Representatives from Hibbett presented a check for $50,000 to (center, kneeling, from left) boys head coach Trent Robinson, Principal Tameka Nicholson, Athletic Direc- tor Garrett Knight, girls head coach Gregory Bauldrick.
BLYTHEWOOD – “I cannot put my excitement and gratitude into words,” Westwood High School Principal Tameka Nicholson said Wednesday, following a surprise ceremony honoring the school’s basketball teams. “This is how you change the trajectory of a student’s life.”
The Redhawks’ basketball programs received a major boost during the ceremony – a $50,000 check from First String, a philanthropic initiative launched last year. Nike and Hibbett chose Westwood as one of only four schools nationwide selected for this year’s award.
The two teams gathered in the school gym for the surprise presentation. Hibbett regional representatives Michael Jaworski and Terrance Matthews awarded each team $25,000 to support their upcoming season, along with new duffel bags and $15,000 in gift cards—$500 for each player—to purchase team shoes and gear.
“First String is all about supporting local high school boys and girls basketball programs and laying the foundation for your future,” Jaworski said.
“From training over the summer to performing academically and athletically, we recognize the work you’re putting in as student-athletes. We understand that both the girls and boys programs made it to the third round of the playoffs last season, and we want to help you guys go even further this year,” he said.
Tameka Nicholson
Nicholson praised the students for their dedication and
leadership.
“The students being honored today are leaders. They’re
leading on the court. They’re leading in the hallway,” she said. “They weren’t
expecting this. They didn’t apply for it, but someone saw the excellence in
them and chose to honor them.
“It sends a message not only to our teams, but to all of the students who watched today,” she said, “and my hope is that they will always understand that putting good into the world can bring back good tenfold.”
In addition to the donations, one senior from each team will
receive a $20,000 college scholarship—$5,000 per year for four years—along with
the opportunity to join Hibbett and Nike’s connected internship program at the
company’s Birmingham headquarters.
“This generous support from Hibbett and Nike will have a
lasting impact on our student-athletes and their continued success both on and
off the court,” Dr. Garrett Knight, Westwood’s Athletic Director said.
Noting the award’s broader message of excellence and
gratitude, Nicholson praised Hibbett’s efforts to invest into Westwood’s school
community.
“It’s not just about this moment. It’s about everything that’s still yet to come. Greatness is in this building. Greatness is happening at The Castle. This recognition is a reminder to always demonstrate excellence with purpose.”
From 0-19 three years ago to 29-2 in 2025, Blythewood’s girls basketball program willed their way to the program’s first ever state title: the South Carolina High School League’s 5A Division 1 State Championship. Led by head coach Emily McElveen-Shchaeffer, Blythewood’s newest state champions are Codi Goff, Kennedy Anderson, Aniya Guerrero, Alayna Young, Daniella Bosmans, Hayley Hightower, Madison Thomas, Kaila Spain, Sherron Waters, Chase Thomas and India Williams. | Larry Gamble
FLORENCE – Around this time three years ago, the Blythewood girls basketball team finished the season 0-19. On Friday night at the Florence Center, the Bengals won the 5A Division I state championship with a 62-56 victory over lower-state champion Summerville.
“Their hard work has definitely paid off,” second-year head
coach Emily McElveen-Schaeffer said. “That was what I was most proud of – that
they worked hard since June, day in and day out, fall ball, and I’m glad they
get to reap the benefit of that.”
Over the past three years India Williams, Chase Thomas, and
Hayley Hightower have developed into team leaders, and it showed on the court
and in the box score Friday night—Williams led Blythewood (29-2) with 22
points, Thomas had 18 points and 11 rebounds, and Hightower had 11 points.
“It means a lot, this is the first state title in, like ever,” Williams said. “It’s a great opportunity to be a part of this, and in only my third year here, it’s incredible. We started off working very hard, and we were like, this is our season, and we definitely came out and performed to that.”
Photos: Larry Gamble
It was a Williams-Thomas-Hightower show against the Green
Wave (24-4) in the first half. The veterans got around Summerville’s 3-2 zone
by hitting six 3-pointers in the first half, which was just enough to help the
Bengals to a 29-25 halftime lead.
India Williams
Thomas had just four points in the first half, a free throw
and a 3-pointer. Williams had 14 points in the first half, but just one layup
to join her four 3-pointers.
“She stepped up big in the first half,” Schaeffer said of Williams. “She had the first six points of the game from that corner. The corner 3, that’s her shot.”
Hightower scored nine points in the first half—a 3-pointer,
two foul shots, and two layups.
Hitting baskets from behind the 3-point line has been a
trait for all Blythewood players this year, and Friday’s 3-pointers—four from
Williams, one from Thomas and one from Hightower, proved to be the difference.
“I play a little team. We have a lot of guards so we rely on that,” Schaeffer said. “We shoot a lot in practice. We knew they would come out in a zone and I told the girls to occupy the guards, get it to the corners and let us shoot the ball.”
While the Green Wave’s zone prevented a lot of easy baskets,
Blythewood did just enough in the second half to keep Summerville behind.
“Like I told the girls, basketball is a game of runs,”
Schaeffer said. “When teams go on runs you’ve got to be able to control those
runs. You can’t let the atmosphere take over, because in this kind of atmosphere
here, the crowd’s gonna be involved. I think we did a good job of responding to
their runs.”
Hayley Hightower
Aniyah Guerrero sank the first basket of the second half to
give the Bengals a 31-25 lead, but Cailah Tucker and Molly Daugherty put up
baskets to cut that margin to two.
Williams made good on a jumper and a foul shot, and a jumper
from Hightower brought Blythewood’s lead back up to 36-29 at the 4:53 mark of
the third quarter. The Bengals outscored Summerville 9-8 the rest of the way to
end three quarters of play with a 45-37 lead, even with senior point guard
Sharron Waters on the bench in foul trouble.
Without Waters, who’s a consistent 3-point hitter as well as
a good ball-handler, the team relied on Thomas in the paint and at the
free-throw line, and Daniella Bosmans, who had nine points in the game, as the
game drew to a close.
“Our team is more than one person,” McElveen-Schaeffer said.
“We rely on each other and Chase had to do her role tonight, and in the fourth
quarter they went man, and we could open up against what we’re used to playing
all year, and that just shows that all five on the court can go.”
Bosmans’ basket early in the fourth gave the Bengals a 47-37
lead, the first double-digit lead of the game.
Thomas, who had a 3-point play in the third quarter, made
good on another 3-point play in the fourth quarter that put Blythewood up 57-45
with just over three minutes to go. She scored 11 points—seven from foul
shots—in the final quarter to help preserve the win.
Tucker’s 3-pointer with 19 seconds left was the last score of the game, and as Molly Daugherty’s 3-point attempt failed at the buzzer, Blythewood players cleared the bench in celebration of closing out the season with a victory.
“We knew from Day One that we were supposed to be here.
We’ve been saying that since the first day of practice,” Thomas said. “We’ve
been playing here (at Blythewood) for about two and a half, three years, so we
know the system and we’ve been playing together, working hard, and it’s been
finally paying off.”
Molly Daugherty scored 22 points and Tucker had 18 points to
lead Summerville.
“One of the things I felt that hurt us was that we had like
10 days off,” Green Wave head coach Calvin Davis said. “But we gave it our all,
we left it all on the floor. It didn’t end the way we wanted it to end, but in
the end they grew, and they became special in that sense of being developed.”
Summerville’s five seniors – Tucker, Lavassar, Emma and
Molly Daugherty, and Madison Thomas – provided a strong foundation for the team
over the past three years.
“Three of them will go on to play at the next level, and the
other two might,” Davis said. “They’re very special to me. They’ve been with me
for at least three to four years. I love them, they grew up as my leaders.”
As for Blythewood, Thomas and her teammates are enjoying the
win. And they hope for more.
“It’s like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and I’m glad I
get to do it with these girls. It’s just amazing,” Thomas said. “She (Coach
McElveen-Schaeffer) was my assistant coach my freshman year so we’ve been
growing and getting better and better each year. The first year we didn’t do so
good, our second year it was OK, and this year we dominated. That was our plan
– we take over, and that’s what we did.”
Blythewood – 16-13-16-17 – 62
Summerville – 13-12-12-19 – 56
B – India Williams 22, Chase Thomas 18, Hayley Hightower 11, Daniella Bosmans 9, Aniya Guerrero 2. S – Molly Daugherty 22, Cailah Tucker 18, Jayden Bennett 5, Emma Daugherty 4, Madison Thomas 3, Krissa Lavassar 2, Destinee Grant 2.
FAIRFIELD COUNTY – December marks changes in the college
football world, and those have trickled down to The Voice… but the cash prize
remains.
Capitalize on your chance for some extra Christmas cash by
entering in The Voice’s College Football Playoff Bracket Challenge, which can
be found on page 4B in the Dec. 12 and Dec. 19 issues of The Voice.
The winner of the contest will be presented two $100 bills
after the Jan. 20 National Championship game. Make sure to fill out the tie
breaker!
The Rules
The person with correct bracket will be crowned the Champ
for 2024. Don’t forget to fill out the tie-breaker (predict the total score of
the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl Game between the University of South Carolina and the
University of Illinois). That could be the difference between winning $200 or
$0.
Photocopies of the entry form will not be accepted. The
Voice will count only one entry per person; all mailed entries must be
postmarked by midnight Thursday, Dec. 19.
How to Enter
Clip the dotted box out of The Voice’s U Pick ‘Em page and
list the team you think will win each game of the playoffs.
Mail your picks to The Voice at PO Box 675, Blythewood, SC
29016.
SCASA Exec. Director Dr. Quincie Moore, BHS principal Matt Sherman, and R2 Superintendent Dr. Kim Moore. | Photo: R2
BLYTHEWOOD – Blythewood High School principal Matt Sherman is the 2025 South Carolina Association of School Administrators (SCASA) Secondary Principal of the Year.
SCASA Executive Director Dr. Quincie Moore and Richland Two
Superintendent Dr. Kim Moore surprised Sherman with the award on Tuesday.
Richland Two announced the award to parents via ParentSquare
on Wednesday.
“Mr. Sherman’s unwavering commitment to his students and
teachers shines through in everything he does,” the announcement stated. “His
exceptional leadership continues to inspire and impact the entire school
community.”
Before becoming principal, Sherman served as an assistant
principal for seven years at schools including Round Top Elementary and
Blythewood High, as well as an assistant administrator at Blythewood High.
Sherman began his career in Richland Two 18 years ago as a
special education teacher at Ridge View High School, where he earned Teacher of
the Year honors and chaired the special education department. His tenure
includes serving as a transition specialist, during which he secured a $129,000
Competitive Employment Training Grant.
Sherman holds a Bachelor of Science in education from
Presbyterian College. He completed a Master of Educational Administration at
the University of South Carolina. In addition to holding certifications in
elementary and secondary administration, he earned National Board Certification
in 2005.
BLYTHEWOOD – Blythewood High School girls tennis team’s
third round match with Spartanburg was decided by just a few points, but the
Vikings took a 4-2 win to advance in the SCHSL 5A playoffs.
River Bluff bumped Spartanburg out in the fourth round to
advance to the title match against Wando.
Boo Major to Retire as Coach of USC Equestrian Team
BLYTHEWOOD – It was announced last week that Blythewood’s most decorated cowgirl, Boo Major, will retire as Head Coach of the University of South Carolina’s Championship Equestrian Team in July.
A Gamecock Facebook message to Major went right to the heart
of the matter.
Boo Major
“No words to express the one and only Boo Major,” the message read. “We thank you for your amazing dedication to the South Carolina Equestrian Program.”
While media releases about her retirement identify Major as
a native of Columbia, Blythewood folks have long claimed her as their own.
It was in Blythewood, after all, that she began riding at
the age of three at the JJ Ranch, a popular dude ranch that was located behind
the Blythewood fire station during the 1960’s.
“I can still remember the aged pony I rode, also named Major. Mr. Jennings would hold little rodeos at the ranch and he would set me up on that pony. The pony was so kid-safe that they had to get behind him and push him off. He would slowly walk me around the ring, and when he’d stop, they would push him off again,” Major recalled with a laugh. “We’d make it around the ring a few times like that.”
JJ Ranch owner Jim Jennings with young Boo Major.
Much of her formative years were spent on her Uncle Mac
McCrory’s farm in Blythewood, riding horses and sliding down the tin roof of
the barn with friends.
Major said she was about 10 when she began taking serious riding lessons under trainer Betty Beltzer. She was soon riding to the hounds as a member of the Camden Hunt Club, entering local horse show competitions and winning awards at hunter and eventing shows.
“I loved horses and I loved Blythewood. When I was in high
school, my friends and I would ride all over downtown Blythewood, jumping
fences and other things wherever we encountered them,” she recalled. “After
horse shows at the Blythewood Community Center (the cinderblock building across
from the Food Lion) we’d ride over to a great little hamburger place across
Main Street from the fire station to eat. It was a carefree life, for a Blythewood
horse girl. It was a wonderful world to grow up in.”
Following high school, Major attended Sweetbrier College and
was a member of the Virginia school’s prestigious equestrian program. She went
on to earn both bachelors and masters degrees from the University of South
Carolina.
After college, she moved to the Blythewood farm and lived
there until recently, when she built a house on Lake Wateree in anticipation of
her retirement.
Boo Major in competition.
Over the years, Major built a solid reputation as an
accomplished horsewoman, trainer and equestrian judge in Blythewood and beyond,
and has contributed as much as anyone to Blythewood’s reputation as horse
country.
So, it was not entirely unthinkable that, in 1997, the
University of South Carolina would chose Major to be head coach of the school’s
Equestrian Team, and the rest is history. (See her coaching career highlights
in sidebar.)
Major said the head coaching position was everything she’d
ever dreamed of. But the icing on the cake came a few years later when USC
first leased, then purchased Katy and Scott Peterson’s 25-acre One Wood Farm on
Syrup Mill Road in Blythewood for the equestrian team’s home base, serving as
both a training and show facility. The farm was touted as one of the finest
facilities in the college equestrian world, and Major was beyond proud of it,
joking that she was bringing her work home.
“I was very fortunate to have this wonderful equestrian
career with the university, which I love, while at the same time being able to
continue to live and work in Blythewood,” Major told The Voice. “I couldn’t
have asked for anything more. One Wood is a fantastic facility, and Blythewood
is the logical setting for the team’s home base.”
As her career soared and her teams collected numerous major
championships in the SEC and on the national level, Major, herself, received
many prestigious honors for her coaching, including being twice named SEC Coach
of the Year and twice named National Coach of the Year by the NCEA.
Major doused with Gatorade following a national championship win.
Blythewood was proud of Major’s accomplishments and recognized
her in a number of ways, including naming her as Grand Marshall of the
Blythewood Christmas Parade, giving her the Key to the Town (a first!) and
spearheading the effort for the S.C. Senate to vote to post a sign on I-77 at
Blythewood’s Exit 27 declaring the town, ‘Home of the University of South
Carolina Equestrian Team.’
“Looking back, my horse life has been a ton of fun, and the
last 26 years as head coach of the Equestrian Team fulfilled my dreams. It gave
me the opportunity to be able to enjoy the things I love the most – being
involved with horses, coaching a championship team, living in Blythewood and
being a Gamecock. I’ve been a Gamecock since birth, really,” she said. “It’s
just been a lot of fun and a lot of hard work, but it was everything I wanted.
“It’s been a really great ride.”
Coaching legend calls it a career
Kevin Miller
The following was posted on the Garnet & Cocky website in response to Boo Major’s announcement last Friday that she will retire as head coach of the USC Equestrian team.
A graduate of the University of South Carolina (class of
1981), Boo Major is an icon in the world of equestrian instruction, and for the
last 26 seasons, she has served as the head coach of her hometown South
Carolina Gamecocks.
Major’s accomplishments listed on her Gamecocksonline.com
profile are staggering.
During her time at the helm, South Carolina equestrians won
three Overall NCEA National Championships (2005, 2007, and 2015) and three NCEA
Hunter Seat Medal National Championships (2005, 2006, and 2007). She also
coached the IHSA Individual National Champion in 2004 when Tara Brothers won
the title and the NCEA Individual Flat National Champion and NCEA Individual
Equitation National Champion in 2008 when Kristen Terebesi swept the Hunt Seat
titles.
Major also coached Hunt Seat MVP Kimberly McCormack, NCEA
National Rider of the Year Caroline Gute, and 12 1st-team All-Americans in the
past 14 seasons.
During her career, Major also became the first Gamecock head
coach (regardless of sport) ever to win the SEC in back-to-back seasons in a
team sport. She is now joined by South Carolina basketball coach Dawn Staley in
reaching that milestone.
Major was a two-time SEC Coach of the Year and a two-time
NCEA National Coach of the Year. She was the first Gamecock head coach
(regardless of sport) to win three national titles. She is now joined by Dawn
Staley in that regard, as well.
Throughout her tenure wearing garnet and black, Boo Major
was a significant supporter of other South Carolina Gamecocks athletic programs
and was a well-liked personality all over campus. She plans to stay around the
program, athletic department, and university in her retirement.
RWA Shooting Program Claims Fourth SCISA Title in Four Years
Charlie Bonds, Aaron Geddens and JT Wilkes claimed their second SCISA State title in a row on Saturday. They are pictured with program director John Lewis, left, and coach Randy Wilkes, right.
SOCIETY HILL – Richard Winn Academy’s boys sporting clay team brought home its fourth straight state championship Saturday at Moree’s Sportsman’s Preserve in Chesterfield County’s Society Hill.
The Eagles team of Charlie Bonds, Aaron Geddens, and J.T.
Wilkes won with a total score of 256, surpassing second-place Hilton Head’s
245. Wilson Hall finished in third place with 243, Cardinal Newman took fourth
at 236 and Thomas Heyward Academy finished fifth with 233.
“They’ve been shooting together four years, they just really
work together well,” Sporting clays head coach Randy Wilkes said. “It just
clicks when they get out there on the course. They complement each other.”
In sporting clay tournaments, team coaches are not allowed
to talk to the shooters. Wilkes mentioned that Bonds, Geddens and Wilkes have
been shooting together for so long that they act like each other’s coaches.
“These guys will talk to each other and joke with each other
to lighten each other up,” Wilkes said. “When one misses they give each other
some encouraging words and they start hitting them again. It’s really fun to
watch them.”
Bonds won High Over All (HOA) honors with a score of 88.
Wilkes’ score was 86 and Geddens score was 82.
For the team of Bonds, Wilkes, and Geddens, it was their second straight state championship win.
Abby Lewis, left, Ella Grace Harrison and Lexi Corley took second place in the ladies division.
The Richard Winn ladies team of Lexi Coley, Ella Grace
Harrison, and Abby Lewis finished in second place in their tournament with a
score of 194. The Heathwood Hall ladies finished first with a score of 218.
Lewis won HOA in the ladies JV division with a score of 84.
Harrison’s score was 73 and Coley’s score was 37.
Coley’s score may have been low compared to her teammates,
but Wilkes said it’s because she’s a first-year shooter and the youngest on the
team.
“She’s shooting in a division that’s much older than her.
She and Abby (a sophomore) could be shooting in an easier division, but because
Ella Grace is a senior, they have to shoot on a senior varsity course that’s
much more difficult than courses for younger shooters.”
Lewis and Harrison were members of the 2022 Girls SCISA
State Champion team with then-senior Mikaela Miller.
The Eagles will compete for the South Carolina Youth
Shooting Foundation’s (SCYSF’s) state championship in Edgefield April 27.
YORK – Midlands STEM Institute’s cross country team ran at
York Comprehensive High School last Thursday against Chester High School, Great
Falls High School, York High School, Hunter Huss High School, York Preparatory
Academy, Hawthorne Christian Academy, Lake Pointe Academy and Riverwalk
Academy.
Five of the Mavericks’ top finishers had season-best times.
Christopher Parker led the way for MSI in 40th place out of 64 runners. Parker
clocked a 26:48.70 finish. Leahman Knotts and Demarcus Wilson followed
Parker’s’ finish with 41st and 42nd places, respectively. Knotts finsihed at
26:59.80 and Wilson finished at 27:09/40. Isaiah Pierce crossed the line at
32:56.80, and Robert Pierce rounded out the Mavericks’ score at 33:59.30.
Riley Evans was the lone female runner for the Mavericks.
She finished with a time of 41:01.90.
MSI was scheduled to run at Blythewood High School on
Wednesday, but results were not available at press time.
Westwood standout Ticora Gaskin continues to make leaps in track and field.
The two-time 4A State Champion set a new South Carolina record in long jump at the SCHSL 4A State qualifiers. Gaskin now holds the record previously set in 2014 (20-2.25) at the 20-3 mark.
She also broke Westwood’s eight-year school record of 19-6.5 and is ranked as #6 in the nation according to MileSplit.
Gaskin also placed first in the 100m dash at 12.37 and second in the 200m dash at 25.38.
HOPKINS – Blythewood’s Track and Field team competed in the Diamond Hornet’s Invitational on March 4 at Lower Richland.
Pulling first place finishes for the girls’ were Hailey Duncan, Arianna Williams, Jasmine Young, Keaundrea Bateman and the girls 4×100, 4×400 and 4×800 relays.
The girls had 19 top-five finishes, and the boys had 13 top-five finishes.
