GIRLS’ HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL
Aldred set to guide BA as head coach
Lillian Aldred is set to guide the Beaufort Academy girls’ basketball team in her first season as head coach.
Beaufort Academy ended the 2016-17 season 10-11 but returns six letter winners from its previous campaign.
Top returners for Beaufort Academy include senior guard Karolina Struharova and Kendall Duncan; sophomore guards Rebecca Frelin and Emily Ann Hiers sophomore center Amelia Huebel.
Beaufort Academy lost standout guard Mary Keane.
The Eagles’ 2017-18 schedule will include numerous games versus familiar opponents.
Coverage of the Beaufort Academy girls’ basketball team will be included in The Island News throughout the 2017-18 season.
HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL
Epps earns respect in sophomore season
Beaufort is home to another thriving high school football player. Beaufort Academy sophomore DeShaun Epps excelled throughout his sophomore season on his way to being named the SCISA 8-Man Player of the Year.
Epps led the Eagles offensively, putting up some of the state’s top numbers among high school football players.
The productive Epps rushed 162 times for 1,979 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Through the air, Epps hauled in 13 receptions for 363 yards and five touchdowns.
Epps amassed 2,431 all-purpose yards. Epps, who will enter the 2018 season as one of the state’s top high school football players, averaged 243 yards per game as a sophomore.
Along with Epps, teammates Jaxon Spratling, Will Warren, Edward McCormick and Daniel Richards garnered all-region honors.
Warrior fall banquet scheduled for Dec. 7
The Warrior Fall Athletic Banquet is set for 6 p.m. Dec. 7, at the Whale Branch Early College High School cafeteria.
Whale Branch fall sports teams, athletes and coaches will be recognized during the upcoming banquet.
The Whale Branch Early College High School football team continues to earn recognition for its 2017 season.
The following Whale Branch football players have been selected as All-Region 6-AA selections: cornerback Jaheem Hazel, cornerback Jordan Reeves, kicker Jhonathan Diaz, linebacker Jaheim Fripp, linebacker Kyshop Hipp, offensive lineman Anthony McVay, quarterback CJ Brown, running back Irvin Mulligan and safety Jamel Moultrie.
HIGH SCHOOL VOLLEYBALL
DeBardelaben signs with Southern Wesleyan
Battery Creek High School senior Mia DeBardelaben has made her college choice official, signing with the Southern Wesleyan University volleyball program.
Southern Wesleyan University competes in Conference Carolinas in NCAA Division II, which also includes King, Barton, Belmont Abbey, Mount Olive, Lees-McRae, Emmanuel, North Greenville, Limestone, Converse and Erskine.
DeBardelaben helped to lead the Battery Creek volleyball team throughout her senior season.
She was a four-year varsity starter for the Battery Creek Lady Dolphins, finishing her senior season with 142 kills, 60 blocks and 47 aces.
DeBardelaben has been a member of SADD club and Project Unify for four years and is president of the National Honor Society. She was a two-time Region 8-3A All-Region Player and team captain for the Lady Dolphin volleyball team.
DeBardelaben has also played for the Battery Creek girls’ golf team. She currently plays club volleyball for Low Country Volleyball Club in Bluffton.
The Battery Creek senior is the youngest daughter of Cedric and Debbie DeBardelaben.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Whale Branch graduate contributing for Tigers
The No. 4 Clemson football team clinched a spot in the 2017 ACC Championship Game by defeating Florida State 31-14 in Death Valley. With the win, Clemson improved to 9-1 overall and 7-1 in the ACC while Florida State dropped to 3-6 overall and 3-5 in conference play.
Whale Branch High School graduate Nyles Pinckney is contributing for Clemson. Pinckney, a defensive tackle, assisted on a tackle for the Tigers.
Offensively, the ground game powered the Tigers, as all four of Clemson’s touchdowns were via a run, one each from Kelly Bryant and Adam Choice and two by Travis Etienne. Bryant finished the game with 60 yards on 19 carries, and Etienne ended with 97 yards on 14 carries. On the defensive side of the ball, Van Smith led the way with an interception on what could have been the Seminoles’ go-ahead drive. Smith also had five tackles, and J.D. Davis and Christian Wilkins topped the Tigers with seven tackles apiece.
Clemson scored the only points of the first quarter with just under 3 minutes left in it when Bryant pushed two yards for his 10th rushing touchdown of the season.
Etienne found the endzone with six and a half minutes left in the second quarter, breaking through traffic and powering 28 yards to cap off a one-play drive, set up by a Ray-Ray McCloud 35-yard punt return. The Tigers finished the first half with a 26-yard Alex Spence field goal and took a 17-0 lead into halftime after limiting Florida State to just 46 yards in the first 30 minutes.
The Seminoles tallied their first points with just over a minute left in the third quarter when Jacques Patrick rushed three yards for a score that cut the Tigers’ lead to 17-7. Florida State then cut Clemson’s lead to just three points midway through the fourth quarter when James Blackman connected with Ryan Izzo for a 60-yard touchdown pass.
On the ensuing Clemson drive, the Seminoles forced and recovered a fumble, but Smith’s interception regained Clemson possession just one play later and paved the way for another Etienne rushing touchdown that put the Tigers up 24-14 with three minutes remaining in the game. Choice scored the Tigers’ final points of the matchup on a 10-yard touchdown run that ended a drive in which he amassed 28 of his 40 rushing yards on three carries.
Clemson will play its last home game of the season and Military Appreciation Day game on Saturday, Nov. 18 against The Citadel. Kickoff is slated for 12:20 p.m.
