By Thomas Grant Jr. “It’s been surreal.” That was Irmo Little League Seniors team head coach Pete von Ahn’s description of his team’s historic season. This All-Star group of players from Lexington-Richland District Five high schools Chapin, Dutch Fork and Spring Hill reached unchartered territory for the seven-year-old program. NotContinue Reading
By Thomas Grant Jr. With preseason camps opening, there’s plenty of excitement for football in the Irmo area. Once again leading the way is Dutch Fork High School. The Silver Foxes regained their place atop Class 5A by regaining the state title it lost 12 months earlier. Despite a heavyContinue Reading
By Thomas Grant Jr. Dreher Community Center on the shores of Lake Murray was the site once again for the monthly Midlands Striper Club Youth Fishing Tournament. About 18 youngsters took part in the July 15 event. A total of 30 striped bass were caught and brought to the scalesContinue Reading
By Thomas Grant Jr. West Columbia and Chapin-Newberry lost by the same 6-5 score Wednesday night in S.C. American Legion baseball playoffs. In the case of Chapin-Newberry, the defeat to Greenwood Post 20 in the Upstate Region marked the end of its season. Post 193/24 trailed 6-2 when it scoredContinue Reading
By Thomas Grant Jr. West Columbia Post 79 and Chapin-Newberry Post 193/24 began play in the South Carolina American Baseball playoffs. This year’s opening round is a double elimination format with the top teams earning a trip to Florence for the state tournament taking place July 18-23 at Francis MarionContinue Reading
By Thomas Grant Jr. The top All-Stars of the Coastal Plain League are headed back to Lexington County Baseball Stadium. The home of the Lexington County Blowfish will once again hold the CPL All-Star Show. The 2-day event begins Tuesday with the All-Star Fan Fest, a skills competition, and HomeContinue Reading
By Thomas Grant Jr. Based in West Columbia next to Lake Murray, the Midland Striper Club has provided public awareness and promoted sportsmanship, conservation, and adequate water quality for fishing family enthusiasts. Every third Saturday of each month, the Club holds a fishing tournament for aspiring young fishers. This SaturdayContinue Reading
The South Carolina American Legion baseball season ended in different fashion Thursday for both West Columbia Post 79 and Chapin/Newberry Post 193/24. In the end, however, the two teams finished tied for third place each with 5-7 marks in League III. West Columbia began the day with a rain makeupContinue Reading
By Thomas Grant Jr. Dutch Fork has found its new girls’ basketball coach. The school announced the hiring of Candace Bush to the position last week. She comes over from Columbia High School where she spent the past three seasons. “As a coach, you always want to move to theContinue Reading
By Thomas Grant Jr. Since 2019, the Cayce Roundball Classic at Brookland-Cayce High School has provided the community with a holiday basketball tournament with some of the Palmetto State’s top teams. This year’s Classic will once again feature 16 teams from North and South Carolina and Georgia competing in twoContinue Reading
By Thomas Grant Jr. Lexington County schools enjoyed athletic success this year with state titles in baseball and competitive cheer as well as state runners-up in the latter sport, golf and volleyball. Lexington, Chapin, and River Bluff all placed in the top 10 of the Class 5A Carlisle Cup standingsContinue Reading
Nearly $40,000 was raised through the inaugural Dam Boat Run on Lake Murray as it kicked off from the intake towers at the Dreher Shoals Dam on Saturday, June 24. With what organizers hope to be a yearly event more than 65 boats from across the country participated in theContinue Reading
Bassmaster has named Lake Murray #4 out of 100 in their 2023 “100 Best Bass Lakes Revealed” list. The story was featured in the July/August issue of Bassmaster Magazine. “After months of gathering data on hundreds of the best lakes in the nation, the cream of the bass fisheries hasContinue Reading
Stephen Abercrombie caught this 5 lb. largemouth bass from Lake Murray on Saturday, June 17. It was 19 inches long and 7 inches wide. Stephen frequents Lake World where he is a customer and he didn’t let this one get away. Way to go, Stephen! Photo courtesy of Lake WorldContinue Reading
By Thomas Grant Jr. The Home Run Derby is not the only event drawing athletes to Seattle, Washington during Major League Baseball All-Star Week. A softball tournament involving the top national talent in the Class of 2024 will include All-State senior shortstop Precious Bross of Irmo High School. The UniversityContinue Reading
By Thomas Grant Jr. The Dutch Fork High School graduate and former Chapin/Newberry infielder is playing his first season for the Lexington County Blowfish. The summer college baseball team competes in the Coastal Plain League and has called Lexington County Baseball Stadium home since 2015. Martin’s first two weeks withContinue Reading