By Rob Gantt Special to The HSSR GOOSE CREEK – Stratford’s baseball team is on the verge of winning a region crown for the first time since 2008 this spring. The Knights, led by coach Tony Osterman , have completed sweeps of Wando, Lucy Beckham and Cane Bay in Region 7-5A play. They improved to 9-0 against league foes with a 4-3 win at Cane Bay April 11. It was their fifth win by two runs or less in region play and 10 th win in a row. Stratford is 12-2-2 overall. "One of the things we’re doing right now is the kids are working hard," Osterman said. "The kids are committed. We’ve got great leaders. They’re pushing the younger players and the expectations are much higher individually and for the team as a whole. They believe in our process and what we're preaching. We work a lot on the details: base running, picks, situational hitting. Kids want to know what happens if we do that, and they're seeing the results." Leadoff hitter Jachin Davis , an infielder and pitcher, had two hits and continues to lead the team in batting average. Pitcher Bryce Herpolsheimer earned the win on the mound, throwing four innings with five strikeouts. He allowed one hit and one earned run. Herpolsheimer and outfielder JQ Crosby and knocked in runs for the Knights. Dom Longello threw the seventh inning to earn the save. In games 1 and 2 of the series, Stratford won 4-2 and 11-0. In the shutout, Crosby and third baseman Jameson Lee drove in three runs apiece and pitcher Jarrett Wagner was dominant on the mound. He struck out 10 batters and gave up one hit over five innings. He struck out 10 Cobras batters. In his previous three starts, Wagner fanned 10 batters against Lucy Beckham and Wando, and 11 versus Georgetown. In the first game, Davis and Wagner collected two hits apiece, and pitcher Jacob Deacon threw five innings. Deacon struck out six batters, allowing two hits and two earned runs. Davis recorded the save with a scoreless seventh after Kyle McDowell registered a hold in the sixth inning. Outfielder Jason Smith is second on the team with a .469 batting average. Designated hitter Walter Argrett and Lee are hitting .375, followed by Crosby at .333, Herpolsheimer at .325 and Wagner at .323.  Stratford ends the regular season with region sets versus Berkeley (April 21, 23, 25) and Goose Creek (April 28, April 30, May 2).

By Rob Gantt Special to the HSSR GOOSE CREEK – Stratford High School’s girls basketball team recorded its sixth win of the 2024-25 season – two more than all of 2023-24 – with an 80-49 rout of visiting Colleton County Friday, Jan. 3, at Stratford. “They played well,” Knights coach Camille Toliver said. “That’s what we’ve been preaching, to play our ball no matter the opponent, no matter the score. We lock in. We score. We swing the ball around. We rebound the basketball. We get putbacks. We trust what we practice.” Stratford (6-8) tallied 18 points in the opening quarter, then erupted for 34 more in the second stanza to grab a 52-26 halftime lead. This season, the Knights return region player of the year Ciara Mustapher and fellow all-region selection Sydnie Stepney . Mustapher leads in scoring and assists, while Stepney is tops on the team in rebounds, steals and blocks. Both players are senior captains.  “They drive what we have, Ciara offensively and Sydnie defensively,” Toliver said. “Those are two girls who work really hard. They’re leaders. Any time the gym is open, they’re in here working.” Mustapher averages more than 20 points per game this winter. She’s been a varsity player since her freshman year. “She’s one of the most loyal players to come through this program,” Toliver said. “She played all the way through the bumps and bruises before our state run a couple years ago. She decided she wanted to be a Knight. She stayed a Knight. In this day and age, it’s so easy to go somewhere else. It’s amazing of her to stay at the school she’s at, have pride in her program, to work hard and push her teammates.” Stepney stacks numbers of rebounds, steals and blocks. She has a knack for making plays around the basket. “She realized last year her thing was defense, getting steals, getting blocks and getting rebounds,” Toliver said. “She plays level-headed. She communicates well down low and lets her teammates know what is going on. She stays composed and goes after the ball. She has great instinct on the basketball, reading passes and seeing passes.” More contributors are freshman Averi Johnson , junior captain Harleigh Mosley , sophomore Jadeyn Wright , senior Raniyah McKune and senior Zay Brown. Stratford is at Summerville (12-1) Tuesday, Jan. 7, in a non-region game before opening the Region 7-5A slate at home Friday, Jan. 10, against Wando High School (13-1). The Knights then host Lucy Beckham (4-5) Tuesday, Jan. 14, and travel to Cane Bay (3-10) Friday, Jan. 17, and Berkeley (10-3) Tuesday, Jan. 21. Stratford caps the first rotation through league play at home versus rival Goose Creek (5-6) Friday, Jan. 24.

By Rob Gantt Special to the HSSR GOOSE CREEK – The Stratford High School football team fought hard in its Region 7-5A opener and nearly pulled off a miraculous comeback, but the Knights had to settle for a 30-22 loss at Berkeley High School Oct. 4 in Moncks Corner. The Knights are the defending league champions and will try to get on track Oct. 11 at home against visiting Lucy Beckham , which moved into the region from Class 4A. They go to Cane Bay Oct. 18, host Wando Oct. 25 and Goose Creek Nov. 1. The Berkeley loss dropped Stratford to 2-4 overall. The Knights were coming off back-to-back wins against Socastee (23-17) and Colleton County (41-14). Junior quarterback Jachin Davis continued a strong season against the Stags, rushing for two scores and passing for another. He reached paydirt on the ground from 1 and 28 yards out and connected with senior Kerwin Squire on a 46-yard touchdown pass. Davis passed for 145 yards and finished with 108 yards on the ground. Stratford trailed 30-12 with under two minutes left, but mounted a rally to scare the home team. Senior linebacker Javien Salters broke through to record a safety and the Davis-Squire hookup pulled the Knights within 30-22. They then got the ensuing onside kick and moved into Berkeley’s 4 before Berkeley’s interception in the end zone on the final play. Heading into the Lucy Beckham contest, Davis has passed for 1,016 yards and rushed for 359 yards, combining for 12 touchdowns. Squire leads the Knights on the ground with 459 yards, while junior Francis Lloyd has chipped in 230 yards rushing. Junior receiver JQ Crosby has been a reliable target for Stratford, hauling in 22 passes for 385 yards. More targets are sophomore Jayden Lee , senior Jacob Deacon , senior Freddie Alston and junior Shawn Harris . In the win over Colleton County , Davis passed for 253 yards and four touchdowns. He connected with Crosby on three scores and Lee on the other. On the ground, Davis scored twice. Against Socastee , Davis tossed a touchdown pass to Crosby, while senior kicker Tyler Stament made three field goals. Running back Malachi Breland also reached paydirt for the Knights.