Monthly Archives: October 2022
Pickens drops third straight in loss to Greenville
By Ryan Davenport
Special to the Courier
news@thepccourier.com
GREENVILLE — It is tough to beat the experience of Friday night football at Greenville’s iconic Sirrine Stadium.
Then again, it was probably an experience the 2022 Pickens Blue Flame would rather forget. Greenville’s Red Raiders scored on all but one offensive possession to solidify their spot at the top of Region I-4A, finishing off Pickens 56-0 under a second-half running clock to send everyone home a little earlier than usual for Friday night lights.
Pickens (3-5) now effectively sits in last place in
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Red Devils fall to region foe Ninety Six in overtime
By Matthew Kannarney
Special to the Courier
news@thepccourier.com
NINETY SIX — Liberty traveled to Ninety Six on Friday looking for an opportunity to move into second place in the Region I-2A standings.
The Red Devils fought hard all night, but ultimately came up short at the end of the night, losing 28-21 in overtime. The Red Devils fell to 3-5 overall and 1-2 in the region.
It was another great night for high school football at Wilson-Campbell Stadium, as the seasons are finally showing
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Tigers take win from FSU in Tallahassee
Courtesy clemsontigers.com
news@thepccourier.com
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — No. 5 Clemson scored 17 points in a two-minute span on either side of halftime to take command of the game in a 34-28 win at Florida State on Saturday night.
Quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei led Clemson on six consecutive scoring drives as the Tigers (7-0, 5-0 ACC) won their 13th consecutive game and seventh in a row in the series against the Seminoles (4-3, 2-3 ACC). Running back Will Shipley tallied a career-best 238 all-purpose
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Blue Flame stay hot heading into postseason
By Bru Nimmons
Staff Reporter
bnimmons@thepccourier.com
PICKENS — With the state high school volleyball playoffs beginning over the next week, the Pickens Blue Flame scheduled one final test against the Cardinal Newman Cardinals on Monday night.
Ranked fifth in the state according to MaxPreps, the Cardinals proved to be no match for the defending Class 4A state champion, as Pickens took them down in straight sets.
“I told the girls that I was really proud of them,” Pickens coach Mellie Crumpton
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Daniel defense too much for 8th-ranked Seneca
By Bru Nimmons
Staff Reporter
bnimmons@thepccourier.com
SENECA — After giving Daniel a solid fight last season and jumping out to a 6-1 start this season, eighth-ranked Seneca entered Friday night’s rivalry game against the top-ranked Lions with an upset on their minds.
Daniel snuffed out those hopes quickly though, forcing two Bobcats fumbles on the first two times they touched the ball, allowing the Lions to pull ahead early. And with the Bobcats’ offense struggling, the Lions didn’t look back in a 41-3 win at Tom Bass Field.
“I’m so proud of this group as a whole,” Daniel head coach Jeff Fruster said. “We knew that this was going to be intense, but it was time for us to prove that we could give somebody our best shot instead of always being on the receiving end.”
Indeed, it was a strong effort in all facets of the game for the Lions (8-0, 3-0 Western 3A) as they outgained Seneca (6-2, 2-1) by more than 200 yards, and for the second straight week the Daniel defense looked like one of the state’s best.
If keeping a Seneca team that was averaging more than 40 points per game out of the end zone wasn’t impressive enough, the Lions’ pass rush picked up nine sacks on the night.
“We set the tone early, and (Daniel defensive coordinator Kirk Ellison) saw things that we could exploit,” Daniel linebacker Spencer Conn said. “We were able to take advantage of them.”
Conn was one of three Lions to pick up two or more sacks in the game, along with Myquan Geer and Jaedyn Young, leaving Seneca head coach David Crane dissatisfied with the play of his team up front.
“Most of that was just busts on our part,” Crane said. “We had guys blowing assignments and trying to do too much.”
Seneca’s problems started shortly after the opening kickoff, as Bobcat tailback Cade Eavenson was drilled by a Daniel defensive back at the tail end of a 17-yard run on the first play from scrimmage. Geer managed to recover the Seneca fumble, and the Lions’ offense took over at the Bobcat 36 yard line.
With the short field, the Lions got to work quickly, and the combination of some solid carries from runing back Tory Shaw and a couple grabs from Jaylen Brown-Wallace had the Lions in the red zone. There, Simons found Eli Merck crossing the field and Merck made his way to the end zone for a 19-yard score to put Daniel ahead 7-0 early.
The Bobcats lost the ball again on the ensuing kickoff as they were unable to come up with a perfectly placed kick by Daniel that was recovered by Graydon Nix, giving the Lions the ball inside the Seneca 20-yard line. Simons found Brown-Wallace three plays later, and the Lions led 14-0 with 7:26 left in the first quarter.
Seneca struggled to make any progress on its next possession, with Geer and Young bottling up Eavenson and a sack by Young leading to a Bobcat punt.
A 32-yard return from Gavin Batt had the Lions back inside the Seneca 15 before penalties and general ineffectiveness led to a 35-yard field goal from kicker Bruce Brown to boost the lead to 17-0 late in the first.
The Bobcats finally got moving on their final possesion of the quarter, making it down inside the Daniel 20. However, the Lions stopped them in their tracks, forcing a 35-yard field goal that Seneca kicker Nate Thorsland nailed to cut the lead to 17-3 heading to the second quarter.
The momentum seemed like it was going in Seneca’s favor early in the quarter with the Bobcats getting their first stop and forcing a turnover on downs as the Lions drove into Seneca territory.
However, Daniel reclaimed control just four plays later with safety Isaac Turner picking off a Jaxon Burnette pass. Two big passes from Simons to Brown-Wallace moved the Lions inside the 15, where running back Jarius Cleveland finished the drive with a six-yard touchdown run.
Things continued to sprial for Seneca on its next drive, as Conn and Young teamed up to sack Burnette on third down and force another punt.
Taking over in the final minutes of the first half, the Lions moved down the field behind consecutive catches from Misun “Tink” Kelley, including a slick one-handed grab to put the Lions inside the Seneca 20.
With just 33 seconds until halftime, Simons hit Brown-Wallace for a touchdown once again to put the speedy receiver at an even 100 yards on the night on six catches and give the Lions a 31-3 lead at the break.
A senior, Brown-Wallace was happy with his performance on the night, as well as his senior class’ perfect 4-0 record against the Bobcats.
“This rivalry is really big from rec ball all the way to high school,” he said. “Just being 4-0 against them is a big accomplishment for me.”
The Lions received the opening kickoff of the second half, but were quickly forced to punt.
The Daniel defense responded, with Geer sacking Burnette again, and the Lions almost added their second interception of the game on a pass that was dropped by linebacker Carson Chasteen.
Right after the stop, the Lions gave the ball right back to Seneca as Cleveland fumbled on a 12-yard run.
Coming back out on defense, Geer was a man possessed on the Bobcat possession, tackling Eavenson for a loss on first down and taking down Burnette on his own on second down. On third and 15, Geer and Young teamed up to sack Burnette again, and a rattled Burnette was unable to complete a fourth-down pass, giving the Lions the ball again.
Daniel didn’t waste the defensive stop, scoring on a 20-yard run by Ja’Kari Bennett to bump the lead to 38-3 with 3:14 left in the third.
Seneca once again turned it over on downs on its next possession after a sack by Qwentin Welborn, leading to a 35-yard field goal by Daniel’s Neil Cannon.
The Bobcats’ last gasps were put down by the Daniel defense, with Conn getting back-to-back sacks on a late Seneca possession to clinch the 41-3 win.
Even though the win put the Lions in the driver’s seat for the Western 3A region title, Fruster doesn’t want the Lions to become complacent over their final two regular-season games.
“Like I say every week, the next game is the biggest game of the year,” Fruster said.
Daniel will host Pendleton this Friday night, with opening whistle set for 7:30 p.m.
A helping hand up for the homeless
It seems that there is an increasing problem of homeless people walking the streets of Pickens.
That’s the way the situation was described by elected officials and community members who participated in a town hall-style meeting a couple of weeks ago at the Pickens Senior Center.
It was suggested by several participants that homeless people are being “bused in” from outside the county.
That may be. But after talking with the two people in Pickens County who I think would be in
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Here comes Halloween
Here comes Halloween
Dear Editor,
Halloween is coming up soon.
When I was a child in the early ‘60s, we called it going trick or treating. I remember young people as old as 16 participating, and no one thought anything about it. Back then, there were stories of people giving out old candy or putting razor blades in apples! Evil people have
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The beauty of being broken before God
Have you ever wondered if God is listening to you? One of His many divine attributes is that He is omnipresent, which means He is everywhere at the same time.
His presence constantly permeates the atmosphere, whether it be on earth, in heaven or throughout the universe. This is how He knows everything that happens and every word that is said. He knows every tree that falls in the forest and every thought that has ever been imagined,
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as well as the motives and intentions of every heart.
I enjoy taking walks so that I can have the privacy to talk to Him. It gives me comfort and peace to know He is there, even though I do not hear Him reply in a literal voice. Like you, I’ve discovered that it’s easy to share with Him, but difficult to hear and comprehend what He is saying. Sometimes I will just stop talking and listen for Him in the quiet.
As Psalm 46:10 talks about being still and knowing that He is God, we are encouraged to stop allowing stress to make us afraid, and to learn how to rest in His presence. A key to developing a strong personal relationship with God is to have a holy reverence for who He is and this begins with being broken before Him.
Since Romans 10:17 says, “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ” we know that hearing always precedes obedience. Faith can arise when instructions are revealed, however, if we are without the desire to understand, we are without a vision to accomplish His will.
We can obtain libraries of knowledge, but the gift from heaven that changes lives is the passion to hear God’s voice. The next step is deciding just how much of our will we are going to surrender. During the Welsh Revival of the early 1900s, a song that was heard frequently by those who were seeking a closer walk with God was, “Bend me lower, lower, down at the feet of Jesus.”
Yes, spiritual awakenings can become a widespread excitement, but the emphasis is on the individual entering into the holy of holies with God on their own. This spiritual metamorphosis happens through a personal conviction of the Holy Spirit who opens the eyes of the conscience and understand what it means to be saved by grace and become a servant to Christ as Lord and King.
The greatest need in Christendom today is not necessarily more religious seminars, programs, or conferences. It is for men and women to be broken before God and to realize their great need to be focused on His constant presence. Once broken, we will be empowered with divine supernatural energy, wisdom, and the anointing from heaven will be overwhelmingly evident.
The fragrance from Mary’s alabaster box could not be released until it was broken. To accomplish His desires, we will need to allow the Lord to break us so the inner fragrance of His presence can be released. It is then we will have revival in our souls and be able to relay and express His compassion to others.
I heard a story years ago from a minister who said one morning he climbed a mountain and was sitting on a boulder contemplating the majesty of God, when nature revealed a profound message about the Christian life. He noticed something very interesting about the grass with fresh dew on it. The blades that stood tall and extended to the sky had no droplets of refreshing water, but the blades that were bent to the ground had several droplets on them.
The bent grass reminds us that seasons of spiritual refreshing often come when we bow before Him in a state of gratitude and humility. It’s the attitude of descending that enables us to experience the reality of His majesty.
Psalm 51 is one of my favorite chapters, and verses 16-17 declare, “For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.”
The life that stands tall and arrogant is not in the spiritual position to bask in the presence of His glorious presence. When the dew drops of heaven fall upon the heart that is calloused and distant, they roll off leaving that soul to remain dry and discontent.
William F. Holland Jr. is a minister, chaplain, psalmist and author. As a freelance faith writer, his books and newspaper and magazine articles are enjoyed around the world. Dr. Holland’s weekly column, “Living On Purpose” is focused on bringing spiritual hope and encouragement through God’s Word. Read more about the Christian life at billyhollandministries.com.
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Local nonprofit collecting warm items, toiletries for seniors, plans open house
By Jason Evans
Staff Reporter
jevans@thepccourier.com
COUNTY — A local nonprofit is seeking items area senior citizens can use to keep warm this fall and winter.
Members of Warmth and Comfort for the Elderly in Upstate SC use their crochet skills to provide warm items for nursing home patients, hospice groups, home health patients and elderly people who live at home and can’t afford them. They also hold regular donation drives.
In September, the group asked for donations of “new or handmade throws, blankets, hats, scarves, gloves, socks, lap quilts and just about any other items of warmth the elderly in our facilities could use,” said Tammy Ferguson, the group’s CEO. “State regulations will not allow us to donate used items at this time.”
The group is also holding a toiletry drive through Dec. 1, she said.
Items needed are Christmas stockings, toothpaste, toothbrushes, body wash (no bar soaps), body lotion, hand lotion, shampoo, conditioner, chapstick, deodorant, pens, pencils, small notepads, new handkerchiefs for men, mirrors, combs, hair brushes and individual-size Kleenex.
“We want small sizes to be able to place more items in stockings,” Ferguson said.
Drop-off sites are the YMCA in Pickens, in Easley at Under the Carolina Moon and Integrated Yoga Therapy, in Powdersville at Front Porch Fixins and in Dacusville/Easley at Earthworks Unlimited.
Warmth and Comfort will hold a drop-in open house from 2-5 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 30, at 149 Ivey Hayes Road in Pickens.
Light refreshments will be served on the grounds. RSVP by emailing warmthandcomfortfortheelderly@gmail.com or calling (864) 238-4652.
For more information about the group, email warmthandcomfort@gmx.com or call (864) 668-1021. Learn more about the group at its Facebook page.
Great Clips donates
Great Clips recently made a generous donation to the Liberty Community Scholarship, now in its eighth year of service to the community. Pictured above at the Easley Great Clips, Tabitha Irby, the general manager of 17 area Great Clips, stands with Liberty Community Scholarship board members Lisa Carpenter, Bonita Holland and Tracy Morgan.