BLYTHEWOOD – A 14-year-old student was arrested earlier this
week following confirmation that the juvenile was in possession of a loaded
firearm on school grounds at Westwood High School, according to Sheriff Leon
Lott in a press release.
On Aug. 12, at approximately 9 a.m., a Student Resource
Officer at Westwood High School was notified by school administration that the
14-year-old suspect had a firearm in their book bag, according to the release.
The SRO was able to determine that Defender Security stopped the suspect before
entering the school after the metal detector alerted on the suspect’s bag.
Lott said security escorted the suspect to a school
administrator who confirmed the presence of a handgun in the bag. The SRO
secured the firearm and confirmed that it was loaded. SROs confirmed that the
firearm was not stolen and the suspect had obtained the firearm from his own
home.
HOPKINS – Westwood and Blythewood competed in Lower Richland’s second annual Diamond Hornet 7-on-7 Shootout on Thursday, June 30. Westwood is set to open their 2022 football season at Spring Valley on August 19. Blythewood will play at Ridge View on Aug. 19.
Robert O’Connell comes to Westwood from Ridge View.
BLYTHEWOOD – Westwood High School announced on Wednesday that Robert O’Connell will be the Redhawks’ new head football coach, effective July 1, 2022.
O’Connell succeeds three-year coach Matt Quinn, who accepted
the head football position at North Augusta High School.
“I could not be more excited to join a school and community with the commitment to excellence, rich traditions, and unrivaled pride and passion of Westwood High School,” O’Connell said in a press release on Wednesday.
“I am fully committed to teaching, developing and graduating elite student-athletes, winning championships and working together with our administration, parents, and community to make Westwood the premier location for high school football in the country. Our potential is unlimited, and I cannot wait to get started,” he stated.
“Coach O’Connell is a winner, in every sense of the word,”
Principal Robert Jackson said in the press release. “He is known for his
character, humility, work ethic, skill set and passion for education… it’s easy
to see why he’s right sized for Westwood High School.”
O’Connell currently serves as the Defensive Coordinator,
Assistant Head Coach and Assistant Athletic Director at Ridge View High School.
Previously, O’Connell served as head coach at Richard Winn Academy in Winnsboro where his 2016 team ended the season just two wins short of a state title. Following his stint at with the Eagles, O’Connell served as Offensive Coordinator at Irmo High School, Defensive Coordinator at Wilson High School and a defensive assistant at Wofford College.
O’Connell holds a bachelor’s degree in General Studies from
Charter Oak State College and holds a South Carolina teaching certificate for
Social Studies (grades 9-12). He is married to India O’Connell and they have
one son, RJ.
BLYTHEWOOD – The Westwood boys basketball team’s 49-40
victory over Dreher Friday night may not have looked pretty, but the Redhawks
defense showed out and closed out the team’s third-straight Region 4-4A victory
on Senior Night at the Castle.
Bryson Felder (1) put up 18 points in the win over Dreher. | Photos: Leroy Howard
“It was a great win for us on Senior night to send out our
six seniors with a win,” Head coach John Combs said. “Any time you can get two
wins over a region team, and two wins over Dreher, that’s a good thing.”
Seniors Bryson Felder, Jaylin McDuffie, Taukedrick King,
Colin Evans, Amarion Evans, and Khalil Donald; Westwood girls player Thamia
Davis; and senior cheerleaders were honored at midcourt between the girls and
boys game.
Bryson Felder scored 18 points and had 11 rebounds to lead
Westwood. Jaylin McDuffie had 13 points and six rebounds, and Arden Conyers had
10 points.
Just 15 shots fell for Westwood (10-13, 5-4), but seven of
them were 3-pointers. Felder, McDuffie and Conyers made two apiece and T.J.
Bell made one. The Redhawks shot 15-for-37, or 40.5 percent.
Those numbers don’t sound like much, but compared to
Dreher’s 17-for-56, or 30.3 percent shooting, Westwood scored all that it
needed to seal the win over the Blue Devils (9-9, 3-5).
“It certainly was a difficult game because Dreher plays all
zone,” Combs said. “Give them credit, they adjusted their zone.”
Combs noted that when Westwood beat the Blue Devils 60-40
Jan. 14, they played mostly a 2-3 zone, but Friday night they reversed the
look, going 3-2 and frustrating the Redhawks’ looks to the basket around the
3-point line.
“We had to make some adjustments to some things that we did,
and we were fortunate to make some shots and get enough defensive stops,” Combs
said. “Anytime you go and hold a team to 11 points in the first half, your
defense is pretty good.”
Westwood even held the Blue Devils to just four points in
the first quarter. The Redhawks got on the scoreboard when Felder made a basket
and followed up with a 3-pointer. He then got a putback and McDuffie added a
basket to close out the quarter.
Those nine points were all the Redhawks needed to begin
pinning down Dreher. They outscored the Blue Devils 11-7 in the second quarter
for a 20-11 halftime lead.
The Redhwaks never relinquished the lead, keeping Dreher at
least six points behind throughout the second half. Westwood outrebounded the
Blue Devils 33-26, which isn’t a great margin except that Dreher got just seven
boards—five defensive and two offensive—in the second half.
“Rebounding was something that we preached to our team that we had to get better at,” Combs said. “We are better now than we were at the beginning of the year and that’s what we shoot for, we continue to grow as a team and continue to get better.”
Westwood fell 74-66 at Irmo Tuesday night. The Redhawks trailed the Yellow Jackets just 30-27 at halftime, but Irmo (20-4, 7-1) outscored them 22-10 in the third and took a 52-37 lead into the third quarter. Even though the Redhawks scored 29 points in the final stanza, Irmo scored just enough to seal the win.
Westwood concludes region play at Richland Northeast Friday. A win over the Cavaliers (9-9, 4-5) can secure third place for the Redhawks, behind Irmo an A.C. Flora.
Jessica Woods (0) goes in for a layup. Woods scored a team-high 19 points in the win over Dreher.
In the girls game, Westwood (17-6, 9-0) outscored Dreher
(4-6, 4-3) 34-16 in the first half and cruised to a 59-36 victory to claim the
team’s fifth straight region championship.
“I thought we executed well. We knew they were tough,
physical, and well-coached and we knew that they weren’t going away regardless
of what’s on the scoreboard,” Westwood head coach Gregory Bauldrick said. “I
thought we held our own, did a lot of good things. We had some internal
miscues, but that comes with the game.”
Jessica Woods scored a game-high 19 points, and Raven
Johnson and Korletta Daniels put up 17 points apiece. The only other Westwood
scorer was Makiah Thompson, who had six points.
Westwood defeated Irmo 66-38 Tuesday. Jessica Woods led all
scorers with 22 points. Raven Johnson added 12 points.
The Westwood girls travel to Richland Northeast Friday.
BLYTHEWOOD – Playing at home for the first time in a year, Westwood led York 8-6 at halftime, but the Cougars rallied for two touchdowns in the fourth quarter for a 19-8 victory over the Redhawks in a non-region game at Westwood.
Julian Milligan put the Redhawks on the scoreboard with a
6-yard touchdown run, and Camren Brown passed to Jordan Jenkins to add the
2-point conversion that gave the Redhawks an 8-6 lead midway through the second
quarter.
Frank Thompson scored from six yards out to put the Cougars
up 12-6 with five minutes left in the game. York then recovered a Westwood
fumble and converted it to another Thompson touchdown, from three yards out,
with three minutes to play.
Milligan had 87 yards on 23 carries and a score to lead the
Redhawks.
Westwood (1-3) opens Region 4-4A play at A.C. Flora Friday.
York (3-1)
BLYTHEWOOD – A Westwood High School student has been charged
with multiple crimes after bringing weapons on campus Tuesday, the Richland
County Sheriff’s Department reported.
The 15-year-old student was overheard by another student
threatening to “shoot up the school.” He later brought the weapons to the
school, the sheriff department’s news release said.
The student who heard the threat reported it to his parents
and school staff, who contacted Westwood’s school resource officer, it was
reported.
When the student arrived at school Tuesday morning, he was
interviewed by Sheriff’s deputies and admitted making the threats, according to
the news release.
Sheriff’s deputies searched the student and found two
knives, officers said.
The teen was charged with carrying a weapon on school
property and making threats before being turned over to his parents’ custody,
according to the release.
WHS Principal Dr. Cheryl Guy notified parents saying there
was no danger to the school and no injuries reported.
The teen will appear in Richland County Family Court, but no
date has been set, according to the Sheriff’s Department.
BLYTHEWOOD – Richland School District Two acknowledges school threat from a student at Westwood High School.
Libby Roof, Chief Communications Officer at Richland Two
District Office released this statement:
“I know that the Richland County Sheriff’s department has released an advisory regarding a Westwood High student charged. Below is a copy of the email Westwood High principal, Dr. Cheryl Guy, sent to her parents this morning.”
Dear Westwood High Parents,
I’m writing to share information about an investigation into a threat made against our school. First let me reassure you that there is no immediate threat or danger to our school. Hopefully, my email will help prevent the spread of rumors and misinformation and help reassure you that we take school safety very seriously.
Yesterday after school, a student reported overhearing another student making a threat against our school. The safety tip led to an investigation that involved interviewing the student who reportedly made the threat. During the investigation, school administrators and School Resource Officers found two knives in the student’s possession. Our school resource officer immediately secured the weapons. No one was harmed prior to or during the investigation.
We are following district procedures and board policy in administering disciplinary consequences. The Richland County Sheriff’s Department will be releasing additional information about legal consequences.
We are proud of our student for sharing the safety tip with us and appreciate all that our employees, students and parents do to help keep our school a safe place for learning. Remember, our schools are staffed with lots of caring adults, including our school counselors, who are available to help work through issues in a productive way. If you have any questions or concerns about school safety, please contact a school administrator.
Sincerely,
Dr. Cheryl Guy
Principal
The Voice will update with more information as it becomes
available.
BLYTHEWOOD – Greater Blythewood Chamber Interim Director Phil Frye, left, and board member Deborah McCutchan, right, presented Westwood High School graduate Abigail Daniel-Perez a $1,000 scholarship during Tuesday’s monthly Chamber meeting. Abigail, the first in her family to graduate from high school, will be attending the University of South Carolina.
MYRTLE BEACH – Westwood High School’s Robotics Team will compete in the Palmetto Regional competition Feb. 28 – Mar. 2 in Myrtle Beach for the sixth time. The three-day competition showcases robots developed and operated by high school teams from all over the world. The team is comprised of 22 students in grades 9 – 12.
BLYTHEWOOD – An incident that involved shots fired impacted several Richland Two schools in Blythewood on Monday after deputies began looking for a suspect in the Highlands neighborhood in Northeast Columbia. The shooting incident, which happened in the 4800 block of Hardscrabble Road, caused increased patrols in the area around Hardscrabble and prompted the Richland County Sheriff’s Department to place a limited lockdown on several Richland Two schools Monday afternoon.
Due to the possibility that the suspect was within the community, the following schools were placed on a short delay for bus riders and walkers only: Bridge Creek Elementary, Rice Creek Elementary, Lake Carolina Elementary Upper and Lower, Center for Inquiry, Center for Achievement, Kelly Mill Middle, Blythewood Middle, Summit Parkway Middle and Ridge View High.
Car riders were released on schedule.
In an email on Monday afternoon, Sgt. Amanda Jordon with the Richland County Sheriff’s Public Information Office, stated that at about 2:30 p.m., deputies determined that the public was no longer in danger and the buses were released.
Westwood Threat
Across town, a threat that was allegedly made towards students and faculty members at Westwood High School last week has been deemed “not credible” by Richland County authorities.
According to Deputy Alexis Aarons with the Richland County Sheriff’s Department public information office, a child with intellectual disabilities overheard a conversation and misunderstood what was being said in regards to a post on social media last week.
“There was no intent to do harm in the post. No charges will be filed in this case,” Aarons stated.
On Friday morning, Dec 14, at approximately 10 a.m., school officials notified parents that a morning assembly planned at the school was being cancelled after they were alerted that a threatening message was being sent through Snapchat.
According to officials, the message said that a boy with a gun had threatened to cause harm during the assembly.
By Friday afternoon, officials informed parents that the threat was already not appearing to be credible and that the faculty was continuing the day as normal on campus.
Principal Cheryl Guy released a message to parents Friday afternoon saying that there had been no credible threats made against any student or the school, and that officials had acted swiftly when receiving the initial complaint.
“I am thankful that we have students who immediately reported it to staff, and our School Resource Officer and our administrators were able to quickly investigate,” she stated in the notice.
“A threat of any nature is not a joke to us,” she added in another notice.
The assembly was rescheduled for Monday morning, and was held without incident.
