Category Archives: Sports
Blue Flame see highs and lows in Smith’s final season
PICKENS — Moving into one of Class 4A’s toughest regions this season, the Pickens Blue Flame still managed to get close to .500 in head coach Chad Smith’s final season at the helm of the program.
Smith will be stepping down as head coach while remaining athletic director at the school.
The Blue Flame opened the 2022 season with a bang as they traveled to Iva in week 0 to take on Crescent. In a back-and-forth contest, the Blue Flame managed to come out on top 31-28 after a late sack by Landon McKinney dashed the Tigers’ hopes.
The Blue Flame kept the momentum going in their next matchup at home against
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Liberty comes up short in state title match
By Bru Nimmons
Staff Reporter
bnimmons@thepccourier.com
COLUMBIA — Entering Saturday’s Class 2A state volleyball championship against defending Class 3A state champion Oceanside Collegiate, the Liberty Red Devils knew they were in for a challenge despite not dropping a set for the entirety of the playoffs.
That challenge became real for the Red Devils early on, as the Landsharks took the first set 25-16 and jumped out to a 24-19 lead in set two. Facing the possibility of having to win three straight sets, Liberty head coach Carla Simpson called a timeout to try to rally her team. The
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This week in FOOTBALL FRENZY!
Daniel demolishes Southside to open playoffs 2B, Wave drop battle with North Augusta 3B, Liberty sees season end at Saluda 4B, Tigers fall apart against Notre Dame 5B.
All this and so much more in this week’s FOOTBALL FRENZY, exclusively in the Pickens County Courier NOW ON SALE! Get the print edition at a grocery, drug or convenience store near you. LOGIN AND SEE ENTIRE SECTION!
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Lions pull away from Southside after slow start
By Bru Nimmons
Staff Reporter
bnimmons@thepccourier.com
CENTRAL — After finishing the regular season strong, the top-ranked Daniel High School football team was expected to keep its momentum 
going in its first-round playoff matchup with Southside.
However, with two touchdowns called back due to penalties and some other uneven play, Daniel entered the second quarter on Friday night in a scoreless tie with Southside at Singleton Field.
From that point on, though, the Lions flipped the game on its head as they throttled Southside in a 49-14
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Easley season comes to an end at North Augusta
By Eugene Jolley
Courier Sports
news@thepccourier.com
NORTH AUGUSTA — Easley High School football coach Jordan Durrah knew that his team would have to be successful on third downs if the 
Green Wave were to advance in the Class 4A playoffs against North Augusta on Friday night.
The Yellow Jackets converted on 10 of 15 third-down plays and twice more on fourth down en route to a 26-14 win to end Easley’s season in the first round.
North Augusta will host Catawba Ridge in the second
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Red Devils fall to Saluda in first round of playoffs
By Matthew Kannarney
Special to the Courier
news@thepccourier.com
SALUDA — It was an emotional scene after the Liberty High School football team’s season came to an end Friday night at Saluda.
The Red Devils had just lost 43-7 to the Tigers in a first-round playoff game, and the reality that the season had just finished had begun to set in, especially for Liberty’s six seniors.
Not many know how it feels to walk off the field after the final game of their life. It is a moment of many emotions. Not only is it a heartbreaking experience, it is also a time of grateful reflection — not just on the years of work put in to the game they love, but also on the time spent with their brothers on the field.
“We’ve made progress as a program and tonight we saw what it was like,” Liberty head coach Paul Sutherland said after the game. “Our kids have never
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Tigers bullied by Notre Dame in first loss
By Will Vandervort
Courtesy the Journal
news@thepccourier.com
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Clemson defensive end K.J. Henry was pretty direct when he spoke to the media following the Tigers’ 35-14 loss at Notre Dame on Saturday night.
“We earned what we got tonight,” the senior said.
The Tigers (8-1) suffered their first loss of the year, and they earned it by playing bad in all three phases of the game. The offense turned the 
ball over two times, which led to 14 points. The special teams gave up a blocked punt, which directly led to seven points, while the defense gave up 263 rushing
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Liberty sweeps Gray Collegiate for first state title berth since 2014
By Bru Nimmons
Staff Reporter
bnimmons@thepccourier.com
LIBERTY — Nearly ten years removed from Liberty High School’s state championship loss to Bishop England, Red Devil head volleyball coach Carla Simpson and her team had a chance to make it back to the championship against fellow upper state finalist Gray Collegiate Academy and fulfill a pact made between Simpson and senior libero Kayden Elrod back in 2014.
“The last time we were at state, I have a picture of me and our libero Kayden Elrod when she was a just little thing,” Simpson said. “We’ve always said that we were going to make it back there before she graduated.”
When the final whistle blew in the Red Devil’s 3-0 upper state championship win over the War Eagles, the duo got to see their dream come true as Liberty will play in the 2A volleyball state championship for just the fifth time in school history on Saturday against Oceanside Collegiate Academy.
“It’s just so surreal,” Elrod said looking back on that moment with her coach after the Red Devil’s win. “I wasn’t even sure that I’d be playing volleyball still, but I’m here and I’m very excited.”
The Red Devils have every reason to be excited with their upper state win marking the culmination of an eight year odyssey to return to state including a rough stretch which saw the Red Devils miss the playoffs twice in a row while they were members of the 3A classification in 2018 and 2019. This year’s senior class came into Liberty High School as freshmen on that 2019 squad and Simpson is proud of the fight and determination the group showed
Pickens girls win state golf championship
HARDEEVILLE — After nearly a decade, the Pickens High School girls’ golf team reached the top of the mountain once again last week, taking home the Class 4A state championship.
Led by head coach Lem Blackwell, the Blue Flame took first place in the state tournament at the Golf Club at Hilton Head Lakes on Oct. 25, finishing 23 strokes ahead of the next highest finisher, defending state champion May River.
Natalie Turner shot a 155 and Ashton Moseley fired a 161 to lead the Blue Flame, earning all-state selections for their performances. Evie Harkins (163), Emily Hall (177), Ashley Anderson (98) and Rylee Reid (107) also competed for Pickens in the championship win.
The win marked the second state championship in program history, with the first coming in 2013.
The Blue Flame will lose Hall and Harkins to graduation this spring, but with both all-state performers returning, expectations should remain high for Pickens as it defends the title in 2023.
Devils sweep Ninety Six to return to Upper State finals
By Bru Nimmons
Staff Reporter
bnimmons@thepccourier.com
LIBERTY — After losing all-state players Chantzli Fowler and Kendall Meinders to graduation, it was easy to temper expectations for the Liberty High School volleyball team heading into the 2022 season.
“There was a lot of doubt going into the season,” Liberty senior Teagan Owens said. “From losing Kendall and Chantzli, it seemed like everyone thought there was going to be a dropoff.”
Those beliefs have proven to be anything but true, as the Red Devils took down former region foe Ninety Six 3-0 in the third round of the playoffs last
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