Orangeburg Prep girls track team wins fifth straight state championship

By David Shelton Senior Writer Mt. Pleasant – A fantastic spring sports season saw the Oceanside Collegiate athletes win five state championships. The Landsharks won the AAA girls soccer title, their fifth state championship in a row. “We lost 11 players from last year. This wasn’t supposed to happen,” coach Mark Meyer said. The boys tennis team won their fourth consecutive crown and freshman Luke Skillman won the Class AAA individual singles state title. “This is a special group of young men and they put in the work to be good players,” coach Shawn Harris said. The boys golf team won the AAA state tournament, their third title in four years. The championship capped a great 2025 season that saw the Landsharks win five tournaments, including the state tournament. The Landsharks finished with a team score of 589 through 36 holes, 21 shots ahead of runner-up Christ Church. Sophomore Chase Whittle was the individual medalist in the event, needing a playoff hole to beat Evan Cheek of Southside Christian. Both players shot 144 after two rounds with Whittle winning the first playoff hole. Reed Cook finished third at 146 and Blake Boccell i was sixth overall at 148. “This is a very talented group of players. We are blessed,” OCA coach Rocky Catalano said. The girls lacrosse team from winning their second state title in three years, beating rival Bishop England, 12-8, in the AAAA finals. Two-time All-American Teagan Scott came up big for Oceanside, tallying five early goals and two assists as the Landsharks built a 9-3 halftime advantage. Cadyn Clark’s second goal in the first minute of the third quarter pushed the lead to 10-3 just before lightening and heavy rain halted play. Bishop England came into the contest having won seven of the last eight state titles and with a 16-2 record. Oceanside Collegiate finished with an 18-4 record. It took a little longer than coach Tom Harris expected but the Oceanside Collegiate boys lacrosse team climbed back to the top with a resounding 22-2 win over May River in the Class AAAA state championship contest, played on Monday night. Harris guided the OCA program to state championships in 2018 and 2019 and had reached the state semi-finals three times later but came up empty. The championship win to cap this season’s 16-3 record was quite gratifying, especially after an 0-2 start to the season. “We had such a resilient team. This team accepted the changes that we made after the 0-2 start and just continued to build all season,” Harris said. During their 14-game winning streak, the Landsharks out-scored their opponents, 130-23. Among the leading offensive threats were Carter Gregory and Brody Hollingsworth , who dominated the championship game. Gregory led the team in points and assists this season while Hollingsworth returned from injury to make an impact in the playoffs. He tallied three goals in the championship game. Gregory’s championship performance included five goals and three assists. A strong defensive effort was led by senior Alex Seaton and goalie Gavin Harrison . Seaton scored three goals in the finals.

By Neill Kirkpatrick Special to the HSSR Mt. Pleasant – The 2025 spring sports season was a solid one for the Palmetto Christian Eagles while the records might not reflect that, the interest, participation, and enthusiasm surrounding the athletic programs has Athletic Director Dan Hoover excited for the future. “It has been exciting to see our student/athletes and coaches putting together good seasons. It shows how our programs are growing and getting better. I expect us to give great effort and to compete at a high level as we continue to grow as an athletic program. It is all about getting to the heart behind the jersey and our coaches do a great job of getting the most from our athletes,” said coach. Coach Hoover, besides his athletic director duties he is also the boys and girls head track and field coach. Both his teams are young but preformed well at the state meet and will just get better each year. The boys team brought home the only medals and they were expected. Senior Sam Smith won gold again in the pole vault with a vault of 4.11 meters it was below his personal best of 4.47. Fellow senior Gavin Wease won bronze with a vault of 3.81 meters. He won silver last year at the state meet. He has a personal best of 4.27 meters. “I expected Sam and Gavin to have a good meet. They were ranked one and two all year in the pole vault,” said coach Hoover. Eighth grader Davis Padgett finished fifth in the Javelin with a throw of 41.78 meters.. He has a personal best of 42.98 meters. He currently ranks second in the state among 8th grade boys for Javelin. Sixth grader Evelyn Mercer was the top finisher on the girls side as she placed fourth in the 3200 meters. She was 11 th in the 1600 meters. On the diamond the baseball team was one of the teams that took some lumps but it was a young team and they continued to improve all year. They were led by Ryan Delaney who hit over .300 as did Brayden Doster. On the bump, Jake Taylor led the pitching staff. On the pitch, the girls team was led by seniors Bria Olson , junior Addison Surratt and sophomore Juliet Olson. Olson and Surratt tied for the team lead in goals with 10 and were first and second in points with 24 and 20, respectively. The Eagle golf finished 13 th at the state meet but they improved their score from last season. Jack Semeraro shot 77-83-160 which was a seven-stroke improvement from last year while Eli Batzig finished 88-88-176.

 By Rob Gantt Special to the HSSR ST. STEPHEN – Timberland High School’s boys track and field team ended the spring season with a strong performance during the Class 2A state championship meet May 16 at Spring Valley High School. The Wolves placed fifth, receiving several excellent performances from their top athletes. Sophomore jumper Carter Hawkins powered Timberland with a pair of all-state performances (top 4). Hawkins won the triple jump at 14.05 meters and placed third in the long jump with a mark of 6.75 meters. Five more Wolves reached the awards podium by finishing inside the top eight in individual events along with Timberland’s 4 x 400-meter relay team, which finished third in 3:27.85. Also for the Wolves, senior Malachi Milligan placed third in the 110-meters hurdles. Sprinters Aiden Berrios and Jordan Gorham recorded fifth-place finishes in the 100- and 400-meter dashes. Berrios, a senior, crossed the line in 10.90 seconds and Gorham, a freshman, finished in 50.90 seconds. Junior jumper Kevin Brown was sixth in the high jump with a mark of 1.85 meters and junior hurdler Malyk Goodman placed seventh in the 110-meter event. Sophomore jumper Antaun Faison and the Wolves’ 4 x 800-meter relay team were also state qualifiers for Timberland’s boys. Timberland’s boys finished with 41 points, three points out of a tie for third place. Fairfield Central won with 101 points, followed by Philip Simmons, Mid-Carolina, Academic Magnet and the Wolves. Timberland’s girls were paced by junior Jermanee Washington during their state meet. The hurdler was third in the 400-meter event with a time of 1:08.85. The Lady Wolves’ 4 x 400-relay team made the awards podium, too, finishing sixth in 4:21.21. Sprinter Tiana Jefferson , a freshman, was sixth in the 400-meter dash. More state qualifiers for Timberland’s girls were senior thrower Samyah Faison (javelin and shot put), senior hurdler Tiana Almond (400 h) and middle distance runner Kemani Lampkin (800 m). Lampkin is a seventh grader.

By: Gerald Doolittle Contributing Writer Johnston, S.C. - Wardlaw Academy closed the 2024-25 athletic year with an all- sports banquet to honor all the athletes that played in their sport. Coach Amber Weaghington presented the Cross-Country awards. The Perseverance Award was presented to Collin Holsonback . The Patriot Award was presented to Camden Bracco . The Varsity Cheer Coaches Award was presented to Hailey Holmes and Liz Parks . The Middle School Cheer Coaches Award was presented to Sarah Kate Covar . Nathalie Dorn received the Most Improved Award and Cate Rodgers received the Patriot Award. Coach Ben Bussey and Benji Brown presented the Middle School Football awards. The Most Improved Award was presented to Cole Faircloth . The MVP Award was presented to Jacob Bussey and the Patriot Award was presented to Chandler Bartley . Coaches Mark Rodgers presented the Varsity Football awards. Brody Johnson received the Comeback Player of the Year award. He also made All-Region. Colt Bailey received the Offensive Player of the Year Award. He also made All-Region was also a SCISA ALL-STAR. Aiden Rodgers received the Defensive Player of the Year Award. He also made All-Region and was a SCISA All-Star. Jackson Smoak received the Patriot Award. He also made All-Region and SCISA All-Star. Coaches Lexi Quarles and Katie Yonce presented the Middle School Volleyball awards. Mary Blanche Stark received the Foundation Award. Natalie Fields received the Most Improved Award and Dorothy Kate Kemp received the Coaches Award. Charlotte Grace Culver made All-Tournament. Coach Lauren Givens presented the Varsity Volleyball awards. Layne Kelley received the Most Improved award. Taylor Hill received the Defensive Player of the Year award. McKenna Quarles received the Offensive Player of the Year award. Rese Pruett received the Player of the Year award. Coach Kristina Graves presented the Girls Middle School and Varsity Basketball awards. The Middle School Coaches Award was presented to Savannah McNeill . The Middle School Offensive Player of the Year award was presented to Mary Blanche Stark . The Middle School Patriot Award was presented to Brooklyn Proctor . Katherine Trotter received the varsity Most Outstanding Rebounder Award. Maddie Deloach received the Defensive Player of the Year Award. The Most Outstanding Player of the Year Award was presented to Taylor Hill . Hailey Holmes received the Patriot Award. Katherine Trotter, Maddie Deloach and Taylor Hill made All-Region and All-Tournament and SCISA All-Star. Hill was All-Region and All-Tournament Most Valuable Player. Coach Austin Spurlock presented both Middle School and Varsity Boys Basketball awards. Wyatt Jackson received the Middle School Most Improved Award. Camden Bracco received the Middle School MVP and Landon Henerson received the Middle School Patriot Award. Cooper Davis received the Varsity Patriot Comeback Award. Josh Bussey received the Varsity Defensive Player of the Year Award. Noah Harper received the Offensive Player of the Year Award. Colt Bailey received the Varsity MVP Award. Coach Morgan Burgess presented both Middle School and Varsity Baseball awards. Braelyn Lewis received the Middle School Most Improved Award. Chandler Bartley received the Middle School Defensive MVP Award. Wyatt Jackson received the Offensive MVP Award. Avon Webb received the Varsity Most Improved Award. Sam Coughenour received the Varsity Patriot Award. Brody Johnson received the Varsity Offensive MVP Award. Jackson Smoak r eceived the Varsity Defensive MVP Award. Jackson Smoak, Brody Johnson and Jake Winn were named All-Region. Coach Burgess was named Region Coach of the Year.

Nikki Gallardo, Ashlyn Blackstone, Jaida Gay, and Jaden Ekovich received Region 4 AAAAA All-Region honors this season.

 By Billy G. Baker Publisher Dorchester —During Spring football drills in May, at Woodland High School, head coach Eddie Ford , and his staff, worked out 47 varsity football candidates, and the coach has a strong goal of improving on last year’s 7-4 record as the Wolverines prepare for the 2025 season. With 13 starters back from last year, and 12 newcomers moving up from the junior varsity with good potential, Coach Ford feels this is the season his team might make it to the third round of the play-offs, which happens to be a strong goal of the team. “I honesty feel like we have a good shot of winning a region title this season,” said Coach Ford. “We have a good mix of older players returning, along with a younger group of players moving up, and we appear to be a closer-knit team coming out of May drills. You have to avoid injuries, and have a little luck but competing hard for a region title will be a strong goal of this team. “This group has a real good work ethic also,” said Coach Ford. “One of our strong goals is to make it to the third round of the play-offs and this bunch has the potential to make that happen.” The player that attracted the most recruiting attention, as college coaches visited Woodand in the late Spring was Jaemin Pinckney (6-5,217) who was an all-region linebacker last season. “Jaemin has good length and a high motor that never stops,” said Coach Ford. “He is a great read and react guy with a very high football I-Q. He possesses good leadership skills as well.” Pinckney has official visits set up with South Florida and East Carolina over the summer. He is currently holding offers from East Carolina, South Florida, Old Dominion , and Appalachian State . There is a real battle brewing for the starting quarterback position coming out of May drills between junior Jervase Salley (6-2, 190) and junior Tarez James . “Right now, it is neck-and-neck between them,” said Coach Ford. “James might be the better passer and Salley the better runner but they are both quality athletes working hard to get better every day.” The team’s top TE candidate coming out of May drills is junior Cross Batten . A solid short yardage running back appears to be junior Torian Britt (5-8,185). “Torian is very good at running through contact,” said Coach Fiord. Junior TJ Lary will be playing some at running back as well. A top wide receiver candidate is Zishawn Majette a good-looking outside receiver. Cameron Howell is another returning receive3r with experience along with junior newcomer Matthew Lockett who was injured and did not play as a sophomore. Majia Wolfe , up from the jayvee, is another good-looking receiver. The majority of the starters back on offense include the return of highly regarded all-region right tackle Tyreon Summerson (6-3, 306) who returns as a three-year starter. Right guard Kobi Doctor (6-2, 315) is also back along with junior left guard Owen Messex (5-10, 220). Sophomore Sam Gadsen is vying for some time in the offensive line also. Sophomore Jordan Ford , up from the jayvee, could land a starting spot at center. On defense Pinckney is joined by five other returning starters in the 3-4 scheme. Up-front in the trenches talented Donovan Miles (6-2, 250) returns at end. “Donovan is very physical and he loves contact,” said Coach Ford. Sophomore Landon Baker (5-10,215) could see time at the other end slot. Doctor will flip from the offensive line to play nose tackle. Senior Isiah Barnes , a transfer from Ashley Ridge , will fill a spot at outside linebacker. Batton could see time at linebacker along with junior Lakye White . Chandler Fogle will also factor into some play at linebacker. In the secondary two-year starter Lavont Furray returns at corner back. George Terry is a returner at free safety and Jamarcus Amaker will be a new starter at free safety. The other free safety could be Wolfe who would flip from offense. The place kicker will be Gibson Kepley who has a range of 40 yards on field goals. The team is still developing a punter. The team will scrimmage Hilton Head and Silver Bluff on August, 7. Their second scrimmage is at Batesburg - Leesville . Woodland will once again participate in the Dorchester County Jamboree hosted by Summerville High on August 15. Woodland will play Ashley Ridge in that event. “We tell our guys they have to work hard and earn everything they get, on and off the football field,” said Coach Ford. “This group seems a little bit closer knit and more focused. We are hoping we can take the program to a higher level this season.”

By WORTHY EVANS Contributing Writer Chapin’s girls soccer team came close to winning the 5A Division 2 state championship at Columbia’s Memorial Stadium May 24, but Eastside punched in a tiebreaking goal in the overtime period to win 3-2 and claim its third straight state championship. All State senior Payton Nutzman scored two goals, including the game winner. Senior Camille Carter also scored for the Eastside. “We knew Eastside was a good team, we knew their No.9 (Nutzman) was a really good player,” head coach Chad Bridges said. “We had a game plan to stop her and for the most part I thought we were effective.” Sophomore Mayson Donahue put Chapin on the scoreboard in the 17 th minute of action to give Chapin a 1-0 lead. The Eagles took that lead into halftime. Eastside got goals from Nutzman and Carter to take a 2-1 lead in the second half, but Chapin senior Kat Hagler came through with a goal in the 71 st minute to tie the game 2-2. Nutzman’s overtime goal was unanswered, and Chapin finished as the 5A Division 2 runner-up.  “We had a lead at halftime and they came back and answered,” Bridges said. “We had some good chances but came out a little short in overtime. I’m disappointed in our seniors, but we had a great season. I just hate for them that they didn’t get over the line and finish it. It doesn’t take away what we accomplished and a great season that we had, and Eastside’s a great program, it’s the fourth year in a row that they’ve been here. We’ll continue to get better, continue to grow, we’ve been back now twice, and we’ll see if we can bet back again next year.” Chapin’s boys soccer team (18-6, 10-0) also went far in the playoffs. The Eagles claimed the Region 4-5A championship, and after a first-round bye in the 5A Division 2 playoffs, the Eagles Beat Socastee 8-0 May 10, and Myrtle Beach 1-0 May 14. Eight Chapin players racked up goals against Socastee: seniors Jalen Tucker , Brayden Sipe , Dylan Kingsley , and Nick Brown ; juniors Lucas Rogers and Eli Vance ; sophomore Sean McNeil and freshman Landon Brown . Rogers scored the team’s only goal against Myrtle Beach. Chapin fell 3-2 to Lucy Beckham in the lower state final May 17. In that game the Eagles got goals from Sipe and Rogers. Rogers had an assist, as well as Brown and Vance. Chapin baseball (18-7) finished 6-4 in a hotly competitive Region 4-5A, but received a No.3 seeding in the 5A Division 2 playoffs and a first-round bye in the District 4 tournament. The Eagles beat Lucy Beckham 8-7 in the second round May 10, but fell 6-4 to Florence in the third round May 15. Chapin ended the season with 3-2 loss to Lucy Beckham May 17. Senior and Spartanburg Methodist signee Ty Harper led the team in batting with a .373 average. Junior Weston Plotner hit .361 and junior Felix Flecha - Ruiz hit .357. Senior and Troy signee Caden Reeves led the team in home runs with three, on top of a .305 batting average. Chapin softball (13-11) finished second in the region at 7-3 and a No.4 seeding in the state playoffs. The Eagles got a first-round bye in the District 3 tournament and beat North Myrtle Beach 9-6 in eight innings May 7. They fell 6-0 to Berkeley May 9 and ended the season with a 6-5 loss to the Chiefs May 12.

 By David Shelton Senior Writer Moncks Corner – Languishing around the .500 mark for the first half of the 2025 season was not something that Berkeley High baseball was accustomed to. Competing, and winning, has been Berkeley’s method for the last decade so to be just average midway through the season was unusual. Right around spring break, coach Landy Cox had a “come to Jesus” meeting with his team. He admitted he had relaxed the atmosphere and expectations of the players a bit but that was going to change. “Around spring break, I decided that we had become complacent. I told the kids that we were going back to what this program has been built on. We were going to change the way we doing things, from practice, to how we talked to each other, to how we prepared the field. Just everything that we needed to take pride in the program.” The message was well-received by his team and things turned around. The Stags won their last 11 games, which included a two-game sweep of Catawba Ridge in the AAAAA Division II state championship series. For the second time since 2022, the Stags were state champions. Berkeley won game one, 2-1, in 10 innings and swept the series with a 9-4 win, on the road to cap a 22-10 season. “This is absolutely unbelievable,” Cox said. “We were loaded in 2022. This is just a bunch of scrappy, hard-nosed kids, a bunch of dogs, a bunch of grinders. These are just a bunch of blue-collar kids. That’s all it is. It’s about the team.” Though junior Hudson Clark , a third-year starter, is the team’s most legitimate college prospect, many of Berkeley’s key players are simply good high school players. Good players who play with confidence can win. “I’ve never seen a group just totally flip in terms of their confidence. It just grows every day,” Cox said. “We’ve had so many different guys step up in the playoffs. We’ve had guys hitting less than .200 hit homeruns. We’ve made great plays defensively, and we have battled on the mound. It’s not our most talented group but they are scrappy.” Clark finished as the team’s leading hitter this season, posting a .361 batting average with 20 RBIs and 32 runs scored. Senior outfielder Devon Hogue , who transferred in from nearby Cane Bay for his final season, finished at .320 with 24 RBIs. He was hit by pitch 17 times. Clark and Hogue were the only full-timers to hit over .300, a testament to other players and their ability to contribute in a variety of ways. Gavin Gaskins was the ace of the pitching staff, going 9-2 with two saves and a 1.14 earned run average. “Incredibly consistent the last two years. He was such a battler and refused to lose,” Cox said. Junior Keller Wofford , the winning pitcher in game two, won six games with a 3.87 earned run average. Hunter Morris went 5-1 with a 2.97 earned run average while pitching both as a starter and reliever. Softball wins region; advances to Lower State finals The Berkeley softball team continued its dominance in region play and nearly made the state finals this season. Berkeley lost in the Lower State finals to St. James, finishing with a 26-5 record. Among the key players this season was senior Reese Watson , who batted .381 with eight doubles, 19 stolen bases and 27 runs scored. As the No.1 pitcher, Watson had a 0.45 earned run average with 151 strikeouts in 78 innings. Senior shortstop Rileigh Ballentine hit .395 with 25 RBI, 31 runs, three homers and 15 stolen bases. Payton Gamble hit .392 with 28 RBI and nine doubles while sophomore Mackenzie Herzog hit .384 with 23 RBIs, nine doubles and two homers. Herzog also hurled 59 innings inside the circle, posting a 1.06 earned run average with 84 strikeouts.

By David Shelton Senior Writer Beaufort – Beaufort High has a long, rich tradition in the sport of track and field. The program has won several state championships, mostly under coach Herbert Glaze, and individual athletes from the program have competed very well against the top athletes in the state. Once again this spring, Beaufort competed at a high level, participating in more than 10 meets around the state. Through region and Lower State qualifiers, 11 Beaufort athletes worked their way to the Class AAA state track and field meet in mid-May. In the region 7-AAAA meet, Beaufort produced several medal winners (top 3) in assorted events. Hurdler Eric Smart won two gold medals, taking first in the 110 and 400 meter hurdles. Smart advanced to the state meet in both events, finishing third in the state finals in both events. Caleb Stephan earned second in the 400 hurdles at the region meet and duplicated that effort in the state meet. Amare Patterson won the region titles in the 100 and 200 meter dashes. He placed second in the 200 at the state meet and was sixth in the 100. Edward Green qualified for the state finals in the 200 and 400 dash, taking 11 th in the 200 and 13 th in the 400. Antonio McKnight finished 16 th in the 400 hurdles and Elias Johnson finished 13 th in the triple jump. Johnson finished third in the long jump and third in the triple jump at the region meet. From the girls team, Divaria Smith won the region title in the shot put. Amir Harrison was second in the javelin in the region meet Lanique Simmons was the region champ in the 100 hurdles and the 400 hurdles. Ahmyna Belk won the triple jump in the region meet and finished second in the long jump. Elle Borgan was third in the javelin at the region meet and parlayed that into a seventh-place finish in the state meet. Beaufort’s baseball and softball teams qualified for the AAAA Lower State playoffs. The baseball finished third in the region and the softball team was the region runner-up. The baseball team was led by a strong group of seniors, including Hudson Mullen, Reece Mullen, Gunner Hollingsworth, Will Herron, Carter Womack, Dylan Rast and Samari Bonds . All were key contributors. Juniors Jayden Davis, Sellers Lynn and Tanner Altman also were contributors and will be key leaders next season. Adalyn Johnson was a key leader in softball. She batted over .400 and worked 107 innings inside the pitching circle. Cayla Adkins and Alayah Aiken also hit over .300 for the season.