Monthly Archives: October 2015
Courier Community Calendar 10-14-15
• Historic Old Pickens to host singing
Historic Old Pickens will feature traditional and gospel music presented by Heartstrings, Greg Lambert and nationally known vocalist Caitlin Tierce. on Sunday, Oct. 18, at 2:30 p.m. Historic Old Pickens is located on Old Pickens Church Road near the employee entrance to Duke Energy on S.C. Highway 183.
• Allen to preach at Prater’s Creek church
Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and Pickens High School graduate Chris Allen will preach at Prater’s Creek Baptist Church at 11 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 18. Allen, the son of Dr. and Mrs. Ray Allen, will give his testimony at 6 p.m. that evening. Everyone is invited to attend the services at the church, located at 601 Prater’s Creek Road, just off Belle Shoals Road.
• Trick or Treat on Main set in Pickens
Cannon Memorial Hospital and the City of Pickens will hold its annual Trick or Treat On Main Street on Saturday, October 31 from 5-8 p.m. for children. The event will begin at the intersection of Ann Street and Main Street in Pickens.
• Sarlin to present an evening with Wright
The Friends of the Sarlin Library are thrilled to host an evening with award-winning graphic artist Emily Wright on Monday, Nov. 16, at 6 p.m.
Wright, who is employed by the Pickens County Courier, is the recipient of more than 75 Palmy Awards in South Carolina Press Association’s annual contest.
Library officials said they are honored to have her share her journey that began as a child with “doodles on birthday cards” to her role, now, in the newspaper business, as the department head of graphic design since 2007.
• Fall Festival set for PPCCD Center
The Pickens Presbyterian Church Child Development Center will host a free fall festival on Saturday, Oct. 24, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 311 West Main St. in Pickens.Highlights of the day’s event will include a bounce house and games for the children, as well as performances by Last Road bluegrass, Sweet Potato Pie Kids, Power House Dance, Palmetto Martial Arts, balloon art and face painting.
A silent auction will take place to help raise funds for the child development center. As part of the center’s ministry, it offers a safe learning environment for children of all abilities to learn and play together in the Pickens area.
BBQ plates and hot dog plates will be available for purchase.
• Children’s Fall Festival set in Easley
The city of Easley and Gilstrap Family Dealerships will host a Children’s Fall Festival on Saturday, Oct. 31, from 4-8 p.m.
The event will be held around the downtown merchants and at Old Market Square in Easley. Children can trick or treat with the downtown merchants and then join a fun-filled festival with games, music, costume contests and more. The festival is free.
For more, visit easleyevents.com or call (864) 423-4344.
Patriot holds open house
Patriot Healthcare in Pickens held an open house on Sept. 24. Pictured are Norman Rentz, CEO Jill Birmingham, director of human resources Lynn Kelley, medical director Dr. James Mahanes, mayor David Owens and Patriot staff. 
Patriot Healthcare offers hospice care to patients with terminal illness and a life expectancy of six months or less. For more information, visit www.PatriotCares.com or call 888-515-3007. Patriot Healthcare is located at 1897-C Gentry Memorial Highway in Pickens.
Masquerade ball helps raise funds to help MARYS House
Masqueraders of the Upstate converged on the Bleu Voodoo Grill in Easley for the fourth annual Masquerade for MARYS House.
EASLEY — On Oct. 6, masqueraders of the Upstate converged on the Bleu Voodoo Grill to attend the fourth annual Masquerade for MARYS House, with one goal in mind, to raise money to support MARYS House.
MARYS House began as a dream, and in 2008 it opened the doors of a shelter for victims of domestic abuse. The shelter was unique in the fact that it contained what are considered family suites. The suites allowed mothers and children to stay together, giving them time to allow for healing. MARYS House is a faith based, non-denominational, nonprofit organization, which runs off of grants and donations.
This year’s event had close to 130 people in attendance.
Major contributors before the event were Bleu Voodoo Grill, Wingard Jewelers, Albertson Enterprises, Something Special, Cowan Farms, Easley Police Department, Whites Appliance, Lowes, Powdersville Insurance, Synnex, That’s Karma, Dunburks, Stockade Antiques, Marion Davis, Service Master, Niles Artistic Photography, Uncle Sams Antiques and Ace Auto Parts, just to name a few.
The night began on the porch, with hors d’oeuvres and entertainment by Malcolm Tempt. Tempt serenaded the guests as they were looking over silent auction items. Professional photographs were taken by Niles Artistic Photography.
The events then moved upstairs to the sights and sounds of Twos Enough. Dinner was served as the program began. Everyone listened as speakers told about the organization, and a special lady gave her testimony about how she came to live in MARYS house. After her testimony, patrons were reminded of the last call on the silent auction, and the upcoming cake auction.
Prizes were given for best mask, best overall outfit and best group mask participation
The cake auction began the first year of the Masquerade fundraiser, and has been a staple of the event every year. What has become to be known as “Momma’s Cakes” is a crowd pleaser.
Before the cake auction began, the emcee offered a challenge. If proceeds going to MARYS House reached $4,000, the emcee would wear a jester’s hat the following year. If the proceeds exceed $5,000, he would wear the full jester’s outfit.
After the cake auction, the live auction and proceeds from the ticket sales were tallied up, the event raised more than $6,000 for MARYS house.
Organizers gave special thanks to Safeco, Servpro, 20/20 auto glass the Bleu Voodoo Grill, Bleu Voodoo Friends and Krewe.
The biggest thanks went to everyone who attended and shared their time and donations to help families in need The event is scheduled for the first Tuesday of October 2016 for the fifth annual Masquerade for MARYS House.
Where there’s smoke, there’s fire
You can’t raise cattle inside city limits. Most people would agree on that.
[cointent_lockedcontent] Most land producing cattle or other stock in Pickens County has an agricultural deferment, which means the land is taxed at a lower fee 
because it meets the criteria for agricultural use.
Until now, no fire fee was applied to agriculturally deferred property. That’s because the S.C. Forestry Service takes care of fires breaking out on unoccupied acreage. Unoccupied by humans, that is.
Cattle and other farm stock don’t just amble around in a pasture eating grass. Pasture grass isn’t enough to take stock through a winter. You have to have hay, among other things, to sustain a herd.
And if pasture land is separate from hay production land, the property owner will now be hit with a double whammy, as each parcel will be charged an extra fee.
Some who run small operations to supplement retirement income will have a difficult time paying the fee.
Where they’ll come up with this kind of money is anybody’s guess.
Two letters to the editor in last week’s paper gave stark examples of how the fire fee is affecting owners of such property
Marie Vaughn of Easley wrote that because her several small tracts of land are being taxed separately, the fee increases her tax burden by 900 percent. She says she doesn’t understand why she is being asked to pay the fee at all since her property is protected by the South Carolina Forestry Service, funded through state tax.
Another letter written by Ruth Clark of Pickens says the county can collect an additional $1 million if 50,000 people pay $20 for each one- to five-acre tract of land.
If anyone is interested, they can go online and see how much profit is possible for a cattle production. There’s a pretty narrow profit margin.
If a farmer produces his own hay, it can cost as much as $435 per acre in seeding, fuel, fertilizer, lime and weed control. That’s not counting labor. And that’s just to produce it.
Cutting, raking and bailing are a whole separate operation. And if the hay gets rained on, it has to be tethered to dry it out before it can be bailed. Otherwise it will contain mold.
If the farmer doesn’t own the very expensive equipment necessary for this operation, he must hire someone else to cut and bail the hay.
Last year, it cost approximately $20 per bale to have a hay field mowed and baled. The bales could be sold for about $45 each.
Some years drought has prevented harvesting a fall hay crop. So even though the production costs are the same, the fall crop is lost.
If it becomes too costly to grow crops or raise beef and pork, how can someone in Pickens County with a small operation justify continuing?
Does every member of county council live in town? I don’t know.
In a county with a population of roughly 120,000, it would be safe to say at least half of the population is scattered among the many rural areas. Many of those living in rural areas do have small farming operations, even if it’s just a garden spot. There are people all over the county raising cattle, goats, sheep, hogs and chickens.
There are people selling fresh eggs and produce every week at the flea market. Has anyone checked the cost of a good laying hen lately? Go to a farm auction and check it out. It will be an eye opener.
The flooding in the Midlands and Lowcountry of our state will have a devastating effect on fall hay production as well as other fall crops. Those people will still have to find feed supplies for their stock. Otherwise the market will be flooded with stock farmers can’t afford to feed, which will send profit plummeting.
I can remember when extreme drought conditions here brought us help from other states in the form of hay.
We were among those who went to the railroad tracks in Easley to get a ration of hay bales donated by Kansas farmers to feed our stock.
I’ve never forgotten how grateful we were for being helped at such a critical time.
So next time, as there will surely be a next time, before an additional burden, such as the new fire fee, is approved, I would urge council members to see if the fee would be punitive for some of the population.
[/cointent_lockedcontent]
Letters to the Editor 10-14-15
In defense of school board
[cointent_lockedcontent] Dear Editor,
I have been reading in the newspaper about the test scores for the School District of Pickens County. They have improved. High school students who are bound for college take the SAT and/or ACT college entrance exams. Pickens County students scored an average of 1501 combined in math, reading and writing on the SAT.
That was a 12-point improvement this year, and our district ranked fifth in the state out of 84 districts. On the ACT college entrance exam, students scored 22.4 combined in math and English. Our students ranked fourth in the state on that test.
All high school students had been required to take the high school exit exam, but the state legislature replaced that with the ACT Workkeys test. This exam tests all 11th graders and measures their qualifications for hundreds of entry-level jobs, focusing on applied math, reading for information and information location. Our district ranked eighth in the state on the Workkeys exam.
Our students are some of the brightest in the state.
These are superior achievements, and credit belongs to our students, teachers, parents, administrators and the school board.
But the AdvancED monitoring report dated March 24, 2015, is about the board of trustees. In an earlier report, they threatened to withhold accreditation. AdvancED’s focus should be on academics. Has it occurred to AdvancED that a more-involved school board that listens to the public is the reason for the improving academics?
Dan Winchester
Pickens
Panama and Turkey can wait
Dear Editor,
I have read two articles lately about Easley Rep. Neal Collins. Seems he has recently been to Panama and Turkey “representing” South Carolina. OK, that’s fine. Nice vacation spots, I guess. He said the widening of the Panama Canal would help Charleston. But Mr. Collins was elected to represent Pickens County at the state level. Roads, bridges, education, local government funding, DSS and so many other core functions of the state are in a mess, according to the news I read.
Why is Mr. Collins traveling all over the globe, at least partially on the taxpayer dime, when there is so much that needs attention here at home? I believe there is plenty of work to do right here in South Carolina, and there is no justification for a state representative to travel anywhere in search of things to do. Mr. Collins, I say stop ignoring your Statehouse duties in favor of searching the globe for busy work. Please stay home and resolve the problems right on our front door. People are suffering in South Carolina. Panama and Turkey can wait.
Weldon Clark
Liberty
[/cointent_lockedcontent]
Courier Obituaries 10-14-15
HAZEL S. SPEARMAN
PICKENS — Hazel Lucille Sentell Spearman, 89, of 116 East Jones Avenue, wife of the late David Franklin “D.F.” Spearman, passed away Tuesday Oct. 6, 2015, at her home.
Born in Anderson County, she was the daughter of the late Claude and Martha Ray Sentell.
Mrs. Spearman was a homemaker who loved all types of crafts and sewing. She was a member of Greenville Evangelistic Church of God.
Surviving are her children, Virgil Roy Spearman (Faye) of Simpsonville, Larry Kenneth Spearman (Gail) of Pickens and Terry Lee Spearman (Linda) of Easley, Gladys Christine Locke of Pickens; 13 grandchildren; 32 great-grandchildren; 10 great-great-grandchildren; and two sisters, Imogene Boggs of Greenville and Catherine Pickens of Anderson.
In addition to her parents and husband, she was predeceased by a daughter, Linda Jean Holmes and sons, William Edward Spearman, James Oliver Spearman, Furman Franklin Spearman and David Thomas Spearman.
Funeral services were held Oct. 8 in the chapel of Robinson Funeral Home-Downtown, with burial following in Six and Twenty Baptist Church Cemetery.
Flowers will be accepted. Condolences may be expressed online at www.robinsonfuneralhomes.com or in person at Robinson Funeral Home-Downtown, which is assisting the family.
JOANNE BERTONASCHI
GREENVILLE — Joanne Strong Bertonaschi, 64, passed from this life on Saturday, Oct. 3, 2015, in Charlotte, N.C.
Joanne was born in Long Island, N.Y., a daughter of Robert Strong of Southbury, Conn., and the late Margaret Tarintino Strong. She was retired from the Lake County School Board in Lake County, Fla., as a secretary following 15 years of service.
Survivors include her sons, Damon Bertonaschi of the home, and Andrew Bertonaschi (Emily) of Dacusville and grandchildren, Hunter Bertonaschi and Logan Bertonaschi. Also surviving are brothers and sisters, Ellen McCally, Bob Strong, Barbara D’Angelo, and John Strong.
Services were held Oct. 10 in the Dillard Funeral Home chapel.
Memorials may be made to the ASPCA, www.ASPCS.org or to The Wounded Warrior project, www.woundedwarriorproject.org.
Dillard Funeral Home is assisting the family.
LOLA MAE ARNOLD
LIBERTY — Lola Mae Gambrell Arnold, 76, of 100 Marc Lane, died Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2015, at St. Francis Hospital Downtown in Greenville.
Born in Anderson, she was the widow of Douglas Mack Arnold and a daughter of the late William Robert and Effie Rosella Lollis Gambrell.
She retired from Mayfair Mills and was of the Baptist faith.
Surviving are a daughter, Cathy Ann Collins (Rex) of Easley; a son, Stevie Arnold (Tonya) of Liberty; two sisters, Clara Vaughn and Helen Sparks both of Belton; two brothers, Dewey and Jack Gambrell, both of Honea Path; and four grandchildren.
In addition to her husband and parents, she was predeceased by two daughters, Sherry and Debra Arnold, a son, Douglas Arnold, a sister, Mary Lou Hendrix, and two brothers, A.C. and Ray Gambrell.
Graveside services to honor the life of Mrs. Arnold were held Oct. 11 at East View Cemetery in Honea Path.
Liberty Mortuary is handling arrangements
CREOLA MURPHREE CANTRELL
EASLEY — Creola M. Cantrell, 91, wife of the late Isaac Maxel Cantrell, passed from this life Monday, Oct. 8, 2015, at National Health Care in Greenville.
Born in the Prater’s Creek community of Pickens County, a daughter of the late Joseph “Ralph” and Ola Floree Rampey Murphree, Mrs. Cantrell was a member of Secona Baptist Church and a retiree of The Singer Company.
Survivors include a son, Joseph Lewis Cantrell of Summerville; a daughter, Sharron C. Godfrey of Easley; four grandchildren, Stacey Elgin (Randy), Sherry Myhand, Brian L. Cantrell and Christy Sease (Anthony); and six great-grandchildren, Matthew Elgin, Mason Elgin, Haleigh Myhand, Parker Myhand, Rachel Sease and Rhyder Sease.
Mrs. Cantrell was preceded in death by her parents, her husband and a brother, Joseph Garnett Murphree.
A graveside service was held Oct. 12 at Hillcrest Memorial Park and Gardens.
In lieu of flowers memorials may be made to the Alzheimer’s Foundation, www.curealz.org/donate.
Dillard Funeral Home is assisting the Cantrell family.
CHAD CRENSHAW
EASLEY — Phillip Chad Crenshaw, 32, of Bovine Lane in Easley, passed away Thursday, Oct. 8, 2015.
Born in Greenville County, he was the son of Phillip E. Crenshaw of Central and Joni Medlin Parris and Dean Parris of Pickens.
Chad was formerly employed with C and S Railroad in Charlotte and attended Arial Baptist Church. He was a loving husband and father who always made time for his children. He loved Clemson football, fishing, hunting and teaching and coaching his children sports.
Surviving, in addition to his parents, are his wife of the home, Melanie Foster Crenshaw; his children, Mackenzie Addyson Crenshaw and Phillip Chase Crenshaw; grandparents, Joe and Nell McWhorter of Greenville and Darryl and Judy Medlin of Easley; and a great-grandmother, Ruby Nabors of Pickens. Also surviving are his in-laws, cousins and aunts and uncles.
Chad was predeceased by his grandparents, Edward and Mary Crenshaw.
A memorial service to celebrate Chad’s life was held Oct. 12 in the chapel of Robinson Funeral Home-Powdersville Road.
Condolences may be expressed online by visiting www.robinsonfuneralhomes.com or in person at Robinson Funeral Home-Powdersville Road, which is assisting the family.
PAUL C. LEWIS
PELZER — Paul Clifford Lewis, 69, of Joe Black Road, husband of Shirley Peden Lewis, passed away Thursday, Oct. 8, 2015.
Born in Greenville County, he was the son of the late Clifford Alexander Lewis and Edith Geraldine Dorr Lewis.
Paul was retired from Builders First Source in Greenville. He was a member of Rock Springs Baptist Church, the Shekinah Sunday School Class, and was a U.S. Air Force veteran.
Paul cherished his wife. He was a motorcycle enthusiast who loved hiking, singing, playing the guitar, playing cards and board games and spending time with his family. He was a helper to all mankind, and he loved life.
Surviving in addition to his wife are his children, Angie Lewis Moseley (Jody) of Greer, Carree Lewis Taylor (Todd) of Pickens, Patrick Peden (Kelly) of Williamston and Dean Peden of Lyman; grandchildren, Sydney, Cullen, Pace, Tory, Tyler, Heather and Shawn; great-grandchildren, Emmie Mae, Paisley and Allie Rose; and sisters, Katherine L. Keith of Boston, Mass., Jacqueline L. Beavers of Easley, and Sandra L. Thomas and Elizabeth L. Medlin, both of Pickens.
Paul was predeceased by his parents and his brother, Mark Alexander Lewis.
A service to celebrate Paul’s life was held Oct. 13 at Rock Springs Baptist Church, with burial following in M.J. “Dolly” Cooper Veterans Cemetery in Anderson.
Condolences may be expressed online by visiting www.robinsonfuneralhomes.com or in person at Robinson Funeral Home-Powdersville Road.
RICKEY T. DAY
EASLEY — Rickey Thomas Day, 58, of 150 Floyd Circle, husband of Peggy J. Day, passed away Saturday, Oct. 10, 2015.
Born in Greenville County, he is the son of Willavene Wilson Day of Easley and the late James “J.B.” Day.
Rickey was the owner of Day Concrete Finishing. He was a member of Crosswell Baptist Church and was a U.S. Air Force veteran. He loved racing, gardening, cooking, playing and writing music. He was best known for his special cheesecakes that he shared with family, friends and neighbors. He was also a member of the 1972 Easley High School state champion football team.
In addition to his wife and mother, he is survived by his children, Matthew Day (Adriana) of Lexington and Melissa Klein of Easley; grandchildren, Lillian Klein, Ricky Ceron and Lucas Day; sisters, Janice Day and April Lane (Sam) of Easley and Cheryl Salley (Ben) of Irmo; and a brother, Radford “Raddy” Day of Easley.
Rickey was predeceased by his father, J.B. Day, and his sister-in-law, Jackie Day.
Funeral services were held on Oct. 13 in the chapel of Robinson Funeral Home-Downtown, with burial following in the Day Family Cemetery in Easley.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Open Arms Hospice, 1836 W. Georgia Road, Simpsonville, SC 29680 or Carolina Russell Rescue, 301 Greenview Drive, Wilmington, NC 28411.
Condolences may be expressed online by visiting www.robinsonfuneralhomes.com or in person at Robinson Funeral Home-Downtown, which is assisting the family.
PAUL OVERBY
EASLEY — Richard Paul Overby Sr., 73, of 109 Eisenhower St., passed away on Saturday, Oct. 10, 2015, at Greenville Memorial Hospital.
Born in Dalton, Ga., he was a son of the late Richard and Beatrice Morgan Overby.
He retired from Alice Manufacturing and was a member of Edgewood Church of Christ. He loved to pick his guitar and play saxophone and was affectionately known as the “Candy Man” by all the children at his church.
Surviving are his wife, Frances Smith Overby of the home; a son, Richard P. “Ricky” Overby Jr. and his wife Shannon of Liberty; a daughter, Crystal McClure and her husband Jeffrey of Easley; three stepdaughters, three sisters, a brother, and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Funeral services to honor the life of Mr. Overby were held Oct. 12 in the Liberty Mortuary Chapel, with burial following at Greenlawn Memorial Park.
Liberty Mortuary is handling arrangements.
Lions come up just short against Bears
By Rocky Nimmons
Publisher
rnimmons@thepccourier.com
BELTON — It is never a good thing to lose for a football team. Sometimes, however, losing can bring rebirth. [cointent_lockedcontent] Sometimes a
Rocky Nimmons/Courier
Daniel senior Dante Gilliard tries to avoid a Belton-Honea Path defender after a catch during the Lions’ heartbreaking loss to the Bears on Friday night.
heartbreaking loss can pull a team together, and sometimes it makes a team grow up.
On Friday night the Daniel Lions experienced one of those “sometimes,” as they traveled to Belton Honea Path to face the 5-1 Bears on their home turf. Many had written the game off as a loss. Many did, but not the young men wearing Columbia blue and gold and their coaching staff.
The Lions may have been decisive underdogs, but no one told coach Randy Robinson, and as a result, when the whistle was blown at intermission, the Lions were up by 13 points. As the second half started, the two teams battled it out until the game was decided with only nine seconds left. The Lions attempted a two-point conversion that fell short, giving the home-standing Bears a hard-fought 48-47 victory.
“I am just ready for something good to happen for these guys,” Robinson said after the game.
He may have been disappointed with the loss, but not with the way his Lions played.
“If we played like this all year, we might have rolled in here at BHP undefeated,” he said. “I haven’t seen us play like that in a long time. They played with heart and they played together. They did everything we asked.
“We gave our best effort against a great opponent. It is too bad we came up a point short.”
The Lions’ offense was on fire from the very start. Daniel quarterback Ben Batson went 16-of-23 for 289 yards through the air with no interceptions and tacked on 73 yards on 16 carries on the ground. The sophomore signal caller may have played the game of his life, but a tough third quarter cost the Lions, who came out after intermission and were held to three straight three-and-outs that put BHP right back in the game.
“It came down to the offense,” Robinson said. “At halftime, I told them ‘we can’t let up.’ I think halftime slowed our momentum. We had three three-and-outs, and that put the pressure back on the defense.”
The game started with the Lions scoring fast on an eight-play, 73-yard drive. The series saw Batson hitting wide receiver Will Swinney with a couple of passes for 16 yards and picking up 21 yards on a nice run. Running back Stephon Kirksey also contributed with four carries for 22 yards. The touchdown came when Batson, facing second and 10 from the 13, found receiver Carter Groomes open in the end zone. The combination would prove to be there all night for the duo. Lion kicker Rivers Sherrill nailed the PAT with 8:52 to play in the first to give the Lions a 7-0 lead.
The Bears answered like a flash after the ensuing kickoff. It only took a pair of plays for BHP running back Juwan Abney to get into the end zone. Abney picked up 10 on the first carry, then 57 on the second for a touchdown only 29 seconds after the Lions had scored. BHP kicker Lance Jones was true on the PAT to knot the game at 7-7.
The Daniel offense sputtered the next time it had the ball and forced the Lions to call on Justin Craig to punt. The kick was shanked, only covering 16 yards, giving the Bears great field position at midfield.
Again BHP’s offensive line dominated the line of scrimmage. In five plays, the Bears took the lead on a 10-yard run by quarterback Kameron Burton with 3:34 to play in the first quarter. Jones added the PAT, making the score 14-7.
It was the Lions’ turn to strike fast. The next time they had the pigskin, Robinson’s troops hit paydirt on a single play. Batson aired it out again to Groomes, and the sure-handed receiver hauled it in and raced 68 yards for a touchdown 18 seconds after the Bears’ last points. Sherrill’s extra point tied the game back up at 14-14.
The next points in the contest again came on a short drive. Starting at the BHP 46, the Bears produced a two-play series in which Abney pick up five on the first snap, followed by a read-option by Burton that caught the Lions by surprise. The play went 41 yards for a score. Jones split the uprights with 11:02 to play in the half, and the Bears were back out front 21-14.
Following the BHP score, the Lions played as well as they have all season as a team. The defense stiffened and the offense went into beast mode, scoring three touchdowns in about eight minutes.
The first was the result of a great kickoff return by Dante Gilliard that gave the Lions the ball at the BHP 33-yard line. A steady diet of Batson and Kirksey on the ground hammered the Bear defense. The final play saw Batson blast in from a yard out with 7:56 to play in the half. Sherrill had his kick blocked, making the score 21-20 in favor of BHP.
The Bears looked to be on the move the next time they had the ball, pushing it 32 yards in seven plays. On the eighth snap, however, the Lions were ready, as C.J Scott came hard on a corner blitz and blindsided Burton, making the quarterback cough up the ball. Lion defensive end T.J. Reese scooped up the bouncing ball and advanced the rock to the Bear 42.
Batson and company came on after the big defensive play and marched the distance in only two snaps — the first a two-yard toss from Batson to wide out Jacob Wichelns and the second a 40-yard pass and catch from Batson to Gilliard. The touchdown came with 4:12 to play in the half. Sherrill nailed the PAT, and the Lions were rolling, up 27-21.
The Lion defense, led by Reese and sophomore line backer Jake Venables, didn’t allow the Bears a first down the next time they had the ball and forced them to punt the ball away from their own 18.
Following a Jacob Maloney fair catch, Daniel was back in business at its own 47-yard line. The Daniel offense again looked like a well-oiled machine. Batson hit Groomes for 37 yards on first down. The final three plays were all Batson as the quarterback picked up three with his legs, followed by two tosses to Groomes — the first for eight yards and the second for the final three yards and a score. Sherrill was true on the PAT, and the Lions were way out front 34-21 as the half ended.
As the second half started, Daniel looked like it was going to pick up where it left off, as Maloney picked off a Bear pass on BHP’s first possession.
The tide turned, however, as the Bears looked to have made some adjustments at intermission, and forced the Lions into three-and-outs on their first three drives of the half, while BHP found the end zone on three straight possessions to claim a 41-34 lead with only 8:21 to play.
The excitement was about to get going, as with only two minutes left to play, the Lions evened the score at 41-41 on an 88-yard drive. Batson looked like a seasoned pro on the series, hitting his first three passes. On the first snap, he hit Wichelns for eight yards, followed by a 17-yard strike to Jamarcus Black and a 16-yard toss to Swinney. Batson then called his own number and picked up five yards. He followed the run by hitting Groomes for 15 yards down to the BHP 22-yard line.
With time ticking away, Batson looked like a man possessed, going around left end and fighting his way in for a score with two minutes to play. Sherrill added the PAT, and the game was again tied at 41-41.
Daniel kicked off praying for a defensive stop, but that was not to be as the explosive Bear offense knew it was do-or-die time. Starting at its own 28, BHP pushed to the 47 on three plays. Then Burton went up with a desperation heave. Jake Hilberts was racing along the sideline and was covered like a glove by Daniel’s Malik Watts. Hilberts somehow found a way to make a one-handed grab, stay inbounds and go the distance for a 59-yard score with 41 seconds to play. Jones added the PAT as all hope seemed lost for the Lions, who trailed 48-41.
Robinson and the Lions were not done yet — they still had one last chance to get the ball. Following the kickoff, the Lions had the ball with only seconds left at their own 38. Batson raced for 15 yards on first down. He then tossed an incomplete pass toward Groomes to stop the clock. A false start call pushed Daniel back five yards to the Bear 48. Facing second and 15, Batson took the snap, stepped back into the pocked and slung a pass way downfield. Scott, who was at wide receiver, looked to be playing center field and ran under the ball, making the grab at the Bear 4-yard line. Once the ball was set up, Batson took the snap and raced to the left, diving in for a touchdown with only nine seconds left.
Robinson and the staff huddled and decided that they would win or lose on the next snap and elected to go for a two-point conversion.
The play was a quick toss to Groomes on a screen, but pressure up the middle forced an early throw and the game ended with a heartbreaking 48-47 loss for the Lions.
“We actually talked before the second-to-last drive,” Robinson said. “If we made it we would kick the extra point, and we did. Then they hit the bomb and then we hit the bomb. Then we voted as a staff to go for a two-point conversion, because the play was actually open the play before. We thought we had the right play. We just got a little pressure on Ben and we didn’t get the ball there.”
The game, even in a loss, improved the Lions’ team in many ways, according to Robinson.
“The kids don’t understand, and very few people understand, that it is about making men out of boys,” Robinson said. “What you saw tonight — the heart and the determination — that is Daniel football. That is why it has always been special and why it gives you a lot of wins. Now, we did not get the win tonight, but we had a winning effort.”
The Lions are now in a spot they have not seen in years, as they must win at least two of their next three games to make the playoffs, with the Pickens Blue Flame coming to Singleton Field this week.
“We played offensively about as well as we could in the first half,’ Robinson said. “We had 34 points at the half, and that is pretty good. I am disappointed we didn’t get a win for our kids.
“We have three weeks left and we have to win some games to get into the playoffs. If we play the next three weeks like we played tonight, this team will get into the playoffs, and we will be a formidable opponent.
“There was a lot to take from this game, but when Sunday comes we have to turn toward Pickens and get ready to play a physical team. Pickens runs the ball real well, too, and they pick up a lot of yards.”
[/cointent_lockedcontent]
Green Wave drop homecoming game
By Ben Robinson
Staff Reporter
brobinson@thepccourier.com
EASLEY — For a half Friday night, Easley hung tough with undefeated Westside, but the Rams’ potent offense and stingy defense was too[cointent_lockedcontent]
Kerry Gilstrap/Courier
Aislinn Rosier was named Easley High School’s 2015 homecoming queen at halftime of Friday’s game.
much for the Green Wave to overcome in the second half in a 39-7 homecoming loss.
The loss left Easley with a 3-4 record for the season, but an 0-3 mark in Region I-AAAA play. Westside improved to 7-0 with the win and stayed on track to finish the season unbeaten.
Easley had a chance to take a first-half lead early in the second quarter following an interception by Daniel Hine.
Quarterback Dalton Black led the Green Wave on a 15-play, 83-yard drive that featured runs by Will Drawdy and Malaki Robinson and catches by Quenten Phillips and Drawdy. The drive reached all the way to the Rams’ 1-yard line before Ethan Meyers was stuffed on a fourth-down run for a turnover on downs.
Westside returned the favor with a drive of its own, going 99 yards in 16 plays to score the first touchdown of the game on a four-yard run by Quinn Wright with 4:05 to play in the opening half. The extra point attempt failed, and the Rams carried a 6-0 lead into halftime, when homecoming queen Aislinn Rosier was crowned.
Easley had the first possession of the second half, but punted after two incomplete passes.
Westside took possession of the ball and completed a 70-yard pass to Jyston Kendrick to increase its lead. The extra-point attempt was complicated by a Westside penalty, but Chance Poore booted it in to give Westside a 13-0 lead with 10:21 left in the third quarter.
Later in the quarter, Jackson Williamson completed a 28-yard touchdown pass to Drek Thomas. The extra point gave Westside a 20-0 lead with 7:20 left in the third quarter.
Easley finally got onto the scoreboard late in the third quarter when Drawdy ran 12 yards for a touchdown. The extra point by Josh Hansen cut he Westside lead to 20-7 with five minutes left in the third period.
In the fourth quarter, Williamson tossed a 42-yard touchdown to Brantley Queen to put the game away and increase the Rams’ lead to 26-0 with 9:45 remaining in the game. A two-point conversion failed.
Westside added two more scores — a nine-yard touchdown run by Wright and a two-yard touchdown by Williamson — to make the final score 39-7.
Easley will travel to Piedmont Friday night to face Woodmont before entertaining Greenville the following week.
Westside will play at 1-6 Greenville Friday night.
[/cointent_lockedcontent]
Bobcats pull away to beat Blue Flame
By Eugene Jolley
Courier Sports
ejolley@thepccourier.com
PICKENS — It was a tale of two halves Friday night as undefeated Seneca pulled away late to beat Pickens, 31-6.
Tommy McGaha/seeyourphotohere.com
Lindsey Ann Masters was named Pickens High School’s 2015 homecoming queen at halftime of Friday’s game.
[cointent_lockedcontent] The first half of the homecoming contest was a slugfest, with the high-scoring Bobcats only holding a 7-6 halftime lead. The Blue Flame had to be kicking themselves on missed opportunities. Seneca fumbled twice and threw a first-half interception, but Pickens only scored six points on three red-zone possessions. Pickens had a touchdown catch nullified due to a blocking penalty and lost another possession on a fumbled option pitch.
Unfortunately, the second half was mostly Seneca, as the Bobcat defense held Pickens to just four first downs. And with Seneca quarterback Elijah Turner on the sidelines and running back Braxton Gambrell struggling, tailback Jacory Benson picked up the slack with a big second half, rushing for three scores.
“Anytime you get a win it’s nice,” said Seneca coach Brett Turner, a former Pickens player and head coach. “God has just blessed us, and we’re thankful for Him for helping us get this win. It was just a great team effort tonight. There was a lot of adversity out here on the field, and our guys did a great job and came together. You have to give a lot of credit to Pickens. I told our guys that they would play hard and they did, and their coaching staff did a wonderful job. It was just a good, hard-fought football game. I’m really proud of our kids and how they did tonight.”
Seneca (7-0, 4-0 Western AAA) will play Belton-Honea Path (6-1, 4-0) in a battle of unbeatens atop the region this week. The showdown almost didn’t come to fruition, as the Bears came from behind to beat Daniel last week and the Blue Flame gave the Bobcats all they wanted in the opening half.
Seneca took its opening possession 74 yards for a touchdown. Quarterback Elijah Turner, a former Blue Flame starter, hit Daquan Mackey for 48 yards, and then following a sack by Matt Gravely, Turner hit Chris Latimer on a 22-yard fade to the right corner on fourth down. Hunter Pearson’s kick made it 7-0 with 5:31 left in the first quarter.
Early in the second quarter, following a sack of quarterback Tanner Stegall, he fired a deep 53-yard bomb to Isaiah Ferguson to the Seneca 9-yard line. Two plays later, however, the option pitch to tailback Brandon Batson was fumbled, and Seneca recovered.
The Blue Flame defense got the ball right back as Benson was hit by Will Reynolds and Ridge Clark, fumbling to Tyler Gravely at the Pickens 30.
Once again, the Pickens aerial attack went deep. This time, Adam Martin took a lateral and fired 54 yards to Ferguson, who again had gotten behind the Seneca secondary down to the 16. The drive stalled, and Shrine Bowl kicker Matt Gravely nailed a 31-yard field goal, making it 7-3 with 4:30 left in the half.
“Three opportunities in the red zone and come away with six points,” Pickens coach John Boggs said. “We have the tough penalty right there on what looked like a score, but you have to overcome it. To be down 7-6 at the half, we felt like we had the momentum and to come out and be ready to go. We just didn’t answer, and again, proud of my kids’ effort. I thought they fought hard. We’ll have to bounce back next week. You know every game in this region is tough, and you have to be ready each and every week. You can’t let one loss turn into two. They poured it out there tonight. We’ll have to re-charge and re-fuel and come back on Monday to get ready to go to Daniel and get another region win.”
The Blue Flame defense again came up with the big play after Turner hit Mackey with a pass. Linebacker Cole Seaborn and Matt Gravely teamed on the hit, causing another fumble that Gravely recovered at the Bobcat 38.
The drive stalled again, and Gravely hit a 47-yard field goal to make it 7-6 with 2:38 left in the half.
Seneca tried to answer, and after reaching the Pickens 25, Turner was sacked as Gunner Covey sealed the edge and Renny Croley sacked him from behind. Turner rolled on the play and spent the second half sidelined with an icepack on his neck.
On the next play from scrimmage, backup Jacob Lynn’s pass was juggled by Mackey and intercepted by Seaborn, ending the half.
The second drive of the second half set the tone for Seneca. Latimer had a 24-yard catch, breaking numerous tackles, and a late-hit penalty on Pickens was tacked on to put the Bobcats in business. Benson got going from there. His six-yard score with 5:14 left in the third quarter made it 14-6.
On the second play of the fourth quarter, Benson took it 36 yards, breaking tackles before a final cutback into the end zone with 11:42 left, making it 21-6.
After stopping Pickens at fourth and two at its own 41, Seneca reached the 1-yard line on the next possession, but a penalty eventually forced a 21-yard field goal by Pearson with 5:28 left, making it 24-6.
Then, following a big 58-yard punt by Gravely, Benson scampered 69 yards, setting up his three-yard scoring run with 3:21 left in the game.
“In a situation like that, you’ve got to rely on your defense, because you have to bring your offensive gameplan a little bit down,” Turner said. “Your backup quarterback is in, and he did not get as many reps, but Jacob did an excellent job stepping in. Our defense did a good job of stepping up and playing a good football game the second half.
“They kept playing hard. Our offensive line played hard, and we made some adjustments on what they were doing. The kids really just stayed focused tonight. It was something we knew was coming eventually. You’re not going to go through a season without adversity, and we handled it well tonight.”
“Losing is not any fun, any time,” Boggs said. “I was proud of these kids’ effort. I thought they laid it out there tonight. They showed a lot of heart and a lot of passion. The second half, we just couldn’t get anything going offensively to generate some first downs and keep our defense off the field. They were out there a lot of snaps the second half. That sort of told the tale right there at the end, as they were just wore out. We’ve got to do a better job of playing good team football and helping each other out. When other teams score, you’ve got to be able to answer. We were not able to do that in the second half. My hat’s off to them — they came and did a good job the second half.”
Pickens will play at county rival Daniel on Friday night.
Notes: During a pregame ceremony, the family of longtime Pickens coach Bill Isaacs was honored with a moment of silence with both teams lining the field. Isaacs and his neighbor, Dicky Stewart, were shot and killed last month.
During halftime, Lindsey Ann Masters was crowned 2015 Homecoming queen.
[/cointent_lockedcontent]
Clemson runs away from Georgia Tech
By Colby Lanham
Clemson Athletic Comm.
news@thepccourier.com
CLEMSON — The No. 6 Clemson Tigers battled the rain for the second consecutive week [cointent_lockedcontent] as they defeated Georgia Tech 43-24 at Memorial
Kerry Gilstrap/Courier
Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson drops back to pass during the Tigers’ win over Georgia Tech on Saturday at Memorial Stadium.
Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Clemson’s offense rolled to 537 total yards of offense against Georgia Tech and was led by the running of Wayne Gallman, who finished with 13 carries for 115 yards and two touchdowns.
Clemson’s win marked Gallman’s third consecutive game with more than 100 rushing yards, as he became the first Tiger to do that since Andre Ellington in 2012. Clemson’s running game put on a strong performance yet again, as the Tigers finished with 201 yards on the ground.
Gallman provided an instant spark for the Tigers’ offense right out of the gate, as he took a handoff and burst into the open field for a 66-yard touchdown run on the third play of Clemson’s opening possession. Gallman did not stop there, as he scored his second touchdown on a one-yard run late in the first quarter to cap off a 10-play, 80-yard drive that put the Tigers ahead 17-3.
The tide turned for Clemson yet again, as safety Jadar Johnson blocked a punt on special teams deep in Georgia Tech territory that resulted in a safety to give the Tigers a 19-3 lead.
The Tigers’ offense was clicking on all cylinders, as quarterback Deshaun Watson followed up last week’s game with one of his best performances of the year, as the sophomore was 21-of-30 passing for 265 yards and two touchdown passes, both of which went to tight end Jordan Leggett. Leggett has four touchdown catches this season.
Clemson’s defense came prepared for the option, as it held the Yellow Jackets, who came into the game averaging 310.6 yards per game on the ground, to 71 rushing yards.
Cornerback Cordrea Tankersley nabbed his second interception of the season, while the Clemson defense finished with 11 tackles for loss. Linebacker Dorian O’Daniel and safety Jayron Kearse led the team in that category with three tackles for loss apiece.
The Tigers will return home Saturday for a homecoming matchup against the Boston College Eagles. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on ESPNU.
[/cointent_lockedcontent]
