Sumter Stumbles on Flags, then Surges Past Westwood

Wardlaw Academy senior Taylor Hill during the 2025 championship game.

Thomas Heyward's Tony O'Banner closes his high school FB career with 8,019 all-purpose yards and 96 career TDs.

By WORTHY EVANS Contributing Writer  Columbia - Last season the White Knoll girls basketball team broke through with 17 wins and made the 5A Division 2 playoffs. Shortly afterward, head coach Coretta Ferguson left to coach the Irmo girls. Also departing the Timberwolves were seniors Shaelyn Hayes , who averaged 14.4 points per game, and Emory Waters - Inman , who averaged 11.9 points. Under first-year head coach Mark Luster , the 2025-2026 White Knoll girls have a lot of returners on the roster, but are considerably young. Even so, Luster is hopeful that the team (2-4) can come together in time for Region 4-5A play. The Timberwolves opened the season with a 63-22 loss Nov. 21 to a powerful Rock Hill team led by senior guard Chloe Hudson , but held their own in a 43-29 loss against another top team, Sumter , Nov. 22 “The Rock Hill game, we got handled, but we played Sumter pretty well,” Luster said. White Knoll scored its first victory of the season with a 65-26 win over Aiken Dec. 1, but a 79-34 loss to Blythewood came Dec. 2 and a 45-27 loss to Lower Richland came Dec. 5. The Timberwolves got victory No.2 with a 50-22 defeat of Aiken Dec. 10. “We’re a young team and we’re still making mistakes, but we’ve played some good competition that’s been a lesson for us,” Luster said. “The good thing about it is that we’re going to see how well we’ve improved when we play these teams the second time around.” Having played Aiken twice, the Timberwolves traveled to Lower Richland Dec. 12 and to Blythewood Dec. 13. White Knoll heads to Laurens Dec. 16 and plays Brookland - Cayce Dec. 19 before opening region play against River Bluff Jan. 9. While losing Hayes and Waters-Inman, White Knoll has a returning leader in senior point guard Sidney White . White has been benched with an ACL injury last year. “She’s one of our better players even though she hasn’t played a game yet,” Luster said. “She’s been practicing with the team and hopefully get cleared if she passes an exam tomorrow (Dec. 12).” Another of the team’s more experienced players is junior guard Jaliyah Daniel , who played on the varsity team her freshman and sophomore years. “She’s our leading scorer right now,” Luster said. “With the ball in her hand as a point guard, she’s stepped up to be a great leader.” With White and Daniel poised to lead the team this season, the rest of the team is competing for starting slots. “Not a lot of the girls have logged varsity time,” he said. “We had some girls play in some spots for a while, but I think we’ve got some girls who can start. Valentina Paniagua is a junior and she stepped up for us and we’re looking for some good things from her. She’s had some injuries but she had a good game last night (the second win over Aiken).” Freshman Center London Thompson is one of the better players in the class of 2029. “She’s come along really well and is a great rebounder,” Luster said. “She’s going to go quite a bit further with her skills development before she leaves us.” Junior guard Desiree Butler has been a part-time starter for the Timberwolves. Luster said she’s struggled a bit but added that he likes what he’s seen from her and will likely be a regular on the floor. “Other than that, we’ve got a lot of little pieces to fit,” Luster said. “We’ve got to figure out what they can do.” White Knoll looks to have as balanced a team as it can be on the court by the time region play opens in 2026. With Luster taking the job so late in the cycle, he said he wasn’t able to put the team through summer and fall camps. “November was the first time I got the team out on the court,” Luster said. “We go out on the court against teams who have had a whole summer and fall, and we’re still installing and learning stuff. We know we’re behind the 8-ballbut we’re playing hard.” Luster said the goal for the team is to be .500 going into region play. By then he thinks the team will be playing its best basketball, and would head into the second round of region play holding it’s own. “It doesn’t get any easier for us, but I like that we have a talented group of juniors and freshmen,” Luster said. “I think we can surprise teams. We have a bright future. We’re excited about the season.” The White Knoll boys are coming off a 13-14 season in which they reached the 5A Division 2 playoffs but lost to Myrtle Beach in the first round. The Timberwolves (5-3) got off to a 1-3 start but have won four straight, including wins over 5A Division 1 state runner-up Blythewood (68-66) Dec. 2 and Lower Richland (70-50) Dec. 5. White Knoll played at Lower Richland Friday and at Blythewood on Saturday, and plays Laurens, Brookland-Cayce, and North Augusta before heading into the Lexington Roundball Classic Dec. 26-28.

By Dennis Brunson hssr.com Associate Editor North Augusta – The Fox Creek High School boys basketball team won four of its first six games and is in hopes of having another strong season The Predators have won 39 games over the past two seasons and reached the quarterfinals of the AAA state playoffs both years. FCHS was averaging 69 points a game with three players scoring in double figures. Senior Chanze Allen was leading the way at 14.0 followed by junior Justin Vining at 12.5 and junior Kobe Sims at 11.5 Junior Randy Robinson was the leading rebounder at 5.7 while scoring at a 6.8 clip. Senior Keori Atwell was averaging 6.7. Vining was the assists leader at 3.2. FOX CREEK GIRLS OPEN 4-5 The Fox Creek girls basketball team won four of its first nine games. However, points have been hard to come by for the Predators as they are averaging just 37 points a contest. Fox Creek returns its top three scorers from last season. Junior Jada Jennings , who averaged over 10 a game last season, is leading the way with 9.2 per game. Sophomore Mia Price , who led the team with a 10.6 average last year, is off to a slow start. She is only putting up 3.6 a game. The second leading scorer is senior Avery Schwarz at 8.3 per game. She is also the second leading rebounder at 5.6 The leading rebounder is junior Maya Kryshtalowych at 7.9. As she was last year, Kryshtalowych is the third leading scorer at 5.2. Jennings is averaging 4.2 rebounds. Fox Creek is looking to improve upon a 9-14 overall record and a 4-4 mark in region play. The Predators had to go on the road in the firt round of the playoffs and lost to Hanahan 45-38. 2 PREDATORS SELECTED FOOTBALL ALL-REGION Running back Bryson Crawford and offensive lineman/defensive lineman John Truesdell were the Fox Creek football players selected to the All-Region 4-AAA team. Crawford, who is a junior, had a tremendous season. He rushed for 1,391 yards and 21 touchdowns on 198 carries. He also caught three passes for 21 yards and a score. Truesdell, a senior, finished with 50 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, a team high six sacks, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery. Predators who were honorable mention were junior athlete Mehki Quiller , senior outside linebacker Noah Gaines , senior offensive lineman Alec Beck , sophomore outside linebacker Kamal Grant , senior defensive back Riley Howell and junior defensive back Char’tavious Weaver .

By Dennis Brunson hssr.com Associate Editor Florence – Florence Christian School junior defensive lineman Hayden Schwab was selected as the SCISA Region 2-AAA Defensive Player of the Year. Schwaub, who was the only returning starter on the D line for the FCS football team, had team highs in tackles with 97, tackles for loss with 11 ½ and quarterback sacks with eight, returned an interception 43 yards for a touchdown, caused two fumbles and recovered another. The Eagles finished the year with an 8-3 overall record and reached the semifinals of the state playoffs. Veteran head coach Neil Minton was pleased with the team’s performance. “We had a great season,” Minton said. “We played five games against teams who played for state titles (AAA state champion Pinewood Prep in the semifinals, AAA runner-up and region foe Wilson Hall , AAAA runner-up Heathwood Hall , AA runner-up Pee Dee Academy and Class A state champion Williamsburg Academy ). Our young people battled and competed with great determination and character. I am proud of our growth and will really miss our seniors.” The Eagles were 2-3 in the games against the five title contenders. They beat Heathwood Hall 14-13 and Pee Dee 21-0 while losing to Williamsburg 34-21, Wilson Hall 34-15 for the region title and Pinewood Prep 45-6. Florence Christian had five other players selected to the All-Region 2-AAA team. They were senior Brooks Poston , senior Pierce Boykin , senior Parker Watson and juniors Josh Davis and Andrew Miller . Poston, who started in the secondary on defense, finished with 40 tackles, two interceptions, two passes defended and two fumbles caused. As a wide receiver and running back on offense, Poston caught 11 passes for 187 yards and a score and had 84 carries for 502 yards and seven touchdowns. Boykin had five sacks, 72 tackles and 10 ½ TFLs as a defensive lineman. Davis and Miller both were starting running backs on offense as well as starters in the secondary. Defensively, Davis had 37 tackles, 5 ½ TFLs, one PD and caused three fumbles, while Miller had 37 tackles, five TFLs and three sacks. Miller was FCS’ leading rusher with 884 yards and 14 touchdowns on 143 carries. Davis had 82 carries for 389 yards and four touchdowns. Watson was the starting left offensive tackle and was a 2-year starter. The Eagles look to have eight starters back on defense and six on offense. One of the returners on offense will be sophomore quarterback Riley Minton , the coach’s son. In his second season as a starter, Minton completed 68 of 113 passes for 978 yards and four touchdowns while running for 163 yards and five scores on 45 carries.

Ashley Ridge quarterback Trevor Kalisz threw for approximately 1,900 yards and nine touchdowns this season while rushing for more than 500 yards and a TD. Photo by Roger Lee

 By Dennis Brunson hssr.com Associate Editor Honea Path – Belton-Honea Path High School came up just shy of a football state title again this year. The Bears fell to Oceanside Collegiate Academy in the AAA championship game for the second straight season, this time by a 28-7 count. Longtime Bears head coach Russell Blackston said he couldn’t be prouder of his team, the seniors in particular. “I mean they finished 14-1, and I’m so proud of these guys and what they’ve been able to do,” he said. “They have 50 wins in their careers, and the sun’s going to come up tomorrow.” The Bears dominated the awards for Region 1-AAA as well as its All-Region team. Junior Tajeh Watson-Martin was selected as the Region Player of the Year, senior Kylan Dixon was chosen as the Defensive Player of the Year, senior Keylan Dixon was the Lineman of the Year, senior Benji Ward was the Special Teams Player of the Year and Blackston was named the Coach of the Year. Watson-Martin was selected to the All-Region team as both a wide receiver and defensive back. He had 58 receptions for 1,101 yards and 11 touchdowns while coming up with 27 tackles, two tackles for loss, one quarterback sack and four interceptions at cornerback. Kylan Dixon, a defensive tackle, finished with 41 tackles, 14 TFLs and five sacks. His brother, Keylan, was the leader of an offensive line that helped the offense average 45.7 points per game. He was a 4-time All-Region pick. Placekicker Ward scored 89 points, connecting on 80 of his 86 extra point attempts while going 3-for-4 on field goals with a long of 40 yards. The other All-Region selections were senior Noah Thomas both at quarterback and punter, junior Brody Riddle at tight end, senior MJ Earl at running back, junior Jaden Glenn and senior Jacus Paul at wide receiver, senior center Brady Spearman and junior right tackle Carter Burgess on the offensive line, juior noseguard Kamation Glenn and senior ends Ty Rainey and Kanaza Bryant on the defensive line, senior Jakyri Anderson , junior Ty Dubose and senior KJ Miles at linebacker, junior strong safety Dee Chester at defensive back and senior free safety Grady Melton as a defensive all-purpose player. Thomas threw for 2,221 yards and 33 touchdowns while rushing for 762 yards and 11 scores. As a punter, Thomas averaged 36.0 yards on 22 attempts. Earl rushed for 1,246 yards nd 24 touchdowns, while Jaden Glenn had 25 catches for 339 yards and seven TDs, and Paul had 19 catches for 177 yards and four TDs. On defense, Miles had 66 tackles and nine TFLs, Dubose had 78 tackles, two picks, three sacks and 11 TFLs, Melton had 35 tackles and two TFLs, Chester had 28 tackles, four picks and four TFLs, Anderson had 56 tackles and 10 TFLs, Rainey had 27 tackles, eight sacks and 12 TFLs, Kamarion Glenn had 28 tackles and 11 TFLs, and Bryant had 18 tackles, three sacks and nine TFLs.

By Roger Lee Contributing Writer Summerville – Dutch Fork has stood in the way of the Summerville Football program’s mission of winning a state championship the last few years, but nothing last forever. The Green Wave (11-3) fell to the Silver Foxes (12-1) 40-20 during the 2025 5A, Division 1 Football Championship at Oliver C. Dawson Stadium in Orangeburg Dec. 6. The loss marks the second consecutive year Summerville has fallen to Dutch Fork in the state finals. “You can’t turn the ball over in a state championship game,” said Summerville coach Ian Rafferty . “We turned the ball over three times and they only turned it over once, but I’m proud of our kids. I don’t think the final score indicates what type of game it was. It just kind of got away from us at the end.” The good news for Green Wave fans is Summerville should return some talented starters next season. Junior running back Javyen Williams rushed for more than 2.000 yards and 24 touchdowns this season and had 18 receptions for nearly 200 yards and another two TDs. Senior Cam Grayson rushed for more than 500 yards and 12 TDs. Junior receiver Jaiden Kelly-Murray led the Wave receivers with more than 1,000 receiving yards and 14 TD receptions. “Jaiden Kelly-Murray is one of the best athletes on our team,” Rafferty said. “He plays his guts out. A lot of people don’t realize late this season he played almost every single snap on offense and defense and played special teams. He is phenomenal.” Sophomore receiver Teru Davis had more than 500 receiving yards and three TDs. Senior quarterback Max Stafford threw for approximately 2,000 yards and 20 TDs. Senior QB Cooper Kafina threw for approximately 700 yards and five TDs. Junior linebacker Eli Pressley and senior JT Williams were the leading tacklers. Senior Josiah Taylor had a team-high four interceptions. The team’s feeder programs have a long history of preparing athletes for the varsity gridiron.  “Our JV team finished the season 10-0 and outscored their opponents by an average score of 40-6,” Rafferty said. “I feel good about the future of Green Wave Football. We’ll be back. We will get back to work and keep coming until we get a championship. Wave Wrestling Summerville is out to a strong start on the wrestling mat. This month, Green Wave coach Daryl Tucker surpassed the 350-wins bench mark for his wrestling coaching career. As of Dec. 13, he has led Summerville to 359 dual wins. Tucker already had the most coaching wins in program history. “That’s a big number, but I tell people all the time I don’t do this by myself,” Tucker said. “I’ve had a lot of great wrestlers along the way. I’ve had some really good assistant coaches and a really supportive administration.” Summerville placed second during last weekend’s 2025 Cane Bay Duals . The Green Wave defeated Hanahan (63-18), Chapin (47-25) and Wando (53-26) to advance to the semi-finals. There, it defeated rival Ashley Ridge (42-30) to advance to the championship match. In the title match, Summerville fell 44-28 to Lugoff-Elgin . Ashley Ridge is ranked third in the 5A, Division 1 preseason poll while Summerville is ranked sixth. Lugoff-Elgin is ranked fourth in 5A, Division 2. It was the first loss of the season for Summerville, which enters this week with a 10-1 record. “We aren’t going to hang our head about losing to Lugoff,” Tucker said. “They have a really good program and there is a lot to learn from losing to a really good opponent.” The win over the Swamp Foxes is Summerville’s most prestigious of the season. “It was a really good high school match,” Tucker said. “The first three or four matches were decisions so it was tight until we hit 165.” Summerville had one wrestler too sick to wrestle, a few injuries and the members of the team who also play football have only been able to participate in a few practices so overall the team’s performance in the event shows promise. “My 150-pounder, Kayleb Pinckney , is wrestling on another level,” Tucker said. “He has really put some things together and he does things I can’t coach because he is so athletic. Another senior, Brayden Herman , had five wins today. won all five of his matches Ridge Rollison and Mason Whisenhunt stepped up at 157. Right now, we are just trying to get some guys more consistent and get better one day at a time.” Seth Seprish and Dexter Chavous are grapplers expected to make a difference in heavier classes this season. Trinton Morris didn’t participate at Cane Bay, but is expected to help strengthen the middle part of the lineup when he returns from injury.

By David Shelton Senior Writer Myrtle Beach – High school all-star football games can be vanilla, but this year’s Touchstone Energy Bowl was a surprisingly entertaining game. The 78 th Touchstone Energy North-South all-star game was won by the North, 35-27, on Dec. 9 in Myrtle Beach. The game featured big plays on offense, defense, and special teams with two blocked punts, and a kickoff return for a touchdown. “We just played an all-star game and threw it to the endzone for a chance to go into overtime and that’s what people want to see,” said South head coach Brian Smith of Barnwell. “Nobody wants to see 7-3 or 10-7 game, and nobody wants a game 40-10 either. I think it was an exciting game. Proud of the way our kids played and proud of the way their kids played.” Pickens head coach John Boggs directed the North all-stars. The win for the North gave them a 42-33 edge in the overall series. “What an effort on both sides,” Boggs said. “One team refusing to give up and the other team refusing to give up. Just two teams battling it out. Heck of a football game. Obviously, I am glad to come out on the winning side but just proud of how hard all these kids played.” Bluffton quarterback Aeden McCarthy was named the South’s Most Valuable Offensive Player while South Florence’s Terry Gordon was the South defensive MVP. McCarthy completed seven of 17 passes for 193 yards and two touchdowns. Stratford receiver JQ Crosby had eight catches for 115 yards. Gordon had six tackles. South Pointe running back RJ Brown was the North Offensive MVP and Indian Land defensive end Mike Foster was the Defensive MVP for the North team. Brown had 88 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 20 carries. Quarterback Roper Wentsky of A.C. Flora completed nine of 11 passes for 102 yards and one touchdown. Wentsky connected with Stone Furrey (Dutch Fork) on a seven-yard scoring pass to give the North a 7-0 lead with 7:14 left in the first quarter. The South answered with a McCarthy 34-yard pass to Marcus Cann (Bamberg-Ehrhardt) with four minutes left in the quarter. Brown’s six-yard run in the second quarter pushed the North back in front. South kicker CJ Falatico (Philip Simmons) booted a 25-yard field goal with :15 seconds left in the second quarter to make the halftime score 14-10. With 5:18 left in the third , Ware Shoals running back Jayden Johnson scored on a one yard run to make it 21-10 in favor of the North. A blocked punt by Foster set up another North touchdown as Brown’s two-yard run gave the North a 28-10 lead with 3:21 left in the third. McCarthy hit Carter Coleman on a 13-yard pass to make the score 28-17 early in the fourth quarter. Falatico’s 25-yard field goal pulled the South closer to 28-20 with 8:44 left in the game. Clinton’s Javen Cook returned the ensuing kickoff 94 yards for a touchdown, giving the North a 35-20 lead. Bishop England quarterback Quinn Mahoney’s eight-yard rushing score with 5:06 left in the game made it 35-27. The South had one last possession in the final two minutes and reached the North 13-yard line but was unable to score. Watkins Named Mr. Football At halftime of the all-star game, the South Carolina Coaches Association named Northwestern safety Tamarion Watkins the 2025 Mr. Football honoree. Watkins has signed with Texas A&M. The other finalists for the award included Zay Robertson of Dillon, Zion Guiles of Carver’s Bay, Kentavion Anderson of Dorman , and J’Zavien Currence of South Pointe . “The opportunity to hold this trophy and know it is mine, I am blessed,” Watkins said. “I just thank my community, coaches and family for everything they have done for me.” Watkins had 80 tackles and three interceptions this season. Northwestern won its second straight AAAAA Division II state title on Dec. 5.