JOHNSTON - Billy Hall's legs don't carry him around quite as swiftly as they once did. But he flew (quite literally) across the country to see his former Johnston High School teammates again on Friday for the first time in a number of years at the 48th and 50th reunions, respectively, of a pair of state championship football teams. Hall was a member of the 1959 state championship Bears football team that defeated highly regarded St. Matthews in a 7-0 defensive struggle.
HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. – Perhaps, it was the magic touch of the ceremonial first move in Game 1 by Tori Whatley of North Augusta, that helped propel chess Grandmaster Gregory Kaidanov to victory in Round 1 against the most powerful female chess player in history, Hungarian Grandmaster Judit Polgar, as the two squared off in a Sicilian-theme match on Hilton Head Island the week of February 22nd.
The match, hosted by Jeff Smith, a business consultant, and ardent supporter of chess, was held in the presidential suite at the Hilton Head Marriott Spa and Resort with only seven guests invited to physically view the games as they took place.
Thousands, worldwide, followed the tournament as it was broadcast live on the internet.
SUMTER, S.C. – In a close game in which every offensive possession mattered, the Wardlaw Academy Lady Patriots gave away a few too many in a 38-33 loss to James Island Christian in the SCISA Class A title game held Saturday at the Sumter County Exhibition Center.
Tremendously outsized at each position by the larger, taller Lady Lions, two-time defending champ Wardlaw wanted to play an up-tempo game that played to their speed advantage.
But despite the fact that Wardlaw forced JIC into 14 first half turnovers, that sort of game never materialized, and the Lady Patriots found themselves slogging it out in the half court.
And for the better part of the game the Lady Patriots made it work anyway.
Wardlaw led by two at the half at 14-12 after carving up the JIC man-to-man defense for an 8-0 run by senior center Gina Easler, sophomore guard Katelyn Rearden, junior wing Peyton Baynham and junior forward Kara Beck, but the Lady Lions scored to end the second quarter on a jumper by Katelyn Gochnauer and remained in some variation of zone defense or full-court pressure the rest of the way.
If you love baseball, then perhaps becoming an umpire for local little league baseball games is just the spring activity you’re looking for.
Currently, the Edgefield County Recreation Department is looking for additional umpires to fill out its roster for the upcoming spring baseball seasons. The Edgefield County Recreation Department’s Dixie Youth Baseball Programs participate in District 3 in South Carolina Dixie Youth Baseball.
JOHNSTON – For the third time in five years Strom Thurmond will be losing an offensive coordinator.
Chad Leaphart has accepted the head coaching position at Swansea High School.
Leaphart, who has been an assistant football coach at Strom Thurmond since 2000, says this is what all assistants strive for. He hates to leave STHS, but is excited about the opportunity of running his own team.
Leaphart stated this cannot really be considered a homecoming even though he is originally from Lexington County. Chad is a Gilbert High School alum and that means he will now be coaching at his alma mater’s fiercest rival (Swansea).
COLUMBIA - At a special ceremony on Sunday, January 24, 2010, a local legend was honored when coach Harriet ‘Boots’ Bandy was inducted into the South Carolina Coaches Association of Women’s Sports during the organization’s annual banquet held in Columbia.
Coach Bandy had an outstanding 39-year coaching career during which she posted a record of 277-79-3. Many of those years were spent as head women’s coach at Strom Thurmond High School, where she led the Lady Rebels to a pair of state championships and a state runner-up finish.
NORTH AUGUSTA – Local products McKenzie Talbert and Anne Marie Covar practiced for success at the Carolinas-Georgia Junior Championships held over the weekend at Mount Vintage Plantation and their performances certainly reflected the added work.
Talbert, recently named the top female junior in South Carolina, finished in third with a two-day tally of 152 (78-74) while Covar took a healthy finish at sixth with a total of 155 (75-80).
North Carolina’s Katherine Perry of Cary, NC, and the University of North Carolina, showed why she is the top-rated junior girl in the Tarheel state after winning the girls competition by six shots in posting a 146 (76-70) after closing strong with a two-under round on Monday.
Meanwhile, James Chapman of Gastonia, NC, and Appalachian State, made it a sweep of the event for Tarheel golfers after winning the boys competition with a five-under total of 139 (70-69).
AUGUSTA, GA. - She hopped up and down after her second consecutive 3-pointer in the first half. The large contingent of fans sitting behind the Francis Marion bench applauded wildly.
Nicole Mealing's return to Augusta State was a successful one as she posted 14 points in the 15th-ranked Patriots 86-62 win at Christenberry Fieldhouse.
"It was just another game," Mealing said. "I told all my family to come. Most of them made it."
Mealing, who was kicked off the Augusta State squad during her junior season in February by former coach Tes Sobomehin, shot 6 for 9 from the field.
Her sister, Courtney, posted a game-high 15 points off five 3-pointers.
JOHNSTON – The Wardlaw Academy Patriots have added yet another championship to the school’s already impressive football trophy case in the form of the 2009 NPSAA 8-Man Football Division Three National Championship.
The Patriots capped a second-straight unbeaten season (11-0) with another SCISA 8-Man football crown after dropping Patrick Henry Academy in an offensive shootout. Wardlaw finished fourth in the NPSAA Division Two rankings after last season’s 12-0 title run.
The Division Three designation is for schools of less than 125 in High School students.
JOHNSTON – After completing an undefeated season in 2008-09 and claiming its second straight SCISA state basketball championship, a 15-point road loss at Augusta Christian to start the new season could have brought on bouts of doubt and discouragement.
But that’s not how the Wardlaw Lady Patriots’ deal with adversity.
Coach Jim Lisenby said the new season is just that, a new year with a new ballclub that must find its own identity and learn its strengths and weaknesses all over again.
“We’ve got a completely different team from last year,” he said. “We lost three starters from last year’s team and we needed to see what we have now. We needed to know those things and find our weaknesses now and playing soft teams wasn’t going to benefit us.”
HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. – Perhaps, it was the magic touch of the ceremonial first move in Game 1 by Tori Whatley of North Augusta, that helped propel chess Grandmaster Gregory Kaidanov to victory in Round 1 against the most powerful female chess player in history, Hungarian Grandmaster Judit Polgar, as the two squared off in a Sicilian-theme match on Hilton Head Island the week of February 22nd.
SUMTER, S.C. – In a close game in which every offensive possession mattered, the Wardlaw Academy Lady Patriots gave away a few too many in a 38-33 loss to James Island Christian in the SCISA Class A title game held Saturday at the Sumter County Exhibition Center.
JOHNSTON – For the third time in five years Strom Thurmond will be losing an offensive coordinator. 
COLUMBIA - At a special ceremony on Sunday, January 24, 2010, a local legend was honored when coach Harriet ‘Boots’ Bandy was inducted into the South Carolina Coaches Association of Women’s Sports during the organization’s annual banquet held in Columbia. 
AUGUSTA, GA. - She hopped up and down after her second consecutive 3-pointer in the first half. The large contingent of fans sitting behind the Francis Marion bench applauded wildly. 
JOHNSTON – The Wardlaw Academy Patriots have added yet another championship to the school’s already impressive football trophy case in the form of the 2009 NPSAA 8-Man Football Division Three National Championship. 
JOHNSTON – After completing an undefeated season in 2008-09 and claiming its second straight SCISA state basketball championship, a 15-point road loss at Augusta Christian to start the new season could have brought on bouts of doubt and discouragement.