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L to R Front: Gail Mealing, Courtney Mealing, John Mealing, Johntavious Mealing L to R back: Nicole Mealing, Coach Parker, Athletic Director Doug Painter A Winner Signs with a Winner April 22, 2009 Francis Marion University was founded in 1970 and is located seven miles east of Florence, South Carolina meaning it will not be difficult for us to see Courtney Mealing play for the NCAA Division II Peach Belt Conference Champions. The Lady Swampfoxes have just competed a 27-5 season, that took them all the way to The Sweet Sixteen in NCAA Division II, under the direction of Coach of the Year Heather Macy. The team is facing the loss of six seniors from the squad as they plan for next year and are very fortunate to be getting Strom Thurmond Super Player Courtney Mealing who can easily fill three of the six vacancies. Now, if sister Nichol would join her little sister at Francis Marion University the losses to graduation would no longer be a concern. Miss Mealing was recently named South Carolina Player of the Year for the CSRA adding this honor to a long list of accolades bestowed on her this year. Her coach at Strom Thurmond High School, Jessica Parker, was right again when she stated earlier this year, “Her future is bright as long as she continues to work hard, nobody can stop her but herself.” Courtney is the daughter of Gail and John Mealing of Mealing Road in the Merriweather Section of the county. In addition to her basketball star older sister Nicole there is a younger brother, also an athlete, John Tavius. Much to 14th ranked Francis Marion’s good fortune Courtney will be living up to her teachers prediction as a member of their womens basketball team. According to Ms. McKinney, one of Courtney’s teachers, “We will definitely be hearing more about Courtney Mealing in the future.” With a 3.2 GPA it will not be athletics only as the success story of Courtney continues to be written. "Why would I want a picture of you?" quips Fuzzy. Tigers entourage works diligently to help him improve his game. A Man’s Man Says Goodbye to the Masters April 15, 2009 The day before this years par 3 match was a miserable cold windy day with mother nature making a statement that one should not take spring, in the most tranquil and beautiful corner of the earth, for granted. It is obvious that mother nature was born down around Yemassee because the very next day she unfolded one of those “I must be in heaven” days to keep the hordes of people from dark and nasty places confused and having to carry around mounds of those funny clothes they wear to make sure their complexion stays pasty. Lucky for me I was invited to attend on “my goodness it’s gorgeous” day. Most of the early morning was spent viewing the traditional skipping of the balls across one of the ponds near “amen corner” and ogling some of the loveliest, perfectly rounded blossoms known to man. Before one could yell “four” it was time for the best part of any day at the Masters as we carved the traditional pimento cheese sandwiches beneath the whispering pines and tipped our cups to “A Man’s Man”. Following the “Feast of Fro mage” it was off to search for the one and only “Tiger”. The little known trick for finding the “Godfather of Golf” is to look for very large crowds pushing and shoving to get a close look at the phenom. Applying this tactic it was not long before he was almost in sight leaving it to application of escape and evasion training of years gone by in order to achieve the goal. There he stands, getting an ear full from his highly paid coach, two caddies, a shrink, and some blond girl yelling “Ga till vanster, Ga till hoger”. The likenesses are struck and safely stored for presentation in the oldest newspaper in South Carolina. And now, the reason for this trip to the gigantic yankee magnet. There he is, mouth in full throttle, entertaining the crowd as only Fuzzy can do it. “What makes you think I want a picture of you?” responds the Green Jacket Jester. “You make me feel like I am at home,” I fire back. Fuzzy spends the afternoon handing out golf balls to youngsters all along the course and often holds up play to sign autographs for wide eyed children and adults who finally get a chance to have contact with the people’s athlete. Thanks for the memories and laughter Fuzzy. Wardlaw Girls Perfect Season State Champions-Again!! March 4, 2009 Notes from the desk of Gerald Doolittle, Wardlaw Academy Athletic Director The road to the State Championship for the Lady Patriots ran through Wilson Hall with the Wardlaw girls recoiling from an off game with Newberry Academy earlier in the week. The Patriot defense shut down the top guns of Low Country Day, Jenny Derrick and Sister Donkle holding them to 6 and 11 points. This defensive display coupled with Gina Easler’s 29-point scoring frenzy set the stage for an opportunity to play for all the marbles again. The Sumter Exhibition Center was the scene of the Wardlaw Academy Girls Basketball final drive to glory last Saturday. From the tip off there was no doubt that the Lady Patriots meant to take home the gold and that they did. Freshman Katelyn Rearden led the scoring attack with 11 points and Gina Easler had 13 boards. On a note of special interest Kinsey Parrish joined six other Patriots as the seventh player on this State Championship team to score 100 points this season. The stats for the State Championship Game are: James Island Christian: Shelbi Bottoms 7, Jamid Duggan 5, Katelyn Gochnauer 8, Elizabeth Horne 6. Wardlaw Academy: Peyton Baynham 6, Katelyn Rearden 11, Briggs Belcher 5, Gina Easler 8, Anna Yarborough 5, Kara Beck 6, Kinsey Parrish 4. Wardlaw Academy Basketball Feb. 18, 2009 Wardlaw Academy Girls 55 Newberry Academy 19 The Wardlaw Academy Girls rolled to an 18-0 season record by defeating Newberry last weekend. Peyton Manning led the scoring with 14 points as the Lady Patriots took the lead from the beginning and stayed there for the entire game. The Region Champions played Laurens Academy Tuesday night. Wardlaw Stats: Peyton Baynham 14, Katelyn Rearden 8, Briggs Belcher 4, Gina Easler 12, Anna Yarborough 7, Kara Beck 5, Kinsey Parrish 4, Kathryn Ginn 1. Briggs Belcher and Gina Easler had one 3-pointer each. Wardlaw Academy Boys 25 Laurens Academy Boys 36 The Patriots played the Laurens boys to a close 13 to 9 first half last weekend but Laurens academy pulled away in the second half to take an 11-point victory. Kevin Ginn’s 17 points would not be enough to close the gap sending The Patriots to an 11-7 record as they enter the state tournament. Wardlaw stats: Stephen Balentine 3, Kevin Ginn 17, Coty Courtney 2, Travis Gagnon 1, Harrison Courtney 2. Strom Thurmond High School head football coach Lee Sawyer has a 52 and 14 record during his five year tenure at the helm of the Rebel Program. Strom Thurmond Head Coach Stays Put Jan. 28, 2009 During a press conference held at Strom Thurmond High School last Friday morning Head Football Coach Lee Sawyer delivered a written statement regarding the rumors of him leaving Strom Thurmond High School for the job left open by the departure of Coach Dula from Greenwood High School. The following is the text of Coach Sawyer’s statement: “There have been a lot of rumors over the last month about me not returning to Strom Thurmond High School next season. My Coaches, my family and myself have been bombarded with questions regarding the head coaching vacancy at Greenwood High School. One of my players asked me about it last week so I need to address the situation. I spent three great years as the defensive coordinator at Greenwood High. I have nothing but love and respect for the football program there. I am also flattered that people would tie my name to such a prestigious job. During the past month, I have conferred with several close friends and colleagues about the possibility of leaving Strom Thurmond for Greenwood. I have spent many hours alone studying the pros and cons of such a move. With that being said, I would like to announce that I am not pursuing the Greenwood High School job or any other job that I may be rumored to take. I am remaining at Strom Thurmond High School as the head football coach for the 2009 season. I love this job. I love my past and present players and their parents. I love this school and the communities that feed it. I am very proud of all we have accomplished the last five years. I have five more years remaining before I can retire. I would like to retire the head football coach at Strom Thurmond High School. I know that ultimately is not my decision but it is my goal. The people here have been very good to me and I would like to repay them with five more years of my best effort. I wish Greenwood High School nothing but the best. I will always be one of their biggest fans, but my heart is right here at Strom Thurmond. We have a moto in our football program of “Pride, Class, Courage, and the Will to Win”. My players and coaches exemplify that twelve months out of the year. I am very demanding but they do whatever is asked of them to uphold those principles. We don’t have all the material things other schools have but we have two things that can’t be bought; huge hearts and a tremendous work ethic. Those are things you just don’t find everywhere.” In the five seasons that Coach Sawyer has been head coach at Strom Thurmond High School his program has posted a record of 52 wins and 14 losses with four Region Championships and a State Championship. This represents an 80% game winning record and more importantly his record with student athlete’s success is much higher. Wardlaw Girls continue winning record. Wardlaw Boys 6 and 1 for the season. Wardlaw Girls Maintain 35 Game Winning Streak Holiday Basketball Box Scores (provided by Gerald Doolittle) WARDLAW ACADEMY GIRLS (74) Peyton Baynham 18, Katelyn Rearden 14, Briggs Belcher 11, Gina Easler 14, Anna Yarborough 6, Kara Beck 9, Melissa Pacifico 2 Totals: 30 11/18 Rebounds: 29 (23-O 6-D) Assist: 13 Steals: 6 Blocks: 2 Turnovers: 10 3 pt Goals: 3 (Belcher 2 Baynham) ANDERSON CHRISTIAN GIRLS (16) Sarah Ellenburg 6, Kaitlyn Hicks 2, Lexie Moorhouse 2, Kassidy Moorhouse 6 Totals: 5 6/11 Rebounds: 20 (2-O 18-D) Assist: 3 Steals: 3 Blocks: 1 Turnovers: 43 3 pt Goals: None Wardlaw26-17-13-18---74 Anderson Christian 4- 7- 1- 4---16 Note: Lady Patriots jumped to a 23-0 lead and never was challenged. WARDLAW ACADEMY BOYS (46) Stephen Balentine 7, Ryan Terry 2, Kevin Ginn 12, Coty Courtney 4, Travis Gagnon 10, Harrison Courtney 6, Graemen Dawe 3 Totals: 19 4/8 Rebounds: 25 (10-O 15-D) Assist: 11 Steals: 9 Blocks: 3 3 pt Goals: 4 (Ginn 3 , Dawe) ANDERSON CHRISTIAN BOYS (30) Joshua Williams 2, Mark Phillips 12, Walker Capps 6, Cameron Walker 10 Totals: 11 8/22 Rebounds : 25 (9-O 16-D) Assist: 0 Steals: 8 Blocks: 3 3 pt Goals: None Wardlaw8-18-12- 8---46 Anderson Christian7- 5- 8-10---30 WARDLAW MS GIRLS (29) Madelyn Medlock 6, Lilli Pendarvis 5, Kathryn Ginn 2, Lauren Williams 6, Carrie Ann Quarles 8, Ashley Bryan 2 ANDERSON CHRISTIAN MS GIRLS (17) Karley Brannon 2, Kayryn Gurley 8, Jessica Hall 2, Bentley Glenn 2, Katlyn VonIns 3 Wardlaw10-12-4- 3---29 Anderson Christian 2- 2- 2-11---17 WARDLAW MS BOYS (16) Brandon Boozer 2, Russ Wilkes 10, Douglas Herlong 3 Kenneth Kaltz 1 ANDERSON CHRISTIAN MS BOYS (51) Seth Gurley 20, Nick Hattaway 2, Austin Johnson 7, Skylar Murphy 14, Issaac Moorhouse 8 Wardlaw 0- 6- 5- 5---16 Anderson Christian21-12-13- 5---51 January 2, 2009 NEWBERRY SONIC SHOOTOUT TOURNAMENT WARDLAW ACADEMY GIRLS (55) Peyton Baynham 6, Katgelyn Rearden 12, Brigs Belcher 7, Gina Easler 12, Anna Yarborough 8, Kara Beck 10 Totals: 21 12/18 Rebounds: 36 (14-O 22-D) Assist: 14 Steals: 10 Blocks: 2 Turnovers: 16 3 pt Goals: 1 (Belcher) RICHARD WINN GIRLS (39) Brittany Speagle 7, Jenna Burroughs 16, Katherine Mathews 2, Alex Maass 8, Britney Poland 6 Totals: 14 9/15 Rebounds: 23 (9-O 14-D) Assist: 4 Steals: 7 Blocks: 0 Turnovers: 23 3 pt Goals: 2 (Speagle, Burroughs) Wardlaw2-17-14-22---55 Richard Winn10-10- 2-17---39 Note: The Lady Patriots came out cold in the first quarter falling behind 8-0 . The come back started in the second quarter as the Lady Patriots outscored Richard Winn 31-12 in the middle quarters. Gina Easler had a double double with 12 points and 10 boards. WARDLAW ACADEMY BOYS (34) Stephen Balentine 9, Kevin Ginn 9, Coty Courtney 3, Travis Gagnon 4, Harrison Courtney 7, Graeme Dawe 2 Totals: 8 17/30 Rebounds: 41 (10-O 31-D) Assist: 5 Steals: 4 Blocks: 3 Turnovers: 19 3 pt Goals: 1 (Ginn) RICHARD WINN BOYS (45) Thomas Wilkes 7, G Coleman 4, Joseph Talbert 3, Jonathan Love 1, McKenzie Robinson 15, Drew Maas 12, Neerat Singal 3 Totals: 14 13/23 Rebounds: 25 (14-O 11-D) Assist: 4 Steals: 9 Blocks: 3 Turnovers: 14 3 pt Goals: 4 (Robinson 2, Wilkes, Singal) Wardlaw5-10- 9-10---34 Richard Winn10-15- 9-11---45 Note: The Patriots could not overcome a poor shooting night from both the field and line and dropped their first game of the season. The loss came despite the Patriots winning the rebound war 41-25. Harrison Courtney had 11 boards followed by Kevin Ginn and Coty Courtney with 10 each. JANUARY 3, 2009 NEWBERRY SONIC SHOOTOUT TOURNAMENT WARDLAW ACADEMY GIRLS (50) Peyton Baynham 11, Katelyn Rearden 13, Briggs Belcher 15, Gina Easler 2, Kara Beck 3, Kenzie Parrish 6 Totals: 21 4/9 Rebounds: 35 (23-O 12-D) Assist: 12 Steals: 27 Blocks: 2 Turnovers: 16 3 pt Goals: 4 (Belcher 2, Baynham, Rearden) COVENANT CHRISTIAN GIRLS (14) Christy Wright 4, Deborah Bian-Lingle 4, Niya Flemming 2, Isabella Gant 2, Rebecca Alderman 2 Totals: 6 2/12 Rebounds: 31 (6-O 25-D) Assist: 4 Steals: 5 Blocks: 3 Turnovers: 44 3 pt Goals: None Wardlaw23-6-11-10---50 Covenant Christian 4-8- 0- 2---14 Note: The Lady Patriots jumped to a 18-0 lead and never was in trouble. Gina Easler went down in the third quarter with an ankle injury. The Lady Patriots upped their season record to 7-0 and their current winning streak now is at 35 games. WARDLAW ACADEMY BOYS (66) Stephen Balentine 16, Ryan Terry 4, Kevin Ginn 20, Coty Courtney 2, Travis Gagnon 17, Harrison Courtney 4, Graeme Dawe 3 Totals: 24 14/19 Rebounds: 44 (15-O 29-D) Assist: 12 Steals: 6 Blocks: 2 Turnovers: 17 3 pt Goals: 4 (Balentine 2, Ginn, Dawe) COVENANT CHRISTIAN BOYS (48) David Golden 22, Will Schaap 4, Sam Christmus 2, Emmanuel Bazemore 4, Christian Golden 11, Will Gasaway 5 Totals: 19 9/15 Rebounds: 23 (9-O 14-D) Assist: 4 Steals: 9 Blocks: 0 Turnovers: 11 3 pt Goals: 1 (Gasaway) Wardlaw17-19-13-17---66 Covenant Christian10- 7-15-16---48 Note: The Patriots bounced back with a better shooting night from the field and the charity line. Travis Gagon scoured 17 points and had 13 boards and was 5 of 6 from the line. Kevin Ginn led the scoring with 20 points and had 10 boards. Ginn also was 7 of 8 from the line. Stephen Balentine had 16 points, 6 boards and 6 assist. The win upped their record to 6-1. Rebel Wrestler William Quant proves technique to wrestling success. Wrestling Rebels Ancient Sport Comes to Strom Thurmond High It is year one for the sport of wrestling at Strom Thurmond High School and Coach Don Barnhart has about 25 students, including one female, taking their first shot at take downs, clinching, holding, and application of leverage. According to the coach his charges are doing very well for a first year program especially against other squads that are introducing the sport for the first time. The Thurmond Athletic Director, Coach Doug Painter, had wanted to start a wrestling program at the high school for some time when Teacher of Biology Barnhart arrived on campus. Upon finding out that Mr. Barnhart had wrestled and coached wrestling a number of years Coach Painter invited Mr. Barnhart to become Coach Barnhart and wrestling got its start. Coach Barnhart and his wrestlers have not been shy in taking on wrestling programs that have years of training and experience under their belts. According to the coach this has been an eye opener for his first year athletes and it lets them know what it takes to be competitive. The Coach offered up praise for Rebel Senior Brandon Face for the leadership he had provided during this start-up season and cited the 8 and 2 record of Freshman Nick Clark and the 10 and 2 record of Junior Dylan Barnhart. The Rebels will travel to Chapin Wednesday night, January 7, to compete against last years AAA Team Champions. The Chapin High program is well established and the feeder schools have wrestling programs that support the high school program. The elementary and middle school programs get coaching support from Newberry College. The first home match for the Wrestling Rebels will be January 12,, starting at 6:30, in the JET Middle School Gym. Thurmond will be wrestling Pelion and Orangeburg Prep. Wrestling Rebels 2009 Schedule January 7ChapinChapin/Brooklyn Cayce6:30 January 12JETPelion/Orangeburg Prep6:30 January 15Mid CarolinaMid Carolina/Newberry6:30 January 17CharlestonMilitary Magnet Duals9:00 a.m. January 21PelionPelion7:00 January 22JETCross Creek, Ga.6:30 January 24CharlotteCharlotte TournamentTBA January 27HomeHephzibah, Ga.6:30 January 31TBARegion TournamentTBA February 1-14 TBAAA Wrestling Duals and ChampionshipsTBA February 20-21 TBAUpper State QualifierTBA February 27-28State Wrestling FinalsTBA Fox Creek Basketball Teams 1-1 Dec. 17, 2008 The Fox Creek Predator’s basketball teams came out strong last Friday night at Wesley United Methodist Church in Augusta. Both the men’s and women’s teams came out victorious over the Home-school Warriors; with a final score of 56-50 and 38-24 respectively. Coach Andre Basket commented on the first win saying, “This is the first of many wins to come and the main objective for my team right now is to focus on winning conference games.” Leading scorers for the Predators include Aaron Steedley with 14 and Cody Willing and Owen Jacobs each with 12. Fox Creek fought just as hard Saturday night, but just couldn’t handle the Fighting Irish. The Lady Predators lost to Aquinas in a hard-fought game 24-56 as did the men’s team: 39-63. Leading scorers for that game were Desmond Wilson with 13, Owen Jacobs with 8, and Cody Willing with 6. Fox Creek will be on the road next Tuesday, December 16th playing C.A. Johnson but catch the Predators in action at home next Friday, December 19th facing off against Williston Elko.

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