HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL
BA student scores 1,000 career points
Kevin Williams scored a game-high 32 points to lead Beaufort Academy past Hilton Head Christian Academy 59-55 in a boys’ high school basketball game on Feb. 10.
Longtime rivals, Beaufort Academy and Hilton Head Christian Academy met for a late-season contest.
With the win, Beaufort Academy improved to 14-7 overall and 7-6 in the region.
The Eagles prevailed on Senior Night.
At halftime, Williams was honored for scoring his 1,000th career point.
Accompanying Williams in double figures for the Eagles, Luke Harper scored 20 points.
Thus far in his high school career, Williams has scored nearly 1,300 points. He was presented with a 1,000th point banner.
Frampton Harper, who posted 1,823 points as an Eagle, ranks as Beaufort Academy’s all-time leading scorer and was among those who helped to honor Williams.
With the loss, Hilton Head Christian Academy dropped to 9-14 overall and 6-7 in the region.
The victory allowed Beaufort Academy to halt a two-game losing skid.
Beaufort Academy was due back in action on the road at Hilton Head Prep on Feb. 13.
The Beaufort Academy-Hilton Head Prep boys’ basketball game ended too late to make this edition. More coverage of the Beaufort Academy boys’ basketball program will appear in next week’s edition.
Hilton Head outlasts Lady Eagles in overtime
The Beaufort High girls’ basketball team suffered a loss in its final regular-season game. Host Hilton Head High edged Beaufort High 57-54 in overtime on Feb. 9.
Determined Hilton Head High outscored Beaufort High 8-6 in an extra period to post the win. With the loss, Beaufort High concluded its regular-season season 13-11 overall and 3-7 in the region.
Hilton Head High ended its regular-season 15-9 overall and 9-1 in the region with the win.
Kamryn Jackson led Hilton Head High with 27 points. Two Seahawks reached double figures in the scoring column as Miley Ray posted 13 points.
Hilton Head High shot 83 percent from the free throw line, draining 30 of 36 foul shots. The Seahawks overcame 17 turnovers en route to the victory. Hilton Head High dished out a total of 23 assists.
Beaufort High featured the game’s leading scorer. Naijuia Moyd led the Eagles with a game-high 33 points. Moyd, who was the only Beaufort High player to reach double figures in the scoring column, drained 11 field goals.
Finishing one shot short of reaching double figures for the Eagles, Imari Smalls added eight points.
Terrayah Williams scored six points, recorded four blocks and pulled down 12 rebounds for the Eagles. Williams led all players in blocks and rebounds.
Beaufort High shot only 47 percent (7-of-15) from the free throw line.
The Eagles outrebounded Hilton Head 34-31 in the setback. Beaufort High, however, committed 21 turnovers.
Beaufort Academy drops game 48-44
Langley Harter led Colleton Prep Academy to a narrow region win over visiting Beaufort Academy last week. Host Colleton Prep Academy edged Beaufort Academy 48-44 in a region girls’ high school basketball matchup on Feb. 7.
Accompanying Harter in double figures for Colleton Prep Academy was Anne Garrett Carter.
The two familiar girls’ high school basketball rivals traded the lead several times during the game. Beaufort Academy owned a one-point advantage at halftime. But the Eagles couldn’t maintain an advantage over Colleton Prep Academy.
Homestanding Colleton Prep Academy pulled out to a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter before Beaufort Academy started to make a furious comeback, albeit too late.
Amelia Huebel, one of the state’s most underrated girls’ high school basketball players, led Beaufort Academy with her seventh double-double of the season. Huebel, the only Beaufort Academy player to reach double figures in the scoring column, finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds.
Becca Frelin and Karolina Struharova added seven points apiece for the Eagles.
Beaufort Academy shot only 22 percent from two-point range in the setback. The eagles were 3-of-10 (30 percent) from 3-point range in the game versus Colleton Prep Academy.
Eagles suffer 1-point loss to Cane Bay
The Beaufort High Eagles fell short on the road at Cane Bay in a boys’ high school basketball game early last week. Host Cane Bay managed to edge the Eagles 54-53 in a boys’ high school basketball affair on Feb. 7.
Beaufort High and Cane Bay are longtime boys’ high school basketball rivals.
With the loss, Beaufort High dropped to 11-9 overall and 5-4 in the region.
Cane Bay improved to 8-12 overall and 2-7 in the region with the win.
Cane Bay overcame a slow start to capture the victory. The Eagles couldn’t capitalize on a strong start. Beaufort High opened the game in impressive fashion, outscoring Cane Bay 14-9 during the first quarter.
But Cane Bay battled back to lead 29-24 at halftime.
The productive Cobras owned a 40-36 lead at the conclusion of the third quarter
Matt Garay, one of the area’s top boys’ high school basketball players, paced Beaufort High, scoring 17 points before fouling out.
The Cobras halted a six-game losing skid. Cane Bay posted its first win since claiming a hard-fought 58-56 victory over Hilton Head High back on Jan. 13.
Beaufort High finished third in the region and entered the week set to play on the road in the first round of the SCHSL Playoffs.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Bulldogs celebrate historic 2016 season
The Citadel football program celebrated its historic 2016 season inside McAlister Field House on Feb. 11.
The highlight of the banquet, which featured nearly 500 guests, was the presentation of the team’s 2016 Southern Conference championship rings celebrating back-to-back conference titles for the first time in school history. Head coach Brent Thompson addressed the crowd, thanking fans and administration for their support and the team for their efforts during the season, before displaying the ring design and allowing each cadet-athlete to open their ring box for the first time.
The program, which was emceed by The Citadel Athletic Hall of Famer Lee Glaze, featured the recognition of 58 lettermen from the 2016 season as well as the 20 seniors who played their final season for the Bulldogs. In addition, team captains Joe Crochet, Tevin Floyd, DeAndre Schoultz and Kyle Weaver were introduced. The Citadel also handed out individual awards, including player of the year for offense, defense and special teams.
The first awards presented were to linebacker Joe Crochet and offensive lineman Nick Jeffreys, The Citadel’s two Academic All-Americans. Crochet and Jeffreys are the first Bulldog pair to earn Academic All-America status in the same season, and Crochet is the first Bulldog to be named an Academic All-American in consecutive seasons since 1976-78.
Senior Tyler Renew was honored as The Citadel’s Offensive Player of the Year. Renew rushed for 1,096 yards, the seventh-highest single-season total in program history, and four touchdowns while adding five receptions for 120 yards and two touchdowns. He was selected as an All-American by STATS for the second straight year and earned All-Southern Conference recognition from the coaches and media. The Columbia native finished his career ranked fifth on the Bulldogs’ all-time rushing yards list with 2,828 and tied for eighth on the program’s all-time 100-yard rushing games list with nine.
Junior defensive back Kailik Williams took home the team’s Defensive Player of the Year award. Williams was selected as the Southern Conference Defensive Player of the Year by the conference’s media contingent, becoming the first Bulldog to take home defensive honors from the media since 1986, and was a first-team All-Southern Conference selection by the coaches and media. Williams finished the season with 103 tackles, tied for the third-highest single-season total in program history, with 10.5 for loss and 0.5 sack, two interceptions, five pass breakups and one forced fumble. The Ormond Beach, Fla., native turned in one of the best defensive plays of the year in The Citadel’s overtime win at Wofford with his “Pitch Six” return for a touchdown that tied the game with 5:57remaining in regulation.
The co-Special Teams Players of the Year were senior punter Will Vanvick and senior punt returner DeAndre Schoultz. Vanvick ranked second in the SoCon and 16th in FCS with his career-best average of 42.6 yards per punt, which also stands fifth on the program’s single-season list, and improved his standing on the program’s career punt average list to sixth with a mark of 39.6 yards per punt. The Greenville native was a second-team Academic All-District selection and a semifinalist for the Campbell Trophy. Schoultz was the first-team All-Southern Conference return specialist after averaging 11.9 yards per return, the seventh-highest single-season average in school history, and scoring one touchdown. The Aiken native ranked first in the SoCon and 10th in FCS in punt return average, and he moved into ninth on the program’s all-time career list.
A trio of offensive lineman won awards after blocking for the best rushing offense in FCS in 2016. Jeffreys was the recipient of the Brigadier Foundation Award for team before self. The Oklahoma City, Okla., native started all 12 games and was a first-team All-Southern Conference performer. Isaiah Pinson won the Citadel Football Association Blood & Guts Award. The offensive tackle from Wellford was named an All-American by Walter Camp, AFCA, STATS and HERO Sports and was a first-team All-Southern Conference performer in addition to winning the Southern Conference Jacobs Blocking Award. Kyle Weaver earned the Cal McCombs Award. The Hilton Head native was a second-team All-Southern Conference selection and earned All-Southern Conference academic honors for the third straight season.
Crochet took home the Ann Seignious Award for academic and football excellence. In addition to his Academic All-America honors, he also earned first-team Academic All-District and was named to the Fall Academic All-Southern Conference Team and the FCS ADA Academic All-Star Team. On the field, the Stone Mountain, Ga., native was a first-team All-Southern Conference performer with 45 tackles, including 12.5 for loss with 4.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and two quarterback hurries. His 11 tackles for loss in conference play ranked second in the SoCon.
Linebacker Trey Nelson was honored with the Linwood Sikes Award for outstanding effort. The junior from Beaufort appeared in all 12 games and recorded nine tackles. Defensive back Dee Delaney earned the J.B. Weber Academic Achievement Award after a consensus All-American season. The Beaufort native made a SoCon-best six interceptions, tying for third on The Citadel’s single-season list and for third in FCS in 2016, and had 14 total passes defended to rank fourth on the program’s single-season list and second in the SoCon. Delaney is set to graduate in May with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. Both Nelson and Delaney are Whale Branch Early College High School graduates.
The Bulldogs also recognized Scout Team Players of the Year, awarding Shy McPhail the offensive award, Adam Wawrzynski the defensive honor and Cody Floyd the special teams accolade. In addition, DaSean Daniels was honored for serving as the team’s Military Captain.
The end of the night featured a special announcement from senior wide receiver Rudder Brown, who joined his classmates to establish a new scholarship for The Citadel Brigadier Foundation. The scholarship is entitled The 2015 & 2016 Southern Conference Football Championship Teams Scholarship and will provide permanent income for scholarship support while increasing the endowment value. The scholarship will be awarded for the first time in the fall of 2017.
The Citadel completed a 10-2 campaign in the first season under Coach Thompson, who broke the program’s 100-year-old record for wins by a first-year head coach. The Bulldogs earned their second straight Southern Conference championship and tied the record for most SoCon wins in a season by completing only the seventh 8-0 conference mark in SoCon history. The Citadel broke the program’s single-season program record with six road wins, the most in FCS in 2016, and finished with the second-highest single-season wins total in school history.
The Citadel was awarded the No. 6 seed in the FCS Playoffs, earning a national seed for the first time under the current 24-team format, and hosted a playoff game for the first time since 1992. The Citadel ranked first in FCS in rushing for the first time since 1994 and the third time in program history.
