SCHSL Boys Tennis state championships

By WORTHY EVANS Contributing Writer ST MATTHEWS — The Holly Hill Academy baseball team stayed true to what brought them to the SCISA 1A state championship series Thursday night at Calhoun Academy’s baseball field—good at-bats, timely hitting, and speed on the basepaths. That formula earned the Raiders a 6-2 victory in the deciding game of the best-of-three series and the first state championship in baseball since 2016. “It’s been our mojo all season, putting pressure on teams,” Holly Hill Academy head coach Andy Green said. “We’ve got a lot of team speed up and down the lineup, and our motive is always to put pressure on the defense. Tonight we executed when it mattered. It’s a big reason for our success tonight for sure.” It also helped the Raiders (14-9) to have a mound presence, especially in the last two games of the series. Richard Winn (16-5) won the first game 5-3 Tuesday, but Holly Hill game 2 starter Ashton Soles pitched 6 2/3 innings and 2-hit the Eagles in a 7-2 victory Wednesday. On Thursday, Tyler Green worked a complete-game 3-hitter, striking out six while walking just one. Soles and Green’s time on the mound stopped the hot-hitting Eagles, 2-time defending 1A champions, cold. “We didn’t hit the ball at all this series and that was frustrating to us because we’ve been pretty good at it all year long,” Richard Winn head coach Paul Brigman said . “You’ve got to give credit to their pitching, they really came through in game 2 and game 3 with strong pitching and we just couldn’t do a whole lot with them.” The Eagles managed a run on no hits in the bottom of the first inning to take a 1-0 lead. With one out, a shaky Green hit D Albert , walked Charlie Bonds , then hit Johnathan Bonds to load the bases. T Burchell’s sacrifice fly scored Albert for a 1-0 lead, but Green settled in and struck out Owen Martin to end the inning. The Raiders evened the score in the top of the second with two outs. Jake Kirven and Mason McGriff drew walks, Parker Kizer’s single to leftfield drove in Kirven, and Mason Connor’s single to left scored McGriff to give the Raiders a 2-1 lead. Johnathan Boyd popped out to retire the side. Richard Winn loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the third, and Bennett Nicholson scored on Turner Burchell’s ground out to even the score at 2-2. With two out, Charlie Bonds at third and Johnathan Bonds at second, Martin grounded out to end the inning before the Eagles could take full advantage. From the fourth inning on, the Raiders were in full control. Holly Hill broke the tie with two outs in the top of the fourth. McGriff reached base on an infield error, moved to second and third base as Kizer batted. Martin, Richard Winn’s starting pitcher in his last inning on the mound, walked Kizer. As Martin pitched to Connor, McGriff scored the go-ahead run on a passed ball to make it 3-2 Holly Hill. Martin walked Connor and Boyd flied out to end the inning, but the Raiders scored one run in each of the fifth, sixth, and seventh innings in similar fashion. On the mound in the final innings, Connor gave up two hits while he and the Raiders defense sat down the Eagles quickly to ensure the victory. “They worked so hard this year,” Green said. “We loaded our schedule with a bunch of triple-A schools this year and tried to be ready for this moment and with the pitching we’ve seen this year it paid off. We took our lumps playing some bigger schools with the faith that at the end of the year it would come back and matter and they just put in so much work, I’m so happy for them.” The Raiders graduate 11 players from the team and will have three starters returning next season. “We’ve got six holes to fill,” Green said. “The next two years are going to be a lot of opportunities for some new kids to see some playing time and develop, and we’ll just have to go from there.” In the first game Tuesday, Richard Winn starting pitcher Charlie Bonds worked 6 2/3 innings and 2-hit the Raiders, striking out 11. The Eagles held a 5-0 lead going into the seventh inning when Bonds lost his focus on the strike zone and walked three straight batters and gave up all three Holly Hill runs. Martin, who took the loss Thursday, came on in relief of Bonds and got the final out. Bonds also homered in that game. Walker Blackwelder was 2-for-3 with 2 RBI. Holly Hill saved its ace, Ashton Soles, for game 2. Soles gave up two runs on two hits in the first inning—and held the Eagles hitless for the rest of the way in the 7-2 win. He threw 110 pitches over 6 1/3 innings and struck out 10. “We knew we both had really strong pitchers,” Brigman said Wednesday night, noting Charlie Bonds and Soles. “They saved their guy when we threw our best guy yesterday, and they put themselves in a little bit of an advantageous spot today, and he pitched well. He came through for them.” When his pitch count reached that critical point, reliever Brayden Mizell came on and got the last two outs of the game. “For a senior to walk off the mound like that condition knowing he can hold his head high and that he gave everything he had, I’m super proud of him for that.” Green said Wednesday night. The Raiders and the Eagles were tied 2-2 after the first inning, but while Richard Winn kept getting stymied at each plate appearance, the Raiders got two runs in the third inning, two more runs in the sixth, and one in the seventh for the win. Wednesday’s victory produced an energy surge for Holly Hill, Green said Wednesday night, perhaps prophetically. “Yesterday (Tuesday) we got down big but came back and fought, carried some momentum in the last inning that kind of propelled us into today,” Green said Wednesday. “Our approach today was 180 degrees different than what it was yesterday. Yesterday we had some bad approaches, gave away some at bats swinging at bad pitches. Today we worked deep in the counts and got better pitches, and we played better defense.” Tuesday Richard Winn 100 040 0 – 5 7 1 Holly Hill Academy 000 000 3 – 3 2 3 WP : Charlie Bonds, 6 2/3 IP, 2H, 3R, 0ER, 5BB, 11K. R – Walker Blackwelder 2-3, 2 RBI. Charlie Bonds HR. Wednesday Holly Hill Academy 202 002 1 – 7 8 1 Richard Winn 200 0000 – 2 2 2 WP : Ashton Soles, 6 1/3 IP, 2H, 2R, 2ER, 3BB, 10K H – Johnathan Boyd 3-4, 2 RBI. Jody Gilliam 2 RBI. R – Dylan Albert 2B, Johnathan Bonds 2 RBI. Thursday Holly Hill Academy 020 111 1 – 6 10 2 Richard Winn 1010000 – 2 3 2 WP : Tyler Green, 7IP, 3H, 2R, 1ER, 1BB, 6K. H – Mason Connor 304, 2 RBI. Tyler Green 2-4. R – Charlie Bonds 2-2.

Columbia – As the regular season progressed, Bamberg-Ehrhardt girls track coach Travis Wilson felt more and more confident about the chances of his team competing for a 2025 state championship. Wilson’s team peaked at the right time, winning the Class A state championship on May 15. It was the first state title in school history and came after two years of being a top five finisher in the state meet. “Been a long time coming but we just continued to build towards being a champion,” said Wilson, who is in his 14 th season as coach. “It took a total team effort. We had girls really step up and some performed better than they had all season. It takes that kind of effort to win a state title.” Bamberg-Ehrhardt edged out runner-up Dixie in the final team standings, finishing with 96 points to Dixie’s 92 points. Dixie did more of its damage in the distance events, led by Ansley Prescott’s individual wins in the 800, 1600 and 3200 meter runs. “I knew Dixie would be the team to beat because of their strength in the distance events,” Wilson said. “I told the girls all I could ask for was their best effort and we would see how it all ended up. We were able to get key points in a few events. Every point counts.” Bamberg-Ehrhardt had three individual state champions. Carmyn Folk won the 400 meter hurdles. Ezariah Williams won the discus and Briaunjunal McMillan was the javelin state champion. Depth, however was the key to the team victory, Williams gathered key points in the shot put (second), and Keshauna McMillan was third in the shot put. Folk finished fourth in the long jump while Jayna Sanders finished fourth in the 800. Daisha Etheridge was fourth in the 100 hurdles. “The goal was to finish in the top 10 in as many events as we could and see how it all ended up,” Wilson said. “Just do your best. Depth is so important. I was nervous going into the meet because I knew we had a chance if everyone did what we needed. It was a real blessing to see them compete at the highest level and be so committed to helping the team.” Wilson also credited the work of his assistant coaches for the win. Those include Rell Haynes, Marcus Cann, Shaniya McMillan and Z Sellers. Calhoun County won the Class A boys title, also using depth to earn key points. The Saints finished with 108 points. Abbeville finished as the runner-up with 77 points. The championship was the first for Calhoun County but coach Wayne Farmer has coached 10 state title teams. “This team continued to be consistent all season,” Farmer said. “For me, as a coach, I really enjoy the process and the grind that it takes. It’s very satisfying to see the kids perform at their best and earn the opportunity to celebrate. It was a total team effort. I’m so proud of these kids. They truly learned how to be champions and what it takes to become champions.” Leading the way for the Saints were individual state champions Kamari Kelly (800), Amerr Guinyard (triple jump ), Jamari Canty (shot put) and Elijah Glover (javelin). Clark Prochaska was second in the pole vault while Kelly was second in the 400. Guinyard was third in the javelin and Jayden Parker was second in the shot put. “They stepped up and we got some points that we may not have expected,” Farmer said. Lamar sprinter Xavier Jackson won two gold in the 100 and 200 meter events. Abbeville’s Karson Norman was second in the 100 and third in the 200. Class A individual results Girls 400 relay – Baptist Hill; Boys 400 relay – Ridgeland; Girls 3200 relay – Dixie; Boys 3200 relay – Calhoun County; Girls pole vault – Ivy Stroble, St. John’s; Girls long jump – Jade Exley, Ridgeland; Boys long jump – Jamarion Kirkland, Blackville-Hilda; Girls 100 hurdles – Janiya Fludd, Baptist Hill ; Boys 110 hurdles – Nykeis Btown, Abbeville; Girls 100 meter dash – Breyanna Williams, Blackville-Hilda; Boys javelin – Elijah Glover, Calhoun County; Boys shot put – Jamari Cantey, Calhoun County; Boys 100 meter dash – Xavier 0Jackson, Lamar; Girls discus - Ezariah Williams, Bamberg-Ehrhardt; Girls 1600 – Ansley Prescott, Dixie; Boys 1600 – Abram Suggs, Green Sea Floyds; Boys pole vault – Jayden Press, Governor’s School; Girls 400 – Breyanna Williams, Blackville-Hilda; Boys 400 – Karson Norman. Abbeville; Girls 400 hurdles - Carmyn Folk; Bamberg-Ehrhardt; Boys 400 hurdles – Nykeis Brown, Abbeville; Boys high jump – Xavier Jackson, Lamar; Girls 800 – Ansley Prescott; Dixie; Boys 800 – Kamari Kelly, Calhoun County; Girls high jump – Kandyce Mathis, St. John’s; Girls 3200 – Ansley Prescott, Dixie; Boys 3200 – Abram Suggs, Green Sea Floyds; Girls 1600 relay – Carver’s Bay; Girls Triple jump – Tanisha Myers, Green Sea Floyds; Boys triple jump – Amerr Guinyard, Calhoun County; Girls shot put – Mykeryah Holmes, Lee Central; Boys discus - Antaevion Donald, Dixie; Girls javelin – Briaunjenal McMillan, Bamberg-Ehrhardt; Girls 200 – Breyanna Williams, Blackville-Hilda; Boys 200 – Xavier Jackson, Lamar.

By WORTHY EVANS Contributing Writer Columbia - Rainy conditions in the Midlands Saturday kept J.L. Mann and Wando off the courts for the 5A Division I championship. While championships at the other classifications were hashed out at the University of South Carolina’s indoor tennis facility that day, the Patriots and Warriors opted to play another day, considering that the other six teams battled each other until 6 p.m. Thursday afternoon at the USC indoor tennis facility, J.L. Mann and Wando finally engaged in a rematch of last year’s 5A title match. Just as last year’s outcome, the Patriots came through with a victory. J.L. Mann (27-0) got wins in doubles and in No.2 – No.5 singles to claim a 5-1 victory and win their fourth straight state championship. Wando No.1 Owen Griffiths defeated Christian Holloway 6-3, 5-4 (retired), but J.L. Mann No.2 Sebastian Hyjek defeated Benny Bonavito 6-2, 6-3; Nolan Curran defeated Graham Anderson 6-2, 6-3 at No. 3; James Parker defeated Nacho Oria 6-3, 6-2 at No.4; and Aaron Kumar defeated Vijay Pandey 6-1, 7-5 at No.5. The Patriots doubles team of Miles Vogt and Holden Lucas defeated Nico Oria and Ethan Gawryluk 6-3, 6-1. “My seniors have been here between five and six years total, I’m losing my 1-3 next year,” J.L. Mann head coach John Armstrong said. “For them to come out here and be a part of four state titles is pretty incredible.” J.L. Mann’s No.1 player, Holloway, and No.2 player, Hyjek, signed to play tennis for The Citadel last November. The No.3 player, Curran, has not yet signed. While those three move on, Armstrong said the rest of the team is pumped to try for a fifth straight state crown. “We’ve got a really promising young group of guys,” Armstrong said. “We’ve been talking about it a little bit. We’re going with ‘Fear the Thumb.’” Wando (18-1) had been state runner-up the last six times it reached the state final. Head coach Bob Lang hoped that the seventh time might be the charm. While the Warriors fell again, Lang said the season won’t be diminished because of a loss to a top-notch team. “I’m really proud of the boys. They’ve had quite a season,” Lang said. “This was a rough finish, but we just played a really, really good team. We put up a good fight today and were in a few matches here and there, but they just came up with the shots they needed, when they needed to, and they’re a class team.” Wando loses five seniors, including No.1 player Owen Griffiths, No. 2 Ben Bonavito, who signed to play for Coker, and doubles players Nico Oria and Gawryluk, and Aidan Norman .  “All of them have started at one time or another,” Lang said. “But in the top five, we should have three coming back. We’ve got a good nucleus coming back and we’re going to try to get here again. It’s hard to get here, and we appreciate that and understand that. But it wouldn’t shock me if this team (J.L. Mann) just reloads and gets back here again.

Game 3 in SCISA AAA baseball championship series to be played Monday at Dorchester Academy beginning at 6:30 p.m.

Holly Hill – It was a sour taste that lingered for a year in the mouths of every player on the Holly Hill Academy softball team. Winning is better than mouthwash. The 2025 Raiders completed a 16-4 season by winning the SCISA Class A state championship, defeating W.W. King in two games (6-4, 15-4) in a best-of-three championship series. Holly Hill won their last seven games of the season. The victory makes Holly Hill state champion for the second time in three years but it was not winning the championship in 2024 that fueled the fire this spring. Though heavily favored last season, the Raiders were upset in the state tournament, eliminated by Jefferson Davis Academy. “We didn’t get it done last year but we still felt we were the best team in the state,” coach Kally Knight said. “Losing last year was all the motivation this team needed. They had a great focus all through the offseason and it carried over into the season. We weren’t perfect by any means but the four losses came to good teams and it helped us stay focused.” In the game one win, Holly Hill banged out nine hits. Kaylee Brabham collected three hits and Kloie Mizell had three runs batted in to lead the offense. Pitcher Taylor Wright had two hits and threw a complete game while allowing four runs. The bats stayed hot in game two as the Raiders totaled 12 hits and took advantage of six King errors. King took a 3-1 lead after the first inning but Holly Hill posted eight runs in the second inning and had a five-run fourth inning to close the deal in five innings. Wright had five RBI on three hits, including two doubles. She again tossed a complete game inside the circle. Kaley Bell had two hits and three RBI while Peyton Strickland and Chloe Wren each added a pair of hits and each had an RBI. “We were a good hitting team really all season and a lot of girls contributed from game to game,” Knight said. “We knew if we cut down walks and played good defense, we were going to be tough to beat. “This team deserves this. They worked hard and they built a strong chemistry. It’s great to see them celebrate being champions again.” Rounding out the roster were Milly Kate Prescott , Ariel Stanley , Abby Burleson , Shelby Hanson , Bethany Martin and Kaylee Cuttino . Brabham and Wren are the only seniors on this year’s team so expect the Raiders to be a contender once again.

Carolina Academy, Holly Hill win softball titles; Lee Accademy wins baseball crown

Game 2 of the SCISA Class AAA Softball Championship series, Pee Dee Academy at Clarendon Hall Academy for the decisive conclusion to a fantastic year for both teams. Enjoy this sample of images, click the link here for the full gallery.

Golden Eagles top Clarendon Hall 12-3 to sweep best-of-3 AAA series

Lady 'Cats can win second straight title with victory at home on Wednesday at 6 p.m.