The Riverside Warriors downed the Chesnee Eagles 40-21 to win the first ever Kitchen 292 Turkey Tipoff Championship on Tuesday night.
"I'm proud of the effort my girl's showed during the tournament,” said Chesnee head coach Carey Burns. “This tournament will be a big benefit for our program the rest of this season and in the years ahead as we look to continue hosting the tournament." Riverside jumped out to a 9-2 lead after the first quarter of play as Ranya Aburya scored seven of the Warriors’ nine first quarter points. The Warriors outscored the Eagles 9-5 in the second quarter to extend their lead to 18-7 at halftime as Abby Thompson led all scorers in the quarter for Riverside with four points. Abbey Ray hit an impressive runner with just over a minute left in the half to sink the first shot from the field for the Eagles. The Eagles looked to gain momentum coming out of halftime as Jessa Beach banked a shot off the back board but an 8-2 run by Riverside extended the Warriors lead to 26-11. Riverside's Ranya Aburya lead all scorers with eleven points and Abby Thompson almost joined her teammate in double digits as she added nine points while Mia Hilton added six points from her guard spot as well. Abbey Ray led the Eagles with ten points while point guard Kymiah Blair also added five points of her own. The Eagles reached the championship game after defeating Greer Middle College 38-34 on Monday night. The Eagles had eight different players score a point in Monday night’s game but it was Carley Hammett and Jamekia Evans who led the team with eight points each. Third Place Game The Berea Lady Bulldogs used a 10-0 run in the first quarter to jump out to a 12-2 lead on their way to a 52-28 victory in the third place game over Greer Middle College. Taylor Beatty scored a game high 12 points as Emily Maness added eights points and Antonia Haynes also added seven points for Berea. Hannah Hand lead the way for the Blazers as she scored eight points. On Saturday afternoon the Chesnee competition cheerleaders won the 3A State Championship at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, the fourth cheerleading championship in school history and first since 2015. "It feels amazing!" said Chesnee head coach Allie Tyner. "This team has worked so hard since May at setting and reaching goals. It's indescribable!" Tyner has been the head coach for all four titles won by the Chesnee competition cheerleading team. The Eagles won with a score of 300 and weren't the only Spartanburg County schools to have a strong showing at the 3A state championships as Chapman claimed fourth and Woodruff finished in sixth place. Chesnee defeated second place Mid-Carolina by eleven points who was followed by Liberty who claimed third place. The members of the Chesnee competition cheer squard are Nichole Allen, Aubrey Aparis, Brianna Barnett, Kylee Briles,Tori Cash, Jada Churchill, Anna Kate Cooley, Bethanie Dalton, Melayna Davis, Michaela Davis, Destiny Dawkins, Emma Fogle, Callie Gray, Maci Hollifield, Abigail Johnson, Alexis Kincaid, Trinity Rhymer, Mckenzie Scruggs, Mallory Smith, Katie Faith Watson, Laikyn Westmoreland, Reagan Westmoreland, Savannah Wilkie, and Avery Wilson. "This group of champions care about each other more than themselves," said Tyner. "They really focused on unity and being a team." Coach Tyner is assisted by Ashlyn Campbell. Deana Watson is a special contributor to the program. Ray And Harris Compete At North-South Volleyball GameOn Saturday Chesnee volleyball's Shelby Harris and Abbey Ray represented the Eagles as members of the A/AA/AAA North volleyball team at Erskine's Belk Arena where the South won a close match three sets to two.
"Being able to play one more time as an Eagle was very exciting," said Chesnee's Abbey Ray. "Volleyball will always hold a special place in my heart and I was so happy I got to bring out my stuff one last time as a high school player." "It means so much to me and I’m so honored that I got chosen to play in the All-Star game with some of the best players in the state," said Chesnee's Shelby Harris. "I have loved getting to represent Chesnee here at the North/South matches. I was so excited knowing that I would get the chance to play one more high school. It has been so much fun getting to compete at this level and getting to play with new people, it has been a great experience." Harris lead the Eagles this season with 257 digs and she was third on the team with forty assists which led to her being named to the All-Region team. "When I first started playing volleyball I never thought I would grow to love a sport so much," said Harris. "Volleyball has been my happy place all throughout high school and there is no where else I would have rather played than Chesnee. It has brought me some of my best friends and some of the best memories that I wouldn’t trade for anything." Ray lead the Eagles in kills with 251 and finished in a tie for second in kills with thirty-five which led to Ray being named to the 3A All-State team along with All-Region while also earning Region Player of the Year honors. "Playing these past four years has been an awesome experience," said Ray. "From the bus rides, late night chats, and endless laughs in the locker room leaving this program and school is going to be very hard. Every single one of my coaches and teachers have had such an impact on my life not only as an athlete and student but as a person." Woodruff's Heather Adams and Buford's Taylor Roberts were the coaches for the North team and the two Chesnee players were joined on the team by Chapman's Alexandria Irby who was the only other Spartanburg County representative on the team. Ray and Harris were the first Lady Eagles to represent Chesnee in the North/South match since Courtney Williamson in 2014. Eagles Look To Build On Playoff Experience From Last SeasonChesnee will go into the 2019-2020 season looking to replace Dez Tate who finished his Eagles career as the ninth leading scorer in school history but the Eagles believe the experience that the returning players got last season against a very tough schedule is going to be very valuable this season. The Eagles were able to finish high enough in region play last year to earn a spot in the 3A playoffs and that experience should only make Chesnee that much more hungry tp get back to postseason play. The Eagles will be returning three of their five starters from last season and one of those players was All-Region selection Alijah Means who averaged almost sixteen points a game last season while also picking up over seven rebounds and two assists a game. "Alijah has worked hard this offseason to improve his ability to score on the move and at the rim," said Chesnee head coach Andy Pitt. Means will be joined again in the starting lineup this season by KJ Valentine and Matthew Lawter. Valentine was nominated for preseason All-Region after averaging over six rebounds a game as a freshman last season. Lawter will be entering his senior season for the Eagles but has been a steady presence for the team while averaging over four points and rebounds a game last year while taking fifteen charges on defense. Coach Pitt says that both players are going to be key to the Eagles success this year but for different reasons. "KJ is a rangy athlete that has the ability to guard on the perimeter as well as inside against bigger players," said Pitt. "Matthew's poise is going to be key for us and he provides us a steady demeanor on the floor." Chesnee will also have Nyquille O'Fair, Lorenzo Duren, and Usir Barnes also returning to the Eagles program this season as each logged significant minutes last season and should see an increase in their playing time this season. The Eagles will also count on newcomer AJ Littlejohn who started at the point guard position for the JV team last year but should see major minutes at the same position for the varsity team this year. "AJ has the ability to guard the floor for 94 feet and offensively like to push the tempo," said Pitt. "His ability to finish at the basket will be an asset for us this season." Chesnee will hope to use their athleticism to apply pressure on defense this season and turn that into opportunities to run on offense. "We look to be competitive in a talented region," said Pitt. "We hope to use the playoff experience from last year into even more success this season." Chesnee will once again host the fifth annual Chesnee Roundball Classic this season on December 27, 28, and 30th but it won't be the only tournament that the Eagles will be a part of this season. The Eagles will participate in the Farm Bureau Insurance Tipoff at Dorman on December 7th and the Visit York County MLK Showcase in Rock Hill on January 20th. The first game for the Eagles will be on December 2nd when they travel to take on fellow district school Boiling Springs. Lady Eagles Look To Use Size And Strength This SeasonChesnee lost two key players in Sierra Bowen and Whitney Haulbrooks last season to graduation but they believe the presence of their inside game should help with that transition this upcoming season. The Eagles finished last season with a 4-4 record in region play that was good enough for third place and a trip to the 3A playoffs. "Our team has big shoes to fill with losing Sierra and Whitney to graduation last season," said Chesnee coach Carey Burns. "We will look to take advantage of our size in the paint on both offense and defense with the presence of Abbey Ray, Jessa Beach, and Maya Evans near the basket." One of the reason for the Eagles confidence in their post play is the presence of All-Region player senior Abbey Ray who was also named preseason All-Region this year and is coming off a season where she averaged a double-double for the season with twelve points per game and over ten rebounds a game. Ray wasn't the only player to be named preseason All-Region as Jessa Beach was also named to the team after coming off a season where she averaged six points, six rebounds and two blocks a game last season. The Eagles also believe that they will be a lot quicker this season with Kymiah Blair (who was selected as the team's best defensive player last season), Carley Hammett, and Hanna Henderson that will allow them to have more of an inside-out game that will only help to highlight their post game. They also look to get lots of athleticism from Logan Lawter, Brie Smith, and Jameka Evans which will only help the Eagles on the court this season. Chesnee will look to kick off their season with a brand new tournament that the Eagles will host named the Turkey Tipoff Tournament on November 25th and 26th. Other teams that will be participating will include Riverside, Greer Middle College, and Berea in the inaugural Thanksgiving tournament. SKY IS THE LIMIT FOR CHESNEE WRESTLING THIS SEASONChesnee will look to a lot of new faces this season as they look to improve on last season where they finished second in the region last season.
"We will have a lot of new faces on the team this year but these new faces have a lot of experience on the mat," said Chesnee wrestling coach Jon Rentz. One person that the Eagles will be looking to two seniors as Ford Thomas who is a three time region champion and is a two time state runner-up while Avery Greene is a region champion and two time state qualifier. Chesnee will also have eight returning starters returning from last year's team in Luke Hollifield, Luke Castillo, Bryson Wallace, Trevor Blankenship, Josh Weeks, Corey Seay , Blaine Thompson, and Angel Pardo. The Eagles will also be welcoming newcomers Garret Williams, Aedan Mendoza, Cade Spake, Ricky Henderson, Deonte Falls, and Adam Parks. Coach Rentz hopes that the mixture of veterans and newcomers could help lead to some great results for the Eagles this upcoming season. "With the help of the seasoned veterans and this large group of experienced newcomers Chesnee's future looks very promising," said Rentz. "If we can get in the right weight classes the sky is the limit." Chesnee will look to start their season when they travel to Broome on December 3rd. On a sloppy rain soaked night the Chesnee Eagles fell on the road to Union County 53-28 in the second round of the playoffs in the first season under new head football coach Clay Lewis.
"I thought we made progress each week,” said Lewis. “We worked hard and improved as the season went along and I'm real proud of the kids for that." Union got the scoring started when KeSean Glover ran it in from five yards out on the Yellow Jacket's first drive of the game but only come away with six points as Cole Hoskyns blocked the PAT On the Yellow Jackets next possession running back Junior Owens picked up a five yard rushing touchdown of his own to go up 13-0 over Chesnee. The Eagles responded shortly after when Matthew Lawter picked up his first touchdown of the season when Jacob Kimbrell found Lawter wide open in the endzone from thirty yards out on a fourth down play to make the score 13-7 in favor of Union. Union’s KeSean Glover got his second rushing touchdown of the night when he ran the ball in from six yards out to put the Jackets up 20-7. Trailing by thirteen the Eagles looked to cut into the Yellow Jackets lead but things didn’t go the Eagles way as Union got a pair of scores in the final two minutes as Junior Owens scored on a one yard run and KeSean Glover added a seven yard scoring run to put Union up 33-7 at halftime. The Eagles were able to cut into the lead to start the second half as Jacob Aparis ran it in from twenty-eight yards out to cut the Yellow Jacket's lead at 33-14. Union’s Junior Owens picked up his third touchdown of the night as this time he ran it in from twenty-two yards out and pushing the Yellow Jacket lead to 40-14. Chesnee responded again as Jacob Kimbrell ran it in from eight yards out to put the score at 40-21. Union quickly responded when Ke'Avis Savage returned the ensuing kickoff ninety yards to once again give Union County a four score lead. Brian Renwick capped off the scoring for Union County as he ran it in from four yards out to give the Yellow Jackets a 53-21 lead with just over eight minutes to go in the game. Jacob Kimbrell got the last score of the game with his second rushing touchdown, this time from three yards out to put the final score at 53-28 in favor of the Yellow Jackets. Chesnee got a big game once again from Jacob Aparis as he finished with 114 total yards. He finished with eighty-two yards and a touchdown on the ground while also grabbing thirty-two yards in the air. Jacob Kimbrell also had a good night as he passed for seventy-two yards and a touchdown while also running for seventy-eight yards and a pair of scores. The Eagles say goodbye to a senior class that head coach Clay Lewis has been extremely proud of this season. ”They are the building blocks,” said Lewis. “They will be the start of getting this program back to where we want it to be." Chesnee will also return a strong core as Cole Hoskyns, AJ Littlejohn, Colby Davis, Nyquille Ofair, Brayden Sprinkle, and Lorenzo Duren are a few of the talented players returning for year two under Lewis. "We have to get in the weight room in the off-season,” said Lewis. “We have to get bigger, faster, and stronger. Next year we want to get past this point and we just have to put the work in in the off-season." The Chesnee Eagles went on the road and downed the Seneca Bobcats 25-13 in the opening round of the playoffs which was also career win number one-hundred for Chesnee head football coach Clay Lewis.
"It's not important to me," said Lewis. "It's about these kids getting the win tonight. If it weren't for these kids, the other kids I've coached, and the coaches I've had I wouldn't be at this point." Jacob Aparis got the Eagle's off to a fast start as he returned the opening kickoff eighty-two yards putting the ball deep into Bobcat territory. The play would set up the first of two Rodney Alexander touchdowns on the night as Alexander picked up the first one on a fifteen yard touchdown run when he raced around the outside edge. A miscue on the PAT try kept the Eagles lead at only six points early. Seneca responded when Cole Bay hit Ej Evett on a thirty-two yard pass to score on following a Chesnee fumble to give Seneca the lead with just under two minutes to play in the first quarter. Chesnee retook the lead at 9-7 on an Ian Harris thirty-eight yard field goal with just over eight minutes left in the first half to give Chesnee the lead for good. The field goal was Harris's fourth made field goal of the season. Chesnee picked up another big play in the first half when Jacob Kimbrell found Jacob Aparis for a screen pass after Aparis avoided several would be tacklers and darted to the opposite side of the field scoring from sixty-nine yards out to give Chesnee a 16-7 lead late in the second quarter. After an impressive third quarter by the Eagle defense that saw them hold the Bobcats scoreless the Chesnee offense responded with Rodney Alexander's second rushing score of the night with this one coming from nineteen yards out to give the Eagles a 23-7 lead with just over eight minutes left. Shawntravis Holden pulled the Bobcats closer with a seventeen yard rushing touchdown to put the Chesnee lead at 23-13 with 6:28 left. Seneca then tried an onside kick that was recovered by Chesnee's Kenwyn Alexander which allowed the Eagles run more time off of the clock. Seneca got the ball back but after a few penalties and big plays by the Chesnee defensive line the biggest play came when Cole Hoskyns sacked the Seneca quarterback for a safety. "I thought they did an outstanding job once they settled in," said Lewis said about his team's defensive performance. Chesnee Jacob Aparis finished the game with 184 total yards with 111 yards rushing and seventy-four yards receiving with a score. Rodney Alexander finished with fifty-five total yards and a pair of rushing touchdowns. The win is the Eagles first playoff win since November 7th 2014 which was a 55-34 home win over the Chesterfield Rams. The win is also the first road playoff win for Chesnee since November 6th 2009, a 28-19 win at Pendleton. Chesnee will travel to Union County next Friday in the second round of the 3A playoffs. The Chesnee Eagles fell 35-7 to the Chapman Panthers on senior night as both teams concluded their regular seasons on Friday night. Despite the loss Chesnee head coach Clay Lewis was pleased with his team's performance.
"I thought our kids played hard but we came up short," said Lewis. " I thought we got better as the game went along and that is a very good football team." After Chesnee had a long opening drive that chewed up a over four minutes off the clock Chapman quickly put points on the board when Mikele Colasurdo found Dante Smith on a short screen route and then raced down the sideline for a fifty yard score to put the Panthers up 7-0. Chapman scored again on their next possession as Brandon Jones ran it in from twenty-nine yards out to put the Panthers lead at 14-0 with just over a minute left in the first quarter and it was the next to last offensive snap for the Panthers in the half. After the score the Chesnee offense went on a long offensive drive led by the offense line that ate up over eight minutes of the game clock. Chapman forced the Eagles into a fourth down situation near the Panthers thirty-five yard line that resulted in a seventy yard pick six for Chapman. To make matters worse for the Eagles quarterback Jacob Kimbrell was injured on the play and missed the remainder of the first half. After halftime Chapman was set to receive the opening kickoff of the second half but an onside kick by Chesnee's Ian Harris was recovered by Harris at the Panther's forty-nine yard line and gave the Eagles the ball with great field position. The Eagles fans after the kickoff let out a loud cheer as senior quarterback Jacob Kimbrell reentered the game to start the second half. "Jacob Kimbrell is maybe one of the toughest kids I've ever coached," said Lewis. "He is a winner and he is going to go out there and give you everything he's got. He has been a leader for us all year long, and I didn't expect anything less out of him." The Eagles scored on the ensuing possession as Jacob Aparis scored on a one yard run that made the score 21-7 in favor of Chapman as Chesnee used up over four and a half minutes off the clock on the drive. After the Eagles had the Panthers backed up into a third and long, a roughing the passer penalty gave Chapman a first down at their own twenty-five yard line. On the following play, Colasurdo found DaShun Mitchell for a seventy-five yard touchdown pass that put the Panther's lead at 28-7. On the Panthers next possession Colasurdo found Mitchell again this time from fifty yards out. as Mitchell finished the game with two catches for 125 yards and a pair of scores. The Chesnee defense held the Panthers to their lowest scoring output of the season by thirteen points. "The defense played well especially in the second half," said Lewis. "We gave up a couple of things in the first half but the defense played well and they are getting better. I thought we had a good game plan." Jacob Aparis lead the Eagles offensively with eighty-five yards rushing and a touchdown. Chesnee will travel to Seneca in the opening round of the AAA playoffs next Friday. |
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