Saturday, March 22, 2008
Hartsville still looking like champsThe Hartsville Red Foxes are defending Class 4A champions, and so far, they’ve haven’t done anything that would lead me to believe they won’t be one of the last few teams standing.
At 8-1, they’re only loss came at the hands of Brookland-Cayce, considered by many to be the favorite for the Class 3A state title. Other than that, they’ve done what they always do—pitch well, play defense, put some runs on the board.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Pitching, defense still the difference makersFirst off, let me say how glad I am that it’s baseball season.
NASCAR Sprint Cup? Not interested. March Madness? Couldn’t care less.
Opening Day less than three weeks away? Can’t wait - even as a Pittsburgh Pirates fan (They’re bad, in case you didn’t know).
So after two rainouts last week, the South Florence-West Florence region opener was my first live baseball that I’ve seen this year, and one thing stuck out about the game:
You can never go wrong with good pitching and defense.
Saturday, March 01, 2008
Almost historySomeone asked Hemingway coach Barry McFadden if he would compare Hemingway beating Calhoun County as big an upset as the N.Y. Giants beating the Patriots in the Super Bowl.
“There is no comparison,” he replied. “They’re grown men getting paid millions of dollars. They should win the game. These are just high school kids playing for pride and a championship.”
Even so, the Tigers almost pulled off a monumental upset of their own.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Unpredictable day two of lower state finalsDay two of the lower state finals was about as unpredictable as you get.
First off - Mullins loses. The Auctioneers had seemingly cruised through most of the regular season, and only received a real scare once or twice until Saturday’s game against Burke.
But for whatever reason, the Aucs weren’t themselves. Andrew Crawford missed a few easy layups and the Mullins’ 3-point shooters were kept surprisingly quiet. Not having Saquan McFarland at full strength didn’t help either.
Friday, February 22, 2008
Tough end for Red FoxesIt’s been a great year for coach Pat Hewitt and her Hartsville Red Foxes.
But Friday’s game was a hard way for your season to end.
The Red Foxes, winners of 12 straight games including an unbelievable last-minute victory against O-W last round, became victims No. 43 in Lower Richland’s quest for a third straight title.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Heartbreaking end for Wright, VikingsEveryone athlete hopes for that John Elway or Jerome Bettis moment.
You know, the one where you finish your career on top, holding on to the championship trophy, and then ride off into the sunset.
A lot of Vikings fans were hoping that that would be the way Rubylee Wright ended her spectacular career.
But it was not meant to be.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Latta’s comeback season continuesIt’s not too farfetched to think that after losing Lashay Page, the Latta boys were going to go through some rough times.
But that hasn’t been the case.
A year after being ousted in the first round, coach Tony Whittington has his Vikings still alive and well, something they did only once while Page was there.
Friday, February 08, 2008
Fabulous finish for SouthWhile the wins weren’t there this year, South Florence girls coach Lisa Jones probably had one of her better years in terms of coaching.
Most of her offensive threats from last year are gone, but like every season, she seems to get the most out the players she has.
Tuesday, February 05, 2008
Tigers still alive and wellThe Wilson Tigers lost their top seven scorers from last year’s state championship squad.
Still, they’ve managed to secure a playoff berth despite the gauntlett that is Region 5-3A. Pretty remarkable when you think about it.
Saturday, February 02, 2008
Tale of two teamsHartsville and South Florence are two teams that started out the same, but are going in opposite directions.
The Red Foxes have lost two of their top players, yet continue to find ways to win. They’re still on course for the second seed in Region 6-4A, and that’s pretty impressive based on what they’ve endured.
South Florence hasn’t been so fortunate. After a hot start, the Bruins have cooled off considerably.
Friday, February 01, 2008
Not a fitting end for TateBill Tate’s tenure at Timmonsville came to an abrupt end this week, and it didn’t turn out quite the way anyone would have expected.
The long-time coach guided the Whirlwinds to two state titles and six more appearances. He meant so much to the program that they even named their football field after him.
Needless to say, it was not a fitting end.
Saturday, December 01, 2007
Turn the PageYa gotta feel happy for Darryl Page.
The Wilson coach has spent the last 15 years trying to build a program capable of winning the state title.
On Saturday, he did just that.
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Braves just keep on winningThe Cheraw Braves are amazing.
Year after year, they find new ways to win and new ways to impress.
Take Friday’s game against Dillon. A lot of people had the Wildcats penciled in as the lower state’s 2A representative. But the Braves had other ideas.
Cheraw’s defense had this game from the get-go. They stuffed Dillon’s running game, kept Damien Sowells from making all but two or three first-down runs, and hit anything that moved.
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Red Foxes’ wild ride continuesThe Hartsville Red Foxes wild ride hit another loop Friday with a 28-21 win against Conway.
Nothing like a little payback to brighten your day.
The Red Foxes looked nothing like the team that allowed the Tigers to score 26 unanswered points last month, and Conway looked like a shell of its normal self.
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Wild Gators are region champs—barelyAfter fumbling on the first two drives, Lake View coach Jewell McLaurin must have been thinking, “Isn’t this the reason why we didn’t play on Friday?”
The Wild Gators didn’t look much like region champs in the first half, fumbling three times and falling behind Hemingway 12-0.
But like they’ve done so many times before, they found a way to win.
