The final minutes have ticked off the clock in 2019 and it’s time to look back at the year and relive some of the moments that made it one to remember.
What follows is not a ranking but a look back at many of the individual sports stories and moments that were important to the Independent-area readership.
We’re sure there were some others that meant a great deal to you as well.
Stags sprinters blister state competition
After the state championship track and field meet every spring, there are always plenty stories going around about should have, could have and would have.
Then, there’s the tale spun by Berkeley’s 4 x 100 meter relay team in May at the Class 5A championship meet at Spring Valley High School.
Considered the state’s premier foursome essentially all season, Tre Morrison, DJ Chisolm, Antwan Coats and Jeremiah Mack turned a 41.14 to blister the opposition on the way to state glory.
They finished more than three-tenths of a second ahead of runner-up Sumter and over half a second in front of third-place Westside.
They were the No. 1 seed coming out of the state qualifier and made it look easy when it mattered most.
“Seeing these guys every day, training with them and being motivated by the way they work – I motivated them sometimes too — we challenged each other,” Morrison said. “To get this ring is great.”
The Stags tweaked the distances between their exchanges to accommodate soreness and how they felt on Saturday morning when they got to the track.
By the time Mack ended up with the baton for the final leg, he was set up for a triumphant trip down the home stretch. All he had to do was not drop the baton.
Morrison led off and handed off to Chisolm, the fastest in the group, for the second leg. Antwan Coats grabbed the baton from Chisolm.
The relay gold made Chisolm a two-time winner on the weekend and helped erase memories of close calls in football and basketball.
A day earlier, Chisolm won the long jump with a mark of 26 feet, 6.75 inches, over four inches further than the runner-up.
“It feels great knowing I got two rings in 48 hours,” Chisolm said. “It’s fun.”
Wolves’ McKinney strikes gold
Down to one last heave and facing a second-place finish, Jamaal McKinney knelt down, sent up a prayer and channeled all the positive energy and strength he could muster.
“I was thinking about God at that moment,” he said. “I asked Him to let me get my best throw.”
McKinney then stepped into the thrower’s circle, whirled around and threw the shot put further than anybody at Timberland High School ever has. The sophomore’s winning mark of 54 feet, 5 inches was a school record and made him a Class 2A state champion on Saturday, May 11 at Spring Valley High School.
Runner-up William Rollins of Allendale-Fairfax briefly held the lead with a mark of 50 feet, 10 inches. McKinney came through in the clutch to get what he went to Columbia for.
“One person who helped me throughout the season is (volunteer coach) Andy Fox,” McKinney said. “We talked before the last throw and said it would be crazy if I throw something over 51. I was like I’m going to give it everything I’ve got. After I threw it, I looked at him and he was about to cry.”
He bettered that by over three feet. For good measure, McKinney’s mark would have made him a state champion in Class 1A, Class 3A and Class 4A.
Stags lifter wins state ring
Where there’s a Will Shannon, there will be a state championship ring.
The Berkeley High School senior athlete placed first in the 220-pound weight class in the state strength championship last month in Lexington, burying past memories of close calls at state.
Shannon was the runner-up in the 205-pound class as a junior but rose to the top of podium before graduating in June.
“I’ve had him for four years and he never could seem to put it all together,” Stags strength and conditioning coach Mike Ward said. “He placed every year.”
With time running out, Shannon and Ward went to work getting dialed in for Shannon’s last state meet. Ward said Shannon followed their plan step by step. The end result was the proverbial gold at the end of the rainbow.
Shannon, a defensive end in football, broke a record set in 1996 by nailing a 610-pound squat in his last attempt and also bench pressed 330 pounds to finish first in that lift too. State participants also competed in the standing broad jump.
The previous squat record in the 220-pound class was 600, set by Spring Valley’s Bryan Johnson in 1996.
“After last year, Will went to work,” Ward said.
Cavs make championship game
St. John’s Christian took aim at its first state football championship in three decades but had to settle for the runner-up trophy for the fourth time in 15 years.
Andrew Jackson Academy finished the season unbeaten with a 44-28 victory in late November against the Cavaliers in the SCISA 8-man title game played at Calhoun Academy.
It was the fourth championship in five years for the Confederates. St. John’s Christian finished 10-2, with both losses coming to the physical Andrew Jackson squad.
St. John’s Christian last won a football crown in 1989 when it was known as Lord Berkeley Academy.
“I’m disappointed for this team tonight,” said Cavaliers coach John McCall, whose team lost 32-24 to the Confederates in the regular season. “They really wanted it. They fought hard so I’m proud of the effort. Obviously, it didn’t go the way we wanted it to but we played for the right reason. I just hate it didn’t end in a way they would like.”
The Cavs return most of their team for 2020, including quarterback Nai’Ryan Bookert. He passed for two scores and ran for two more in the championship game. SJCA loses five seniors.
Trojans back on track
The 2019 edition of the Cross Trojans football team is in rare company. Just how out of the ordinary is unknown exactly but you can take Trojans coach Shaun Wright’s word for it.
“I don’t know if I’ve ever heard of a team going from no wins to the third round of the playoffs the next season,” Wright said. “I am really proud of the players on this team. It was their belief in themselves that was the key to our turnaround.”
The Trojans have plenty reasons to burst with optimism about the 2020 season. They will bring back many key players from a squad that just finished the season with a 7-5 mark after going 0-9 in 2018.
Trojans coaches told their team there was nothing to be ashamed of in the postgame huddle.
The Trojans only lose six seniors heading into next season.
Tylik Green and junior Kaden White will return with nearly 600 yards on the ground combined.
Junior receiver Xavier Gattis led in catches with almost 30 grabs for over 300 yards and two scores.
On defense, Green, freshman Damion Haines and sophomore Ashton Howard were the top tacklers.
Meggett makes Shrine Bowl
Randy Robinson snagged his cell phone off the table and blasted out a text message as quickly as his fingers could move along the screen.
The Berkeley High School football coach might have bent a school rule but you’ll have to forgive him. He couldn’t wait to pass along the good news to Stags receiver Hakeem Meggett, was added to the South Carolina Shrine Bowl roster in December to fill a spot vacated by an injured player.
Meggett helped guide the Stags to another strong season on the gridiron with 60-plus grabs for 1,077 yards and 16 touchdowns. Like a lot of other seniors, though, he didn’t get the all-star game call to the North-South or Shrine Bowl. Robinson, having coached in all-star games, admits it is a difficult process..
“If that ball is in the air, it’s his,” Robinson said. “He’s a competitor. He won his fair share of 50-50 balls this year. That’s the kind of kid he is between the lines.”
South Carolina won the Shrine Bowl, 28-17.
Timberland athlete Jaleen Richardson and Berkeley offensive lineman Hunter Powers played in the Touchstone Energy Cooperatives Bowl a week earlier. The South coasted past the North squad.
Mukuamu lifts Gamecocks to upset
Former Berkeley High School defensive back Israel Mukuamu made a significant impact for the University of South Carolina in its stunning upset at No. 3 Georgia in October.
Mukuamu, a sophomore cornerback, made three interceptions and returned one 53 yards for a score in the Gamecocks’ 20-17 victory in double overtime in front of more than 92,000 inside Sanford Stadium. Mukuamu became the first Gamecocks players to record three interceptions in a game since 1988.
The Former Stags standout was the second leading tackler on the day, finishing with seven solos and four assists. He was named the Football Bowl Subdivision National Defensive Player of the Week by the Walter Camp Football Foundation and was also honored as the Southeastern Conference’s Defensive Player of the Week.
Moncks Corner Dixie Boys win state
The Moncks Corner Dixie Boys all-stars completed a perfect run through the state tournament on Thursday, July 25, defeating St. George 9-1 in the championship game.
Moncks Corner was 6-0 in the tournament contested at Bluffton’s Oscar Frazier Park July 20-25.
“We didn’t want to be overconfident but we knew we had the pieces to win it,” said Steve Pauley, Moncks Corner coach. “Its baseball and you’re still dealing with kids but they all bought in. Everybody on the team sacrificed something to help us win the tournament.”
Before dispatching St. George in the championship game, Moncks Corner defeated Mullins (6-1), Hartsville Northern (15-6), Sumter (8-1), St. George (13-7) and Hartsville Northern (2-0).
The dominant showing was a continuation of what happened in the district tournament in late June. Moncks Corner outscored opponents 60-3 in four district games and 53-16 in six state games.
After winning state, Moncks Corner was 2-2 in the World Series in Aiken.
Moncks Corner Dixie Belles win state title
Moncks Corner’s Dixie Belles all-stars brought home a state championship trophy by completing a clean sweep of everything in their path in Union July 13-17.
In the state tournament, they outscored teams 54-16 to go 5-0. The one time Moncks Corner needed some theatrics, it pulled some out of the hat to stay unbeaten. It scored four runs in the seventh inning to clip Mullins 4-3 on July 16.
The squad returned to the ballpark about eight hours later to take out Jefferson, 11-5, in the championship game the morning of July 17.
Earlier, Moncks Corner coasted past Sumter (13-5), Union (11-0) and Jefferson (15-3).
The squad batted .312 as a team and opponents hit just .157 while striking out 50 times against Moncks Corner hurlers.
The Dixie Belles were 3-2 in the World Series in Alexandria, Louisiana.
Stags backstop all-star MVP
Berkeley High School’s Hayden Dawson was the lone catcher and spent all 14 innings behind the dish for the Class 5A-2A-1A South all-star squad on May 21-22.
Dawson also did great work in the batter’s box, collecting two doubles in four at-bats to go with a pair of hit-by-pitches as the 5A-2A-1A South won both games, 3-2, in the South Carolina Baseball Coaches Association all-star event in Lexington.
Dawson was named the team’s MVP.
“People asked me how many catchers I needed and I said just one,” said Berkeley baseball coach Landy Cox, who headed up the 5A-2A-1A South all-stars. “He did what he had done for us all year. He held his own with some of the better players in South Carolina.”
With a strong showing in Lexington, Dawson capped a stellar senior campaign. He earned All-Region 7-AAAAA honors after batting over .360 with an on-base percentage over .500 as the Stags won the region championship.
Lady Wolves make school history
The 2019 edition of Timberland High School Softball made some school history on May 1.
The Lady Wolves seized the program’s first-ever postseason district championship, pulling away for a 14-5 victory over visiting Johnsonville to win District V.
Timberland (17-2) collected 17 hits and scored nine runs in the fifth and sixth innings to break it open. Johnsonville trailed 5-4 before the Lady Wolves erupted.
“Everybody hit the ball one through nine,” THS coach Ben Lailson said.
Leadoff hitter Brooke Moody led the onslaught with a 4-for-4 effort and No.9 hitter Alayna Martin did her part, going 2 for 3. Martin sparked a six-run fifth inning by leading off with a hit, answering Johnsonville’s three spot in the top of the inning that cut Timberland’s lead to 5-4.
“I knew there would be a moment we’d have to hold them off,” Lailson said.
Tori Rose, Abby Prince and Gracie Prince collected two hits each. One of Abby Prince’s was a solo home run in the first inning.
Timberland’s Touchberry lands in hall of fame
Former Timberland High School and Macedonia High School basketball coach Cleve Touchberry is part of the newest South Carolina Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame class.
Touchberry, who compiled a 703-200 record in 30-plus years on the sideline before retiring after the 2013 season, joined four other inductees at a ceremony in their honor on March 15 at Seawell’s Restaurant in Columbia.
Touchberry led Macedonia’s program from 1980-1996 and Timberland from 1996-2013. His teams won two state championships in 2005 and 2011, captured 15 region titles and advanced to the Lower State final nine times. He was a SCBCA Coach of the Year four times.
While at Timberland, he was fortunate enough to coach one of the state’s best players ever. Former Lady Wolves star guard Kalana Greene went on to play at the University of Connecticut and captured three national championships. Greene was the 13th overall pick in the 2010 WNBA Draft and won a WNBA championship with the Minnesota Lynx in 2015.
Stags come up just short
The best basketball season in Berkeley High School history came to a crushing conclusion on March 1.
The Stags fought hard but fell to now three-time defending champion Dorman High School, 46-39, in the Class 5A boys championship game in Colonial Life Arena.
Berkeley ended the campaign with a 26-2 record while Dorman finished 28-3.
“Wow, what a historic season we had,” Berkeley coach Joe Wallace said. “The community, as I’ve said for the last month or so, has done a great job of supporting us. We appreciate that. You could probably go to Moncks Corner right now and nobody’s there. They rallied around us.”
The championship game was the last for 10 seniors, who helped lead the historic season. All four of the top scorers are moving on.
The score was tied four times, the last time at 25-25 early in the second half before Dorman went on an 8-2 run. The Cavs stayed in front the rest of the way but Berkeley hung around.
Solomon Butler’s layup early in the fourth pulled the Stags within 33-31 but Myles Tate answered with a baseline jumper to make it a two-possession game again for Dorman.
Trevur Smalls made a layup with 1:05 left to cut the Stags’ deficit to 41-37. Dorman maintained a safe distance by hitting five of six from the charity stripe.
Senior guard DJ Chisolm led Berkeley with 14 points while Smalls, also a senior, finished with 10 points. Senior forward Ishan White scored seven points and led the rebounding effort with 13 boards.
White, who averaged 15 points and 10 rebounds in the regular season, was named Region 7-AAAAA Player of the Year. Smalls and Chisolm also earned all-region honors for the Stags.
Run Zane, Run
It was a great day for a run twice in 2019 for Cane Bay High School’s Zane Jackson.
Jackson, a senior, won the Class 5A state cross country title in November with a 5A state record time of 15:18.
“Yes, I was nervous at the start,” Jackson said. “I felt confident because I prepared and trained hard all fall but I knew I had to have a good race to win.”
Lexington sophomore Zander Jeffcoat finished as the runner-up and provided the necessary competition for Jackson to run his race. Jackson won by three seconds.
“I let him get out to the lead and just went with him,” Jackson said. “I was able to out-kick him in the end but it was close. The course was very flat and all grass, a really good course to run.”
In May, Jackson surged at the end to win the 3,200-meter run in 9:41.66, claiming a Class 5A state track and field title by almost six seconds.
“He ended up with a 62-second closing lap,” Cane Bay coach Greg Hall said after the state meet. “He blew them away.”
Nearhood returns to where career began
A little known fact about longtime Stratford wrestling coach Willie Nearhood is his coaching career began at Cross High School. In the summer, he made the announcement he’s headed back to Cross.
Nearhood spent 1996-98 at CHS before beginning what turned into a hall of fame career at Stratford High School. Nearhood finished his 20th year on Crowfield Boulevard in February and is one of just a few wrestling coaches in state history to top the 400-victory mark.
Nearhood coached eight state champions and never had a losing season or missed the playoffs.
Former Stratford state champion Nick Young, an assistant the last two years, took over for Nearhood.
“I felt like the timing was right,” Nearhood said. “I know that we brought in a good guy that will not let the program fall. I didn’t want to step up away unless the program was in good hands. Nick will do a great job. When he came in two years ago, I said I’m going to show you the ropes.”
Nearhood believes he walks into a fertile situation at Cross. The school has a group of hungry athletes.
Bucs surge on gridiron
The Charleston Southern Buccaneers won four straight games, and six of eight, to end up 6-6 overall and 4-2 in the Big South for first-year coach Autry Denson. An 0-4 became a distant memory.
“We never flinched,” Denson said. “… Our guys competed every week. We let a couple slip early but hats off to those guys for buying into what we were saying in a day and age when everybody says kids are selfish and they won’t buy into a team concept. We got better in our habits and hunkered down in our plan.”
Redshirt sophomore kicker Alex Usry finished with a school-record 19 field goals. Redshirt sophomore defensive end Shaundre Mims set a CSU record with his 10th sack of the season. Linebacker J.D. Sosebee had 103 tackles, the first CSU player to top 100 stops in a season since Jada Ross in 2007.
Senior punter Kyle Reighard finished with a Big South record 36 boots of more than 50 yards for his career.
Ward steps down
Charleston Southern will have a new baseball coach for the 2020 season. Adam Ward stepped down from the program. Associate head coach and recruiting coordinator George Schaefer will run the program this upcoming season.
Ward was pitching coach for four seasons and led the Buccaneers 2017-19 after Stuart Lake left for the University of South Carolina. He had the interim tag his first season.
The Bucs advanced to the Big South Tournament each of the last two seasons and won two postseason games last spring, their most tournament wins since 2000.
Schaefer, a former CSU player from 2009-13, has been on staff since 2016.
The Bucs were 23-26 overall last season, their best record since going 29-30 in 2011.
CSU takes down Missouri
Charleston Southern’s men’s basketball team pulled out a stunning, 68-60, victory at Missouri on Dec. 3.
Duncan Lexander led four Buccaneers with 17 points. Travis Anderson (15), Phlandrous Fleming (11) and Ty Jones (10) also reached double figures.
After falling behind 39-30 and calling timeout at the 14:50 mark of the second half, Charleston Southern went on to outscore the Tigers 38-21 down the stretch run and earned its third win over an Southeastern Conference foe in program history.
Best of Prep Sports awards
A Heisman Trophy winner was in the house, as was the trophy.
Grins were plentiful. Hardware was received. Hundreds of photos were taken.
And there was a standing ovation for a young athlete who has battled back from cancer.
The second annual Best of Prep Sports awards by Summerville Communications in May were a rousing success. The company, which publishes the Journal Scene, Berkeley Independent and The Gazette newspapers, recognized high school student-athletes and coaches in Berkeley and Dorchester counties in Summerville on the evening of May 16.
Former South Carolina running back George Rogers, who won the Heisman Trophy in 1980, was the headliner and emphasized the importance of making the right choices on and off the field – admitting he didn’t always choose the right path – in a question-and-answer session with well-known Lowcountry personality Warren Peper.
Rogers became the first player chosen in the 1981 National Football League draft and played seven seasons in the NFL for the New Orleans Saints and Washington Redskins, helping the Redskins win a Super Bowl in 1988 before retiring.
Summerville Communications handed out 30-plus awards, including a male and female athlete of the year. Both are seniors on the cusp of graduation next month.
Three-sport standout DJ Chisolm of Berkeley High School was named the male winner and Pinewood Prep soccer and basketball player Grace Powell was the female winner.
There were more winners in each varsity sport and some additional special awards made their way to recipients in the categories of leadership, academics and service. One of those was the courage award, given to Mackenzie McKinney, a Pinewood Prep athlete who bounced back from a battle with Hodgkin Lymphoma.
She received a standing ovation.
