Category Archives: Sports
Lions survive Liberty on windy afternoon
By Bru Nimmons
Staff Reporter
bnimmons@thepccourier.com
CENTRAL — With winds reaching nearly 20 mph during Saturday afternoon’s Daniel-Liberty baseball game, nothing was made easy for either team.
Multiple times, time was called as infield dirt was scattered through the air and errors and wild pitches added up as wind altered the path of the baseball.
Despite the conditions, Daniel was able to withstand a late Liberty comeback for a 7-6 win behind a complete game from Luke McIntosh.
“We were in a bind,” Daniel head coach David Weathers said. “We didn’t have a ton of pitching left after the two games with Seneca, so Luke McIntosh came
out and competed his tail off and gave us a chance to win.”
While posting modest numbers on the mound, McIntosh excelled at controlling the damage for the Lions from atop the mound on a day where mistakes came in
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Green Wave outlast TR on diamond
By Bru Nimmons
Staff Reporter
bnimmons@thepccourier.com
EASLEY — After a controversial balk call in the fifth inning of Easley’s Monday night matchup with Travelers Rest allowed the Devildogs to pull within one run, Green Wave head coach Gill Payne challenged his team to fight to the finish.
The Green Wave did just that, working through two late-inning jams to get back on track in region play and win 4-3 to hand Travelers Rest its first region loss.
“I believe our guys got up and said ‘Enough is enough.’” Payne said. “They’re young and they make a lot of young mistakes, but they don’t give up.”
That lack of quit showed up twice in late innings, as starter Kaleb Owens delivered the Green Wave
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Blue Flame win streak continues against Rams
By Bru Nimmons
Staff Reporter
bnimmons@thepccourier.com
PICKENS — After not managing a single hit through three innings, Pickens High School head baseball coach Matt Smith advised his team to be patient in the batter’s box against Region I-4A foe Westside on Monday night.
“We had to make them come to us and get a little bit wild,” Smith said. “When we get guys on base, we put pressure on the defense.”
That approach immediately paid off for the Blue Flame, picking up their first run on an RBI triple by Reid Smith in the fourth, and the pressure seemed to mount in the fifth when the Blue Flame stranded runners at second and third.
From there, it was a downward spiral for the Westside pitching staff as Pickens was able to score four more runs in the sixth on an error, a passed ball and two walks in a 5-2 win.
“That’s the way the last couple of games have gone for us, dogfights until the fourth or fifth,” Smith said. “We just find ways and our guys just keep battling. Some games that we may have lost in years past, we’re finding ways to win those games now.”
Despite the lack of offense early on, the Blue Flame were able to stay in the game behind the arm of left-handed junior Aidan Stewart, but the game did not start in the junior hurler’s favor.
A leadoff four-pitch walk gave the Rams a runner early, and two batters later, Westside’s Noah Robinson drove home the run on single shot between shortstop and third. According to Smith, he was prepared to start warming up his bullpen, but Stewart had other plans.
“I knew I had to work my fastball more and more and get my curveball going,” Stewart said.
Stewart was electric the rest of the way and finished the night pitching 5 2/3 innings with seven strikeouts, two hits and the lone walk on the leadoff batter.
“He’s been lights out for the last three or four outings,” Smith said. “He’s won two games in a row for us and then came out and started the first region game tonight. Wasn’t pretty to start, but as soon as he settled in, he was almost unhittable. You can’t say enough about that kid.”
When Stewart was done on the mound, Blue Flame senior Ryan Ford took over, delivering four strikeouts and the save despite some late hiccups to cap off the 5-2 Pickens win.
The win gave the Blue Flame their third straight win to start the regular season, and more importantly a 1-0 start in region play.
Pickens 5, Westside 2
WHS 100 000 1 2 2 1
PHS 000 104 X 5 3 1
WP: Stewart 5.2 IP, 2H, 2R, BB, 7K
LP: Barbee 5 IP, 3H, 4R, 4BB, 5K
PHS: Smith 1-3, 2 RBI, 3B; Martin 0-1, 3BB, R.
WHS: Robinson 1-2, RBI, R; Telley 1-3.
Pickens’ Lucas inks with Francis Marion
PICKENS — Coming off successful seasons in basketball, swimming and volleyball, Pickens High School senior Caroline Lucas signed with Francis Marion 
University on Friday to continue her academic and athletic career in volleyball.
Lucas is best known for her play with the Blue Flame volleyball team, twice earning all-state honors and helping to lead Pickens to its first state championship since 2014 this fall.
In addition to her play on the volleyball court, Lucas stayed busy this fall, competing on the inaugural Pickens swim team.
Following her successful fall, Lucas moved to the basketball court, providing a strong presence in the post as she helped to lead the Blue Flame girls to their first playoff win since 2010.
Lucas will finish her career at Pickens this spring competing with the Blue Flame track and field team in the hurdles, javelin and high jump.
County teams compete at Foothills Track Classic
By Bru Nimmons
Staff Reporter
bnimmons@thepccourier.com
TAYLORS — Over the weekend, athletes from Daniel, Easley and Liberty high schools took part in the Foothills Track Classic at Eastside High School, with 
athletes from each school managing to take first in their respective events.
Daniel High had a solid day on the track, finishing eighth in the boys’ competition and 15th in the girls’ competition.
Junior Jaylen Brown-Wallace had the strongest day of the Daniel athletes, taking first place in the triple jump with a jump of 41 feet, 7 inches, nearly half a foot ahead of his next closest competitor. Brown-Wallace also took fifth in the long jump.
Daniel also saw Nasir Geer (shot put), Morgan Pounds (javelin), Ashby Williams (1,600 meter run) and Emma Worley (400 meter hurdle) place in the top five of their respective events.
In the relays, the Lions saw top five finishes in the 4×100 and 4×800 meter relays for both boys’ and girls’ and a fourth-place finish for the boys’ 4×400 meter team.
Easley had a strong day in the field, with an 11th-place finish for the Green Wave girls and a 10th-place finish for the Easley boys.
Easley’s Dylan Arnold was the top performer for the Green Wave on Saturday, finishing first in the high jump with a jump of 5 feet, 10 inches. In addition to the high jump, Arnold also finished among the top 10 in the 110 meter hurdles and triple jump.
Among Easley’s other top finishers were Christopher Clemons (110 meter hurdles), Colin Craig (discus), Jorja Fox (pole vault), Lydia James (discus), Aamari Kelly (triple jump) and Meya McKinney (triple jump), who all finished in the top five of their respective events.
Easley also saw two relay teams finish among the top five, with the girls’ 4×100 and boys’ 4×800 both taking fifth place.
Finally, the Liberty Red Devils had arguably the best day despite a limited number of athletes competing, taking ninth in the girls’ competition.
Savannah Welborn continued to build on her championship resume, taking first in the shot put with a throw of 37 feet, 5.5 inches. Welborn also took second in the discus with a throw of 103 feet, 6 inches.
Fellow thrower Kendall Meinders also had a strong day, with top six finishes in the shot put, discus and javelin throws.
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Daniel shuts out Wave
By Bru Nimmons
Staff Reporter
bnimmons@thepccourier.com
CENTRAL — Coming off back-to-back victories, the fourth-ranked Daniel High School boys’ soccer team hosted county foe Easley on Monday night hoping to keep its winning streak going.
The Lions accomplished that goal, outmatching the Green Wave 2-0, but Daniel head coach Phillip Boyer still sees 
plenty of room for improvement for his team.
“I think we’re still figuring ourselves out a bit,” Boyer said. “We know how we want to play and what we want
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Fight to the Finish
Bryson leads Easley past BHP in extras
By Bru Nimmons
Staff Reporter
bnimmons@thepccourier.com
EASLEY — In many ways, Friday’s game against Belton-Honea Path was a trial by fire for Easley sophomore Brayden Bryson during the Green Wave’s 2-1 extra-innings win.
With the game going into extras and rain making the chilly spring night downright frigid, Easley head coach Gil Payne called on Bryson to pitch for the first time this season. Bryson responded with three shutout innings on
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Bowden back in town
More than 13 years after coaching his last game in the county, former Clemson head football coach Tommy Bowden returned to his former church, Rock Springs Baptist Church in Easley, to serve as guest speaker at its 25th annual “Critter Cook” event on March 5. Bowden’s topic was biblical leadership. Bowden coached the Tigers for 10 years, compiling a 72-45 record, and returned to Memorial Stadium for a game for the first time since his 2008 resignation when Clemson honored his father, late Florida State coach Bobby Bowden, last fall.
Red Devils demolish West-Oak in five
LIBERTY — After a rough start to the Foothills Preseason Tournament, the Liberty Red Devil baseball team finished on a high note against West-Oak defeating the Warriors 11-1 as they move into the meat of the regular season.
The Red Devils lost three straight to kick off the tournament, but with Cole Garrick on the mound and a big day from the Red Devil bats, the Red Devils were able to upend the defending 3A state runner-up in five innings.
The game wasn’t always in the Red Devil’s favor, as West-Oak jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first inning off an RBI single by Braiden Moore. Liberty was unable
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New-look Lions blank Easley on pitch
By Eric Sprott
Courtesy The Journal
esprott@upstatetoday.com
CENTRAL — Coming off a historic season, the expectations for the Daniel High School girls’ soccer team are as 
lofty as ever.
But this isn’t exactly the same group of Lions who ran roughshod over most of their competition a season ago.
After finishing 17-2 and advancing to play for a state championship for the first time in program history last spring
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