Monthly Archives: October 2018
Courier Obituaries 10-24-18
Arvie Lee Finley
PICKENS — Arvie Lee Finley, 84, wife of the late Don “Shorty” Finley, of 
Pickens, passed away on Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018, at Manna Rehab in Pickens.
Born in Pickens County, Mrs. Finley was the daughter of the late James Perry and Evie Anderson Byers. She worked at Platt Saco Lowell for 13 years and was a member of East Pickens Baptist Church.
In addition to her husband and parents, Mrs. Finley was preceded in death by sisters Faye Trotter and Villa Mae Gillispie and brothers Raeford, Wilvin, Arlie and Donald Byers, all of Pickens. She was also preceded in death by a son-in-law, Jimmy Grubbs of Seneca.
Mrs. Finley is survived by her daughters, Pamela Grubbs Holliday (Phil) of Six Mile and Myra Nimmons (Randy) of Pickens. Also surviving are grandchildren Nicole Grubbs Wallace (Nicholas) of Dillon and Kyle Nimmons and Peyton Nimmons of Pickens; and great-grandchildren,
Mills, Hayes, Finley and Stella Banks Wallace of Dillon.
She is also survived by a brother, B.F. Byers of Pickens, and a special niece, Brenda Brannock of Pickens, as well as many other nieces and nephews.
A private graveside service will be conducted at Hillcrest Memorial Park, with entombment at the mausoleum. Donations can be made to the church she grew up in, Midway Baptist Church, at P.O. Box 1376, Pickens, SC 29671
Grace Marian Bailes Givens
ROCKY BOTTOM — Marian Givens, 81, of Rocky Bottom, passed away on 
Oct. 20, 2018.
Born in St. George, Marian was the daughter of the late Dr. Robert William and Grace Riddle Bailes. Marian lived in Greenville, Travelers Rest, Pickens, Beaufort and Rocky Bottom (Sunset). She also lived in Haiti and Kansas City, Kan., Kannapolis, N.C., and Pascagoula, Miss. Her most cherished time spent was with her loving husband, Gene Givens, at their home place in Rocky Bottom.
She is survived by two sons, J. Allan Givens (Melody) of Los Angeles, Calif., and R. Michael Givens of the home; four grandchildren, Jennifer Givens (Mark) Thrasher of Anderson, Micael Givens (Brandon) of Orlando, Fla., Olivia Givens of Chicago and Chandler Givens of Greenville; great-grandchildren, Hannah, Connor, and Mark
Daniel sweeps Pickens County cross-country championships
By Bru Nimmons
Publisher
bnimmons@thepccourier.com
COUNTY — The Pickens County cross-country championship meet was held on Oct. 9, with the Daniel Lions coming out on top in both the boys’ and girls’ divisions.
The race was held at Liberty High School and featured three of the four county teams — Daniel, Liberty and Pickens.
In the boys’ race, Daniel’s Alexander Smiley finished first with a time of
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Pickens Rec basketball signups open until Friday
PICKENS — Basketball registration is open through Friday at the Pickens Recreation Center on Sangamo Road in Pickens.
The following age divisions are offered: 5-6 coed instructional; 7-8 boys and girls; 9-10 boys and girls; 11-12 boys and girls; and 13-14 boys and girls (provided enough girls register). Following registration, a skills/evaluation day will be held for each age division.
The registration fee, which provides a jersey to be kept, is $45 for in-city residents and $55 for out-of-city residents.
Birth certificates are required at registration. Birthdate cut-off is Sept. 1, 2018. Those interested in coaching or who need more information should call the recreation department at 878-2296.
Enjoy the new crop of apples
By Olivia Fowler
For the Courier
ofowler@thepccourier.com
Nothing says fall like biting into an apple straight from the tree. The crisp and juicy flesh is unlike any other fruit.
We are fortunate to live in a region that allows us to pick our own apples from any number of orchards. And the many varieties available should satisfy the pickiest apple eater.
Although they’re delicious as they are, apples are easily transformed into a multitude of dishes.
My family loves the fried apple rings for breakfast in the fall and winter.
I hope you’ll find a favorite apple dish from among those featured this week.
After tough loss, Flame enter finale with playoff hopes
By Rocky Nimmons
Publisher
rnimmons@thepccourier.com
Pickens — The Pickens Blue Flame knew they had a tough row to hoe when they hosted the undefeated Daniel Lions at Bill Isaacs Field last Friday.
They knew they need to make plays and keep the turnovers and penalties to a minimum if they wanted to walk away with an upset victory.
The atmosphere was electric, with the Blue Flame coming out fired up and ready to play, but even though they held the turnovers to one apiece and won the penalty battle, the Blue Flame just could not find an answer to slowing the Daniel air attack and fell to the Lions, 42-17.
Pickens, which is known for its hard-hitting ground-and-pound Wing-T offense, hit the Daniel defense hard, outgaining the Lions 219-116 on the ground. Through the air, though, Daniel dominated, piling up 313 yards to Pickens’ 62.
That proved to be the difference in the contest, but the Blue Flame have no reason to hang their heads, as they slugged it out with one of the state’s toughest teams, putting points on the board in the process.
“We played hard. We really do, we play hard,” Blue Flame coach Chad Smith said. “We were not very disciplined, and it cost us. It was rough.
“Give Coach (Jeff) Fruster and his staff a ton of credit. They have a good program, but we are getting there. So I am pretty excited.”
Smith knows his team will have to leave that loss in Pickens, as their last opportunity to squeeze into the Class 4A playoffs happens this week when they travel to Williamston to take on Palmetto. The Flame will need some help to take Region I-4A’s fourth spot in the postseason, but a head-to-head win over Walhalla earlier this month leaves the door open.
“We have got to beat Palmetto, and it looks like we are going to be a little
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With loss to Pendleton, Liberty postseason berth at stake Friday
By Clay Counts
Special to The Courier
claycounts21@yahoo.com
LIBERTY — In a battle with perennial power Pendleton on Friday night, a 
pair of early miscues proved to be too much to overcome for the Liberty Red Devils in a 22-6 loss.
After a solid 33-7 win over an old region rival at West-Oak the week prior, the Red Devils returned home for a senior night showdown against the Bulldogs on Friday night. In addition to the recognition of the Liberty seniors for the last home game of their playing careers, the night held extra significance as a crucial game in Region I-3A as the playoff picture takes shape.
Playing with an undermanned squad, the Devils still had their chances to pull out the win, as they had more first downs and outrushed Pendleton on the night. However, an early interception that turned into quick points for the Bulldogs and a defensive bust that allowed Pendleton to break off a long touchdown put Liberty behind the 8-ball early and created a deficit the Devils were unable to overcome.
“Proud of these guys’ effort,” Liberty coach Kyle Stewart said after the game. “We had 20 guys dress tonight, and they got after it, you know, we just needed to hit a play or two here or there and we’re in this game.
“We have to capitalize on those situations, but I’m really proud of the
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Green Wave come up short against Woodmont
By Eugene Jolley
Courier Sports
ejolley@thepccourier.com
EASLEY — Two teams battled for a possible home playoff berth Friday night at Bill Carr Stadium.
Unfortunately for the host Easley Green Wave, it was the Woodmont Wildcats continuing a five-game win streak, escaping with a 28-21 win.
The Wildcats, 5-4 overall and 5-1 in Region I-5A, will now play T.L Hanna this Friday night for the region title.
At 4-5 overall and 3-3 in the region, Easley now needs to win at Laurens on Friday night to further secure its playoff berth.
It was an odd game Friday night. Easley recovered two squib/pooch kicks in Wildcat territory to end the first half and to begin the second half and didn’t convert on either. The Green Wave didn’t even pick up a first down after either recovery.
Woodmont took advantage of an Easley miscue on the opening kickoff, recovering at the Green Wave 30. Seven plays later, quarterback Clay Bartunek hit Nicholas Boatwright behind the secondary for a 13-yard score, making it 7-0 with 8:35 left in the first quarter.
“That was a tough way to start the game,” Easley coach John Windham said. “We had worked on that, but we just were not able to get it back and get on it. That was tough to give them the ball there right off the get-go.”
Easley answered with a five-play, 65-yard drive. Quarterback Dallas Odom hit Ethan Boyles on third and five for 18 to the Woodmont 42. On the next play, Jeremy Harried, one of 21 Easket seniors honored on senior night, scooted untouched for a 42-yard
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Lions handle Pickens to set up region title showdown
By Bru Nimmons
Staff Reporter
bnimmons@thepccourier.com
PICKENS — The Daniel High School football team entered Friday’s matchup at Pickens firing on all cylinders.
However, the Blue Flame, who played spoiler to Walhalla just two weeks earlier, gashed the Lions and entered the second quarter driving once more.
The Lions’ defense managed to stop the imposing threat by forcing a fumble, and Tyler Venables took care of his team the rest of the way, as the junior quarterback tossed three of his five touchdowns passes in the quarter to help Daniel pull away for a 42-17 victory.
“Those kids for Pickens fought hard tonight,” Daniel head coach Jeff Fruster said. “I have to commend (head coach Chad Smith) for what he has done with this program and getting them to the level of play they are at right now.”
The win moved the undefeated Lions (8-0, 4-0 Region I-4A) to within one game of winning their first region title since 2013. They’ll get their chance at home this week in a winner-take-all showdown with Belton-Honea Path, which trounced Wren by a final score of 41-24 on Friday night.
“The success these kids have had so far is commendable,” Fruster said. “The kind of turnaround they’ve shown from one season to the next is all on the staff and the kids for believing in what it is we presented them. I’m awful proud of them tonight and the effort they showed.”
Offensively, the Lions were paced by Venables, who enjoyed another outstanding outing. He posted one of his best passing nights of the year, throwing for 308 yards and adding five
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Tigers’ secondary proves itself against Finley, Wolfpack
By Alex Maminakis
Courtesy The Journal
alex@upstatetoday.com
CLEMSON — The Clemson Tigers’ defense — and specifically the secondary — knew it would face a tough test on Saturday against the ACC’s leading passer in N.C. State quarterback Ryan Finley.
Clemson passed that test with flying colors.
In the third-ranked Tigers’ 41-7 win over the No. 16 Wolfpack on Saturday at Memorial Stadium, Clemson’s defense limited Finley to 156 passing yards and two interceptions, with four pass breakups and no touchdowns.
N.C. State was the sixth-best passing offense in the country going into Saturday’s matchup with 335.4 passing yards per game, and the Tigers rose
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Lady Sparks finish perfect for 5th year in a row
PICKENS — The Pickens Middle School volleyball team completed its fifth 
consecutive undefeated season by winning the AOP Conference Division II Tournament title under the direction of head coach Mellie Crumpton.
The win gave the Sparks their sixth end-of-year tournament championship in the last seven years and extended the Sparks’ winning streak to an incredible 80 matches.
The Sparks won the regular-season title with a perfect record of 12-0 and
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