WINNSBORO – Fairfield Central’s baseball and softball teams
traveled to Eau Claire on Tuesday, April 1 – but they were no April Fools.
The Griffin softball team made quick work of the Shamrocks.
Despite a scoreless first inning, Fairfield Central put up 13 in the second
inning and five in the third to end the game in the third inning via mercy rule
with a 18-0 final.
The Griffins got on the board in the top of the second after
Remeny Cook and Ashlynn Pinkney drew walks that each scored a run. Zariah
Anderson had a two-RBI single. Alexis Montgomery followed with an RBI single.
Layla McMillan stole home. Niyah Morgan and Aaliyah Lyles each drew a walk to
score runs. Pinkney singled to score two runs. Anderson and Montgomery were
both hit by a pitch, which scored runs.
The Griffins put the game to bed in the top of the third
with five more runs on two hits. Pinkney had an inside-the-park home run in the
third that scored three. McMillan drew a
walk to score one, and a wild pitch scored the final run.
Pinkney, Lyles and Anderson combined for four of the team’s
six hits in the win.
McMillan picked up the win in the circle.
Over on the other diamond, the Griffin baseball team had a
monster first inning to go up 12-0 over the Shamrocks.
They added two more in the third to go up 14-1, and held on
until the end of the fifth inning when the game ended via mercy rule.
Caden Brown led the way for the Griffins at the plate. He
went 1-3 on the day with three RBIs. Graeme Douglas, K Jones, Brown, Greg
Ginyard, Trey Wilcox, Erdreus Walker and E Douglas each had one hit.
The Griffins drew 11 walks and stole nine bases in the game.
Jones picked up the win on the mound.
The win puts the Griffins at 6-5 on the season. Last week
they downed Columbia in a double-header 10-0 and 12-2.
Both Griffin teams are back in action Thursday against Eau
Claire in Winnsboro. Baseball is set for a 6:30 p.m. start; softball will start
at 5:30.
SOFTBALL FC – 0-13-5-X-X-X-X – 18, 6, 0 EC – 0-0-0-X-X-X-X – 0, 0, 2 WP: McMillan 3.0IP, 0H, 0R, 0BB, 7K. FC: A Montgomery 1-3. N Morgan 1-1. A Pinkney 2-2, HR, 4 RBI. Z Anderson 2-2, 2B, RBI.
BASEBALL FC – 12-0-2-0-0-X-X – 14, 7, 1 EC – 1-0-0-0-0-X-X – 1, 7, 6 WP: L Jones 5IP, 7H, 1R, 0ER, 2BB, 4K FC: K Diggs RBI. E Douglas 1-4, RBI. G Douglas 1-2, RBI. K Jones 1-2, RBI. T Wilcox 1-2, RBI. G Ginyard 1-1. C Brown 1-3, 3 RBI. D Walker 1-2, 2 RBI.
Sharmelle Holmes.
Day one of the Rod McCravy Memorial.
Photo by Caleb Bowlin | UK Athletics
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Former Fairfield Central High School standout turned University of Kentucky Track & Field athlete Sharmelle Holmes earned the Southeastern Conference Women’s Freshman of the Week award of the 2025 season, the league office announced Tuesday. Holmes earned the honor after her performance at Kentucky’s Rod McCravy Memorial Invitational last weekend where she set a new Kentucky freshman record in the 60m dash.
Sharmelle Holmes.
Day two of the Rod McCravy Memorial.
Photo by Caleb Bowlin | UK Athletics
The Winnsboro native, competing in only her second
collegiate meet, stormed to a personal best time of 7.29 seconds to win the
preliminary round of the 60m dash on Friday. In addition to shaving a
near-tenth of a second off her personal best—set in her collegiate debut in
December—Holmes broke the Kentucky Freshman Record in the event, a mark of 7.30
seconds set by NCAA and World Champion Abby Steiner in 2019. Holmes would win
the semifinal round on Saturday before finishing third in the final.
Holmes currently holds the seventh fastest 60m time in the
nation and is ranked second in the league in the event, including first among
freshmen.
The Wildcat debutante also took home a third-place finish in
the 200m on Saturday, stopping the clock at 23.96 seconds for her second
personal best of the weekend. She ranks 15th in the NCAA in that event and
second in the conference, including first among freshmen.
Holmes enters her freshman season at Kentucky after a
stellar prep career at Fairfield Central High School, highlighted by winning
the 2023-24 Gatorade South Carolina Girls Track & Field Player of the Year
award. Holmes won four individual state titles her senior year—100m, 200m, Long
Jump, and 4x100m—and was named an All-American via her fourth-place finish in
the 100m at the 2024 New Balance Outdoor Nationals.
The Wildcats will return to the track this weekend as
sprinters and jumpers compete at the Corky Classic in Lubbock, Texas while
throwers and distance runners compete at the Vanderbilt Invitational in
Nashville. Both meets will take place from Friday, January 17 to Saturday,
January 18.
TyDarion Grier (2) had four rushing touchdowns in the first half. | Joe Seibles
WINNSBORO – There was much to celebrate last Friday as Fairfield Central hosted Mid-Carolina for their Homecoming game. The Griffins dominated on both sides of the ball to shut out the Rebels 41-0 and move to 2-0 in region play.
Fairfield Central received the opening kickoff and punched
in their first score of the evening just four minutes into the game with
TyDarion Grier’s 12-yard scamper. Erik Martinez’s PAT was good to put Fairfield
up 7-0.
Grier found the end zone again with six minutes left in the
first quarter, this time from 20 yards out. A long Cameron McMillon pass to
Kristian Golden set Fairfield up on their own 20-yard line. Grier took it in
from there. After a failed PAT, the Griffins led 13-0.
Fairfield regained possession on their own 40-yard line
after forcing Mid-Carolina was forced to punt. McMillon connected with Roger
Burns to put Fairfield on the five-yard line. Grier put the finishing touches on
the drive with another six points. A successful PAT gave Fairfield a 20-0 lead
with just under two minutes to spare in the first quarter.
Big plays from the Griffin defense put Fairfield Central in
scoring position early in the second quarter. Roman Davis’s tackle for loss put
Mid-Carolina at the Fairfield Central 47, then Roman Davis blocked a kick to
give Fairfield the ball on their own 45.
McMillon’s pass found Golden again, this time for a 45-yard
touchdown. Another good point after from Martinez put Fairfield ahead 27-0 with
eleven minutes left in the half.
The Griffin defense forced the Rebels to punt again.
Fairfield’s drive started on their own 32-yard line, but
they were in the end zone in just two minutes. McMillon connected again with
Burns to put Fairfield Central in the red zone. Myles Robertson took it 10
yards for another Griffin touchdown. Martinez’s PAT was good. Fairfield led
34-0 with over five minutes left until halftime.
After a turnover on downs, Grier tallied his fourth
touchdown of the night, this one from 10 yards out. Martinez added his fourth PAT of the night to
give Fairfield the 41-0 lead at halftime and end the scoring for the night.
The Griffins tallied 452 yards of total offense on the night,
253 through the air. McMillon completed 10 of 10 passes for 252 yards and one
touchdown. Junior Ford Davis was one for three for nine yards.
Golden had four receptions for 107 yards and a score. Burns
tallied 95 yards on just two receptions. Donovan Burns had two receptions for
23 yards.
Grier put in the legwork for the Griffins. He had 12 carries
on the night for 118 yards and four touchdowns. Davis picked up 45 yards on 9
carries. Donovan Burns added 28 yards on nine carries. Miles Robertson had one carry
for four yards and a touchdown.
The Griffin defense combined for 58 total tackles, three
tackles for loss, two interceptions, and a sack. Robertson and Breone Whitaker
had seven tackles each. Christopher Jackson had an interception and six
tackles, three solo. Antario James, who came up with the Griffins’ second
interception, also had six assisted tackles. Chancery Turner had two solo
tackles and four assists. Roman Davis, Drew Walker and Roger Burns all had
tackles for loss. Sophomore Noah Kendall was credited with a sack.
The Gray Debate
Originally scheduled to play Gray Collegiate Academy this
week, Fairfield Central opted to forfeit the game over concerns of fairness
about how the school builds its athletic roster.
In the spring, the Griffins opted not to play Gray
Collegiate in softball and boys and girls soccer following blowout losses to
the War Eagles.
The Griffins are not alone in their decision to not play
Gray this football season. Mid-Carolina and Columbia high schools forfeited
their games earlier this season. Newberry and Keenan are scheduled to play Gray
in October.
“Not playing them is the only way to send a message,”
Newberry High School athletic director Chad Cary said in an interview with The
State paper. “The High School League can’t do anything about it. … So it comes
up to us. People are going to say, ‘You are putting your kids in a tough spot.’
But you know what? If we would have did this five years ago, our kids this year
wouldn’t have had to deal with it this season.”
Teams that forfeit games to Gray are ineligible to win the
region championship, but can still qualify for state playoffs.
For Griffin head coach Demetrius Davis, it’s worth the
sacrifice.
“We won eight region championships, so we are okay with
that,” Davis said.
Fairfield Central will return to E.K. McLendon Stadium on Oct. 13 for their final home contest of the season against Columbia. They will hit the road to face Eau Claire on Oct. 20 and Newberry on Oct. 27.
WINNSBORO – Three Fairfield Central student-athletes signed
their letters of intent on Wednesday, March 2. Pictured at left, Stephon
Gadsden, quarterback for the Griffins, made his plans to play football at South
Carolina State University official. According to stats on Maxpreps, Gadsden
averaged 99 passing yards per game and 65.2 rushing yards per game in his
career as a Griffin.
At right, twins Tamerra and Tanisha English signed their
letters of intent for track and field at Oakland City University. Tamerra
English was a part of last season’s 4×100 relay team, which finished first in
the region. She also placed third at region in javelin. Tanisha English placed
second at region in 100m hurdles and fifth in high jump and shot put.
The Fairfield Central boys team at the state meet.
COLUMBIA – In no surprising feat, senior Griffin Joshua Mosley crossed the finish line first for Fairfield Central last Friday at the South Carolina High School League’s 3A State meet. Mosley finished in ninth place for an All-State (top 10) finish with a time of 17:24.63.
Joshua Mosley | Photos: James Witherspoon
Hank White
Eighth grader Nygel Woodard finished second for the Griffins
and in 43rd place of the 113 runners with an 18:42.99 finish. Freshman Hank
White followed in 68th place at 19:27.98. Eighth grader Sidney Wilson and
sophomore Rylan Woodard also finished under 20 minutes. Wilson finished at
19:47.31 for 78th place, a personal best, and Woodard finished at 19:56.34 for
the 80 spot. Sophomore Malachi Woodard
rounded out the Griffins’ times at 21:07.48.
Mosley’s experience combined with tenaciousness of young talent catapulted the Griffins into their first region finish in program history this year.
The Bengals take the field for their 2021 home opener.
BLYTHEWOOD – Desmond Boatwright blasted through Fairfield Central defenders Monday night. Backup quarterback David Herndon had enough touch on the ball to throw three touchdown passes. Together, they and the rest of the Blythewood football team closed out a 22-6 victory over 3A rival Fairfield Central Monday night.
Boatwright had 169 yards on 22 carries on the night. Herndon
started in lieu of sophomore Harrison Collins, who broke his hand before the
season opener. The 6-0 junior threw TD passes of 6, 30, and 23 yards, along
with a 2-point conversion pass in the first half to give the Bengals a 20-0
halftime lead.
“I’ve got to give our O-line credit and Desmond did a great
job,” Blythewood head coach Jason Seidel said. “We left some points off the
board though, and you have to give Fairfield credit, we had some drives but we
shot ourselves in the foot. It was a typical first game.”
Herndon coming in on short notice was a concern going in,
but the signal caller relied on receivers Jake Parker, Josh Gray, and Johnathan
Harper to take in touchdown passes and give Blythewood a good cushion going
into the second half.
“I was proud of him,” Seidel said. “It’s gonna take some time. He’ll miss a couple of plays here and there because he’s still learning the signals, but it happens.”
Fairfield defenders take down the Bengal runner. | Photos: Anthony Montgomery
For the Griffins, who had seen their fall practice
practically erased by COVID, came in without the pleasure of having scrimmaged
opponents in the preseason. That lack of practice showed, head coach Demetrius
Davis said.
“The one thing we couldn’t afford to do we did,” he said. “I
was hoping we would be able to come through and even if it was the first time
we went live, be able to overcome some of the mistakes. Playing a team of this
caliber in your first game you’ve got to be able to come out and play
mistake-free and create some turnovers. And we couldn’t get that done.”
The Bengals defense limited the Griffins to 160 total yards
on the night, 87 rushing and 73 passing.
“Our defense was great, and I love the special teams,”
Seidel said. “Our punter (Will Rowe, three punts and a 47.0 average on the
night) did a great job of changing field position.”
Blythewood turned the ball over on downs deep into Fairfield
Central territory on its first drive. The Bengals second drive paid off as they
ground out the clock with Boatwright runs and scored on Herndon’s 6-yard
touchdown pass to Parker with 18 seconds left in the first quarter.
Up 6-0, the Bengals defense made a key stop. Fairfield Central went backwards on the next possession, punting from the15-yard line and setting up Blythewood at the Griffins’ 30-yard line. Three plays later Herndon struck again with a 30-yard touchdown strike to Gary at the 10:41 mark.
Herndon’s third TD pass of the half came with 4:38 left as
he found Harper from 23 yards out. After having missed an extra point and
failed on a 2-point conversion on its first scores, Herndon made good on the
third attempt, a pass to Chris Thomas for two points to give Blythewood a 20-0
lead at halftime.
Blythewood spent the third quarter running the clock out on
Boatwright runs, then pinning Fairfield Central back deep in its own territory.
Doing so led to a safety when Jordan Clark tackled Tyderian Grier in the end
zone at the 9:03 mark of the fourth.
Fairfield Central finally managed a small drive in the final
minutes of the game, an 11-play 40-yarder capped with Semaj Young’s 2-yard TD
run with 20 seconds left.
“I feel like we won the second half,” Davis said. We did a
better job in the second half than in the first one. Our defense pretty much
shut them out. We did some good things on defense, and the only points they got
was on that safety, and that was on me, that wasn’t a great call.”
Blythewood travels to Westwood for the latest Battle of the
Woods—and the right to wield the Jeanne Schmidt Memorial Trophy Friday.
Covid-19 forced last year’s meeting to be cancelled. Westwood beat Blythewood
14-7 in the rivalry in 2019.
“It’s a quick turnaround,” Seidel said. “We’ve got to make
sure we’re ready to go. This happened to us two years ago, we played on a
Monday and went to Westwood and lost. A lot of our kids remember that.”
Fairfield Central plays host to Lancaster Monday night.
“A team makes the best strides between week one and week two,
so hopefully we can get this film,” Davis said. “This is the first chance we’ve
been able to go up against some guys. Hopefully we’ll do better next week.”
Fairfield Central – 0-0-0-6 — 6
Blythewood – 6-14-0-2 — 22
First Quarter
B – Jake Parker 6 pass from David Herndon
(kick failed) :18
Second Quarter
B – Josh Gray 30 pass from Herndon (pass
failed) 10:41
B – Johnathan Harper 23 pass from Herndon
(Chris Thomas pass from Herndon) 4:38
Fourth Quarter
B – Team safety 9:03
F – Semaj Young 2 run (kick failed) :20
FC Blythewood
First Downs 10 12
Rushes-Yards 30-87 37-157
Passing Yards 73 82
Att-Com-Int 20-7-0 8-5-0
Fumbles-Lost 2-1 2-1
Penalties-Yards 6-30 7-45
Punts-Avg. 5-36.6 3-47.0
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING: FC– Stephon Gadsden 16-70, Semaj Young
5-16, Donovan Watkins 3-20, Kensley Copeland 2-5, TyDerian Grier 1-14, Team
1-(-38). Blythewood – Desmond Boatwright 22-169, David Herndon 9-(-26), James
Lyles 2-0, Curtis Hilton Jr.3-14.
PASSING: FC – Stephon Gadsden 7-20-0. Blythewood –
David Herndon 5-8-0.
Larry Perry played shortstop for the SC Braves. | Martha Ladd
WINNSBORO – Fairfield Central recently announced that alum Larry Perry will be the next head baseball coach for the Griffins.
“Coach Perry comes to us with a wealth of baseball
knowledge,” Fairfield Central’s announcement said.
Perry
Perry, a 2007 graduate, was a baseball standout for the Griffins and played travel ball with the SC Braves, a team loaded with Midlands baseball talent. The Braves played in USSSA and Triple Crown tournaments.
After high school, Perry played for two seasons at USC
Sumter before moving on to finish his collegiate career as a USC Beaufort Sand
Shark.
In his final year as a USCS Fire Ant, Perry batted .351 in
49 games played. He had 53 hits, 10 doubles, three home runs and 31 RBIs in 151
at bats. Perry’s fielding percentage was .957 with 27 putouts, 52 assists and
only 4 errors, helping the team to a 47-7 record.
In the 2010 season at USCB, Perry was named 2nd Team
All-Conference. Perry’s statistics remain in the record books at USCB. His
single-season batting average of .392 and 53 runs are each sixth best in school
history. Perry is one of only three Sand Sharks to hit two triples in a game.
Perry’s on-base percentage of .422 remains in the top 15 of USCB players. He is
third-best in single-season stolen bases with 21. His 29 career stolen bases at
USCB is sixth best in program history.
Perry returned to Winnsboro and has worked as an Athletic
Specialist with the Fairfield County Parks and Recreation Department.
“This is truly a blessing,” Perry said in a statement on
Facebook. “Dr. Swilley and Coach Roach thank you for the opportunity, it feels
good to be home!”
HOPKINS – Last Friday’s Track and Field championships may not have been the finish that the Griffins’ wanted, but it was a good one nonetheless. Sharmelle Holmes, Tamerra English and Joshua Mosley represented Fairfield Central in their respective events last Friday at the SC High School League AAA State Championships.
Sharmelle Holmes
Holmes took home second place in the 200 meter dash with a time of 25.41. Ja’Lencia Griffin of Manning took first place at 25.14. Holmes also finished fourth in the 100m dash with a time of 12.48. Griffin also took first at 12.33.
Joshua Mosley finished fourth for Fairfield in the 3200
meter run finals with a 9:53.66 finish, a new personal best for him.
Pendleton’s Ronan O’Neill finished first in the event at 9:35.39.
Tamerra English finished seventh in javelin at 70-08.00.
Bishop England’s Hope-Elaine Stowell took first place.
The Griffin girls team finished second in the region this season.
COLUMBIA – At the Region 4-3A meet, the Griffin girls team finished in second place behind Mid-Carolina, while the Griffin Boys placed last, but junior Joshua Mosley continued to dominate in the distance events, pulling first place finishes in the 800m run (2:11.12), the 1600m run (5:01.97) and the 3200m run (10:42.20).
Other top-five finishes for the boys were:
Evelino Reyes-Hawes finished second in high jump for the Griffins at 5-8.
Tydarion Grier: 100m dash (5th place, 11.13) and long jump (5th place, 19-4.5)
Mosley, Reyes-Hawes, and the 4×100 and 4×800 relay teams qualified for Upper State this weekend
Sharmelle Holmes highlighted the Griffin girls team with
first place finishes in the 100m dash (12.09), the 200m dash (25.33) and the
400m dash (1:00.88).
Fairfield’s relay team of Tamerra English, Natalia Gray,
Anaya Peay and Holmes placed first in the 4x100m relay finals with a time of
50.53.
The Griffin girls also saw a handful of second place
finishes. Tamerra English placed second in the 100m hurdles. The 4x400m relay
team of Celysha Jackson, Teairra McDuffie, Anaya Peay and Ericka Kelly placed
second, and the 4×800 relay team of Jackson, McDuffie, English and SaKira Hayes
also finished second.
Other top-five finishers for the girls were:
Natalia Gray: 100m dash (5th place, 13.17)
SaKira Hayes: 1600m run (3rd place, 6:26.26) and 3200m run (5th place, 16:42.58)
Tanisha English: high jump (5th place, 4-2) and shot put (5th place, 26-6)
Tamerra English: javelin (3rd place, 67-2)
Ericka Kelly: shot put (3rd place, 28-6) and javelin (5th place, 56-9.5)
Holmes, Hayes, Tamerra English, Gray, Kelly, Tanisha
English, and the 4×100, 4×400 and 4x800m relay teams qualified for 3A Upper
State.
The Griffins head to Upper State this weekend in hopes of qualifying for the State meet next weekend.
COLUMBIA – Joshua Mosley represented Fairfield Central at
the Ben Lippen School’s George Johnson Falcon Invitational on April 10. Mosley
took first place in the 3200 meter run finals with a time of 10:13.54, two
seconds ahead of second place finisher Judson Taylor of Lexington High School.
Mosley, a junior, set his personal record in the 3200 meter run at the March 6 Diamond Hornets Invitational with a time of 10:03.09.
The Griffins were set to compete in Lugoff Elgin’s meet on
Wednesday, but scores were not available at press time. They will travel to
Keenan for the Raider Twilight Invitational on April 16 and to Columbia
International University on April 17 for the Rams High School Invitational.
