Category Archives: Sports
Lions use strong start to wallop Woodruff
CENTRAL — After falling into old habits with a slow start in their playoff opener against Southside, Daniel head coach Jeff Fruster didn’t want to see a repeat with the Lions hosting the Woodruff Wolverines in the second round on Friday night.
“Our start was a little less than what our expectation was last week, so I challenged our kids to get off the bus,” Fruster said.
The Lions seemed to take the message to heart, as they whooped the Wolverines from wire to wire in a 55-17 win to advance to the third
round of the playoffs.
The biggest change from the previous week came in the play of quarterback Blaine Simons, who was able to attack
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Green Wave continue to grow in Durrah’s second season
EASLEY — Building a high school football program is certainly a process, but most casual observers would agree that Easley’s football program is definitely on the upswing.
Building off of last year’s home playoff berth, the Green Wave finished 6-5 in 2022, making the state playoffs for a second consecutive year after finishing fourth in the region.
There were some big wins — including late comebacks over J.L. Mann and Pickens — and there were some games where the breaks didn’t go Easley’s way.
Graduating 24 seniors who have played a lot of football, including several
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Liberty sees improvement in year two under Sutherland
LIBERTY — After winning just two games in head coach Paul Sutherland’s first season at the helm, the Liberty Red Devils took some big steps forward in their 2022 campaign, doubling their win total and making the playoffs for the first time under Sutherland.
The Red Devils’ turnaround began in week 0 as they traveled to Greenville to take on the Carolina Trojans. Led by a hard-nosed rushing attack from running back J.J. Hernandez and quarterback Peyton Reed, the Red Devils were able to jump out to a 17-0 lead in the first half. From there, the Liberty defense continued to hold up its end of the bargain by holding the Trojans to just 88 yards of offense in a 17-6 win.
The following week, the Red Devils played at home for the first time on the season, hosting Blue Ridge. The Liberty defense continued to look
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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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