Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Playoff/week 11 preview

Amazingly, we are at the beginning of the playoffs in all South Carolina high school football classes except 4A, who has the final week of the regular season this week.

The season goes so fast. It seems like yesterday we were talking about Sertoma and who had the best looking teams for the upcoming season. Now, we have teams that have already been eliminated from playoff contention while others have a regular season game left plus playoffs. In this post I will try to talk about all the local playoff games plus our ending in 4A.

Last Friday night, the focus was on John McKissick winning his 600th game. It garnered a 4-page special section in Saturday's Charleston paper plus a mention by Chris Fowler and the guys on College Game Day, and a story that aired on SportsCenter that night.

There were many other compelling stories in last week's games, though. Wando bounced back. They played Cane Bay at Cane Bay in a game I attended. It was very close throughout the 1st half as the Warriors appeared bleary-eyed, turning the football over a couple times. Cane Bay actually led 10-7 at halftime before Wando poured it on with 26 2nd half points to win easily.

Goose Creek was no surprise, beating West Ashley, but the Wildcats covered the 67 point spread, only losing 52-7. Fort Dorchester got a big win over struggling Beaufort, and now faces Ashley Ridge, hoping to gain a playoff berth.

James Island had a chance for a home playoff game, but they are out of the playoffs instead after only scoring 2 points against Orangeburg-Wilkinson. They have had only two six-win seasons since Roddy White left in 2000, and one playoff win. Stall is also done for the season, along with a few other 1A teams.

In SCISA 8-man, St. John's Christian had a great season, finishing 9-1. They host Greenwood Christian Friday night in Moncks Corner. Cathedral Academy goes to W.W. King in what should be a good one, while Charleston Collegiate goes to Wardlaw Academy and Coastal Christian hosts Carolina Academy. All four 8-man games involve Lowcountry teams.

In 11-man class A locally, Holly Hill Academy goes to Bible Baptist in Savannah, while Dorchester Academy goes to Williamsburg Academy and Laurens goes to Colleton Prep and Leroy Riley, who's had a resurgence this year after several losing years at Colleton County.

In AA and AAA locally, Northwood Academy goes to Thomas Sumter, while Palmetto Christian goes to Florence Christian. Only one of our AAA teams is going to playoffs, Porter-Gaud. They go to Orangeburg Prep, on a nice 3-game winning streak to end the regular season, a team they lost to by just one at home in September.

4A's regular season is ending with some important games. Goose Creek and Stratford is for the region title. A bad night with a banged up QB for Stratford against Wando kept this from being a 10-0 vs. 10-0 matchup.

Houses will be divided, and it will be crazy at Fulmer Field Friday night. If Stratford pulls off the upset, they will get respect from the pollsters, and ruin Goose Creek's chance at an undefeated regular season.

A few miles away, Summerville and Bluffton will be playing for the Region 8-4A title. Will the monkey be off the Green Wave's back? Or will Bluffton complete a perfect regular season? Fort Dorchester is playing Ashley Ridge on Thursday night in an important game for the Patriots. If the season ended now, they would be on the road for a playoff game.

Wando hosts Sumter looking for a 10-win regular season, while Cane Bay plays West Ashley looking for a playoff berth and Colleton County hopes to break their long losing streak against Beaufort.

Playoff games should be interesting this week. In 3A, Hanahan hosts Gilbert. Hanahan is a big favorite in this game, with their only loss the second week of the year at Timberland. Gilbert is 4-6, coming off two losses to end the regular season.

Hilton Head goes to Strom Thurmond, whose only loss this year was to David Sills and ECA of Maryland in a game featured in Sports Illustrated. 4-6 Berkeley hosts against 4-6 Midland Valley. Berkeley won their final 3 region games to earn a playoff berth. Georgetown goes to Marlboro County. Those are the 3A games in our area.

In 2A Division I, Timberland has a bye; they will face the Marion-Wade Hampton winner, two teams with a COMBINED 3 wins between them. Ridgeland-Hardeeville goes to Edisto. Garrett goes to Lake Marion in what should be a tight game. Lake Marion has a Clemson signee in Mike Williams.

Battery Creek is a good surprise. They host Waccamaw Friday. They are 5-5 after the last two seasons, when they won only once combined.

In Division II, Bishop England has a bye. They host the Mullins-Andrews winner, while Woodland hosts Calhoun County. Academic Magnet had a winning season this year; they will go to Barnwell this week to play the Warhorses.

In 1A Division I, Baptist Hill hosts Estill. That should be a nice match-up, after the Bobcats lost at Estill 38-27 early in the year. St. John's, who took 3A James Island into the 4th quarter, goes to Johnsonville, while Whale Branch, who had a chance to win their region last week, instead goes to Allendale-Fairfax. Carver's Bay goes to Hemingway.

Division II has Branchville going to tough Lake View, while Military Magnet gets to host a playoff game at North Charleston against Denmark-Olar. Cross hosts Scott's Branch. Those should be all the games in the Lowcountry this week. I don't know if I missed one, but there's a lot of good football action on the pike.

If you want playoff brackets, go to http://schsl.org/2012Brackets/2012brackets.htm. You'll see the entire state's playoff brackets for all levels. For SCISA info, go to scisa.org.

Enjoy your games!

Saturday, October 27, 2012

Byron Jerideau hurt

Gamecock DT Byron Jerideau just got hurt for Carolina. Laying on the ground with a leg injury. Helped off field.

On training table having his right leg examined.

Marcus Lattimore suffers devastating injury

South Carolina RB Marcus Lattimore has suffered another devastating injury today against Tennessee. He has torn his ACL, maybe broken his leg. Any way you look at it, it is a horrible injury.

Confirmed: Lattimore's knee popped out of place but it got back into place quickly. He has a knee dislocation. "It's going to take a while obviously to recover and rehab this." "We're optimistic that his football days are still ahead of him," Spurrier said. He's optimistic about his recovery. "We all hope and pray he'll be back." Says there's a history of guys coming back from this type of injury.

Spurrier deferring questions on Sunday call to doctor and team trainer. Said team doc said could be a chance ML won't be back until 2014. Steve Spurrier: "Dr. Guy (team doctor) says there could be a chance but there could be a chance it could be two years down the road." 

He hasn't heard about any ligament tears or of broken femur with Marcus Lattimore. 

It remains to be seen if Lattimore could play in 2013. Mentions a medical redshirt as an option. Spurrier says Lattimore is doing better than he was yesterday.

Marcus will make his own decision on whether he comes back or not per Spurrier. 

Spurrier: Kenny Miles takes over as starting RB, Mike Davis will be the first backup.

UNCONFIRMED: From @BrianVanOchten, a Tuscaloosa, AL writer: The news on South Carolina's Marcus Lattimore is awful: Broken femur and all four knee ligaments torn. Such a shame. 

If you don't want to look at this, don't. From @jmaddox82.

Lattimore has a severe knee injury and will not be back this year. USC says that Marcus Lattimore has a "right knee injury" and will be re-evaluated later this week. He is out indefinitely.

Tomorrow, the official news from the university will come out about Lattimore's injury most likely during Coach Steve Spurrier's 2pm teleconference.




Last year he suffered a major injury against Mississippi State.

Friday, October 26, 2012

John McKissick wins 600th game

Summerville in South Carolina has one of the biggest legends in football history, Coach John McKissick.

He won his 600th game tonight over Ashley Ridge, 37-21, in front of an overflow crowd at Ashley Ridge. The Summerville players carried off Coach McKissick on their shoulders.

Photo from WCBD's @AndyWontor. 



His team also clinched a winning record on the year at 6-4. McKissick is 86 and has won 600 against only 143 losses and 13 ties.

He started at Summerville in 1952. 

His teams have included NFL players like Stanford Jennings, Kevin Long and A.J. Green. What an accomplishment for him and for South Carolina football.

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Sandy up to 100 mph

New Sandy Advisory: 90 mph, 24.8 N, 75.8 W. Moving NNW at 17. Midpoint has moved from Spray Beach, NJ to Sea Isle City. All of NJ, DE, MD, PA in the cone plus most of NY and CT.





Tyrann Mathieu and Jordan Jefferson arrested

Four former LSU players arrested on drug charges. Tyrann Mathieu, Karnell Hatcher, Jordan Jefferson and Derrick Bryant.

Intent to distribute marijuana, being booked into East Baton Rouge Parish jail now. News per WAFB in Baton Rouge.

15 bags of marijuana.

Per @PerrynKeys: Police report: Tyrann Mathieu, J. Jefferson, K. Hatcher and D. Bryant were arrested at 262 W. State. Just north of

From WAFB report:

 
At approximately 3:30pm Thursday, officers were dispatched to an apartment at 262 West State in Baton Rouge in reference to a complaint about a man attempting to force his way in to the complex through a security gate, police said. According to police news release: The man was confronted by a maintenance worker and words were exchanged. Before officers arrived the man had been let into the complex by a resident and was seen going into an apartment. When officers went to the apartment and knocked on the door it was answered by the resident, Tyrann Mathieu, age 20, police said.

"Officers immediately smelled a strong odor of marijuana and obtained consent from Mathieu to search the apartment", a police news release said. "Inside they found three other men, including the one who had allegedly tried to force his way through the gate. He was identified as Jordan Jefferson," police said. Police said the other two men were identified as Bryant and Hatcher.

Police said a search of the apartment found a marijuana grinder, digital scale and 10 bags of high grade marijuana. 7 of the bags were found inside Bryant's book sack, police said. All four men were taken into custody and arrested, police said.

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Week 10 HS football preview

This week looks to be one of the more interesting weeks in high school football this season. All classes except for 4A are ending their seasons this week, and the country's winningest football coach is gunning for a major milestone.

Summerville football coach John McKissick is going for his 600th win on Friday night. Summerville started the year 1-3. Many people thought this year wasn't going to be the year for win number 600. The Green Wave though have won 4 of their last 5 games, including a big win over Fort Dorchester.

They are perfect in the region at 3-0 and 5-4 overall. A win would get them to a game against Bluffton at Summerville for a region championship, and the 600th win for Coach John McKissick.


McKissick has a record of 599 wins, 143 losses and 13 ties in his career. He has been the head coach at Summerville High School since 1952. He is the winningest football coach in history. Ashley Ridge is a local rival though that hopes to spoil McKissick.

It is the final home game of the year, and they hope to get some semblance of pride from the season.

Ashley Ridge vs. Summerville football tickets will be on sale in the front office at ARHS beginning Tuesday morning. Adults - 6.00 and Students - 4.00 GET YOUR TICKETS IN ADVANCE!! Tickets also available at SHS, Gregg, Alston and Rollings. Game time: Friday, October 26th at 7:30pm. Location: ASHLEY RIDGE HIGH SCHOOL STADIUM "The Swamp" - because it's "just another home game."

The rest of the Lowcountry has some very interesting stories to talk about this week. Goose Creek tore apart Wando last week in their biggest home game ever. Stratford slammed West Ashley 65-22. Bluffton beat Fort Dorchester by 1 in a whale of a game. Ashley Ridge beat Beaufort to keep their playoff hopes alive.

Region 8-3A might be the most undecided region in the state. Hanahan has won the region, and Stall will finish last, but the rest of the teams in the region are fighting for playoff spots.

Berkeley, James Island, Orangeburg-Wilkinson and Hilton Head run the gamut of scenarios. All four of them could finish second in the region, hosting a playoff game, or they could miss the playoffs entirely. All can finish 3rd or 4th also. Berkeley has Hilton Head at home on Thursday night in my #3 game of the week. James Island has Orangeburg-Wilkinson on the road Friday. 

Berkeley beat Hilton Head tonight 52-33 clinching at least a #3 seed in the playoffs. This means that the James Island/Orangeburg-Wilkinson game will be a winner-take-all game. Winner is in the playoffs, loser is out. 


These four teams have 2 scenarios. Hanahan has clinched the region title.

IF--
berkeley beats hilton head and orangeburg beats james island:
hanahan #1(locked up)
Berkeley (3-2) #2 (has tie breaker over ow)
OW (3-2)#3
Hilton Head (2-3) #4 (has tie breaker over james island)
James Island (2-3) #5
stall #6 (locked up)

IF- berkeley beats hilton head and james island beats ow:
hanahan #1 (locked up)
James Island (3-2) #2 has tie breaker over berkeley
Berkeley (3-2) #3
OW (2-3) #4 has tie breaker over hilton head
Hilton Head (2-3) #5
stall #6

So there you have it.

In other regions, Baptist Hill has clinched Region 6-1A, and the top 32 teams in 1A go to the playoffs in 2 16-team brackets. St. John's and Cross will also be in the playoffs definitely, and Military Magnet might.

In 2A, all teams go to the playoffs. Bishop England though clinched their region with a win over Woodland last Friday night. Timberland and Lee Central will be in a battle for the Region 7-2A title.

I already explained our local 3A region, but in 4A, Bluffton and Summerville can play for a winner-take-all shot at the Region 8-4A title if each wins this week. Goose Creek can win the region this week if a couple things happen.

SCISA also has their last week of the season this week along with 8-man.

My top 5 games of the week are: 5) Wando at Cane Bay. A crucial game in Region 7-4A. Cane Bay hopes to get the Warriors napping after last week's emotional loss.

T-4) Hilton Head at Berkeley (Thursday) and James Island at Orangeburg-Wilkinson. Both of these games directly affect playoff races, so they will be exciting to watch, especially the Friday game when each team knows exactly what it has to do.

2) South Florence at Stratford. This might actually be an interesting game. Stratford is looking for another win to help their playoff positioning, after a big win against West Ashley last week. It's a rare non-region game near the end of the season. South Florence has won four of their six road games. This will be interesting.

1) Summerville at Ashley Ridge. I already talked about this game, but a chance at McKissick's 600th win makes it even more interesting.

Enjoy your games!

Sunday, October 21, 2012

Another shooting in Milwaukee area

Shooting reported near Brookfield Square mall in Brookfield, WI. Mass casualty situation. 5 casualties.

Took place near Azana Spa and McDonald's near mall. 4 people sent to hospital. Mall is 10 miles west from temple shooting.

Ambulances, flight, and police everywhere on Bluemound.

Friday, October 19, 2012

CofC to decide conference fate today

@KevinLive5: #CofC has determined it is in best interests to begin negotiations with

@SEisbergWCIV: gives president power to pay out the socon if they leave. Basically--cofc stands behind ad's decision pending vote

Week 9 high school football preview

Hard to believe that for the non-4A teams in the Lowcountry, there are only two weeks left in the regular season. High school football flies by every year. There's three weeks left for the 4A schools.

I was out of town last Friday night, but what I saw on my Twitter and Facebook feeds about the games were very interesting.

Wando did a great job against Stratford to move to 8-0. It was surprising how badly they beat them. Summerville, like I said last week, may be turning a corner. They are now 4-4. McKissick needs just two wins for 600 in his career.

Goose Creek had the best game of the week. National TV, against a big region rival, and they dominate over Cane Bay. 55-0 in a game that was over after a quarter. Hanahan impressed over James Island in the game I saw Thursday.

Berkeley is now 2-7 on the year, and has two must-win games, starting with Orangeburg-Wilkinson this week to try to make the playoffs. James Island faces Stall in their homecoming game, while Stratford and West Ashley play in a Region 7-4A battle.

This week will be a very good week, led by what may be the biggest game in the Lowcountry in years (and that's not an understatement).

5) Laurence Manning at Porter-Gaud (Thursday): A very important game in SCISA. Porter-Gaud RB Trey Pierce was named athlete of the week by Channel 4. Porter-Gaud had a big win last night 35-14 to go to 4-5 on the year and keep their playoff hopes alive.

4) Ashley Ridge at Beaufort. This is a very important battle in Region 8-4A. The winner still has a chance to make the playoffs, the loser probably is out. Beaufort got blown out during their homecoming. They will be looking for redemption. Ashley Ridge lost last week to Bluffton. They have to win out (@ Beaufort, Summerville, @ Fort Dorchester) to make it, and even then they may be a little low on points.

3) Hanahan at Hilton Head. This game lost a lot of its luster when Hilton Head lost last week to OW. If they had won, this game would have been for the region. Now, Hanahan has a hold on the region, and can clinch with a win I believe.

2) Bishop England at Woodland. A huge region game there.

1) Goose Creek at Wando. One of the biggest games in the last few years in high school football here in the Lowcountry. Highway 17 was supposed to be closed, but because of the game, it stays open. MaxPreps said it was one of the top 10 games of the week in the entire country.

Here is a link with their take on the game. http://www.maxpreps.com/news/article.aspx?articleid=018765e2-0e4d-40e7-af23-24af904eb1a8&page=4

This game means everything. The winner probably wins the region championship, while the loser might get to host two playoff games. All 3 local TV stations are going to be live from the game. Wando will be amped up for this game. You might have a record crowd at the stadium tonight. It will be a great game.

Enjoy your teams!

Thursday, October 18, 2012

SEC releases 2013 schedule

The SEC has released their 2013 regular season conference schedule.

Highlights: 2013 SEC sked highlights: Georgia hosts SCarolina Sept. 7 & LSU Sept. 28; LSU at Bama Nov. 9.

Next year's schedule:

ALABAMA
Sept. 14: at Texas A&M
Sept. 28: OLE MISS
Oct. 12: at Kentucky
Oct. 19: ARKANSAS
Oct. 26: TENNESSEE
Nov. 9: LSU
Nov. 16: at Mississippi State
Nov. 30: at Auburn

ARKANSAS
Sept. 28: TEXAS A&M
Oct. 5: at Florida
Oct. 12: SOUTH CAROLINA
Oct. 19: at Alabama
Nov. 2: AUBURN
Nov. 9: at Ole Miss
Nov. 23: MISSISSIPPI STATE
Nov. 30: at LSU

AUBURN
Sept. 14: MISSISSIPPI STATE
Sept. 21: at LSU
Oct. 5: OLE MISS
Oct. 19: at Texas A&M
Nov. 2: at Arkansas
Nov. 9: at Tennessee
Nov. 16: GEORGIA
Nov. 30: ALABAMA

FLORIDA
Sept. 21: TENNESSEE
Sept. 28: at Kentucky
Oct. 5: ARKANSAS
Oct. 12: at LSU
Oct. 19: at Missouri
Nov. 2: vs. Georgia (Jacksonville)
Nov. 9: VANDERBILT
Nov. 16: at South Carolina

GEORGIA
Sept. 7: SOUTH CAROLINA
Sept. 28: LSU
Oct. 5: at Tennessee
Oct. 12: MISSOURI
Oct. 19: at Vanderbilt
Nov. 2: vs. Florida (Jacksonville)
Nov. 16: at Auburn
Nov. 23: KENTUCKY

KENTUCKY
Sept. 28: FLORIDA
Oct. 5: at South Carolina
Oct. 12: ALABAMA
Oct. 26: at Mississippi State
Nov. 9: MISSOURI
Nov. 16: at Vanderbilt
Nov. 23: at Georgia
Nov. 30: TENNESSEE

LSU
Sept. 21: AUBURN
Sept. 28: at Georgia
Oct. 5: at Mississippi State
Oct. 12: FLORIDA
Oct. 19: at Ole Miss
Nov. 9: at Alabama
Nov. 23: TEXAS A&M
Nov. 30: ARKANSAS

OLE MISS
Aug. 31: at Vanderbilt
Sept. 28: at Alabama
Oct. 5: at Auburn
Oct. 12: TEXAS A&M
Oct. 19: LSU
Nov. 9: ARKANSAS
Nov. 23: MISSOURI
Nov. 30: at Mississippi State

MISSISSIPPI STATE
Sept. 14: at Auburn
Oct. 5: LSU
Oct. 26: KENTUCKY
Nov. 2: at South Carolina
Nov. 9: at Texas A&M
Nov. 16: ALABAMA
Nov. 23: at Arkansas
Nov. 30: OLE MISS

MISSOURI
Oct. 5: at Vanderbilt
Oct. 12: at Georgia
Oct. 19: FLORIDA
Oct. 26: SOUTH CAROLINA
Nov. 2: TENNESSEE
Nov. 9: at Kentucky
Nov. 23: at Ole Miss
Nov. 30: TEXAS A&M

SOUTH CAROLINA
Sept. 7: at Georgia
Sept. 14: VANDERBILT
Oct. 5: KENTUCKY
Oct. 12: at Arkansas
Oct. 19: at Tennessee
Oct. 26: at Missouri
Nov. 2: MISSISSIPPI STATE
Nov. 16: FLORIDA

TENNESSEE
Sept. 21: at Florida
Oct. 5: GEORGIA
Oct. 19: SOUTH CAROLINA
Oct. 26: at Alabama
Nov. 2: at Missouri
Nov. 9: AUBURN
Nov. 23: VANDERBILT
Nov. 30: at Kentucky

TEXAS A&M
Sept. 14: ALABAMA
Sept. 28: at Arkansas
Oct. 12: at Ole Miss
Oct. 19: AUBURN
Oct. 26: VANDERBILT
Nov. 9: MISSISSIPPI STATE
Nov. 23: at LSU
Nov. 30: at Missouri

VANDERBILT
Aug. 31: OLE MISS
Sept. 14: at South Carolina
Oct. 5: MISSOURI
Oct. 19: GEORGIA
Oct. 26: at Texas A&M
Nov. 9: at Florida
Nov. 16: KENTUCKY
Nov. 23: at Tennessee

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

4.5 earthquake centered

An earthquake has been reported in the Boston area. Breaking. Preliminary earthquake data from @bostonrandy: M4.5 4 centered 4 miles S of Lake Arrowhead, ME (90 miles N of NNE from Boston)

Boston Bruin Milan Lucic felt it, and it was felt in Keene, NH.

The earthquake's epicenter was 20 miles west of Portland, ME. Also felt in Topsham, ME, Brockton, MA, Dedham, Danvers, and many other towns.

The USGS page for the quake: http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/at00mc0dsp#summary

It was also felt in the New York area.  

Friday, October 12, 2012

Coastal Carolina basketball player kicked off team

According to Mark Haggard of WPDE in Myrtle Beach (@allzoner on Twitter) Coastal Carolina G Danny Nieman has been kicked off the team. He was arrested for DUI and hit and run late last night, and is in the J. Reuben Long Detention Center.

Big blow for the Chanticleers.

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Week 8 high school football preview

Week 8 of this year's high school football season is upon us. Amazingly, for most non-4A teams, only three games remain in their seasons. 4A teams have another week, but this season is closing fast.

Last week was a very interesting week around the Lowcountry. Several key players were injured or suspended for two of the top 4A schools in the Lowcountry, Stratford and Goose Creek. QB Jacob Park of Stratford was hurt. Tramel Terry of Goose Creek was also hurt, and Caleb Kinlaw was on a one-day suspension that precluded him from playing.

Many thought, including me, that Stratford would have trouble with Cane Bay. They didn't. Stratford won 28-6. Goose Creek was only up 14-6 at half over Carolina Forest, but exploded in the second half for a 56-6 win for their 20th win in a row.

Beaufort swallowed a tough pill to bitter region rival Bluffton, 34-10. Now they will go to Summerville. James Island disappointed in losing to Hilton Head, who has been a big surprise this year. They have five wins, mostly over lesser competition, but with a new coach, nobody expected them to be competitive like this.

Summerville pulled out another rabbit in their hat to defeat Fort Dorchester again. Berkeley succumbed to Hanahan in the Cruce Bowl, clinching another non-winning season unless there's a run in the playoffs. Bishop England also keeps on trucking, overwhelming Burke to go 6-1.

This week may be one of the best in several years. It is rare that a nationally-televised game between two region rivals is not the game of the week in the state, but this week that is the case. You have several big region battles.

5) Summerville at Beaufort. Did Coach McKissick pull a rabbit out of his hat with last week's upset of Fort Dorchester? We will find out. Summerville, left for dead before last week, now has new life. They are 1-0 in the region, and McKissick needs 3 wins for 600. He faces a 3-4 Beaufort team who struggled last week, but hopes to bounce back.

This will be a good one to watch. Watch for a lot of points on the board. It is Beaufort's homecoming, so their stadium will be packed.

4) James Island at Hanahan (Thursday). This is a big region game. Hanahan has already clinched a winning record at 6-1, and are a perfect 2-0 in Region 8-AAA. James Island has been a very interesting team to follow. Every game but the Bluffton game has been competitive in the 4th quarter, but they have gotten just 3 wins out of that.

They nearly upset Wando the first game of the year, and last week led by 9 late in the 3rd quarter before succumbing late. This week they go on short rest to Hanahan, who will be amped up for a Thursday TV game, like what most schools are. If Hanahan wins, they go to Hilton Head next Friday for basically a winner-take-all for the region. If James Island wins, the region is wide open.

3) Bluffton at Ashley Ridge: Bluffton is looking to gain whatever respect they have in the Lowcountry. They face their first 4A road game this week at Ashley Ridge. Ashley Ridge beat Colleton County last week, and at 1-0 in the region (even with just 2 wins overall), is playing for a high region finish.

Bluffton is looking for big wins in order to enhance their point situation for the playoffs. Their high-potent offense led by QB C.J. Frazier will be important here.

2) Cane Bay at Goose Creek (6pm Friday): This game, most weeks, would be one of the best in the Southeast. This week, it only shares best in the area honors. ESPNU is coming in to televise the game with Adam Amin on play-by-play. They televise games based on prospects, and Tramel Terry sure is one.

He opened up his recruitment, as he is a Georgia commit but he visited Clemson last week. He is one of the top recruits in the nation.






This week, they continue region play, hosting Cane Bay in probably the most exposed game locally since Summerville with AJ Green and Berkeley with Andre Ellington played FL schools in 2007 (both teams lost). This game will be a good one, as Cane Bay hopes to continue their very good first year in 4A. It will be a tough task though in this game.

1) Stratford at Wando. You rarely have two undefeated teams playing this late into the season. This game has been anticipated for several weeks. Both schools are 7-0. Wando has never had a season start this well, while it has been a decade (2002) since Stratford had a record like that.

It will be billed as the battle between two of the best QBs in the Lowcountry. QB Jacob Park didn't play last week for Stratford, but they still won easily over Cane Bay. QB Christian Hart won Post and Courier Offensive Player of the Week honors for his great performance against West Ashley.

They have been region rivals for years, and it is interesting to see them in such a huge game. The winner stays close to Goose Creek, and will have a huge battle ahead. Wando faces Goose Creek next week at Wando, while Stratford has a somewhat easier road (only West Ashley and South Florence) before their battle the final week of the regular season.

Enjoy your games!

Monday, October 8, 2012

Seven Mars Hill players arrested

Seven football players from Mars Hill College were arrested with theft after being shot at while at the Red Barn in Bryson City, NC.

The arrested players were Donald Neal Dwyer, two-way player Trey Clark, T. Banks (not listed on the football roster), LB Johnell Tate, DB Sammy Siasia, DL LaMarcus Thicklin, and another unidentified player.

This is a weird story.

To see more, go to http://wlos.com/shared/news/top-stories/stories/wlos_7-mars-hill-college-players-shot-at-arrested-9094.shtml


Friday, October 5, 2012

RIP Ronald Rouse

Very sad news out of Hartsville tonight. Hartsville DL Ronald Rouse died tonight due to a collapse he suffered from a hard hit against Crestwood.

Rouse was a 6'1 335 pound senior.



Here's a picture of him from Patricia Burkett of WBTW in Florence earlier in the game.


Tgrfan42069, who was at the game, said this on TigerNet. 






were all pissed at that fact.a fire truck arrived after 15 mins then the ambulance arrived around 5-10 mins later. That is a way long time to be laying on the ground with a stopped heart. Someone in the stands who knows people at the hospital was on his cell. Said they started his heart before they arrived at the hospital but soon after he coded (not sure what coded means) but I'm guessing his heart must have stopped again. The first time he collapsed he actual called a time out just seconds before he fell. Then he got up and was actually walking to the side lines with his arms over two coaches shoulders. Then his legs went limp on the side lines. Was a very hard situation to watch. Started to tear up especially watching his dad and mom on the side lines going ballistic watching their kid in that position and seeing that there was no ambulance there to take him to the hospital. I sense a law suit.

Rouse first collapsed while on the field just after a play at about 8:15 pm. Officials and team coaches attended to Rouse for several minutes and he was able to walk under his own power. As Rouse walked to the edge of the field, he collapsed again. This time, officials worked on him and gave him chest compressions. Later a heart defibrillator machine was used on him.






He was taken to Carolina Pines Hospital in Hartsville. Flags will be lowered to half-mast in Hartsville starting tomorrow.

"We are all definitely at a great loss, we're mourning with this family," Hartsville Mayor Mel Penington said.  "First and foremost we are deeply saddened by this. We can't imagine the pain this family is experiencing tonight. We are grateful to everyone who responded who tried to preserve his life, but sometimes these things are just in God's hands."

EMS arrived 15 minutes after he collapsed, as an AED (Automated External Defibrillator) was used to try to keep him resuscitated (via WPDE).
 
Hartsville has a perfect 7-0 record, and has been one of the best teams in the Pee Dee all season. 

Rouse had been a member of the Red Foxes team for the last four years, and was a starter this season.

Everyone in Darlington County, the state of South Carolina, and football fans in the United States needs to pray for him. Funeral arrangements are unknown.

RIP to Ronald Rouse.

Thursday, October 4, 2012

Week 7 high school football preview

Week seven of the high school football season is upon us. This year gets more and more interesting by the week. Timberland already took care of business last night, shutting out Lake City in the TV game.

Region 7-4A looks to be the most entertaining region in the state. Stratford, Wando and Goose Creek are all undefeated at 6-0. Wando has never been 6-0, and is looking to go 7-0 after a bye week last week. They travel to West Ashley tonight. West Ashley is looking to spoil Wando's season. With the competitive region (Cane Bay only has one loss), an 8-3 team easily could have to travel for a first round playoff game.

Last week, Goose Creek had an easy win against a decent team, Beaufort. The game was over before the 1st quarter ended, as GC won 65-14. They host Carolina Forest this week Stratford defeated Summerville in a road blowout, 49-17. Now they will face what may be their best opposition to date, Cane Bay at home.

This is the beginning of a huge 3-game stretch. Cane Bay, @ Wando, then West Ashley after that. South Florence follows, and if Stratford finds a way to win all 4 games, we could very easily have a match-up of 10-0 teams on Nov. 3 when Goose Creek hosts Stratford. That's a long way off though.

James Island also was impressive last week beating Berkeley at their homecoming. They have Hilton Head this week in another region game. Fort Dorchester goes to Summerville this week. Can the curse finally be lifted? That's one of several very good games.

Here's my top 5:

5) Ashley Ridge at Colleton County. Could Colleton County finally get their first win? Don't let the doodles line fool you. Colleton played a very good Cane Bay team last week and came within ten seconds of an upset win. Ashley Ridge (along with their fellow regionmates across town) has to be the most disappointing team in the Lowcountry.

They were predicted as the #2 team in the entire area (only below Goose Creek) by the newspaper. I know they lost a lot of players, but their only win is a 13-7 close call against West Ashley. If they want to save some semblance of success from their season, they need a win this week.

4) Fort Dorchester at Summerville. These two schools could play each other in tiddlywinks and there would be a crowd. Summerville is 2-4 this year, and suffered a tough loss last week. People aren't used to this. Fort Dorchester's last win in this rivalry was in 2001 at Memorial Stadium, the last Summerville losing season.

Can Fort Dorchester finally bring their fan base a win over the Green Wave? It'll be interesting. Overflow crowds will fill Summerville for this game.

3) Hanahan at Berkeley. The Cruce Bowl. Jeff Cruce has been having a really rough time since his bounce from Cane Bay to Berkeley after years at Hanahan. He can redeem himself here as the Stags are looking for their first region win and second win overall. He really needs it. Hanahan looks to be one of the favorites in Region 7-3A. At 5-1 and 1-0 in the region, they can put distance between themselves and the Stags.

2) Garrett at Academic Magnet. I usually wouldn't do this, but this game actually has intrigue in 2A. 4-2 (2-1) Garrett won in double OT over rival North Charleston, as they had their game postponed in the 4th quarter because of trouble from interlopers on campus. They are on a short week, but will be on a bundle of energy.

Academic Magnet is 3-3 after starting the year 3-0. They are 0-3 in the region. Every team in 2A makes the playoffs, but a goal for them is to get a winning season and a better seed. With their next 3 games at Ravenel Stadium, they should enjoy their home field advantage. HB Stuart Walters is a player to watch. You'll see him playing on Saturdays next year.

1) Cane Bay at Stratford. This game has A LOT of meaning. With Jacob Park a little banged up after an injury late in last week's game, Stratford cannot afford to look ahead to next week. Cane Bay has had an amazing turnaround from their beginnings in 2008, getting shut out in their first four games.

Now they are one of the better teams in the area. Stratford, with their playmakers on both sides of the ball, is looking to overwhelm the Cobras in their first region game. That won't happen. This game will be closer than you think.

Please support your local teams! 

Citadel's associate AD charged with soliciting prostitute

From Channel 5 WCSC in Charleston:

An associate athletic director at The Citadel was arrested in early September for soliciting a prostitute in North Charleston, according to a police report.

The report states Senior Associate Athletic Director Robert Paul Plunkett, 61, was arrested on Sept. 5 after he offered to pay an undercover cop posing as a prostitute for oral sex.

According to the report, Plunkett approached the officer in the area of Remount Road and Dobson Drive around 5 p.m. and offered her a ride in his blue Toyota. The undercover officer told him yes and "to meet with her on Leiderman Street," the report states.

Police say the undercover officer then "re-approached" Plunkett, who again asked her if she needed a quick ride. Then the officer asked Plunkett if he wanted oral sex in the car. Police say Plunkett replied "yes" and then told her he was looking to spend "$30."

He was later taken into custody. 

Plunkett is an administrator in the athletic department. He is a Citadel graduate in the class of 1973. In 2006-2007, he was the special assistant to President John Rosa.

He is also a member of the school's Advisory Board, whose goals are to influencethe lives of the young leaders of tomorrow who are the future of our state and nation, interactwith prominent faculty and administrators of the School and The Citadel,  and interactwith other individuals of exceptional personal achievement and reputation.

TCU starting QB arrested

From @NBCDFW: TCU starting quarterback Casey Pachall was arrested overnight Wednesday for DWI, Fort Worth police say. More coming.

According to TCU message board Killerfrogs:  almost hit a cop car among other things.....we may see more of Boykin than we expected.....

Update from Ralph Russo of the AP: TCU QB Casey Pachall suspended indefinitely after being arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated.

NBC 5 confirms that TCU Quarterback Casey Pachall arrested overnight for DWI in Fort Worth.

Details from KXAS:

Pachall was arrested near campus Wednesday night on a charge of driving while intoxicated.
According to the Fort Worth police, an officer observed a driver fail to stop at a stop sign when he pulled out in front of him on the 3000-block of W. Devitt Street shortly before 1 a.m. Thursday.  The officer also said the driver hit the curb.
The officer pulled the driver over and that's when he learned the driver was the Horned Frogs starting quarterback.
Pachall, 21, was arrested and his 2006 Dodge pickup truck was impounded.
NBC 5 has learned Pachall posted bond and was released from jail.
Pachal had lived in the same house with former TCU quarterback Tanner Brock,  who was among several players arrested last February for marijuana possession during a campus-wide drug bust.