When the South Carolina 5A wrestling state tournament begins on Friday afternoon it will mark the first trip to the tournament for junior Drayton Wines and freshman Ayden Whisler as both wrestlers are making their first appearance at the state tournament at the varsity level. While both wrestlers will be competing over the two day tournament it will be on complete opposite ends of the bracket as Wines will be competing in the heavyweight division and Whisler will be competing at 106, the lightest weight class, which Boiling Springs head wrestling coach Lee Thomas said will make for quite an eventful two days.
"It's interesting having a 106 and 285 because they're going to be on the complete opposite sides of the spectrum," said Thomas. "I told them after the Upper State tournament that we're going to be bookending the state tournament as we'll be there at the very start and still be there at the very end." Wines is a three time Spartanburg County champion at the heavyweight class but because of injuries in previous years will be making his first trip to the state tournament. He is also a different type of heavyweight as most of the people that he wrestles against are taller than him but he says it is something that he believes he can use to his advantage. "I love my size because I think it makes people believe they're just going to walk through this kid but when they get to the mat they say this kid is a while different ballgame when they tie up with me," said Wines. "It gives me pride when I see the taller kids say to themselves that they can't believe they loss to this shorter kid." Whisler will be only the second Boiling Springs freshman to ever make it to the state tournament when he starts competition this weekend. He says that the unknown has caused some nervousness heading into his first state tournament. "It's nerve wracking because I don't know what to expect and I know everyone there is going to be really good," said Whisler who has had quite an impressive season this year. "It feels like such a huge accomplishment for myself to get from where I started before the season to now competing at the state tournament." Coach Thomas says that he has been proud of senior Matthew Sanders, who finished fourth a state last year, who has really worked with the freshman this week to prepare him for the state tournament. "I have to give a hats off to Matthew Sanders who was All-State last year and has really worked with Ayden," said Thomas. "Even though he didn't make the tournament himself this year he has come back in here every day this week and worked with Ayden to try and get him ready for this tournament." While the two wrestlers will be competing on complete opposite sides of the state tournament Wines says it's going to be an experience that they're both going be going through together to the very end. "With Ayden being a freshman and myself making my first trip we're going to go through this together," said Wines. "We're going to go through it as brothers and teammates through the rest of the season. Hopefully we'll get to bring home a medal and a ring." The two day tournament will begin on Friday and run through Saturday at the Anderson Sports and Entertainment Center in Anderson, SC. On Tuesday night the Boiling Springs lacrosse team used a 6-0 first half run to defeat Riverside 12-9 and picked up their first win of the 2020 season in front of their home crowd on the opening night of the state's lacrosse season.
"I'm so proud of these guys because they worked hard throughout the summer and fall and a I think a lot of their work is coming to fruition," said Bulldogs head lacrosse coach Justin Mills. "It's a young group and I couldn't be happier for us to start the season with a win." A victory looked like it may be tough for the Bulldogs early as they fell behind 1-0 in the first minute of the game and were down 2-0 just a few minutes later. At the six and a half minute mark the Bulldogs picked up their first goal of the season when Connor Bates found the back of the net to cut the Warriors lead in half. That goal started a 3-0 run over the next thirty-eight seconds that not only brought the Bulldogs into a tie but allowed them to take a 3-2 lead. The tying goal was scored by Riley Alfonso before Bates took a shot from the right side just seven seconds after Alfonso's goal to give the Bulldogs the lead. With just under two minutes left in the quarter Alfonso scored his second goal of the game off an assist from Lucas Olson to give the Bulldogs a 4-2 lead but they added to that lead just a minute later when Brock Davis found the back of the net giving Boiling Springs a 5-2 lead at the end of the first quarter. Boiling Springs extended their run to 6-0 just under a minute into the second quarter when Mathias Oslund put the Bulldogs lead at 6-2 over Riverside. The Bulldogs run was ended when the Warriors were able to score with just under eight minutes to go in the quarter but the Bulldogs Oslund got the goal back with just over five minutes to go in the quarter to give Boiling Springs a 7-3 halftime lead. The 6-0 run for the Bulldogs was key in giving Boiling Springs an advantage that they would need going into the second half. "This team has never been battle tested like they were there early and I told them this was a good team we were playing and it was going to take four quarters of effort to win it," said Mills. "Our goal coming out of the locker room was to win the first quarter and even though we got down 2-0 early we battled back. It was a great win but the way the kids battled back makes it an even better win." Alfonso picked up his third goal of the game for Boiling Springs just three minutes into the second half giving the Bulldogs an 8-3 lead. After the Bulldogs goal the Warriors went on a 3-0 run of their own from just under nine minutes in the third quarter to just over the seven minute mark to cut the Boiling Springs lead to 8-6. Boiling Springs responded with two back-to-back goals from Micah Oslund and Eli Byrd to push the Bulldogs lead to 10-6 and despite a late Riverside goal held a 10-7 lead at the end of the third quarter. Just as the clock passed the eight minute mark in the fourth quarter Riverside was able to score a goal to get within two of the Bulldogs at 10-8 but just two minutes later Luke Caldevene made a break up the middle of the field bouncing a shot pass the Warriors goalie putting the Bulldogs lead back to three at 11-8 with just over five minutes left in the game. When the clock went under four minutes Riverside was able to score again to put the Boiling Springs lead at two but that goal was neutralized fourteen seconds later when Boiling Springs' Brock Davis stole a Riverside pass just outside the Warriors goal and found the back of the net to give the Bulldogs a 12-9 lead that they were able to hold until the final buzzer sounded. Despite some runs in the second half by the Warriors the Bulldogs were able to hang on for the win something that Coach Mills said he was proud to see of from his team. "I told the guys in the locker room that Riverside would go on a run and they went on that three goal run," said Mills. "Our seniors stepped up on defense. Eli Byrd and Micah Oslund stepped up as they possessed the ball and we got shots and that's all you can ask of from the team." Riley Alfonso led the Bulldogs with three goals while Lucas Olson led the Bulldogs with three assists. The Bulldogs will return to action on Friday night as they travel to Spartanburg before returning home next Wednesday for a matchup against Dorman. 2020 Boiling Springs Bulldogs SoftballThe Boiling Springs Bulldogs softball team enters the 2020 season with a lot of high expectations as the team will be returning seven of out of nine starters from last season's team including three All-Region players. "We're really excited about this year coming off last season," said Bulldogs head coach Randy Piazza. "Last year we were relatively young but halfway through the season we won six out of our last seven region games got into the playoffs and had a good run there as well. The good news for us is that the majority of last year's team is returning." A key factor for Boiling Springs this season is they will return their pitching and catching combination as All-Region junior pitcher Olivia Hall as well as All-Region junior catcher Ragan Bristol will be returning to lead the pitching attack for the Bulldogs. While the combination have a lot of experience mowing down batters for the Bulldogs they also play on the same travel ball team which has only grown the trust each player has for the other when battling in games. "We play travel ball together so we have grown up playing on the same team together," said Bristol. "We have that mindset where you trust me and I trust you. We try to communicate to each other what's working and what isn't without allowing the batter an opportunity to realize what we're trying to throw them." Hall reiterated that playing on the same team together all these years has helped her know exactly what pitch Bristol will call during the game. "When I'm catching a rhythm with my pitches it gives me a tremendous confidence knowing what she's going to call," said Hall. "I know that when I hit my spot that the ball is going to go where it's supposed to and our defense will take care of making the play." While Hall will be the Bulldogs primary pitcher Coach Piazza is also excited about his other pitching options left hander Hailey Owens and eighth-grader Bri Stanley, who also was named All-Region last season, that will only add depth to the Bulldogs pitching throughout the season. "We have Olivia, Bri, and Hailey that will all contribute to the team this season from the circle at some point,' said Piazza. "Having different options at the pitching spot to show other teams can really cause the other team problems and I wouldn't be scared to throw any of our three pitchers against anyone." Owens and Stanley will also see time at first base as well as other positions on the team throughout the season. The only two positions that the Bulldogs will not see starters returning is third base where they look to replace Grace McKinney, who is starting for Converse this season, and at centerfield where they will have to replace Zoey Stewart. While the Bulldogs were young last season they still are young this season as they only return one senior in right fielder Abbie Threatt who recently committed to play college softball at Union College next season. The Bulldogs will compete once again in Region II-5A, which is considered by most people to be the toughest softball region in the state of South Carolina, and the their goal is the same as always to once again compete for the region crown to set themselves up for a good spot in the 5A playoffs. "You always want to get one of those top two spots because it keeps you from having to go on the road early in the playoffs," said Piazza. "It's big to be up there at the top of this region and I'd have to say I'd be disappointed if we weren't one of the teams competing for one of those spots this season." Boiling Springs has a lot of lofty goals this season but pitcher Olivia Hall broke down their expectations to a very simple explanation. "Our goal this season is to win, win, win," said Hall. "And then we back that up by winning again." The Bulldogs will kick off their regular season on March 10 in a home matchup against the Gaffney Indians. 2020 Boiling Springs Bulldogs BaseballWhen baseball season begins every season it usually comes with some lofty goals for the Boiling Springs Bulldogs and the 2020 season will be no different as they enter the season as the preseason number four team in the SC 5A baseball polls. While expectations are high for the Bulldogs from outside sources with the rankings, Boiling Springs head coach Jeff Lipscomb says that his expectations are to have his team come out each game and compete. "My expectations are for these guys to come out and compete a lot better than we did last year," said Lipscomb. "Last year we were ranked higher than we are this year and we felt like we could just show up and beat people. You can't be like that and we have preached to them this offseason you have to come into every game and be ready to compete each game. We told them since the final game was over last year that this year was going to be different and we've worked hard this offseason." The Bulldogs finished last season with a 13-9 overall record with a 9-7 region record coming out of one of the strongest baseball regions in the state, Region II-5A, and will look to improve on that record this season. Boiling Springs will be returning four starters from last season and feel confident that the mixture of veterans and youth will be a strong point for the team this season. While the expectations for the coach are for his team to compete each night the players have a few loftier expectations and look to back up the preseason hype. "I think our main intention is to win state this year," said senior Aaron Thomas, a Wofford baseball commit. "Its been our goal since we started in the program and we want to end our time in the program on top." Thomas' thoughts were backed up by fellow senior Mason Foy who added, "Our goal is the same as every year, to win state." In the early part of the season the Bulldogs think that their biggest strength of their team will be their pitching staff which helped lead them to win the IP Classic in Georgetown, SC last season. One of the key members of that pitching staff will be senior Ben Hutchins, a Citadel baseball commit, who came home with the MVP award from the IP Classic last season. Hutchins will be joined on the Bulldogs pitching staff this season by fellow senior Mason Foy as well as junior Will Holmes along with sophomores Tristan Smith and Ashton Smith. Hutchins believes that if the Bulldogs will stick to the plan of competing each night they can reach their ultimate goal. "If we just take it one pitch at a time and compete every night we can reach our final goal of the state championship," said Hutchins. "We loss a lot of games late last year by one and two runs. We just got to compete more and execute better in those final innings." At the plate the Bulldogs will be counting on the experience of seniors Hutchins and Thomas as well as from Vance Wagner and Davis Starnes. They also expect to get a lot of production from newcomers Avery Stuart, Jimmy Rosegrant, and Will Holmes. Boiling Springs coach Jeff Lipscomb says that he is excited about the upcoming season and what this team of Bulldogs can accomplish. "The expectations for the 2020 season are high," said Lipscomb. "Each player has put in a tremendous amount of work in the offseason and I feel like it will pay off in a very tough and competitive region. All this offseason we have put in the work to be mentally tougher this season and you need that with the region that we play in and the non-region schedule that we play. Hopefully at the end of the day we'll be there in the end." Boiling Springs will start the regular season on March 10 when they host Gaffney but prior to that they will look to repeat their performance from last season at the IP Classic in Georgetown from March 5th to March 8th. 2020 Boiling Springs Boys LacrosseThe Boiling Springs boy's lacrosse team will enter the 2020 season looking to use their experience from last season and look to have an exciting season improving on their fifth place finish in the region last year. "The 2020 season looks to be an exciting run for the team," said Bulldogs head coach Justin Mills. "We're going to be returning several key players on both sides of the ball." One reason for the Bulldogs to be excited this season is that they will be bringing back nine starters from last season, five from offense and four on defense, and two of those players will be returning All-State player Conner Bates and second team All-Upperstate player Micha Oslund. Bates was not only named All-State but also was named All-Region first team and the Upperstate faceoff player of the year after having a .753% at the faceoff X. Bates will be joined on the offensive attack by Micha Oslund, a Lander lacrosse commit, who compiled thirty goals and five assists in 2019. Bates and Oslund will be joined in the offensive attack by fellow returners Mathias Oslund, Riley Alfonso, Luke Olsen, and Jayden McIntyre. On the defensive side of the ball the Bulldogs will be led by Eli Byrd, a Mars Hill commit, who accumulated fifty-three ground balls last season. Byrd will be joined on the defensive side by fellow returners Adam Dulske and Ethan Westall. The Bulldogs will also look to build on their outstanding play from last season in the cage from their goalies Andrew Hollifield and Jake Lipscomb. With many starters returning from last year the Bulldogs will get look to get key contributions from sophomores Ethan Westall, Mathis Oslund, and Micah Horton. With so much returning talent coming back the Bulldogs are looking forward to the community coming out and joining them on their journey this season. "It's going to be an exciting season," said Mills. "Come on out and support the lacrosse team as we make this run in 2020." 2020 Boiling Springs Girls LacrosseThe Boiling Springs girls lacrosse team goes into the 2020 season with a young team but with lots of quality leadership that the team hopes will help it improve on their record from last season. The Bulldogs finished last year with a 4-11 record but with a new crop of players joining the team they hope to improve on that record as the popularity of the sport in the state continues to increase as well. "We have a young team this season but our leadership is strong," said Bulldogs head coach Michelle Lockwood. "We are extremely lucky to have hard working athletes who will set a positive example for the younger players." The Bulldogs will have four returning starters including All-Region selection from last year Tori Rochester. They will also look to get key contributions from returners Madelyn Robinson, Kylie Bridges, Mary Bartell, and Sara Patton who they hope will form a strong leadership nucleus for the Bulldogs. With the team being very young the Bulldogs will be looking to get some key minutes from a lot of newcomers including Brianna Mitchell, Brooke Dimery, Sarah Garner, Emily Kang, and Paula Melton. While the Bulldogs roster will be full of a mixture of new players and returning players so will Coach Lockwood's coaching staff this season as she will have a returning assistant coach along with a brand new assistant coach this season. "I am excited about our coaching staff as well," said Lockwood. "We have coach Melissa Greenlee returning again this season while we have also added coach Kirk Minton to our team this year." While there will be a lot of unknowns going into the 2020 season for the Bulldogs, it is a season that they are really looking forward to this year. "We're looking forward to this season," said Lockwood. "We are eager to see what the Bulldogs can accomplish this season." 2020 Boiling Springs Boys GolfWhen the 2020 season starts the Boiling Springs golf team will be looking to claim their fifth state championship and with all their players returning from last season the Bulldogs hope that's exactly how the upcoming season will end. "These young men have been working hard in the offseason and been really competitive in South Carolina junior golf," said Bulldogs head coach Josh Pruitt. "I fully expect to contend for our fifth state title this season." The Bulldogs finished last season in third place at the region tournament and backed that up with a seventh place finish in the state tournament. The Bulldogs oldest player last season was a sophomore and their seventh place finish at the state tournament was led by eighth grader Andrew Gregory who finished tied for twelfth place in the individual competition. Boiling Springs hopes that another year at the varsity level will only help to improve the performance of Gregory, Zach Phillips, Davis Hill, Easton Keller, and Walker Greene as they work towards another state championship. "In 2020 I look to see a more mature and experienced team this season, while still young, compete to win at every event," said Pruitt. "We have a difficult tournament schedule and are in a tough region. However, this will help us to continue to grow and be more competitive in the postseason." Boiling Springs will play two preseason competitions at Carolina Country Club and Greenville Country Club before starting their regular season on March 9th in the Rebel Invitational to be held at River Falls Country Club. 2020 Boiling Springs Girls SoccerThe Boiling Springs girls soccer team have some high expectations for the 2020 season with fourteen upperclassmen returning from last year's team and they hope that experience can lead the team to their first ever region championship. "We're looking to take the next step in accomplishing our goals in 2020," said Bulldogs head coach Jonathan Burnett. "Last season we had a lot of memorable moments and we hope to build on those." Last season the Bulldogs won ten plus games for the second straight year in a row including winning the championship at the York High School tournament and defeating eventual co-region champion Riverside 1-0. In a very tough soccer region the Bulldogs earned the fourth playoff seed from the region where they fell to Fort Mill. This season the Bulldogs return three All-Region players and bring back a lot of experience on both sides of the ball. On defense the Bulldogs return All-Region goalkeeper Cora Brendle and All-Region defender Elaine Sprinkle while in the midfield they return All-Region midfielder Kate Johnson along with midfielders Aiaina Brown, and McKenna Wilson. On the offensive end the Bulldogs will also return Sami Ewing and Skylar Young. Even with fourteen upperclassmen the Bulldogs will expect to get lots of contributions from their underclassmen if they are going to accomplish their goals for this season. Boiling Springs will start their regular season at the Viking Cup in Spring Valley where they earned an invitation to participate in the tournament that boasts the top 32 teams, no matter of class, in the state of South Carolina. After the tournament the Bulldogs will enter right into region play where they travel to take on Byrnes. "Our hopes of a very first ever region championship are as strong as ever this season provided we play our best every game," said Burnett. "We will get a good test out of the gate at the Viking Cup as we'll open the tournament repeat state champions JL Mann." The Viking Cup will start the Bulldogs regular season and will be held from February 28 - March 1 at Spring Valley High School in Columbia. 2020 Boiling Springs Boys SoccerThe Boiling Springs boys soccer team will look to make it to the playoffs in the 2020 season after falling just a game short last season and will have new leadership to help lead them there as the team welcomes a new coach this season. The Bulldogs return three seniors this season including last season's defensive player of the year Anthony Ruiz, goalkeeper Jason Murray, and Victor Valdivia. They hope that the experience of these seniors will help lead the Bulldogs in a very tough region season. Boiling Springs will also be led by new coach Jack Underwood who is an alumni of the school and has lots of coaching experience at the club levels. The Bulldogs look to compete once again this season in a very tough region and hope to be a part of the 5A playoffs when the regular season ends this year. 2020 Boiling Springs Boys TennisThe Boiling Springs tennis team will look to continue the growth they started last season and build on that in the 2020 season. "In the 2020 season I expect for our team to continue growing in each individual position," said Bulldogs head coach Caleb Weathers. "We also look to continue in growth in competitiveness in the region which is arguably one of the best in the state." The Bulldogs will have to replace All-Region number one player from last season Joey Wert as well as Paul Owen who was their number three player from last season. As far as replacing Wert, the Bulldogs will have number two player from last season Clayton Elder stepping up to lead a young and competitive Bulldogs team. "We have a large and competitive team coming back this year," said Weathers. "Clayton Elder brings a range of experience to this team." Boiling Springs will start their season on March 5th and March 7th as they co-host a preseason tournament, the Sparkle City Invitational, with Byrnes High School. They will also compete once again in the two day Furman Invitation tournament at Furman University. "This team has a lot of potential," said Weathers. "I am excited to see what all we accomplish by April." 2020 Boiling Springs Track And FieldThe Boiling Springs track team will look to build on a twenty-second place finish at the 5A state tournament last season as they enter the 2020 season.
Boiling Springs track will be under new leadership this season as Wenzler Butler takes over control of both programs. He has served as a coach at USC-Upstate, where he helped build the program to national recognition, and is now taking over his third high school program (with stints at Greenville High and Spartanburg Day) all of which he led to multiple region championships and runner-up finishes at the state championships. The Bulldogs will be strong in their long distance events this season as they return four seniors in Jake Skory, Nathan Fish, Kendall Little, and Josh Steadman who they believe will form a strong 4X400 relay team as well as strong leadership on this year's team. These runners will look to replace the contributions that the Bulldogs got from Kade Gosnell last season. They will also look to get key contributions from juniors Trey Bailey and Ethan Rennels. Rennels will lead the team in discus and shot put where he made the state qualifying meet last season. Bailey will lead the team in long jump, triple jump, and high jump this season. With the graduation of a lot of sprinters from last season, including current Limestone runner Caden Peeler, the Bulldogs will look to a lot of young runners to step up and contribute this season for the Bulldogs. The boys team will look to be in the mix all season long as they plan to be competing for a top three spot in the county and region meets this season. "With the sprints being the youth of our team but a very competitive group," said Bulldogs head coach Wenzell Butler. "The team will rely heavily on the experience of the distance, jumps, and throwing squads especially early." The girls side of the program will be a team to watch in the 2020 season as the team had fourteen different athletes advance to the state qualifier meet in five different events. They will be looking for young athletes to step up and replace the leadership of Madyson Coombs and Jada Wilson who they loss to graduation last season. The Boiling Springs girls will be counting on senior Kaihah Sctott to help lead the sprinters group along with sophomore Tautyunna Littlejohn. In the distance events they will look to sophomore Emily Sen who has improved her times in the 1600 and 3200 events this offseason. Junior Taylor Lockett will be competing in a lot of events for the Bulldogs this season as she competes in five different events including the 200, 400, and high jump. They will also look to get some key contributions from a newcomer to the team but a name familiar to Bulldogs basketball fans as senior Arissa Edwards will join the Bulldogs track team running sprints this season. "Arissa joining the track team could be huge for the team," said Butler. "She's a very powerful runner in the 100 and 200m that will add even more depth to the Lady Bulldogs sprint squad." They will look to be competitive in the county and region meets this year as the team is deep as it have ever been. They will look for a lot of young athletes to score points early and build confidence for the team as they battle towards their ultimate goal of the State Championship Meet. On Friday night four Lady Bulldogs basketball seniors laced up their basketball shoes for the last time at home and they made sure that they were going to leave with a victory as they accounted for twenty-five of the team's points in their 39-33 victory over the visiting Gaffney Indians. The seniors contributed all over the court on Friday night and even before the game started as senior point guard Arissa Edwards delivered an impressive rendition of the national anthem before the starting lineups were even announced. "It was so satisfying to get this win for those seniors," said Boiling Springs head coach Dwayne Lytle. "They worked hard and we've been in some battles all year. To see how we were down early and come back to win it was just a great way for us to win that game." The Bulldogs got the scoring started when senior Arissa Edwards made a running shot down the middle of the lane to give Boiling Springs and early 2-0 lead. From that point on the two teams battled throughout the rest of the quarter with Gaffney holding an 8-7 lead when the buzzer sounded to end the first quarter. In the second quarter the Indians put their lead at 10-7 early but a deep three-pointer by Edwards from the left side tied the game at 10-10 but Gaffney soon responded with a three-pointer of their own to retake the lead at 13-10. A few minutes later Boiling Springs retook the lead on a deep three-pointer from the left wing by junior Laisha Labra giving the Bulldogs a 15-13 lead. The game was tied at 16-16 with just under a minute to go in the half but Bulldogs senior Meghan Scharpenberg, whose had a knack for making big shots this season, made three out of her four free throw shots in the last minute to give Boiling Springs a 19-16 halftime lead. In the third quarter the Bulldogs outscored the Indians 11-6 behind seven points from Edwards to claim a 30-22 lead at the end of the quarter. Gaffney wasn't going to go down without a fight though as they went on a 9-2 run over the first three minutes of the fourth quarter to put the Bulldogs lead at 32-31. The Bulldogs finished out the game on a 7-2 run thanks in large part to their pressure defense that forced the Indians into turnovers throughout the game. Bulldogs senior Kelby Lyles had four steals for the Bulldogs defense followed closely by Edwards with three steals of her own. Arissa Edwards, Meghan Scharpenberg, Jordan Scharpenberg, and Kelby Lyles, the four seniors for the Bulldogs, combined for twenty-five points, twenty rebounds, and eight steals on Friday night. Edwards led the way with fifteen points while Meghan Scharpenberg scored seven points of her own. The group of seniors has left quite a mark on the Bulldogs program and the continuing building of what they want this program to become. "This senior group is a testament of what we're trying to build here in Bulldog nation," said Lytle. "When we came here five years ago we were determined to change the environment and brick by brick we have been building that. These seniors are a part of those bricks and we were just glad they could go out with a victory." The Bulldogs will be submitting a resume to the playoff committee to hopefully get a spot in the upcoming 5A playoffs and it's something Coach Lytle hopes will happen to give him another opportunity to coach this group of seniors. "We're putting in our bid for an at-;large bid tonight and I've hopefully been living right so we can get that spot," said Lytle. "So hopefully if the good Lord blesses us we can get one more opportunity to coach this group again." Boiling Springs Boys Rally Falls Just ShortThe Boiling Springs boys basketball team trailed by more than twenty points in the third quarter but were able to get within five points in the fourth quarter before eventually falling 55-44 to Gaffney on Friday night.
Both teams struggled shooting the ball early as Gaffney scratched their way to a 7-2 lead over the Bulldogs at the end of the first quarter with five of their points coming from junior Undre Lindsay. In the second quarter Gaffney outscored the Bulldogs 20-10 once again getting an impressive performance from Lindsay who scored six points for the Indians while Boiling Springs was led by senior Cameron Bocksteigel who had four of the team's ten points. In the third quarter Gaffney was able to push their lead to twenty points early but then Boiling Springs junior Corey Johnson found his shot scoring eleven points in the quarter and getting the Bulldogs within fourteen at 45-31 when the third quarter ended. Boiling Springs opened the fourth quarter on a 10-1 run thanks to a pressure defense and clutch shooting from Brylie Marcum to put the Gaffney lead at 46-41 with just over three minutes to go in the game. The Indians then went on a run of their own as they finished the game on a 9-3 run that was capped by a breakaway dunk from Lindsay to give Gaffney the win. Gaffney was led on Friday night by Lindsay who led all scorers with twenty-one points and they also got a double digit point night from Landon Bullock who scored ten points for the Indians. Boiling Springs was led on offense Friday night by junior Corey Johnson who scored eighteen points with three rebounds and two steals. Sophomore Brylie Marcum finished second on the scoring sheet for the Bulldogs as he scored eight points all coming in the final quarter. On Tuesday night Boiling Springs guard Meghan Scharpenberg picked up her 1,000th career point in basketball on a three-pointer from the corner, a milestone that according to Bulldogs head coach Dwayne Lytle has only been accomplished one time before by a Lady Bulldogs player (Hall of Famer Sheila Foster being the first). Neither accomplishment is a first for Scharpenberg this season as she has hit many big time three-pointers for the Bulldogs this season, including a game winner against number nine in the state Byrnes, as well as passing the 1,000 mark in her career as just this fall she also accomplished the feat in volleyball with her 1,000th career dig.
"It's an awesome feat to be able to accomplish but it still hasn't sunk in what that accomplishment means," said Scharpenberg. "I didn't do it alone though as I had my sister helping me along the way and my coaches as well. Everyone on the team has been so supportive and I haven't once felt like an outsider here. Also passing that mark on a three-pointer makes it ten times better because it was on a shot that fit my style." If the feat isn't impressive enough on its own the Bulldogs senior also is accomplishing the feat in her first year at the school as just this summer she and her family moved to Boiling Springs from Michigan when her father got a new job in Spartanburg. Accomplishing the goal was special for Scharpenberg but said what made it even more special was that she accomplished both with the help of her twin sister Jordan Scharpenberg who was a member of both the volleyball and basketball teams when Meghan accomplished both feats. "It's helped me a lot in this transition to have my sister here with me," said Scharpenberg. "I always have someone there to talk to and she is more social than I am so it makes it easier with her there." Jordan Scharpenberg said that it has been great being able to be right alongside her sister as she accomplished her athletic accomplishments. "It's been great to see her accomplish all this as I've been watching her from the beginning when we first started playing at five years old," said Jordon Scharpenberg. "I love seeing the spotlight on her because she deserves it. She's worked so hard to get here putting in so many hours on and off the court." She said that the transition to Boiling Springs wasn't just about getting used to a new town or a different type of game on the court but getting used to a much bigger school than she was used to in Michigan. "It was different because Boiling Springs is a lot bigger than my old school was as my old school had forty people in my class," said Scharpenberg. "With that though has come a lot more opportunities for me to play better teams here and to build my skills." While adding a senior transfer to a team could sometimes be a problem Boiling Springs head coach Dwayne Lytle says it hasn't been a problem at all mainly because of the person that Scharpenberg is off the court. "Her basketball skills are amazing but the reason she's able to accomplish that feat is because of the person that she is when people aren't looking," said Lytle. "She's always the last one shooting the ball in practice along with always being coachable and respectful. It's who she is that makes the difference and I'm so glad my girls got to see what a total athlete is because you can be a great athlete on the court but if your character is not up to par nobody wants to help you accomplish goals like this." Coach Lytle laughed telling the story about his first time meeting Meghan when she first approached him about playing basketball for his team despite some of his players already letting him know she was wanting to play. "I remember the first time I met her she walked in to talk to me about playing basketball in sliders after getting out of volleyball practice," said Lytle. "I told her to run a dribbling drill which she done well and then I told her to take a few practice shots. After I saw her shoot the basketball I told her 'Yeah I think we might have a spot on the team." When Friday's game against Gaffney arrives the Boiling Springs basketball team will be holding their senior day ceremonies for all their senior basketball players and Coach Lytle said it will be a hard one for him to say goodbye to Scharpenberg and only regretted he hadn't had the opportunity to coach her for all four years. "Meghan and her sister are amazing people to coach," said Lytle. "I just wish I would of had them for all four years." On Wednesday morning in front of family, coaches, and teammates ten Boiling Springs athletes signed to continue their athletic careers at the college level next season.
Boiling Springs football had the most commitments on Wednesday with three players signing and the first player was kicker Tanner Robbins who committed to play at Limestone next year. Robbins is a two sport athlete with the Bulldogs and on the football field this past season tied the school record for longest field goal when he kicked a fifty yard field goal against Spartanburg in a huge Homecoming victory for the Bulldogs. ”I really like Limestone because it’s close to home and gives me an opportunity to get my Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees,” said Robbins. “I’m happy to be carrying on the kicker tradition here at Boiling Springs but I’m looking to build my own legacy.” The Bulldogs football team also saw Wyatt Bartkowiak and Marquise Graves commit on Wednesday as Bartkowiak will play for Wofford and Graves will play at Ramah Academy in Rock Hill next season. Bartkowiak is a two sport athlete in both football and track where he was a two time letterman but missed his senior season of football due to an injury. ”I’m looking forward to a new experience,” said Bartkowiak. “The whole team there is like a brotherhood and family.” Graves is a two year letterman in football who this past season was named All-Region and selected to play in the North-South All-Star football game. Graves said that he chose Ramah because of the future opportunities that it gives him. ”I like Ramah because they’re a JUCO school that will allow me to reinvent myself and transfer to a D-I or D-II school,” said Graves. “The program is a rather new one being around since 2014 and they play a lot of other JUCO schools.” Boiling Springs baseball also had two commitments on Wednesday but this one comes with a little bit of a rivalry as Aaron Thomas committed to play at Wofford and Ben Hutchins committed to play at The Citadel. Thomas is a four year starter for the baseball team and an exceptional student with a 4.8 GPA. Thomas said that the familiarity with Wofford is what weighed most on his decision. “Wofford just really fits my personality,” said Thomas. “With my brother going there I kind of know the footprint of things there. When I met the coaches I just really liked them and thought they were the right people to be with.” Hutchins is a three year starter for the baseball team who also holds a 4.5 GPA and was named the MVP of the IP Classic last season. Hutchins said that his life after The Citadel is what really went into his decision. “The Citadel is a great school for both academics and athletics,” said Hutchins. “The Citadel has a great reputation for the students they produce” Both Thomas and Hutchins are already getting into the rivalry between the two schools exchanging some friendly jabs at the signing day. ”It’s going to definitely be a fun next four years of coming out on top against The Citadel,” Thomas said with a laugh. That comment was quickly responded to by Hutchins with “I’m not sure how it’s going to go since we haven’t played against each other since we were seven but I know I’m going to make it difficult on him because I know who to hit it at.” The Bulldogs lacrosse programs had two players commit on Wednesday as Madelyn Robinson committed to Converse College and Eli Byrd committed to Mars Hill University. Robinson, who will serve as a captain this season, has been a four year starter on the Boiling Springs girls lacrosse team says that her plans have led her to Converse. “Everything that I have planned out has led me to Converse,” said Robinson. “I like that the team is a newer program and the coach is putting everything in she can to make it the best program.” Byrd is a four year letterman for the Boiling Springs boys lacrosse team and has also worked hard in the classroom registering a 4.25 GPA. Byrd says that the location is what first sold him on Mars Hill. “I really fell in love when with the land when I first visited Mars Hill as the whole school is on top of a mountain,” said Byrd. “Every visit I just got closer to the team and I just felt like I belonged there.” Boiling Springs also got commitments from three very successful sports teams in the school as softball, golf, and cheerleading all had a player commit on Wednesday. Abbie Threatt, a member of the Boiling Springs softball team, signed to continue her athletic career at Union College next season. Threatt is a four year letterman for the Bulldogs where she helped the team win the region championship in 2018 along with capturing district championships in 2017 and 2018. ”Union found me at a tournament where they liked my arm and when I went there to visit I really liked the campus,” said Threatt. “They have really built a good team and I look forward to being a part of it.” Gracie Greene, a member of the Boiling Springs girls golf team, committed to continue her career at Lander University next season. Greene is a four year letterman where she’s helped the team win region in each season and also finish second and third at the state championship tournaments. ”When I stepped on Lander’s campus I just felt like I was at home,” said Greene. “The golf program is a newer program but the faculty and all were so great when I visited there.” The final player to commit on Wednesday was Tori Rochester who committed to continue her cheerleading career at Limestone next season. Rochester is a multiple year letterman for the Bulldogs cheerleading team where she served as captain and won All-Region honors this past season. ”I recently attended one of their cheer clinics and I just fell in love with the school,” said Rochester. “Limestone just recently finished fourth at nationals in their division and I’m pretty excited to be joining the team.” On Tuesday night the Boiling Springs Bulldogs used a big night from Corey Johnson and clutch free throw shooting in the fourth quarter to secure a 61-58 victory over the visiting Riverside Warriors in a region matchup. "Over the last few weeks we've struggled and for these kids to get something positive like this I'm really proud of them," said Bulldogs head coach Hal McManus. "Jordon Askew and Corey Johnson hit down every free throw down the stretch and I'm just proud of the team effort." In the first quarter the Bulldogs trailed 11-6 at the four minute mark but went on a 10-2 run to finish out the quarter behind seven points from senior Jordon Askew to grab a 16-13 lead after one quarter. In the second quarter both teams scored ten points apiece but all ten of the Boiling Springs points came from one source as junior Corey Johnson accounted for all of the Bulldogs points in the quarter and gave Boiling Springs a 26-23 halftime lead. When the third quarter came around both teams equaled themselves out as they each scored seventeen points in the quarter but just like in the other quarters it was a new player leading the way for the Bulldogs as junior Cam Earls led the way in the third quarter scoring eight of the team's points in the quarter. The way his team kept having a new player step up in each quarter was something Coach McManus was proud of as it meant the offense was moving the ball well. "I think Riverside started to keying and switching then we would have a new guy step up," said McManus. "When you several guys that can score that's good because the opposing team can't just lock up on one guy and shut you down. Our guys recognize their roles and are always ready to step up when it's their turn." In the fourth quarter both teams were in foul trouble and it was the Bulldogs who took advantage as they went fourteen of fifteen from the free throw line in the final quarter including ten of ten from both Johnson and Askew. Boiling Springs trailed 49-47 with just over two minutes to go when Askew hit both his free throws to tie the game at 49-49 and then on the defensive end picked up a strong rebound before going back to the line where he hit both shots giving the Bulldogs a 51-49 lead. "Jordon did a lot of good things early and then got in foul trouble but we had to get him back into the game," said McManus. "He's a guard having to play center for us and he got two huge rebounds for us late in the game that were difference makers for us. He got those rebounds at times we needed to stretch the lead out and we were able to and it forced Riverside into taking shots they didn't necessarily want to take." After Askew's free throws gave the Bulldogs the lead Boiling Springs' Cam Earls stole the ball from a Riverside player and raced down the right side of the court for a layup to give the Bulldogs a 53-49 lead. The final eight points of the game for Boiling Springs came from Corey Johnson at the free throw line as those free throws accounted for eight of his game high twenty-four points to go along with four rebound and two steals. Johnson wasn't the Bulldog player to finish in double figures as Askew finished the night with fifteen points and Cam Earls added ten points of his own. Riverside was led on Tuesday night by Chris Williams who finished with a double-double as he scored seventeen points and picked up thirteen rebounds. Alexei Iturbe also finished in double figures for the Warriors scoring thirteen points including a three pointer as time expired in the game as the Bulldogs picked up a 61-58 victory. Boiling Springs will return to the court on Friday night as they host the number three ranked team in the country the Dorman Cavaliers. Lady Bulldogs Use Big Run To Defeat WarriorsThe Boiling Springs Lady Bulldogs used a 10-2 run in the third quarter to defeat the visiting Riverside Warriors 46-39 on Tuesday night.
"We needed that win tonight," said Bulldogs head coach Dwayne Lytle. "That's a team we're tied with in the region and we're going to play hard to finish out this regular season and hopefully get a shot in the playoffs." In the first quarter the Bulldogs trailed early but with just over a minute to go in the quarter senior Arissa Edwards was able to give the Bulldogs their first lead of the game at 9-7 and if was a lead they were able to hold as they had a 9-8 lead at the end of the quarter. In the second quarter the Warriors held a 21-16 lead before the Bulldogs were able to close to within one point at 22-21 but a three-point shot from Caitlyn Cunningham with time running out gave Riverside a 25-21 halftime lead. The Bulldogs started the second half on an 8-0 run that was started by D'Marria Glenn and Meghan Scharpenberg both going two for two from the free throw line tying the game at 25-25. The Bulldogs took the lead on a free throw by Arissa Edwards and extended the lead to 29-25 on a three-pointer from the left side by Scharpenberg as the Bulldogs claimed a 31-27 lead after the first quarter. In the fourth quarter the Bulldogs and Warriors went back and forth with the lead before Scharpenberg hit another three-pointer from the left side to put Boiling Springs ahead 37-35 lead with just over five minutes to go in the game. From that point on the Bulldogs went on a 9-4 run to finish out the game, including going seven of ten from the free throw line, and the victory was sealed when Laisha Labra took a long inbound pass and raced down the right side for an easy layup to give the Bulldogs the victory. Meghan Scharpenberg led the Bulldogs with fourteen points, eight rebounds. and a steal. They also got a good night from D'Marria Glenn who had thirteen points along with seven rebounds and Danielle Brock who had five points, five rebounds and four steals. "We started guard heavy and then hit them with our post players," said Lytle. "D'Marria going nine of eleven from the free throw line really fit into that game plan. Also the rotation that Danielle did on defense is exactly what we need from our post players and she did an excellent job of rotating and monitoring what the other team was doing." The Lady Bulldogs will return to the court on Friday night against Dorman in a matchup where a win would really help their playoff chances. Boiling Springs and Chesnee wrestling teams have both had pretty impressive seasons and backed up those performances with good showings at their respective region championships this week.
On Saturday morning the Boiling Springs wrestling team had five wrestlers come away with All-Region honors including three region championships and two region runner-up finishes in the Region II-5A tournament at Byrnes. Bulldogs freshman Ayden Whisler came away with the region championship at the 106 weight class while seniors Cam Philson and Drayton Wines both came away with region championships at 225lbs and heavyweight classes as well. Ethan Westall and Israel Reyes also had great days at the region tournament finishing with runner-up finishes. On Thursday the Chesnee wrestling team also had an impressive day as they hosted the Region II-3A tournament and had twelve different wrestlers place a third place or better finish. Luke Castillo, Avery Greene, Corey Seay, and Angel Pardo all won region championships at the 145, 182, 195, and heavyweight classes. Blaine Thompson, Adam Parks, Bryson Wallace, Trevor Blankenship, Garrett Williams, Ford Thomas, and Ricky Henderson all came away with second place finishes in the tournament while Aedan Mendoza came away with a third place finish at the 106 weight class. Boiling Springs wrestling will next compete in the 5A Upper State tournament on February 14-15 at Laurens High School while Chesnee wrestling will next compete at the 3A Upper State tournament as well from February 21-22. |
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