New Direction

Thomas Sumter-Wilson Hall scrimmage from 2004

I must admit, the Friday night lights of high school football still appeal to me.

One afternoon in the fall of 2005 when I was working at a trade publication near Washington, D.C., I started thinking about Friday night high school football.

At that time, it had been about a year since I roamed the sidelines with a stat sheet and clipboard. My last story before moving to the copy desk was about two private schools in a 20-minute preseason scrimmage.

During my short time covering prep football, I worked in the football crazy state of South Carolina. New high schools had stadiums that would make small colleges green with envy. Rural schools would have stadiums packed on Friday night. I remember one school that had a field with neatly trimmed grass and had it marked perfectly. I remember seeing every yard marker.

One of my favorite moments involved watching the game-changing plays unfold. It could be a sprint to the end zone by a speedy running back or a hefty lineman making an interception.

After retrieving the quotes and other bits of truth I needed from coaches and players, it was back to my office to file.

For me, it often involved taking a long time to total my statistics. Then while going through my quotes, I would write my story.

There was never a lot of time to write when coming back from a game. Pages had to get proofed and phones had to get answered.

However, once I got going with crafting the story on a tight deadline, the adrenaline rush always gave me a nice boost. It could also have been the coffee I drank.

Below is the final high school football story I wrote. It was published on August 21, 2004 in The (Sumter, S.C.) Item.

Wilson Hall shuts out Thomas Sumter 21-0 in Jamboree

Gators stop Sumter

By BEN LEDBETTER
Item Sports Writer

During the Wilson Hall football team’s 20-minute scrimmage with county rival Thomas Sumter at the Sumter High/Sertoma Club Jamboree at Sumter Memorial Stadium, the Barons looked like they were beginning on a return path to the SCISA 3A state championship game.

Thomas Sumter, however, looked like it was just trying to get its team to jell as the defending 3A champion Barons shut out the Generals 21-0.

“For the most part, we were pleased,” first-year Barons head coach Jamie Fidler said. “We sputtered. The thing I’m most disappointed in is penalties. We can’t have penalties. We’re a rushing offense and if we get penalties, we’re not going to make up ground.”

The Barons were flagged for three penalties for a loss of 18 yards, but did more than make up for the deficit on the field when speedy senior quarterback Derek Moore sprinted 77 yards to score the third and final touchdown for his team with 4:23 left.

Senior Chris McCoy had the other two for the Barons – a 1-yarder at the 13:45 mark and a 5-yard scamper with 8:43 left.

FIDLER

Fidler could see a lot of positives for his team Friday, but still saw some things that could improve before next week’s home opener with Robert E. Lee.

“It was obviously better than a controlled scrimmage,” Fidler said. “We got to run the plays on the field. The coaches weren’t out there with the kids. Our leaders got to run the huddle on both sides of the ball. For coaches, it gave us an opportunity to work the sidelines together, we’re a new staff working together. Overall, it was positive. We obviously have a lot to work on.”

For David Dowd, a first-year coach for the Generals and former head coach at Charleston Southern University, the preseason scrimmage was a chance for his players to learn.

“The scrimmage was good from the standpoint that our kids learned a lot of things tonight,” he said. “No.1, getting out of the huddle and getting plays in. We called a formation we wanted to run the very first play with our fullback over on the sidelines, and we’re lined up ready to run the play with 10 kids. So they’ve got to do a better job.”

Dowd said some of the team’s gaffes came from running the offense under the stadium lights on Friday night rather than at the practice field earlier in the week. The knowledge gathered will be of use next week when the Generals travel to play Laurence Manning.

“It’s a big difference between going out there in Dalzell and running it on the field and coming in here when you turn the lights on,” Dowd said. “I thought the effort was good. I think you take away a couple of big plays and we’re right in the thick of the thing. But, we’ve got to do a better job offensively at the same time.”

Receiver has big game while playing with heavy heart

This was the sidebar that I did for The (Rock Hill, S.C.) Herald when Clemson came to play at Maryland. It was right after Hurricane Katrina and I noticed that Curtis Baham was from New Orleans and figured it would make a good feature. It was my first time at a game since I moved to the news desk in Sumter, S.C. When I covered this game, I was working for an independent trade publication that covered the hospitality industry in the Washington, D.C., area.

Published: Sep 11, 2005

By Ben Ledbetter

Special to The Herald

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Clemson senior wide receiver Curtis Baham wanted to contribute to Saturday's 28-24 win over Maryland.

He caught a game-high two touchdown passes for 57 yards, with his biggest play coming at the 7:35 mark of the fourth quarter when he caught a 51-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Charlie Whitehurst.

That cut Maryland's 10-point lead to three.

"I feel good just contributing to a win," said Baham. "I've never won up here. I've been up here all this time and it just feels good."

That followed the three receptions he had for 49 yards in Clemson's opening 25-24 win last week against Texas A&M.

For the recipient of the game's longest touchdown pass, the throw from Whitehurst couldn't have been any better. Baham beat his defender early.

"I went out and showed it to him. I saw him bite up," Baham said. "I turned around and looked for the ball. It was a big-time throw right in the pocket. Touchdown."

Although Baham, a native of New Orleans, shined in Clemson's Atlantic Coast Conference opening win, the victory was not the only thing on his mind.

"This whole season is dedicated to our hometown," Baham said. "I'm sure there are plenty of people that wish they could be doing the same thing I was doing."

Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans and much of the Gulf Coast region. Because of the damage to his hometown, Baham wants to play his best every game.

"It's just an unfortunate situation. I just want to shed light on it in every way possible," Baham said.

"Every game I come out more inspired than ever, especially this season. With the Hurricane Katrina stuff, this whole season, I know at least from my perspective is dedicated to my city and family."

He's called the Crescent City home, however, since the damage to the area, he might be living in another city.

"We can't really get to our house, I don't believe, until Tuesday," Baham said. "They're going to let everybody in to assess the damages and file the insurance claims. We're going to have to get back out.

"I'm pretty sure we lost everything as far as houses and things of that nature goes. Everybody's more on relocation right now. My dad's in Atlanta setting up shop. My brother's in school. My grandparents are all doing the same thing. I have some in Houston. And everybody's thinking more relocation now than getting back."

Sumter boys win region (from 2004)

 Gamecocks grab 14 spots in state

By BEN LEDBETTER
Item Sports Writer

While most of the athletes, parents and coaches had already left Sumter Memorial Stadium after the completion of the final event — the 4x400-meter relay — in the Region V-4A boys track and field qualifier Thursday, a loud noise could be emanating from the Sumter High School team. It had just found out it had won the region title.

Upon that confirmation, the athletes quickly swarmed together near the infield tent yelling, “Coach Rob,” in memory of late Sumter head coach Steve Robinson, who died last spring. And when the team posed for a picture with the trophy, one Sumter athlete blurted out, “This is for Coach Rob, baby.”

According to SHS assistant coach Diane Raabe, the feelings of the boys that posed with the trophy is indicative of how the entire team feels.

“He’s always on our mind,” Raabe said about Robinson. “I’m sure, if you’d talk to the boys, he’d be on their minds. We know we wouldn’t be here today and have this track if it wasn’t for Coach Rob.”

The scoring for the region title was kept as three separate dual meets between Sumter, Dutch Fork and Irmo, which all finished tied for first at the end of the regular season. Sumter defeated Dutch Fork 75-64 and Irmo 73-65. The Yellow Jackets topped their in-town rival 75-66.

While winning the region was important Thursday, there was also the little matter of qualifying for the 4A state qualifier, which will be held Saturday, May 1, at Memorial Stadium. With the top four finishers in each event advancing, the Gamecocks will have 14 spots in the event.

Senior sprinter Herbert Miller started out running the second leg on the Gamecocks’ 4x100 relay team and switched to the anchor leg in the middle of the season. The switch paid dividends Thursday as Miller blazed down the last straightaway near the visitors stands to give Sumter a win in a time of 43.19 seconds.

Miller said the team’s mastery of the handoff, a crucial skill for relay teams, was the difference in winning and finishing second.

“The handoffs, the handoffs made us win,” the senior said. “We practiced all week getting the handoffs right. It paid off.”

Finishing second and fourth, respectively, in the 100- and 200-meter dashes was Miller’s relay teammate, Isaac Green. Green was also part of the Gamecocks’ fourth-place 4x400 relay team that finished in 3 minutes, 35 seconds.

Senior Paul Whitaker finished fourth in the pole vault. While he qualified for the state qualifier, he said the event is something he does for pleasure.

“It’s just fun. I like doing it because it’s fun,” Whitaker said. “I just like to do it.”

Whitaker’s main events are the hurdles and he did quite well in both. He finished second in the 110 high hurdles and third in the 400 intermediate hurdles.

“The events I’m really good at are the 400 hurdles and the 110, which I got second place,” Whitaker said. “I had split the two Irmo guys up (in the 110). They had been side by side, but I got in between both of them.”

Junior distance runner Jim Sanyi finished third in the 1,600 run with a time of 4:55 after starting out in fourth place and fading to sixth by the third lap.

That’s when he made a surge to cross the line in third.

“My original plan was to stay with Patrick (Dunphy, the winner from Richland Northeast),” Sanyi said. “They started me out in lane 13. I wasn’t next to him to stay with him. After about the second lap, my legs kind of started going out at the 800. I started to slow down a little bit and stayed with the Dutch Fork boy. The last 500 meters I just started picking it up. I knew my coach was depending on me so I had to get out and run for myself.”

Sanyi, whose personal best time is 4:53, trailed Dunphy by nine seconds. Sanyi finished third in the 3,200 with a time of 11:06.

Darrius Dupree finished third in the 400. Marquis Mack won the high jump, clearing 6-0. Mack was also second in the triple jump. Kenneth Rose won the long jump with a mark of 22-9. Angleo Rhodes won the discus with a throw of 143 feet, 7 inches and finished fourth in the shotput at 45-3.

Pinewood Prep edges Laurence Manning (From 2003)

Date Posted: February 26, 2003

LMA loses out

Cats fall to Pinewood on last-second shot

By BEN LEDBETTER
Item Sports Writer
   In the minds of many, Laurence Manning Academy was a decided underdog to Pinewood Prep when the two boys basketball teams met at the Sumter County Exhibition Center Tuesday in the first round of the SCISA 3A state playoffs.
   Someone forgot to tell that to the Swampcats.
   The Panthers needed a jumper in the paint from Lawrence Reed with three seconds remaining in the game to escape with a 38-36 victory.
   LMA entered Tuesday’s game knowing it had a strong opponent, but Laurence Manning coach Jeff Lowder said he told his team to play like they could hang with them.
   “We just told the boys straight up at practice yesterday, that if you come in intimidated, don’t play aggressive and don’t get after it, they can blow you off the court,” he said. “If you come out here with some guts and play, we can play with them. I think we proved that.”
   The Panthers will play Cardinal Newman, a 51-48 winner over Hilton Head Christian Tuesday, in a semifinal game Thursday at 5 p.m.
   With 1:20 left in the game, Laurence Manning’s Ryan Sorenson tossed in a jumper to tie the score at 36.
   Reed’s jumper came in the lane to put Pinewood up 38-36. He also drew a foul, but failed to convert the 3-point play.
   Two seconds went off the clock after that, and LMA coach Jeff Lowder asked for another second to be added to the clock while Panthers coach Pat Eidson voiced his disagreement.
   The extra second was added. LMA’s Len Gilbert took the last shot of the game from halfcourt, but it didn’t fall and the Swampcats ended their season at 14-14 while the Panthers improved to 22-12.
   Lowder said he asked for extra time because of the time that elapsed after the whistle.
   “Well, I was watching when the whistle blew and the clock never stopped,” he said. “It kept going.”
   LMA outscored Pinewood 14-10 in the second half, but it was the Panthers that outdid the Swampcats 28-22 in the first half.
   In the first quarter, Pinewood jumped out to a 10-2 lead, with Derek Snook and Reed scoring. William Austin James had the only Swampcats basket during the Panthers’ run.
   Pinewood ended the first quarter on top 18-9. Laurence Manning outscored Pinewood Prep in the second 13-10.
   LMA held the Panthers to two points in the fourth quarter, while Gilbert and Sorenson scored all the Swampcats’ points.
   Snook led the Panthers in scoring with a game-high 26 points.
   Gilbert led Laurence Manning with a team-high 20 points.
   “I don’t know that I can be any prouder of these guys this year in any game we played,” Lowder said. “They got out there and really took it to a really good team. We had our chance. We had a chance to win it.”
   Lowder said Tuesday’s game was a statement of his team’s season.
   “Tonight kind of does sum it up,” Lowder said. “We’ve kind of been an up and down team all year. The way we played tonight, we could play that way every night.”

Broad Run Defeats PF Before Packed House Friday (From 2006)

Return of Mines provides Spartans spark; McGlone throws down 33  

By Ben Ledbetter/Loudoun Easterner Assistant Editor
Special to Loudoun Prep Sports

Asbhurn (Dec. 9, 2006)  – With the addition of a star player back in the lineup Friday, the Broad Run High School boys basketball team held off AA Dulles District rival Potomac Falls 63-57 in front of a packed crowd at Broad Run’s gymnasium.

After suffering a high ankle sprain in football season, Adrian Mines was back in the lineup for the Spartans (3-2, 1-1 Dulles District) and contributed 19 points and five rebounds.

“We’re glad to have him back, even though he’s not 100 percent in terms of his ankle and just as much his endurance,” said Broad Run coach Larry Boomer. “He played a lot more tonight then I thought he would.”

The return of the senior center fit in well with forward Mark McGlone – Boomer’s “Fire and Ice” combo – who scored a game-high 33 points and grabbed nine rebounds.

Late in the first quarter Broad Run had a 10-point lead on the Panthers (3-2, 1-1)  and being able to sustain that lead would give the Spartans a cushion, Boomer said.

But that cushion vanished with about 3 minutes, 25 seconds in the third quarter when Potomac Falls’ Benjamin Biber stole the ball and drove to the basket to put the Panthers up 41-40. They took the lead again about two minutes later when Kevin Richards made his only field goal of the night to put his team up 46-44.

Broad Run then jumped back out to an eight point lead when Mines made two shots from the free throw line to put the Spartans up 59-51 with 3:14 left in the game.

While his team was never able to sustain a large lead over the Spartans, Potomac Falls coach Jeff Hawes said his team’s effort helped keep it in the game.

“I just think how hard my kids play for me keeps us in ball games when we’re not particularly sharp,” he said.

The Panthers' veteran coach said there were opportunities to take control of the game.

“I thought we played hard, but not particularly sharp,” he said. “I thought we had a few opportunities to take control of the ball game. A game like that is a game of runs.”

Leading the Panthers’ scoring was Biber with 17 points followed by Cory Flickinger’s 15. Azhar Ahmed put in nine points.

Broad Run’s other high scorer was Ricky Jasper, who scored eight.

The Spartans entered the game following a 47-41 loss to Dominion Tuesday, and while Boomer said his team came out flat against the Titans, he could sense a different feeling in his team before Friday’s tip-off.

“The bottom line is, it was a big win,” said Boomer. “For us, a must win at home is always the case in the district. You win every game at home and play .500 on the road and you see where you stand.

“I think the kids subconsciously knew they were going to come out with a certain amount of resolve tonight. I could see it in their eyes in our walk through after school.”

BROAD RUN 63, POTOMAC FALLS 57
PF 13 21 12 11 – 57
BR 21 15 12 15 – 63

POTOMAC FALLS – Alex Kott 2, Alex Hogue 4, Cory Flickinger 15, Benjamin Biber 17, Brad Byrd 4, Azhar Ahmed 9, Kevin Richards 4, Steve Hancock 2.

BROAD RUN – Heidi Saidi 1, Ricky Jasper 8, Robert Snow 2, Mark McGlone 33, Adrian Mines 19.

 

Senate Holds 2 AHP Hearings

Associated Builders and Contractors Members Testify in Both

From USAE (U.S. Association Executive), a trade publication that covers the meetings industry. Published on April 26, 2005. Web site: www.usaenews.com

By Ben Ledbetter

On Capitol Hill April 21, the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship gave an ear to Association Health Plans and at least one small business owner gave his thoughts on how the health plans would be beneficial.

Doug Newman, president of Newman Concrete Services, Inc., in Hallowell, Maine, a member of the Associated Builders and Contractors Maine Chapter asked the senate to support AHPs.

“Of the many challenges I have faced as a small business owner, providing health insurance to my employees has proven to be among the most difficult,” Newman said. “Looking ahead, I see the crisis worsening and not much relief on the horizon.”

In his testimony, Newman told committee members that he pays more than 70 percent of the health care premiums for his 50 employees, as well as half of the premium cost for his employees' families.

The small business committee is led by Maine Republican Senator Olympia Snowe, who is also author of the Senate AHP bill.

Her bill would allow small businesses to pool together through their trade associations and negotiate health care coverage for their employees and families at possibly lower rates.

Newman said difficult financial times coupled with spiking health care costs have forced his company to an “inevitable day of reckoning.”

“Health insurance premiums have increased dramatically in the past four years,” Newman said. “In 2000, health insurance for an individual cost about $42 per week. In 2004, the same coverage cost over $70 per week for the same employee. Family coverage was $123 per week in 2000, but by 2004, it had risen to $211. This amounts to an increase of almost 70 percent in the last four years.”

The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions also held a hearing on April 21 about the rising cost of health care and the availability of affordable health insurance for America's workers.

ABC's Vice President of Insurance Joe Rossman, who has managed ABC's health benefits for more than 17 years testified about the need for AHPs.

ABC's Director of Communications Scott Brown told USAE after the April 20 hearing that it looked like the committee could be preparing to move the legislation forward.

“It was a very positive step forward that the committee was holding the hearing,” Brown said. “It shows the Senate is gearing up to move the legislation forward. We feel very optimistic this association health plan legislation will be passed in congress and taken up in the senate.

“It is our understanding the majority leader wants to get this legislation up and voted on in this session. We're very optimistic. We think today's hearing is another step forward.”

The American Society of Association Executives was expected to submit testimony in support of AHP legislation for the Wednesday hearing.

Animal deaths a mystery

Cause of animal deaths remains unknown

By BEN LEDBETTER
The Dispatch

Published: Thursday, October 4, 2007 at 9:00 a.m.
Last Modified: Thursday, October 4, 2007 at 12:00 a.m.

Residents of the Briggstown and Allred roads area have been finding their animals dead or injured and don't know what has been doing it.

Glenda Floyd, a resident of the Hedrick Grove community, said around Sept. 23 something started killing or injuring animals in the area.

She said about 19 animals have been either killed or injured, and she has lost five goats. Floyd said most of the animals that have been hurt are goats and that whatever is killing the animals is targeting their heads.

Jayne Livengood, a resident who lives off Briggstown Road, said another person lost 11 goats, one horse was injured, and one cat was killed.

Livengood said she spoke with a neighbor who thinks the killers might be a pack of dogs.

While a dog or coyote is suspected of hurting the animals, Floyd said she has not seen anything killing or injuring an animal. She said she has only heard a noise that sounds like a caged-in cat.

"We don't know what else it will attack," she said.

Bruce Floyd, her husband, said Davidson County Animal Control and an animal rescue group brought cages to his residence on Wednesday.

He said he talked with a deputy on Wednesday and said the deputy told him he could shoot an animal on his property that was coming at him aggressively.

Davidson County Animal Control could not be reached for comment.

Clemson beats Florida State for the first time

Oh, man, do I ever remember this one. James Robert Kennedy, otherwise known as "Radio" got to run down the hill at Memorial Stadium. It was also the first time that Clemson defeated Florida State, at least since they joined the ACC. 



Article published: Nov 9, 2003
Tigers crash party
Clemson ruins Bowden’s birthday, national title hopes

By BEN LEDBETTER
Item Sports Writer

CLEMSON — It may have been Florida State head football coach Bobby Bowden’s 74th birthday Saturday, but his son Tommy Bowden got the gift.

That night at Clemson’s Memorial Stadium, the goalposts came down and Tigers fans rushed the field as Clemson upset the No.3 Seminoles before a crowd of more than 81,000. It was the first time in five tries that Tommy Bowden’s Tigers, who improve to 6-4 overall and 4-3 in Atlantic Coast Conference action, have beaten Florida State, which drops to 8-2 overall and 6-1 in the conference.

Clemson had the Seminoles shut out through the first half and kept them out of the end zone with the exception of a fourth-quarter 71-yard touchdown pass from reserve quarterback Fabian Walker to wide receiver Chauncey Stovall.

For as under the gun as he has been, especially since the Tigers lost 45-17 at Wake Forest last week, Tommy Bowden said Saturday’s win was not for him, but for the players and for the school itself.

“I thought our players looked at the challenge after the Wake Forest game,” the younger Bowden said.

Bobby Bowden, who joked that Tommy Bowden’s job “should probably be good for about another five days,” declared that Clemson’s win was genuine.

“I told him I’m happy for him, but I’m not happy for us,” Bobby Bowden said. “I tried not to assist him in any way. You knew that something like this was coming sooner or later, but this was very unlikely tonight. It was thorough (Clemson’s win) and it wasn’t even close.”

Clemson quarterback Charlie Whitehurst completed 17 of 27 passes for 272 yards and one touchdown and threw one interception. He also rushed for a TD.

Saturday’s win was especially good for Clemson’s starting signal caller following last week’s blowout loss against the Deacons and the outside chatter about his head coach’s career.

“Our backs against the wall, we get blown out last week, we come out and play close to perfect,” Whitehurst said. “We really took it to them.”

With Florida State coming off a 37-0 win over Notre Dame and the Tigers losing last week, Saturday’s game looked like the perfect opportunity to pull off an upset at least according to Whitehurst.

“You get blown out; I don’t know if they tooks us lightly or not,” Whitehurst said. “They won pretty good and we lost pretty good. So, I guess the stage was set. We had them at home. The fans we’re behind us. I guess it just worked out for us.”

While he said he did not know if the win was brought on because of Tommy Bowden being on the hot seat this year, something was inside the Tigers Saturday, Whitehurst said.

“There wasn’t really anything said,” Whitehurst said. “Everybody kind of felt it. I don’t know if this win was for him, but something was inside us. Something made us go out and play the way we did. Maybe it was for him.”

Clemson took a 13-0 lead into the locker room at the half. The Seminoles were able to get within field-goal range in the third quarter, but a 40-yard field goal attempt by Xavier Beitia at the 11:38 mark of the third quarter went wide left.

Clemson continued to piece together a shutout when Hunt booted a 32-yard field goal with 6:39 left in the third period to put the Tigers up 16-0. Beitia made good on his next field goal attempt of 46 yards to give the Seminoles a 16-3 lead with 3:25 left in the third.

Derrick Hamilton extended the Tigers’ lead to 23-3 when he caught a pass from Whitehurst and ran to the end zone on a 58-yard pass play at the 1:23 mark of the third quarter.

Hamilton finished with six catches for 123 yards and one touchdown.

The Tigers added another three points when Hunt kicked a 37-yard field goal with 8:31 left in the game to make it 26-3. Only Walker’s bomb to Stovall that made it 26-10 kept the game from being a complete rout in favor of the Tigers.

Whitehurst got the Tigers’ first touchdown of the game in the first half. With the Tigers at the FSU 1-yard line, he scrambled back to the FSU 10, then ran back to the left and dived into the end zone with 15 seconds left in the half to give the Tigers a 13-0 lead. He aided that drive when he completed a 51-yard pass to Kevin Youngblood with 1:17 left in the half.

Clemson got on the board early when Hunt kicked a 23-yard field goal with 8:25 left in the first quarter for an early 3-0 lead over the Seminoles. The Tigers were able to get to the Florida State 6, but after Whitehurst was unable to complete a pass to Youngblood in the end zone, Clemson went for a 23-yard field goal from Hunt.

After reaching the Seminoles’ 18-yard line on its next drive, Clemson again settled for a Hunt field goal, this time one for 35 yards as the Tigers went up by six with four seconds off the clock in the second quarter.

FSU’s standout rusher Greg Jones, a Battery Creek High graduate, was held to 12 yards on seven carries.

Saturday’s win over the Seminoles was the highest-ranked team Clemson has defeated and for the Tigers’ head coach, it may have been his, too.

“I think it’s probably the highest ranked team I’ve ever defeated myself,” Tommy Bowden said. “To beat my father, the winningest coach in college football, obviously they’re going to be well-coached.”

Gamecocks-Silver Foxes game story

Gamecocks finish 2nd in region with 3-2 win over Dutch Fork

By BEN LEDBETTER
Item Sports Writer

   Sumter took second place in Region V-4A with a 3-2 defeat of Dutch Fork’s baseball team Friday at Sumter High School.
   With the win, Sumter improves to 13-7 overall and 7-3 in the region while the Silver Foxes drop to 12-8 and 6-4. It also means the Gamecocks will have at least one more game at home.
   Irmo, which beat the Gamecocks 10-5 Thursday night, finished first in the region and will have the top playoff spot, while Dutch Fork finished third and Airport fourth.
   “We couldn’t be first in the region so the next best thing to that is second,” Sumter coach Brooks Shumake said. “We were able to accomplish that tonight. I’m proud of them.”
   The Gamecocks gave their coach reason to be proud in the bottom of the seventh inning with the score tied 2-2.
   Brooks Sinquefield, Sumter’s starting pitcher, led off hit a double to right centerfield. Justin Boykin, his courtesy runner, then stole third. Kevin Buckner then laced a base hit to centerfield, which scored Boykin for the winning run.

PREP SCHEDULE TODAY Varsity Baseball Laurence Manning in Hawaiian Tropic Tournament, TBA Varsity Golf Sumter in Palmetto High School Championship (Myrtle Beach), TBA Varsity Track and Field Sumter in Vance Relay (Charlotte), 9 a.m.

   Shumake said there was no big plans behind the game’s last play.
   “They threw him a fastball and he gets a base hit. That’s baseball,” he said. “There wasn’t any big-time strategy there.”
   Dutch Fork coach Al Berry agreed.
   “They just got the lead-off guy on and did a good job going with the pitch,” Berry said. “They did a good job scoring when they had to. It was all Sumter, not anything we could do.”
   Sumter first scored in an identical situation in the second inning. Buckner brought in courtesy runner Boykin, who was running for Sinquefield, on a single. Again like the seventh-inning situation, Sinquefield reached base with a double.
   After Buckner singled, Jon Caneda singled to bring Buckner home to give the Gamecocks a 2-0 lead.
   Dutch Fork led off the top of the fourth inning with a solo home run over the rightfield wall by Matt Arnold to cut the Sumter lead to 2-1.
   The Silver Foxes tied the game at two when Andrew Eckenbrecht, who reached base on a single and later stole second, scored on a single by Derek Burgess.
   Sinquefield got the complete-game win for the Gamecocks, holding the Silver Foxes to four hits and striking out five. Reid Danielson took the loss for Dutch Fork.
   Shumake said he will try to use Friday’s win as momentum with the playoffs still ahead.
   “Playoffs is a whole other season,” he said. “We’ll come out and work out Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and prepare ourselves. We’ll do a lot of review and a lot of fundamental work over all the phases of the game.”
   Shumake said he plans to have his team work on hitting and base running before the postseason.
   Sumter finished last season one game away from playing for the lower state title when Stratford defeated the Gamecocks in Goose Creek. With Sumter starting off the postseason at home for a change, Shumake said he expects a little more from his team this season.
   “Our guys have really risen to the occasion when playoff time comes around,” he said. “I expect our team, this year, will come out and battle every single night for a win in the playoffs.”

Published: Saturday, April 19, 2003

 

S.C. State Fair and Carolina-Kentucky football

State fair football games are always big. I've done college games in both Carolinas during state fairs, and they always tend to be a big draw. They also tend to be a big headache if you're looking for good parking.

Article published: Oct 8, 2003
Gamecocks gear up for showdown
By BEN LEDBETTER
Item Sports Writer

COLUMBIA -- The South Carolina State Fair won't be the only attraction in Columbia Thursday night. Right across George Rogers Boulevard, Williams-Brice Stadium will be full as South Carolina plays host to Kentucky at 7:45 p.m.

For Carolina coach Lou Holtz, playing on those days is a matter of helping out the Southeastern Conference.

"Some schools refuse to play Thursday night," Holtz said. "My feeling is, we're a member of the conference, we should do everything we can to accommodate the conference."

While he can figure out what he's going to do with the team when they travel to play Arkansas on Thursday, Nov.6, keeping a handle on his players' activities for a Thursday night home game will be more difficult.

"This is the first time I've played a Thursday game at home. It's not hard to know what to do with them when we're at Arkansas on Thursday night. But here, it's a little bit different." One thing's for certain, while the Gamecocks will be able to miss classes on Thursday, they will have to be there Friday.

"They won't go to class on Thursday," Holtz said. "We're still trying to figure out what we're trying to do with them.

"They'll be in class Friday, absolutely."

Kentucky coach Rich Brooks sees no disadvantage in playing the game against USC Thursday.

"I don't think there's any reason to not do that (play on Thursday), especially because both South Carolina and us had an off week," Brooks said. "It would be a lot more difficult if we were coming off a Saturday game. That would be a very rough turnaround. I think there are a lot more positives than negatives in this particular game for our program."

FRIENDS IN HIGH PLACES
There's more to Thursday games than accommodating the SEC, according to Holtz. One thing a nationally-televised game can do is help recruiting, especially since Holtz counts current ESPN commentator and former football coach Lee Corso as a friend.

"I think it's a good recruiting tool," Holtz said. "You're on TV. As long as Lee Corso continues to live in Orlando (Fla.), where I have a home, and as long as we continue to be good friends, it can be a good recruiting tool."

CAPERS IMPRESSIVE
While Holtz has said this week that the defense needs to improve, he praised the play of redshirt junior defensive end Jason Capers.

For the year, Capers has 12 total tackles, just five less than his total last season. In the Georgia game Sept.13, Capers had four tackles and his first career fumble recovery. He had one solo tackle and two assists, including a tackle for loss in the 23-20 overtime loss to Tennessee.

"Well, he's always been a pretty good athlete," Holtz said. "He's a little bit bigger, stronger, a little bit (more) mature and very good fundamentally now."

Capers' improvement is a direct contrast to Carolina's lack of defensive development, according to Holtz.

"That's what concerns me defensively," Holtz said. "Defensively, we're not getting any better fundamentally. Jason Capers really has. He's been an excellent athlete since he came out of high school. He is definitely one of our best 11 (defensive) football players right now."

JUST LIKE GOLF
Kentucky leads the SEC in red zone offense, having scored 14 of 15 times inside the opponent's 20-yard line, including 13 touchdowns.

South Carolina is second to last, one place ahead of league cellar-dweller Vanderbilt. The Gamecocks have been successful 12 of 17 times in the red zone, including 10 touchdowns.

Holtz compared reaching the red zone to playing golf. "If you reach a par 5 in two and 5-putt it, you have a double bogey," Holtz said. "Red zone offense is the same as your short game on a par 5. If you get down there and come away with nothing, you might as well not have gotten there. You could have punted it and given it to them on the 20. For us, we could have punted it from their 45 and got it to their 20."