Saluda Football Uses Spring To Build Depth

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.”