Gilmer's Gospel

Five Players who will make a difference

     Ashlen Dewart, Dorman sr.: Dewart, who’s signed with Appalachian State, was named one of the top five senior players in the state – regardless of classification – prior to the season starting. She averaged 14 points and eight rebounds last season and was named all-region.
     Leslie Landrum, Chapman sr.: The point guard leads a talented backcourt for Chapman. She will be needed to lead the team, as the Panthers move into the 3A classification. She was named all-region last season after she averaged 12 points and three rebounds.
     Tiffanie Adair, Byrnes jr.: The junior forward was named all-state last season after she averaged 17.4 points and 9.2 rebounds. Adair will try to lead the Rebels, ranked No. 9 in the preseason, to a region title. Adair is one of the most athletic players around.
     Mykessa Glenn, Chesnee sr.: Glenn, a senior, is one of the best post players in the area. She averaged 16 points and 12 rebounds last season. She will be counted on to help the Eagles try to earn a playoff spot. She won’t have frontcourt mate Kimber Jackson, who graduated, to help her though.
     Kelly Mullins, Landrum sr.: Mullins is another athletic player who makes things happen. The guard/power forward was one of her team’s leaders last season as she averaged 8.1 rebounds and 13.7 points. She’ll have to put up similar stats (or better) to help the Cardinals make a run at the Region II-1A title.

Private School Player to See

Ashley Williams, Westgate Christian sr.: Williams signed with USC Upstate and they got a steal. She led her team to a Christian school state championship as she averaged 38.1 points, 5.6 assists, 4.6 steals and seven rebounds per game.

Team that can make a playoff run

     Byrnes Rebels – They won’t jump up and shock anyone (they were ranked No. 9 in a preseason poll), but in a region dominated by Dorman and Spartanburg recently, the Rebels are trying to become the third big-time program. They have good players and the potential to challenge some other good teams down the road in the playoffs.

Team that can make the biggest improvement

     Boiling Springs Bulldogs – And I’m not even talking about overall record. The Bulldogs won just one region game last season and that should change this year. They have a tougher non-region schedule which will make them better. They also have standouts Lanie Whitaker and Chanazla Petty to lead them.

New coaches

Only one new coach, as Darryl Sanders takes over the reigns at Blacksburg. The former player and assistant boys coach for the Wildcats, he will try to get the Wildcats a win, which they didn’t get last season. He’s coached the younger girls’ team at the school, so there are some players who already know his system.

Preseason Region Polls

Voted on by coaches in the regions

Region II-4A: 1. Dorman, 2. Byrnes, 3. Spartanburg, 4. Hillcrest, 5. Mauldin, 6. Boiling Springs.

Region III-4A: 1. Northwestern, 2. York, 3. Nation Ford, 4. Clover, 5. Gaffney, 6. Fort Mill.

Region III-3A: 1. Riverside, 2. Clinton, 3. Greer, 4. Chapman, 5. Union County, 6. Blue Ridge.

Region II-2A: 1. Southside, 2. Broome, 3. Chesnee, 4. Woodruff, 5. Carolina, 6. Palmetto

NOTE: The Region II-1A poll wasn’t submitted.

Statewide Preseason Top 10 polls

As selected by S.C. Basketball Coaches Association
4A
1. Dorman, 2. Orangeburg-Wilkinson, 3. Spring Valley, 4. Hartsville, 5. Greenwood, 6. Northwestern, 7. Goose Creek, 8. Irmo, 9. Byrnes, 10. Laurens.

3A
1. Lower Richland, 2. A.C. Flora, 3. Myrtle Beach, 4. J.L. Mann, 5. Travelers Rest, 6. North Charleston, 7. Dreher, 8. Seneca, 9. Darlington, 10. Lake City.

2A
1. Eau Claire, 2. Southside, 3. Pendleton, 4. Burke, 5. Lee Central, 6. Timberland, 7. Manning, 8. Keenan, 9. Strom Thurmond, 10. Bishop England.

1A
1. Hunter-Kinard-Tyler, 2. Bowman, 3. C.E. Murray, 4. Latta, 5. Calhoun Falls, 6. Blackville-Hilda, 7. Christ Church, 8. Academic Magnet, 9. Chesterfield, 10. Indian Land.

     The basketball regular season begins this week, so I thought it was time to give a quick rundown of local teams and players. Make sure to check out capsules for local teams in Sunday's and Monday's Herald-Journal and GoUpstate.com.
     Here's some more information, though, just to help you get ready for the upcoming season.

Five players who will make a difference

    Devin Booker, Union County sr.: The Clemson signee is a big-time inside presence. At 6-foot-8, he’s one of the biggest – if not, the biggest – player in the area. He averaged 18.6 points and 12.8 rebounds per game last season and was named all-region. He was named one of the top five seniors, regardless of classifications, in the state this year.
     Alex Wilson, Landrum sr.: Wilson was named one of the top five seniors in the 1A classification prior to the season. He averaged 14.9 points and 10 rebounds last season. The all-region player will have to help the Cardinals in scoring, with the graduation of Brandon Quarles.
     Josh Corry, Gaffney jr.: Corry made a name for himself last season as a sophomore shooter. He gets good looks at the bucket and knocks down jumper after jumper. While opponents will now be looking for him more, Corry is the type of player that will keep hitting shots. He averaged 14.4 points last season.
     Dijon Farr, Broome sr.: Farr will have to help the Centurions in the paint. Last season he averaged 9.4 rebounds and that’s where he’ll excel again this year. He’s tall, has a good vertical jump and knows how to take away balls from opponents (see: more than 15 interceptions in the past two seasons for the football team).
     Nori Johnson, Byrnes sr.: Johnson, the sweet-shooting guard, averaged 14 points and grabbed six rebounds last season. He was named all-region. He was named one of the top five seniors in the 4A classification going into this season. He helped the Rebels to a runner-up finish in the region last year and will try to push the Rebels toward a championship this year.

Private School Player to See

     Mason Crow, Spartanburg Christian Academy sr.: Crow has already eclipsed the 1,000-point barrier and will now try to add another conference player of the year trophy. He averaged 17 points and 6.2 rebounds last season. He’s a good all-around player and will have to be the team’s leader if the Warriors hope to win another SCISA title.

Team that can make a playoff run

     Chesnee Eagles – The Eagles advanced to the third round last season and have four starters back. Yes, they’re missing a few key players from last season, but DaJohn Rowland (sophomore point guard) is a year older and more mature and will turn into a key component for the Eagles. They finished second in the region last season and will again fight for that position in a region dominated by preseason No. 1 Southside.

Team that can make biggest improvement

    Blacksburg Wildcats – Last season should be forgotten, as the Wildcats won just one game. Improvement is a bit easier when that’s the case. Blacksburg returns five starters who got plenty of experience last season and took their lumps. Being back in Region II-1A will help, even though it is a tough basketball region.

No new coaches

     Last year there were a couple of new coaches who came into the area. This year, though, there are no new coaches at the public schools. That’s kind of weird, as usually there are two or three every year.

Preseason Region Polls

Voted on by coaches in the regions
Region II-4A: 1. Hillcrest, 2. Byrnes, 3. Dorman, 4. Spartanburg, 5. Boiling Springs, 6. Mauldin.

Region III-4A: 1. Gaffney, 2. Fort Mill, 3. Northwestern, 4. York, 5. Clover, 6. Nation Ford.

Region III-3A: 1. Union County, 2. Blue Ridge, 3. Greer, 4. Riverside, 5. Clinton, 6. Chapman.

Region II-2A: 1. Southside, 2. Broome, 3. Chesnee, 4. Woodruff, 5. Carolina, 6. Palmetto.

Region II-1A: 1. Landrum, 2. Christ Church, 3. Greenville Tech Charter, 4. Southside Christian, 5. Blacksburg, 6. Whitmire, 7. SCSDB.

Statewide Preseason Top 10 polls

As selected by S.C. Basketball Coaches Association
4A
1. Sumter, 2. Ridge View, 3. Hillcrest, 4. North Augusta, 5. Goose Creek, 6. Gaffney, 7. Fort Dorchester, 8. Greenwood, 9. South Pointe, 10. Richland Northeast.

3A
1. Myrtle Beach, 2. Daniel, 3. J.L. Mann, 4. Fairfield Central, 5. Georgetown, 6. Lower Richland, 7. Crestwood, 8. Dreher, 9. Union County, 10. North Charleston.

2A
1. Southside, 2. Burke, 3. Mullins, 4. Keenan, 5. Newberry, 6. Strom Thurmond, 7. Broome, 8. Central, 9. Eau Claire, 10. Pendleton.

1A
1. Calhoun County, 2. Hemingway, 3. Great Falls, 4. Baptist Hill, 5. Landrum, 6. C.E. Murray, 7. C.A. Johnson, 8. Timmonsville, 9. Nintey Six, 10. Estill.
 

Byrnes tailback Marcus Lattimore scored two of the Rebels' three touchdowns in a 24-13 win at Dorman on Friday night. (Photo by Alex Hicks)

    The Byrnes Rebels are back in the place where they’ve proven they belong – the state championship game.
     Friday’s 24-13 victory over Dorman was a better atmosphere than the game the first time they played.
     More than 17,000 fans were on hand and the place rocked.
     When Jazz King made an incredible catch – one where he was fall backward, snagged the ball and landed in the end zone – I got chills when the Byrnes crowd erupted.
     That’s what high school football is all about.
     The Rebels beat Dorman in the same way the Cavaliers won 13 straight, with a power running game that controlled the clock and with a defense that didn’t allow points.
     Dorman couldn’t get much offense happening. They couldn’t string together positive plays to get first downs and keep the Byrnes offense off the field.
     Byrnes finished with 274 rushing yards, compared to 252 rushing yards by Dorman and 80 of those came on one play.
     “Great calls. Great runs. Execution was the main thing,” Byrnes coach Chris Miller said.
     The Rebels executed plenty of big runs, as Marcus Lattimore had 144 yards in the first half and 268 for the game. In the process, he broke his own single-season rushing record.
     And the scary thing is, he’ll probably break again next year as a senior.
     “I didn’t think I was going to get it that much, but I knew I was going to get the ball,” Lattimore said after the game. “As we started getting more yards on every carry, we just stuck to it.”
     “They did a better job of stopping the run than we did,” Dorman coach Dave Gutshall said.
     Now the Rebels are headed back to a state championship game, this time in Clemson. The Rebels have won state title in five of the last six seasons.
     “Being able to play in three state championships, not many people can say they played in one throughout a high school career,” linebacker Daniel Cleveland said. “It’s just a great feeling.”
     And now the Rebels will try to win another title. What a feeling that would be.

     Today is a day to be thankful.
     So, what am I thankful for?
     Well, since this is a blog about high school sports, here goes:

-    good football
-    pressboxes with food
-    late deadlines
-    coaches who send in their stats
-    mileage checks
-    media credentials
-    photographers who nail the big vertical photos
-    people who drive my car while I write
-    readers
-    blog comments
-    a wife who understands when the phone rings at 11 p.m. and when I have to work nights
-    coaches who answer cell phones late at night
-    athletes who are great interviews
-    good music prior to games
-    someone else paying my cell phone bill
-    copy editors who lay out great-looking pages
-    last-second turnaround jumpers, two-point conversions, photo finishes, a slide at home and sudden death in wrestling matches
-    readers who call with good story ideas
-    referees and umpires – they may get yelled at, but they have to be there

     One thing that everyone reading this ought to be thankful for is the coaches who coach these athletes. They not only teach sports skills, but life skills. They’re surrogate mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters and make a difference in a lot of youths’ lives. I’m thankful to call a lot of them friends and thankful that they take their job and responsibilities so seriously.

     I’m also extremely thankful for readers who frequent this blog. Without you coming back day-after-day, there would be no reason for me to blog. You’ve made this one of the most popular blogs on GoUpstate.com and for that I’m very thankful.

     Please enjoy the day with your family and friends. I know I am.

     What are you thankful for today?

Maurice Gilliam has run for 1,048 yards. How many canhe get against a defense that allows just 35.5 yards per game? (Photo by Alex Hicks)

2A upper state championship

Woodruff (11-2) at Central (13-0), 8 p.m.

      On the air: WDRF 1510 AM

     About this game: This isn’t new territory for Central, as the Eagles played in the lower state championship last year. Woodruff, on the other hand, hasn’t made it this far in the playoffs since 1993. These two teams haven’t played since 1991, so there isn’t a big rivalry like the Dorman-Byrnes game. Instead, it will be two different looking teams playing each other. Woodruff wants to throw it – on every play. Central wants to run it – on every play. It will make for an interesting ball game. Both teams are loading with athletes. The winner of this game will play for the 2A state title next week at noon in Clemson. Though it’s a long drive (more than two hours away), there will be plenty of Wolverine fans at the game.

     What Woodruff must do to win: Woodruff has to have its air attack in attack mode to get this victory. The Eagles haven’t played many teams that throw it like the Wolverines do. Wide receivers Trent Bailey and Dominique Woodruff have to make plays against speedy defensive backs. More importantly, the offensive line for Woodruff has the biggest challenge. The front four for Central is a solid group, with a couple of all-stars. The o-line has to give quarterback Jake Lambert time to make plays. Lambert has had an excellent season. He has to be mobile, not get sacked and put the Wolverines in the right plays. No one has run well against the Eagles, but Maurice Gilliam needs to make a few plays on the ground to keep the Central defense honest. On defense, they have to stall Central’s running game to get the ball back to Lambert & Co.

     Said coach Brian Lane: “They look just like the Houston Oilers with Earl Campbell. And they don’t have one Earl Campbell, they have three. Just a very big, physical football team. Very much a throwback team.”

     What Central must do to win: Run, run, run. Woodruff allows a lot of rushing yards. Last week, Abbeville ran for 332 yards and still lost, mainly because the Abbeville defense couldn’t stop the Woodruff passing game. The defensive front at Central is stacked and those guys have to make it hard on Lambert to throw passes. If they can force him into bad throws, cause fumbles or interceptions, then the Eagles have a good chance to win. If not, Lambert will have time to pick them apart. Back to the running game, though, and the Eagles have to find someone to replace the injured all-star Travis Rivers (1,207 rushing yards, 17 TDs). They’ve used a committee of rushers to do so in the playoffs and they’ll need all of them again.

     Said coach Joey Mangum: “Looking forward to playing in the fourth round, but we aren’t looking forward to playing them. We wish we were playing someone that wasn’t too good. We’re really impressed with them after watching the film.”

     Players who will make the biggest difference: Trent Bailey and Dominique Woodruff: These wide receivers have to make big plays in order for the Wolverines to play for their first state title since 1991. They’ve combined for 99 catches and need to have a high number on Friday. If they do, it means the offense is rolling and points are being scored.

     Team Stats
     Points scored: Woodruff 499 (38.4); Central 462 (35.5)
     Points allowed: Woodruff 236 (18.2); Central 87 (6.7)
     Rush yards/allowed: Woodruff 136.3/161.9; Central 281.5/35.5
     Pass yards/allowed: Woodruff 245.3/72.4; Central 77.3/110.8

     Now it’s your turn. What do you think your team must do to win?


Jake Lambert has thrown for 33 touchdowns. How many will he throw on Friday? (Photo by John Byrum)