BLYTHEWOOD – The Regan Roberts Youth Basketball League is looking for players and coaches for its co-ed basketball league from first through 12th grades.
This league fills up fast, so don’t delay. There are six age groups with four teams per age group. The first 32 players for each age group will be accepted.
Practices are held one day a week, with games played primarily on Saturdays.
The registration fee is $60 by Oct. 17; $65 after Oct. 17.
First through eighth grades practice and play at Trinity United Methodist Church (beside Wendy’s).
Ninth through 12th grades practice and play in the Bethel-Hanberry gymnasium.
Tryouts for grades 1-8 begin Oct. 27. Tryouts for grades 9-12 begin Nov. 24.
You must attend tryouts to be on a team!
Practices for grades 1-8 begin Nov. 3, and for grades 9-12 on Dec. 1.
Registration forms available at Trinity UMC and www.trinityblythewood.org.
For additional information, contact Barry Mizzell at 803-603-3520, or bmizzell@richland2.org.
Everyone in Blythewood is invited to attend the Columbia Blowfish/Highpoint-Thomasville HiToms baseball game at Capital City Stadium, Saturday, June 21 at 7:05 p.m. Free admission, $3 per car for parking. Gates open at 6 p.m. for pre-game activities – a Kids Catch at 6:10 p.m. (bring mitt and ball). Pick up your ticket voucher before Wednesday, June 18 at Town Hall.
BLYTHEWOOD – The Blythewood Baseball/Softball League will host a coaches pitch All Star Tournament June 6 – 10 at the Blythewood Baseball fields behind the Library. Buzzy Myers, president of the league, said there will be eight teams with 12 kids on each team.
“Richland County has painted the dugouts and is greening up the fields this week,” Myers said. “We have a lot of volunteers who have put in lots of work to make this happen.”
Myers said this is the first time in years that the League has hosted a tournament and he said he hopes there are more.
“We’ve had lots of support from the businesses in town and from the Dixie Youth people from District 4 who are thrilled we’re doing the tournament. I just think it’s a great thing for the town,” Myers said.
For more information about the league or the tournament, go to blythewoodsports@gmail.com.
BLYTHEWOOD – University of South Carolina head equestrian team coach Boo Major has been named 2014 National Coach of the Year, it was announced Tuesday by the National Collegiate Equestrian Association.
“This is a big honor for Boo and we felt she was very deserving of this award,” said Meghan Cunningham Corvin, president of the NCEA and head coach at UT-Martin.
Major, who just completed her 17th season at the University of South Carolina, was voted national coach of the year by her peers. She guided the Gamecocks to a 15-3 record this season and their second straight Southeastern Conference championship, becoming South Carolina’s first team to win back-to-back SEC titles. She was also voted SEC Coach of the Year for the second year in a row. South Carolina finished as the national runner-up this season, losing to Georgia in a tiebreaker in the national championship.
“I’m honored to receive this award from such an outstanding group of coaches,” Major said. “I certainly share this with my assistant coaches Ruth Sorrel and Carol Gwin, along with our entire team. We had a special group this year that was committed to winning another championship, and it was a great feeling to win the SEC Championship at home in front of our wonderful fans.”
The NCEA head coaches voted on the coach of the year award last week at its annual summer meetings in Orlando, Fla.
BLYTHEWOOD – South Carolina head coach Boo Major of Blythewood has been named SEC Equestrian Coach of the Year for the second straight season. Major’s selection was determined by a vote of the league’s four head coaches. Major, in her 17th season at the University of South Carolina, led the Gamecocks to the 2014 SEC Equestrian Championship, their second in a row, becoming the first team at South Carolina (in any sport) to win back-to-back SEC titles. This year, the Gamecocks have posted their best regular season in team history, going 11-2 overall and 4-2 in conference action.
“I’m certainly honored to receive this award from an outstanding group of SEC coaches, but this is a reflection on our team and the riders,” Major said. “We have a terrific group of student-athletes who have committed themselves to succeeding in the classroom and in the competition arena. This year, we had 21 riders named to the NCEA Academic Honor Roll, seven of which were named to the Academic First Team, and that’s something we take a lot of pride in. I want to thank Athletics Director Ray Tanner and our University President Dr. Harris Pastides for their leadership and support of our program. I also want to thank everybody in the athletics department for their work and commitment to our team’s success, and certainly I want to recognize our assistant coaches Ruth Sorrel and Carol Gwin for what they’ve done.”
Major has led the Gamecocks to two NCEA National Championships, in 2005 and 2007. South Carolina is currently the top-ranked equestrian team in the country in the National Collegiate Equestrian Association’s coaches’ poll.
The Gamecocks are in Waco, Texas this week for the 2014 NCEA National Championships, which will run April 17-19.
Will Ferrell (18) in action last fall against Maryville College.Will Ferrell
RICHMOND, Va. – Hampden-Sydney senior offensive lineman Will Ferrell from Blythewood, was one of two dozen local football prospects invited to the Pro Day at the University of Richmond last week.
NFL hopefuls from Liberty, James Madison, Virginia State and Richmond joined the Tiger All-American in the workout. There were 19 NFL scouts on hand to evaluate the players.
“I was pleased to have the opportunity. After my nerves settled down, I felt really good about my workout,” Ferrell said after the workout.
Ferrell, the three-time First Team All-ODAC tackle, recorded the second strongest lift, benching 225 pounds 30 times. He also clocked in at 5.1 in the 40-yard dash. The former Bengal graduated from Blythewood High School in 2009.
“Will’s career has been truly remarkable,” said offensive line coach Zeke Traylor. “He will graduate as one of the most decorated Tigers in our storied history, and I could not be more proud of what he’s accomplished while at Hampden-Sydney. I wish him nothing but the best as he moves to the next level.”
Ferrell started in all 44 games of his career while helping the Tigers to three NCAA appearances, two ODAC Championships, and 32 wins. His accolades include: All-American in 2012 (AFCA); First Team All-ODAC in 2011, 2012, and 2013; the Offensive Lineman of the Year in 2012 and 2013 (Touchdown Club of Richmond); and Second Team All-Region in 2013.
The NFL draft will begin on May 8 in New York City.
BLYTHEWOOD – South Carolina returns to action at the 2014 SEC equestrian championships, which will take place March 28-29 at One Wood Farm in Blythewood. The Gamecocks are the No. 1 seed for this year’s championship, and will face No. 4 seed Texas A&M in the opening round on March 28.
The winner of that meet and the winner of the Georgia/Auburn meet will face off in the SEC championship meet, scheduled for 2 p.m. on March. 29. One Wood Farm is located on Syrup Mill Road across from Cobblestone Park.
Carson Justice finishes the fast break. (Photo/Martha Ladd)
Jaycie Johnson (15) uses her size to loft in 2 points for the Lady Eagles. (Photo/Martha Ladd)
SUMTER – A flickering scoreboard, a whistle-happy first half, a frozen clock with less than a minute to go and an improbable, desperation 3-point bomb to send the game into overtime piled drama on top of drama in Saturday’s SCISA 2A girls’ state basketball championship. But when the dust had cleared, the Richard Winn Academy Lady Eagles cut down the net and hoisted their second consecutive state title trophy, topping Thomas Sumter 37-33 in overtime.
The Lady Generals’ man-zone defense held Richard Winn to their lowest point total of the season and their lowest output since their 43-38 loss to Union County, a class 3A public school, on Jan. 13. While the Thomas Sumter game plan forced the Lady Eagles into tough looks from outside, the Lady Eagles still managed to open the game on a 5-0 run as the Lady Generals’ offense sputtered out of the gate. Thomas Sumter finally got on the board with 3:30 left in the first period, ending the quarter on a 6-2 streak to cut the Richard Winn lead to 7-6 at the first buzzer.
“I give all the credit in the world to (Thomas Sumter head coach) B.J. Reed,” Richard Winn head coach Jason Haltiwanger said after the victory. “She had a great game plan defensively. It looks like man it looks like zone. We weren’t patient enough to move it around more. But the girls gutted it out, that’s all that matters.”
The Lady Eagles drew whistle after whistle in the first half, and by the second quarter Thomas Sumter had reached the bonus. The Lady Generals tied the game at 7 from the line early in the second, then took a 9-7 lead from the line with 5:37 to play. All but two of the Lady General’s 8 second quarter points came from the stripe.
Sophomore Jaycie Johnson tied the game at 9 with a turnaround jumper in the paint with 4:07 left in the quarter, but Thomas Sumter’s Taylor Knudson put the Lady Generals back out front with a layup at the 3:20 mark. Anna Cooke’s 3-point stroke gave Richard Winn a 12-11 edge with 3:03 to go before the half and Jessie Stidham added two more with 2:33 to go. The Lady Generals tied the game at 14 with just over a minute on the clock when Knudson sank one of two shots from the line, but senior Carson Justice nailed a pair of foul shots in the closing seconds to give the Lady Eagles a 16-14 advantage. The half ended with an astonishing 10-3 foul discrepancy in favor of the Lady Generals.
“There were multiple things that we can’t control that affected us early,” Haltiwanger said. “We got seven or eight fouls just like that. Our best thing we do is a man-to-man run and jump and that took us right of that, so our girls had to adapt and adjust.”
As foul calls reached a more even distribution in the second half, the pace of the contest picked up considerably and the see-saw battle for 2A supremacy was on full display. The Lady Generals tied the game three times in the third period and took a brief 19-18 lead at the 6:28 mark. Richard Winn freshman Bailey Taylor drove home a 3 with 3:09 remaining in the quarter to give the Lady Eagles a 23-20 lead. Taylor’s shot set off a 7-4 run by RWA, leading the Lady Eagles to a 27-24 lead at the third buzzer.
“Bailey Taylor hit some big shots,” Haltiwanger said. “They kept leaving her open and she was hesitating at first, then she took them and knocked them down. That was big.”
In the fourth, Richard Winn matched their largest lead of the game, opening up a 29-24 advantage in the early goings. With just over 3 minutes to play, Justice snatched the ball from Knudson and raced down the floor for the put-in to give the Lady Eagles a 31-24 lead. The Lady Generals, meanwhile, went stone cold, held off the boards for the first 5 minutes of the quarter. Knudson broke that drought with a pair of free throws. And while Richard Winn struggled uncharacteristically from the line down the stretch, Knudson’s buckets ignited a minor Thomas Sumter rally – enough to draw them to within three, at 32-29.
On an in-bounds pass with under a minute to play, the Lady Generals were gifted with as many as seven free seconds of playing time when the game clock failed to start. The unexplained and uncorrected bonus time extended the game just long enough for the Lady Generals to force overtime. With 4 seconds on the clock, Knudson launched a desperation shot from well beyond the arc. As the buzzer sounded, the basket miraculously swallowed the ball, tying the game at 32 and sending the decibel levels inside the Sumter Civic Center soaring to highs greater than a Who concert.
“I heard that (the clock didn’t start), but it’s not going to change anything,” Haltiwanger said. “There were a bunch of questionable things that happened tonight, but a champion doesn’t complain; they keep playing. That’s what the girls did.”
In the 4-minute extra frame, the Lady Generals used the charity stripe once again to take an edge, 33-32. It would, however, be the only point Thomas Sumter could muster in OT, while the Lady Eagles finally found their form from the line. Justice hit three of four attempts in overtime, while junior Emily Brigman hit two of four to sew up the title.
“It was kind of a nightmare free throw night for us,” Haltiwanger said. “(Justice) hit some big free throws of us down the stretch. Emily Brigman, who missed two to put it away (in regulation), came back in overtime to hit some to give us a lead there.”
Saturday’s final was the third consecutive trip to the title game for Richard Winn in as many years, and their second consecutive championship.
“It takes dedication and hard work,” Haltiwanger said. “A lot of girls are at the beach during the summer; they’re in the weight room working out and working on their basketball skills. It started a long time ago with people like Alex Maass (class of 2012) paving the way and now these girls followed and they put in a lot of hard work.”
With a potential dynasty on his hands, Haltiwanger will look to his underclassmen to step up next season. In addition to Justice, the Lady Eagles will have to move on without senior Anna Cooke in the 2014-2015 season.
“Jaycie Johnson is a sophomore, she had an incredible year,” Haltiwanger said. “Jessie Stidham (a junior) is someone you can build around in the post. Alyssa Atkerson, she’s a freshman. You can build around her as a point guard. She’s extremely athletic. So there are some pieces there.”
WINNSBORO – The Fairfield County School Board officially accepted the resignation Tuesday night of a Fairfield Middle School math teacher and defensive coordinator for the Fairfield Central High School Griffins football team who was arrested on drug charges Dec. 6. David Nathaniel Toney’s resignation was effective Jan. 17, sources told The Voice.
“He understands that this is an unfortunate situation and he did what he felt was in the best interest of everyone involved,” J.R. Green, Superintendent of Fairfield County Schools, said.
Toney, who is facing his third charge of simple possession of marijuana since 2006, was scheduled to stand before a Magistrate’s Court judge on Jan. 9. That trial was postponed when Toney’s lawyer, Doward Keith Harvin, requested a jury trial. A new trial date had not been set at press time.
Toney was stopped by the S.C. Highway Patrol (SCHP) on Highway 34 near I-77 on Dec. 6 while en route to the state championship football game between Fairfield Central and Dillon. According to the Highway Patrol, Toney was clocked traveling 67 in the 55 MPH zone. The arresting Trooper in the case reported a “strong odor of marijuana” emanating from Toney’s 2008 Chrysler Aspen. The trooper asked Toney if there was any marijuana in the vehicle, to which Toney replied that he “hoped not,” the report states.
When the trooper asked a second time about the marijuana, Toney reportedly said that he had “a little bag,” and retrieved a clear plastic bag of marijuana from the center console of the vehicle and handed it over to the patrolman.
A search of the car turned up a marijuana cigarette inside a cup that was sitting in the center console, as well as “numerous burnt marijuana cigarettes inside the same cup,” the report states. Toney was arrested and transported to the Fairfield County Detention Center where he sat out the championship game.
During a traffic stop in Columbia on Dec. 21, 2006, a Richland County Sheriff’s deputy found a partially burned marijuana cigarette and a small bag of marijuana in Toney’s car. On May 17, 2007, Toney was stopped in Calhoun County, where a deputy also found marijuana in the car. Toney was convicted in both cases (see the Jan. 10 edition of The Voice).
“We wish Mr. Toney well in the rest of his career,” Board Chairwoman Beth Reid said Tuesday night.
BLYTHEWOOD – The Westwood High School girls’ basketball team “Hoops for Pink” game is scheduled for Friday, Jan. 24, during which the Girls’ Basketball Booster Club will be presenting a check to the Breast Cancer Foundation.
This year also, the girls’ basketball players and the WHS Girls’ Booster Club have selected Sister Care as the charity for sponsorship. WHS plans to have a bucket drop (money donations) on Tuesday, Jan. 21, during morning carpool and will have containers placed in the main lobby and/or gym lobby to collect needed items (alarm clocks, baby food, board games, bath towels, etc.). WHS will close the event with a Bake Sale at the WHS-Chapin basketball game, on Jan. 24. All items and monetary donations raised will be given to Sister Care.
