roudtree leads the team in scoring at 14 points a game. Thomas is at 5.8 points and three rebounds a game, including 2.4 steals. Bostick is averaging 3.6 points a game and leads the team in rebounding. Devoe is averaging 1.2 steals a game. Coach Hammonds is assisted Alicia Davis and April Robinson .

Carolina Academy Basketball Enters Region Play

By David Shelton • January 22, 2026
The Carolina Academy Girls Basketball Team.

Chesterfield Hoopsters Competing Well In Region

By David Shelton • January 22, 2026
By David Shelton Senior Writer Chesterfield – Region play is the most important part of the regular season and ramping up the intensity and focus is paramount for any team hoping to contend for a region title and state playoff berth. To that end, a young but up and coming Chesterfield girls basketball team is competing well in the early part of their 2025-26 region 4-AA schedule. The Lady Rams won four of their first six region games and were 10-7 overall this season as of Jan. 18. The team won 11 games all of last season. “We are playing pretty well so far,” said head coach Nick Jolly earlier this season. “This is a competitive team. We’re still fairly young overall but we have some talented girls. We will make youthful mistakes but we will learn from those mistakes and work hard to correct things as we go. I definitely feel good about the potential.” Chesterfield regularly starts four sophomores and Jolly’s top two players are sophomores Reagan Rivers and Yaya Robinson . Rivers was a class AA all-state selection as a freshman, averaging 14 points and eight rebounds per game. This season, she is averaging 14.6 points and 9.6 rebounds per game. She also dishes 3.4 assists per game and has nearly three steals per contest. Robinson averaged 13.9 points last season and is at 15.9 points per game this season. Eighth-grader Le’Asia Brown is leading the team in rebounds, grabbing 9.9 boards per game while scoring 6.7 rebounds per contest this season. Sopho,ore Ki’Yonna Peurifoy is pulling down 7.0 rebounds per contest while senior Jordan Evans is adding 2.6 steals and nearly two assists per game. Sophomore Alivia Honeycutt scores about three points and pulls down 4.5 rebounds per game. She also averages close to four blocked shots per outing. Sophomore Tayler McCoy is adding six points per game. Senior Jaylen Evans , along with junior Kaylee Leonard , see considerable minutes as well. Freshman Taylee Clyburn , sophomore Ava Knight , freshman Kamari Patterson , freshman Allison Brown , and senior Jenna Kelly round out this year’s squad. Jolly says his biggest point of emphasis in the early season has been physical toughness. “With the youth, sometimes they play a little timid,” the coach said. “I keep telling them we have to play tougher. They are responding well. I’m pretty happy with where we are and I know we are going to continue to grow and improve as we play more. We will compete with most of the teams that we play.” The boys team went 1-12 against non-region competition in December but is showing solid growth in region play with an early 2-2 record. Senior leaders and team captains are Kamron Patterson, Derrick Lockhart, Ronnie Little and Josh Miller . Juniors include Amir Pickett, Jackson Dalton, Mark Moten, Josh Bittle, Jayden Johnson, Treyvon Smith and DJ Merriman. Rounding out the roster are sophomores Jamison Dalton and Holden Lowry .
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