The
ADAM FLASH / SUMTER ITEM FILE PHOTO
BY TIM LEIBLE tim@theitem.com
Sumter has produced many well-known figures – both in the world of sports and otherwise – but one man’s impact carries more weight than all the others.
The name Bobby Richardson means a lot of things to different people. To some, he’s a record-setting athlete. He’s the only man to be named World Series MVP despite playing for the losing team and has a few championship records to boot. To others, he’s a world-renowned speaker, sharing the message of the Lord along with the wisdom he’s gained through the years in all walks of life. No matter the topic that brings Bobby Richardson to mind, maybe
his most defining characteristic is his kindness and passion for people and Christ. He’s always quick to flash a smile and chat or sign an autograph for an excited fan. In many ways, that kindness makes him the most important man in Sumter.
As we dive into a section dedicated to Richardson in celebration of his 90th birthday, all we can do is say, “Thank you, Bobby.” He represents the best Sumter has to offer and has for the last 90 years. The Item has
– 3-time World Series winner, appeared in seven World Series
– The only World Series MVP to play for the losing
been along for every step of the journey, as Robert Clinton Richardson Jr. blossomed into the man known around the world as Bobby Richardson. The name Bobby Richardson has appeared in The Item 3,077 times as we’ve followed his legendary life, and that doesn’t even account for his early career when he was known as Robert to most Sumterites. Happy birthday, Bobby. Thanks for showing the rest of the world the greatness that can come out of little ol’ Sumter.
BY TIM LEIBLE tim@theitem.com
While we weren’t able to have a formal awards show this year for The Bobbys without Sumter Opera House, we’re still celebrating the best in area sports with a virtual version of the biggest night in Sumter-area sports.
After weeks of voting, this year's winners of The Bobbys are set, and we had some spectacular seasons to celebrate.
Your winners are:
— Best Female Athlete, presented by Reliable Medical Equipment and At Your Service Home Care – Molly Jones, Wilson Hall
— Best Male Athlete, presented by Creech Roddey Watson Insurance – John Peeples, Sumter High
— Best Team, presented by Simpson Hardware and Sporting Goods – East Clarendon Softball
— Best Coach, presented by Bank of Clarendon – Rip Ripley, Wilson Hall
These winners came out of an excellent pool of candidates, as each school had one representative in each category. Let’s take a look back at why each of these winners took home the hardware this year.
MOLLY JONES, WILSON HALL
There wasn’t much that Molly Jones didn’t accomplish during her senior year at Wilson Hall.
After taking a couple years off from cross country, she came back and set the program record, a mark she would end up toppling a few times throughout the fall. She set it for the final time at the state meet, finishing fifth with a time of 18:47.56. In the spring, she kept rolling, topping a few of her own previously set records as she helped lead Wilson Hall to a state title in girls track and field.
Now Jones is off at University of South Carolina and has time to reflect on a spectacular career, which includes a total of eight school records.
“Now that I’ve reached this new chapter of my life, I can look back. At the time, the marks and the PRs (personal records) felt so special, but the friendships and relationships I made were something that I will never forget,” Jones said. “I think going out with a state championship, Wilson Hall’s first track state championship in about 10 years, is very special. I think, not only is it a special memory for me, but the underclassmen, knowing they get to hold on to that and take that momentum into next year.”
Her final race may be the most impactful. She finished her high school career with the 4x400 relay at the SCISA DI state meet and breaking the school record once more with a time of 4:04.93. The victory also helped finish off a team victory in the state meet. While Jones had many favorite races during a historic season, that one stands out above the rest.
“The cherry on top was the 4x400,” she said. “That was my last ever race that I’ll ever get to compete in as a high school athlete. Coming with a big win, about a 10-second lead and getting to anchor that team and set a new state record, getting to embrace all my teammates at the end knowing we won state.” Jones was extremely grate-
ful for the support of the Wilson Hall community as she claims The Bobby for Best Female Athlete. It was a fitting bow to put on her high school career.
“It’s really special,” she said. “Leaving everyone behind was pretty hard because I had such a strong support group. Knowing that I’m already gone and I’m a little disconnected from the Wilson Hall world having graduated, it’s special to know that I’m still in everyone’s mind and will at least be remembered for a short amount of time for the hard work I put in and how I got to motivate my teammates and friends.”
JOHN PEEPLES, SUMTER HIGH
John Peeples capped off a sensational career at Sumter High with a senior year to remember. The Gamecock running back set program records for both rushing yards and touchdowns during a senior season in which he piled up 1,317 yards and 29 touchdowns despite missing two games.
Peeples was a central cog in a record-setting rushing season for the Gamecocks as a team.
Sumter High rushed for 4,187 yards, a program record, and 65 touchdowns as they plowed through opponents on their way to the SCHSL 5A Division I lower state championship.
The senior running back earned All-State honors, played in the Touchstone Energy Bowl and was selected for The Item’s All-Area team.
EAST CLARENDON SOFTBALL
The East Clarendon softball team had a spring to remember, claiming their first state championship since 2017 with a sweep of Saluda on the final day of May. They add another piece of hardware this weekend with The Bobby for Best Team, which meant the world to head coach Jason Newsome and the team.
“It’s nice to be recognized in comparison to a lot of good teams in the area. That’s very flattering,” Newsome said. “Our players and our coaching staff worked really hard this year, so they deserve all the accolades they get.”
With a summer to reflect on the season, Newsome’s takeaway hasn’t changed. The determination that his girls showed throughout the year made the difference in a run to the SCHSL 2A state title.
“When you win it, it’s easy to gloss over it for a little while and just think everything was perfect, but it’s tough,” Newsome said. “Each year you go through a different set of challenges, and last year was no different for us. We had our ups and downs as a team, our frustrating moments and good moments. At the end, we really gelled well together and felt like we were really playing our best softball at the end.”
While their defining moment in the playoffs was a wild doubleheader with Marion, the turning point in their season came much sooner.
The team had to rally during spring break and had team leaders step forward to lead the charge. Vocally, it was players like seniors Laiklyn Gaskins and Ann Grace Knowlton and underclassmen like Addison and Catherine Fleming, Bailey Hicks, Zoey Culick and Payton Hanniford, while others like Layke Jeffords, Karleigh Miller, Chloe
‘Knowing that I’m already gone and I’m a little disconnected from the Wilson Hall world having graduated, it’s special to know that I’m still in everyone’s mind and will at least be remembered for a short amount of time for the hard work I put in and how I got to motivate my teammates and friends.’
MOLLY JONES
Goff and Megan Brown carried a “do your job” attitude to lead with their actions.
“We played 22 games before spring break; that’s a lot. The team was tired, and we were really up and down heading into spring break. That lack of consistency created some frustration,” Newsome said.
“Coming out of spring break, we had a chance to get away, relax and rest up a little bit, and Coach Bryant (Conyers) had a meeting with several of our player leaders, and the leadership on the team really stepped up coming out of spring break. When that leadership stepped up, it meant a lot. Teams are better when they’re player-led, not coachled. When that happened, we really took off.”
In the end, EC went 27-8 and swept Saluda 2-1, 5-3 in the state championship game.
RIP RIPLEY, WILSON HALL
If you’re at a sporting event at Wilson Hall, you’re likely to run into Rip Ripley. There’s also a decent chance he’s the one on the sideline leading the charge.
Ripley does a little bit of everything for Wilson Hall. The assistant athletic director coaches volleyball in the fall, boys basketball in the winter and oversees the track and field program in the spring. He somehow finds time to run an AAU program, Next Level Athletics, that features those sports and more. While not a native of Sumter, he appreciates the way Sumter has embraced him and his family, which is made evident with The Bobby for Best Coach.
“One of the things my wife and I love about Sumter is the community. We’re invested through Wilson Hall and the other sporting ventures we have, so it’s nice to get a little love back, honestly,” Ripley said. “Wilson Hall specifically, there’s something special about this place. Fred Moulton, when he was the headmaster here, said, ‘It kinda means more,’ sometimes. We do things a little bit different, which makes it have a little
more meaning sometimes when things happen. When good things are happening, we’re really supporting each other, and that’s what we had with a great year of athletics.”
The track and field program was the biggest highlight sport for Ripley this year, as the girls program won the SCISA DI state title. Track and field is already the ultimate team sport when it comes to those titles, as so many people need to thrive to claim a championship. Wilson Hall was the epitome of that, as they claimed the championship with just two first-place finishes. They piled up strong finishes in essentially every event, even if they weren’t winning every race. At the end of the two-day meet, the points all added up thanks to a team-wide rally.
“Obviously I’m biased, but I think track can be one of the best snapshots into an athletic program of any sport. You’ve got everything represented because you have buy in from your speed guys, your distance guys, throwers. Kind of all walks of athletics are needed to make up a really successful track team,” Ripley said. “I think here at Wilson Hall, one of our goals is that there are a lot of schools that have kids that transfer in for certain sports, but we try to build with the kids that come into our program. It’s really cool to look out and see these kids that have had success for the last few years, who have been in our track program for five, six, seven years.
“When you put all of those things together, the real value for me is that it shows the younger kids that if we buy into the weight room with Coach (Sam) Watford and Coach (Kurt) Wilson, if we buy into offseason workouts with all of these sports, it all works together, and we can have this success at a really high level.”
Ripley is also directly involved with the overall health of athletics at Wilson Hall because he coaches two other sports. He led the Lady Baron volleyball team to yet another 20-win season as they finished 27-8. The boys basketball team then claimed the region title with a 20-10 record overall.
BY TIM LEIBLE tim@theitem.com
At this time last year, Jeremie Richardson was having the time of his life.
Then a senior at Crestwood, Jeremie was gearing up for his final season with the Knights. He was featured on The Grind, presented by The Bank of Clarendon, as he prepared to catch the attention of colleges with a stellar senior year.
In September, everything changed. Jeremie’s father, Jeremie Richardson Sr., was shot and killed on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024. Suddenly Jeremie was left without his patriarch and, as the oldest of 20 children, he felt it was his responsibility to fill that role for his younger siblings.
Through heartbreak, Jeremie never missed a game. He suited up on every Friday night during the football season before turning his attention to basketball in the winter. In the spring, his ultimate goal came true, as Jeremie signed to continue his football career at Fayetteville State University. His story of perseverance through the pain led him to receive the Thompson Award for Courage at the third edition of The Bobbys.
“Honestly, it’s very unexpected,” Jeremie said of the recognition. “My coach, Hooch (Elijah Oaks), he was texting me, ‘Call me ASAP.’ So, I thought something was wrong. That made me feel good. Even though I graduated from high school, I can still come back to my community and get recognition.”
THE NIGHT OF LOSS
Sept. 15 started the same as any other Sunday. Jeremie talked to his dad that evening, as the elder Richard-
son asked his son if he wanted him to pick up food on the way home. A few minutes later, Jeremie’s phone started blowing up.
“I was playing the game, and my phone was just buzzing, buzzing, buzzing and people were asking, ‘Did you talk to your dad?’” Jeremie recalled.
“Fifteen minutes passed, and my stepmom, Davetta, she called me and said, ‘Meet me at the hospital.’”
So Jeremie rushed to the hospital.
He didn’t have much time until learning the unfortunate news.
“All I knew was I saw an ambulance come through, and I was like, ‘Ain’t no way.’ My whole world just stopped right there, and I don’t know what I’m going to do if that’s him,” he said.
As he is the oldest son, doctors spoke to Jeremie first, and he was charged with sharing the news with the rest of his family.
“That crushed my soul, honestly,” he said. “I really didn’t have time to sit back and think about it and express my feelings because I’m the oldest out of all my dad’s kids, so I can’t let them see me down, so I always had to stay up. I never looked back and said, ‘This is reality.’”
During that time, the Crestwood football program became a source of comfort. Instead of staying home, Jeremie made a point to return to practice and was on the field that Friday when the Knights hosted South Florence. A week later, they held the funeral services for Jeremie Sr. on Wednesday, and Jeremie Jr. was on the field on Friday lighting up the scoreboard against Lower Richland.
“My heart was telling me, ‘Go play.’ I’m the oldest on my team, I’m the leader, so even though I’m going through something, that gets my mind off the situation at home,” Jeremie said. “When I get on the football field, all I’m thinking about is how I’m going to win this game. During the football game, my mind is straight on football. After the game, that’s when reality sets back in.” Crestwood head coach Roosevelt Nelson just wanted his program to be a source of comfort, even though he was shocked Jeremie wanted to hit the field so quickly.
“I told him you take as much time as you need, no pressure to come play. He didn’t give it a second
thought and said, ‘Coach, I’m playing,’” Roosevelt said. “It was very surprising to me for a man of that age to take that responsibility and maturity level. He made us a better staff and better individuals by watching how he handled that.”
The matchup against Lower Richland on Sept. 25 was the ultimate outlet for Jeremie. He caught two passes for 58 yards and a touchdown and returned a kickoff 95 yards for another score. He returned a total of three kicks for 134 yards in the game, scoring two of the Knights’ three touchdowns in a narrow 26-21 loss.
“I got on my knees, and I prayed up to my father. That one was for him,” Jeremie said of his first trip to the end zone. “I scored again, and
that was for him. I scored twice that game, and it was a deal-breaker for me. I had so much emotion built up, so I just let it out.”
The football program at Crestwood is one big family. While some programs say that, they practice it. They didn’t treat Jeremie differently after the loss of his father because they didn’t have to in order to create the environment he needed to thrive.
“It’s bigger than just on the grass on Friday nights,” Roosevelt said on his role as a head coach and mentor. “We’re with these men every single day, so they’re a part of our extended family. Sometimes you’re coaching kids for six years, so seeing them mature going through, it is truly family, and we’re blessed to have them in our program.”
On Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025, Jeremie celebrated a moment that his family will not soon forget. The Crestwood star signed to continue his football career at Fayetteville State, and his father was still part of the festivities.
“My stepmom brought me the picture (of my dad). I didn’t know they had it. It made me emotional, but I couldn’t show it at that moment,” Jeremie said. “My mom was already crying. It just felt good having my support system there.”
Jeremie spent his summer working with the football program at Fayetteville State and heads back this weekend for the official start of fall activities. At times, he thought the world of college football might be too difficult, but he remembered
that he doesn’t just represent himself on the field.
“It’s a whole different ball game,” Jeremie said of college football. “My first week of practice was very intense. There were plenty of times in my head I said, ‘I think I want to go back home.’ I had to think about why I’m here and who I’m doing it for.
“Some days are better than others. They’re my push in what I do. When I think about it, I do this for them. It’s me on the back end doing the work, but it’s for them in the long run.”
Of course, Jeremie has to be away from his family to play college football. He takes the role of father figure for his younger siblings very seriously. He’s always ready to answer the phone when they call or send a few bucks their way for school supplies. Jeremie will do whatever it takes to keep his namesake alive in their hearts.
“My younger siblings didn’t get a chance to interact with my dad how I did, so I’m going to let his spirit live on through me. Anything I can do, like take them places or just spend time with them. I still tell them stories about my dad.”
On Saturday, Aug. 30, Jeremie will step out on the field in Columbia against Benedict College with the name “Richardson” across his back. He’s ready to represent his dad the best way he knows how.
“I feel like I’ve accomplished one step in my milestone,” he said. “But I’m not done yet.”
Fans of all ages turned out to the premiere of "Graceball," the ETV documentary on Sumter local and New York Yankees legend Bobby Richardson, held Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024, at Sumter Opera House. The night included a Q&A with Richardson. If you missed out on the premiere and still haven’t seen the film, you can watch at https://www. scetv.org/graceball.
