Oceanside Collegiate seeks third consecutive football state championship

Davd Shelton Senior Writer • December 5, 2025

Landsharks to take on Belton-Honea Path again for AAA crown

  Mt. Pleasant – In his first season as the head football coach at Oceanside Collegiate, Brent LaPrad  has the Oceanside Collegiate Academy Landsharks in the 2025 Class AAA state championship game.


          However, this is not LaPrad’s first rodeo with the Landsharks. The coach was the team’s defensive coordinator for the last two seasons, both of which ended with state titles. The Landsharks won the AA state championship in 2023 and captured the AAA crown last season,


Oceanside Collegiate will face Belton-Honea Path  in the AAA championship game on Dec. 5 with a noon kickoff at Oliver C. Dawson Stadium in Orangeburg. The game is a rematch of the 2024 championship game, won by the Landsharks, 35-17. OCA comes into this year’s game with a 12-2 record while the Bears are 14-0.


        “We expect a real challenge,” said LaPrad, who also won a state title in 2015 as the defensive coordinator at Fort Dorchester. “They are well-coached, always in position, and they execute at a high level. They don’t make mistakes and we will have to take advantage of every opportunity. It should be a great game. We’re going to try to do our part to make it a great game.”


        The Landsharks enter the finals having won 12 straight games since opening the season with losses to Irmo (35-28) and Calvary Day of Georgia (59-49). While the two early losses raised some eyebrows around the Palmetto State, LaPrad remained confident that his team would rebound and be a state title contender.


        “I knew what we had in terms of character and I knew we would get our share of wins,” the coach said. “We had some things to work out and those two games clearly let us know what our issues were at that point of the season. I also knew our guys would put in the work to get better. These kids have a very competitive spirit. I wasn’t worried.”


       After allowing 94 points in the first two games, the Landsharks allowed just 9.8 points per game during the 12-game winning streak. They enter the championship game having allowed just one touchdown in their last two playoff games, which included a 42-0 win over Dillon and a 38-7 win over Loris.


         The Landsharks notched their first win of the season in their third game then faced AAAAA programs Ashley Ridge and Dutch Fork on consecutive weeks. OCA rallied from a 14-0 for quarter deficit to beat Ashley Ridge, 35-21, then ended perennial power Dutch Fork’s 24-game winning streak with a 24-20 win. Those two wins changed the season.


         “The second-half of the Ashley Ridge game was the turning point,” LaPrad said. “We decided at halftime that we were going to run the football, win or lose. We came out and dominated the second half. We played physical and we played mad. It got us rolling.”

The run game has continued to bring a healthy balance to a lethal passing attack and the offense has been unstoppable. Senior Zahki Muncey has been the primary worker in the run game with nearly 1,200 yards and 12 touchdowns. He also has 30 receptions on the season.


         Junior quarterback Aiden Manavian will be playing in his third championship game and has passed for more than 8,000 yards in his career. This season, Manavian has completed 70 percent of his attempts for 3,875 yards and 40 touchdowns.


        Five receivers have caught at least 25 passes this season, led by senior Terence Johnson and junior Anthony Williams. Johnson, a Shrine Bowl all-star game selection, has 55 catches for 1,139 yards and 17 touchdowns, while Williams has 59 receptions for 995 yards and 11 touchdowns.


       Sophomore Tyler Garner (33-570-5 TD), junior Cooper Webb (34-494-4 TD) and senior Ethan Ranew  (25-441-4 TD) are threats in the passing game.


      Senior left tackle Mike Jones anchors the offensive line while also playing on the defensive line. Guard JB Crady also is a returning starter while Luke Crady starts at center. Senior Lamareon Thompson starts at right tackle and Grant Castello is the other starting guard.


      “Those guys up front have been very consistent and have really developed good chemistry,” LaPrad said. “From pass protection to getting physical in the run game, it all starts with those guys.”


       Jones and senior end Sawyer Arnold lead along the defensive line as returning starters. Jones, headed to Wofford, has 43 tackles, eight tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks. Arnold, committed to Appalachian State, has 33 tackles, seven for loss, and 4.5 sacks.


       Senior Joey Harriott (40 tackles, 10 for loss, 6 sacks) and junior Jaxson Bean (26 tackles) also start up front. Senior linebacker Rhys Meredith leads the team with 92 tackles, and junior Michael Strickler has 61 tackles from the secondary. Junior Cole Gasper has a team-high four interceptions. Romaum Parson and Tyler Stafford also work at linebacker while Jordan Wright and Titus Gilliam work in the secondary.


Jackson Summey and Nate Thrift, both sophomores, handle the kicking duties.


      As a unit, the defense has 12 interceptions, 16 sacks and 46 tackles for loss.


      “We had good experience back along the front but a lot of new faces behind them,” LaPrad said. “We had to find out some things early but those guys have really worked hard and have become a very good group. They’ve been really solid down the stretch, especially in the playoffs.”

 

Offensive Starters

OL – 77 – Lamareon Thompson

OL – 56 – JB Crady

OL – 73 – Luke Crady

OL – 54 – Grant Castello

OL – 70 – Mike Jones

QB – 10 – Aiden Manavian

RB – 15 – Zahki Muncey

WR – 88 – Terence Johnson

WR – 2 - Anthony Williams

WR – 6 - Cooper Webb

WR – 3 - Ethan Ranew

PK - 7 - Jackson Summey

 

Defensive Starters

DL – 0 -  Sawyer Arnold

DL - 52 - Jaxson Bean

DL – 11 – Joey Harriott

DL – 70 – Mike Jones

LB -    9 – Rhya Meredith

LB – 24 – Romaum Parson

LB – 33 - Tyler Stafford

DB - 1 – Michael Strickler

DB - 8 - Cole Gaspar

DB - 5 - Jordan Wright

DB – 12 – Titus Gilliam

 

State Championships

At Oliver C. Dawson Stadium

In Orangeburg

Friday, December 5

3A

Belton-Honea Path (14-0) vs. Oceanside Collegiate (12-2), 12:06 p.m.

1A

Lamar (12-2) vs. Bamberg-Ehrhardt (14-0), 4:06 p.m.

5A Division II

Northwestern (12-1) vs. Irmo (12-1), 7:36 p.m.

 

Saturday December 6

4A

South Pointe (13-1) vs. South Florence (13-1), 12:06 p.m.

2A

Strom Thurmond (12-2) vs. Hampton County (11-3), 4:06 p.m.

5A Division I

Dutch Fork (11-1) vs. Summerville (12-2), 7:36 p.m.

Andrews beats East Clarendon to reach Lower State finals

By Billy Baker • May 21, 2026
Andrews—East Clarendon out-hit Andrews 6-5 on May, 20, on the road in the AA Lower State softball semi-finals, but the Yellow Jackets took advantage of two errors and six walks to come out on top 5-1, as they advance to play Chesterfield on Friday in the Lower state finals. Joy Weisner is the Andrews head coach, and she told the HSSR after the game: “What we have tried to do all season is take advantage of any opportunities a team gives us,” said Coach Weisner. “We hit the ball better today and that is very important.” Andrews last won a state title in 20218. Andrew had five players earning all-region honors. They were center fielder Sarah Jennings, pitcher Addyson Davis, who will also play in the North-South game. Other all-region selections were junior catcher Chloe Skipper who was the Region MVP, senior Addison McCants, Region MVP outfielder Skipper, and talented sophomore shortstop Tori Smith. Andrews lost to Chesterfield 7-3 this past Monday (May 18). “We have to hit the ball better when we go to them this Friday,” said Coach Weisner. “We didn’t hit the ball well at all this past Monday when we played Chesterfield. We hit the ball well today, so we just have to keep that momentum going into Friday. “We have to go to Chesterfield and beat them twice,” said Coach Wesiner. “We have to play some of our best softball this season in order to that, so I hope we are focused. We need to start the game with momentum and end the game with momentum when we play at Chesterfield. East Clarendon (25-8) head coach Jason Newsome closed out his third season in the loss. “I thought our pitcher hung tough (Addyson Davis) today and she is just a freshman and she has been learning by fire all year long,” said Coach Newsome. “She is extremely talented and she is a good pitcher now, but she is going to an even better pitcher in the future.” Coach Newsome. “In the playoffs the margin of error is very thin and the mistakes we made, they took advantage of,” said Coach Newsome. “On the other hand, the mistakes they made, and the opportunities they gave us we didn’t take advantage of them and that was a key in the game. They did a good job of keeping us off-balance.” All region players from EC included: Region POY Peyton Hanniford, Bailey Hicks, Riley Atkinson, Layke Jeffords, and Zoey Culick. The score was tied 0-0 until the bottom of the third when Andrews scored four runs. Karaline Gainey singled to start the inning and was advanced on a sac bunt by Lauren Stump to second. Sarah Jennings next singled to left field advancing Gainey to third. Torian Smith drew a walk. Then Jenna Cook hit a ball deep into the corner down the first base line that resulted in an inside the park grand slam. Andrew added an insurance run in the bottom of the 4thwhen B. Walker singled and advanced on a single by Gainey. Stump was then Hit by pitcher to load the bases. Sarah Jennings then hit an RBI ground out that brought in Walker to account for the Yellow Jackets’ five runs.

Hanahan wins lower state in softball

By David Shelton • May 21, 2026
This is a subtitle for your new post

Wilson Hall Softball Finishes With 21-7 Record

By Dennis Brunson • May 20, 2026
By Dennis Brunson hssr.com Associate Editor Sumter – The Wilson Hall softball team came up short of reaching the SCISA AAAA state championship series, which is a goal for everyone at the start of the season. Only two can get there though, so while not fun to come up short, it is bearable. However, the way things went down for the Barons this season didn’t help at all. Wilson Hall just needed one victory on Day 2 of the state tournament at Patriot Park SportPlex in Sumter to punch its ticket to the title series. Instead, the Barons lost to archrival Laurence Manning Academy twice by the scores of 12-0 and 6-4. LMA advanced to the best-of-3 series instead and swept Pinewood Prep to win a third straight championship. In retrospect though, Barons head coach Teresa Alexander finds it hard not to be proud of the season her team had. “The season’s ending didn’t turn out how we had hped, but I’m really proud of the tough schedule we played and the success we had all year.,” said Alexander, who guided Wilson Hall to a 21-7 record. “I’m excited to see this young bunch return with the experience they now have under their belts. But we will truly miss our seniors, Addie Griffin and Marymae Lampron .” The Barons had four players selected to the All-Region 3-AAAA team in Griffin, freshman pitcher Marsha Kate Skey , sophomore shortstop Mary Paisley Geddings and junior catcher Caroline Moorman . Griffin, who played left field, had a .279 batting average to go with an on-base percentage of .423. She had one double, one triple, one home run, 13 runs batted in and 18 runs scored. Skey was a standout in the circle as Wilson Hall’s primary pitcher. Shd had a `1.69 earned run average to go with 115 strikeouts. At the plate, Skey batted .400 with an OBP of .489. She had three doubles, two triples, 17 RBI and 33 runs. Geddings batted .317 with a .406 OBP to go with seven doubles, one triple, four homers, 26 RBI and 28 runs. Moorman had 14 RBI, 17 runs and four doubles to go with a .354 batting average and an OBP of .429. Other returning starters are freshman second baseman Tatiana Erichsen , freshman outfielder Anna Meldrim , sophomore third baseman Lilly Grace Przybyla , freshman outfielder Emmie Williamson and eighth-grade centerfielder Caroline Andrews . Meldrim hit .412 with three homers, 31 RBI and 24 runs, Przybyla hit .373 with 21 runs and 15 RBI, Williamson batted .263 with an OBP of .500, and Erichsen batted .324 with 19 RBI and 23 runs.

Stallions Reach SCISA Class AAA Baseball Title Series In Morris’ First Year

By Dennis Brunson • May 20, 2026
Williamsburg runners makes diving slide for the plate in the playoffs. (Photo by Mara Feagin)

Warlaw’s Lady Patriots Fall 5 Runs Short Of Winning State Title

By Gerald Doolittle • May 20, 2026
Lady Patriots Katherine Trotter, Bailey Sturkie, Ellie Yonce, Taylor Hilll and Brianna McNeill (not pictured) were selected to the North-South All-Star Team!

Wolves Boys’ Track Team Finishes Fourth At AA State Meet

By Rob Gantt • May 20, 2026
By Rob Gantt Special to the HSSR ST. STEPHEN - Timberland High School’s boys track and field team finished fourth in the state Saturday, May 15, at Richland Northeast High School. The Wolves, who finished with 45 points, produced state champions in multiple events. They placed three points out of a tie for second place. Hurdler Malyk Goodman won the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 56.63 seconds and jumper Carter Hawkins soared to victory in the triple jump with a mark of 14.24 meters. Goodman also placed third in the 110-meter hurdles in 14.82 and Hawkins finished second in the long jump with an effort of 6.65 meters.  Timberland’s boys sent three more to the awards podium. Hurdler Day’vian Bennett placed third in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 57.89 seconds. Jumper Antaun Faison finished sixth in the long jump with a mark of 6.51 meters. The boys’ 4x100-meter relay team posted a time of 43.17 seconds to place seventh. For Timberland’s boys, jumper Robert Roberts finished 11th in the triple jump with an effort of 12.11 meters, while the 4x800-meter relay placed 11th and 4x400-meter relay team 13th. The Timberland girls finished 10th in the state and sent quite a few to the awards podium (top 8). Kennahdi Murrell placed third in the 400-meter hurdles, sixth in the 100-meter hurdles and seventh in the high jump. Kemani Lampkin finished fifth in the 800-meter run and Jermanee Washington placed fifth in the 400-meter hurdles. China Greene recorded a sixth-place finish in the 400 hurdles and teammate Kiana Glenn was two spots back in eighth. Tiana Jefferson finished 12th in the long jump and 13th in the 400-meter dash. Zoe Cooper was 13th in the discus. Timberland’s girls placed eighth in the 4x400-meter relay and 10th in the 4x100 relay.

Thomas Heyward Has Good Season In Golf

By David Shelton • May 20, 2026
The THA golf program is relatively new but interest seems to be gaining each year.

Summerville Softball Wins District 3 Title

By Roger Lee • May 20, 2026
Senior Jayden Bennett has had some key turns at bat for Summerville during the playoffs.

Stratford’s Kowlok Repeats As State Champion In Pole Vault

By Rob Gantt • May 20, 2026
Lukas Kowlok headlined by repeating as the state champion in the pole vault soaring over the bar at 4.85 meters.

Tough Loss to Stags in Playoffs Doesn’t Dilute an Otherwise Great White Knoll Softball Season

By Worthy Evans • May 19, 2026
By WORTHY EVANS Contributing Writer Columbia - The pain of falling out of the 5A Division 2 District 4 tournament May 11 was still fresh when longtime White Knoll softball head coach talked about the season the next day.  The Timberwolves (14-13, 7-3) faced Berkeley for the second time in the tournament. The Stags held a 6-3 lead but White Knoll rallied for two runs in the seventh. After Melinda Veler drew a walk, Reginae Porterfield swatted a 1-out double to put runners at second and third. Lillian Priest lined out on the next at-bat, but Berkeley first baseman Emma Drawdy misplayed Adelynn Lewis’ ground ball, enabling Veler and Porterfield to score and cut the Stags’ lead to 6-5. With Lewis on base representing the tying run, Jaida Gray struck out swinging to end the hopes of an upset, and close out an otherwise great Timberwolves season. “It’s hard to shake it off. In the season you go to the next game but at the end of the season you can’t,” said Farr, who watched her team take a 3-0 lead only to be hit with Berkeley’s run in the third and a five-run fourth. “I could see my kids kind of feeling it, you could see it in my kids eyes,” she added. “We’ve got to fight to survive and they rallied around those seniors. They knew their time was coming and for two outs we were down 6-5. And that last pitch, it’s a hard way to go out. We’ve got to regroup and build off of what we did this year.” White Knoll beat Socastee 8-7 May 4 to get into the bracket, then upset Berkeley 3-2 May 6. West Florence , led by phenomenal pitcher Annie Eliason (19-0, 0.00 ERA, 309 strikeouts; who gave up two hits and struck out 20) beat White Knoll 7-0 May 8 to set up the rematch with the Stags. While the season ended on a sour note, there was much to praise about a team that Farr said few people would look to as contenders. After a young Timberwolves team battled through trials and tribulations, injuries and other issues, Farr said she watched her team come together in the second half of region play. “On senior night we really started playing for each other and giving it everything we had,” Farr said. “They worked their tails off to get better every single day and it showed. We have 12 players who fought their hearts out. We got to that fourth game, and our losses were close. We were right there, and it really was just one lucky pitch and that’s how the runs ended up.” White Knoll loses just two seniors in Priest and Gracie Fisher , but those seniors made a huge impact on the team. Priest had three home runs, 11 RBI, 34 hits and a .405 batting average. Fisher batted .311 with a double and 14 RBI. “Those two seniors have left their legacy, and we’ll continue with what they started on this swing upward,” Farr said. “We’re really excited that everyone else is returning.” Among the returners are freshmen Veler and Porterfield, and sophomores Charity West and E.G. Birchmore . Porterfield finished with a .393 batting average and a team-leading four home runs and six triples, six doubles and 20 RBI. Veler had 31 hits and 17 RBI to go with a .360 batting average an a .415 on-base percentage. West hit .323 with 11 hits and 10 runs batted in. “Mindy Veler started out in left field since seventh grade and she’s fantastic,” Farr said. “She’s got speed and runs down everything in the outfield but she’s really a good infielder, can play shortstop without missing a beat. An unbelievably great kid who won’t talk very loud but she’s a leader. “Reginae, that kid is small but she’s strong and compact. She can fly and you can’t get anything past her in centerfield,” Farr said. “Charity has been our DP and catcher. She puts the ball in play and has quality at-bats.” Birchmore caught fire in the circle late in the game and finished the season with a 2.23 earned-run average. She was 3-1 in five appearances. “E.G. is a pitcher and utility player, one of those kids in the past couple of years who was always there,” Farr said. “We didn’t expect her to be our starting pitcher but in the back half of the season she started to pour it on and keep us in games. She’s a battler along with our other pitchers.” The White Knoll baseball team finished 10-14 and 5-5 in Region 4-5A, but had a bounce-back season after going 7-22 and 0-10 the year before. The Timberwolves reached the play-in series of the 5A Division 2 District 3 tournament, but fell two games to zero in the best-of-three series with Lugoff - Elgin . White Knoll fell 4-1 in game one, but rallied for six runs in game two after falling behind 7-0. The Timberwolves had a 4-run rally going on in the bottom of the seventh with two outs and two men on, but a strikeout closed out the game and the season. Senior Dillon Woods led the team with a .465 batting average, five home runs and a .573 on-base percentage. Senior Jean Maldonado batted .364, and junior Tra Johnson batted .329. The team loses six seniors but has plenty of younger hitters, fielders, and pitchers to put together another successful season next year.
More Posts