Power of 3’s: Chapman Panthers find fun, success
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DYLAN THOMPSON has been named the Gamecocks’ starting quarterback for the fall, according to Coach Steve Spurrier. PAMELA DUNLAP PHOTO
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BUCKLEY: Power of Sport
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NEWS & NOTES FROM THE LOCAL YOUTH SPORTS SCENE
Upward Sports joining National Premier Soccer League Upward Sports is joining the National Premier Soccer League, bringing its Upward Stars program to the soccer pitch for the first time this spring. The move into the NPSL is part of Upward’s new Performance Division, which has already been competing in volleyball and basketball, and will feature collegiate-level players who will retain their eligibility as student-athletes through the NCAA and other organizations. The team, known as the Upward Stars, will begin competition as an NPSL expansion team this spring. Tryouts are scheduled for Feb. 21 at Wofford College. The Stars’ 12game regular season PAUL HENSON will begin in May. “We could not be more enthusiastic about expanding into a higher level of competitive soccer,” said Caz McCaslin, president of Upward Sports. “Our organization believes that soccer has such tremendous potential for growth in this country, and we want to commit to investing in that growth. Here at Upward Sports we offer the 360 Progression, a total sports experience for
young athletes. Moving into the NPSL allows us to further add to that experience in our soccer programs.” The team will play its home games at area collegiate soccer fields this spring, but will then move into the Upward’s new $19 million athletic complex, the Upward Star Center, which is scheduled to be completed this fall. Veteran coach Paul Henson has been named coach of the Upward Stars for their inaugural season. Henson was a standout college soccer player in England in the 1980s, and he played on a number of highlevel semipro teams in both Great Britain and the United States. He holds a United States Soccer Federation (USSF) “B” license, as well as licenses from the English FA and youth coaching
licenses from the Ajax academy in Amsterdam and from Barcelona’s L’Escola. He has nearly 30 years of soccer coaching experience, including roles as State Director of Coaching in Maine, Olympic Development Program coach in Connecticut, and a variety of youth coaching positions overseeing both beginning and more advanced players. “I am thrilled to be a part of the Upward Stars,” Henson said. “The NPSL is experiencing healthy expansion, and this team will provide a wonderful opportunity in the Upstate for the many great players seeking to compete at a higher level. It is a privilege to be a part of this new venture, which will solidify Upward Sports as a leader in the local soccer community. The club will provide role models and encourage players of all ages to seek to reach their greatest potential.” Joining Henson’s staff as an assistant coach will be Camilo Rodriguez, currently the head coach of the men’s soccer team at Southern Wesleyan University in the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA). Rodriguez coached the Warriors for six seasons, leading them to an NCCAA national championship win in 2013 and winning the NCCAA National Coach of the Year award. n
The Star Center and accompanying fields, which is set to be completed in August or September 2014, is the second major sports complex to be built in Spartanburg County over the past two years. GAME DAY u upstategameday.com 5
Wofford’s Gregory set for College All-Star game
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from Greertoday.com Tymeco Gregory, a standout at Wofford College and Greer High School, will be among a group of players participating in the College All-Star Bowl game at Furman on Feb. 14. The game features South Carolina football players who have completed their senior year of eligibility with an emphasis on those entering the NFL draft. The game will be aired on the CBS Sports Network with a 6 p.m. kickoff. The Nationals will be led by Danny Ford, former head coach of the National Champion Clemson Tigers, and the Americans will be led by Willie GREGORY Jeffries, formerly of Union and South Carolina State University. Practices will be open for fans with autograph sessions, skills clinics and a scouting combine for athletes to test for NFL scouts. Learn more at www.thecollegeallstarbowl. com. Gregory, was an annual selection to the Southern Conference All-Academic team. He scored a touchdown against Samford this year when he picked up a teammate’s fumble and ran two yards for the score. He has been AllSouthern Conference second team at offensive guard the past two seasons. Gregory was a two-year starter on offense and defense for Greer head coach Will Young. He was named all-state and selected to the North-South All-Star game. He ran the ball twice as a senior and scored a touchdown each time.
JOHN CLAYTON PHOTO
Tyshun “Deebo” Samuel (seated) celebrates his verbal commitment to South Carolina with members of his family at Chapman High School.
Area’s top recruits to announce college decisions on Feb. 5 By JOHN CLAYTON On Twitter @JCTweetsOn
Tyshun “Deebo” Samuel’s little brother showed up at Samuel’s press conference in a Clemson jersey. “That’s his team,” shrugged Samuel, the versatile Chapman star who was announcing his college decision at the early December event. His team was South Carolina. Samuel is among several area players expected to turn their verbal commitments into official ones when they sign their NCAA National Letters of Intent on National Signing Day on Feb. 5. Among others expected to sign on the dotted line on Signing Day are Byrnes quarterback Shuler
Bentley (Old Dominion), Gaffney athlete Shaq Davidson (South Carolina), Gaffney running back Hyleck Foster (Marshall) and Woodruff wide receiver Blake Bone (Kentucky). Byrnes WR Shaedon Meadors and center Ben Clark, both Shrine Bowlers, are also expected to make college decisions. Samuel, a three-star wideout who holds 11 school offensive records at Chapman, was also on the Shrine Bowl roster for South Carolina and had wanted to join the Gamecocks all along. “I’ve been waiting on this for a while,” Samuel said, adding that playing at South Carolina had always been his desire, even as earlier offers from Vanderbilt, North Carolina and N.C. State came in.
First Tee Spartanburg awarded $17,500 grant Ed Overstreet
1,000 POINT MILESTONE Senior Khalia Webb was honored during a recent ceremony commemorating 1,000 points scored during her varsity career at Dorman. She marked the milestone against Spartanburg High on Jan. 7. 6 JAN. 15- FEB. 14, 2014 u GAME DAY
The First Tee of Spartanburg is one of four chapters of The First Tee in NC/SC to be awarded grants totaling $100,000 from PwC Carolinas. In addition to The First Tee of Spartanburg, grants funded by the PwC Charitable Foundation were awarded to The First Tee chapters of Charlotte, the Triangle, and the Triad. First Tee of Spartanburg was awarded $17,500. In conjunction with the grant, PwC employees provide volunteer assistance to The First Tee chapters. A series of four Financial Literacy classes led by Spartanburg-based PwC employees are scheduled for December, January, and April at the Downtown Campus of Spartanburg Community College. Topics include “Income and Careers” and “Paying for College” with curriculum tailored to youth grades 6 through 12.
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GAME DAY u JUNE 2012 9
The Power of 3
Chapman head coach Greg Wilson has made his team’s weakness into a strength.
Panthers find fun, success beyond arc By JOHN CLAYTON On Twitter @JCTweetsOn
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hapman head basketball coach Greg Wilson looked at his Panthers and saw a recurring problem. Wilson, in the neighborhood of 6-feet tall himself, was looking most of his players in the eyes. Without legitimate post players of the 6-foot-6 and taller variety on the roster or on the horizon, Wilson made the decision to make a philosophical shift to an uptempo, dribble-drive motion offense to take advantage of what is essentially an allguard lineup. “The bottom line is you have to do something to make yourself competitive,” Wilson said. Wilson, a former assistant under veteran coach Jerry Waters who took over as head coach prior to the 2012-13 season, found the solution to his dilemma beyond the 3-point arc. He adopted the 3-point-oriented offense derived by current NBA assistant and former Pepperdine head coach Vance Walberg and run at VMI by friend Duggar Baucom. “We don’t have a lot of size -- not a true back-to-thebasket player, so we decided last year on a more up-tempo, drive-and-shoot kind of offense, and it’s morphed into a style where we really want to shoot about 30
14 OCT.1515 FEB. - NOV. 2013uuGAME GAMEDAY DAY 8 JAN. 14,14,2014
(3-pointers) a game,” Wilson said. “We want to try to penetrate and get to the rim, and if we can’t get to the rim, the rest of the guys key on where the driver is on the floor.” When it works, it rains 3-pointers as seen in a school-record 18 3-point attempts were scored in an early January victory over Spartanburg Christian. Shawn McMillian was responsible for six of them. “It’s a lot of fun,” McMillian said. “We have a lot of guys stepping up to the plate and when everybody’s clicking, it’s really fun to be out there.” The goal, Wilson said, is to hit about 40 percent of the 3-pointers attempted each game. Hitting 40 percent from beyond the 19-foot, 9-inch high school arc is equal to hitting 65 percent from inside it for 2 points. “If you make enough of them, that’s the shot you need to take,” Wilson said. Against SCA, the Panthers connected on 18 of 43 3-point attempts (38.3 percent), just under their goal of 40 percent. But those who think Chapman players are chucking their way to school records would be mistaken, Wilson said. “Of those 18 3’s we had the other night, every one of them was off an assist,” he said. “So much of what we do in practices is designed to shoot the 3. We’ve got some guys who are not only good at shooting it, but good at getting other guys shots.
“The kids have bought into what we’re doing and most kids like to shoot it. Our kids play off each other and they know it’s all about spacing and all about shot selection.” And pressure defense. “That’s our thing,” McMillian said. “We want to create turnovers and feed off that energy.” From former LoyolaMarymount and NBA/ WNBA head coach Paul Westphal to Walberg to Duggar and, now, to Wilson, the fast-breaking, 3-point shooting offense continues to evolve for those without a Shaquile O’Neal or Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to call their own. “It’s all kind of linked together,” Wilson said. “Some of it’s a little crazier than others, but I don’t regard ours as crazy. It’s more out of the box.” n
GWINN DAVIS PHOTO
The Arc
NBA: Arc radius 23 feet 9 inches, no less than 3 feet from each sideline WNBA: Arc radius 22 feet 1.75 inches, no less than 3 feet 4 inches from each sideline FIBA: Arc radius 22.1 feet, no less than 3 feet from each sideline NCAA: Arc radius 20 feet 9 inches, no less than 4 feet, 3 inches from each sideline[10] American High school basketball: Arc radius 19 feet 9 inches, no less than 5 feet, 3 inches from each sideline 3-pointer Points Two minor professional basketball leagues first instituted the 3-point field goal on permanent bases in the early 1960s, but the shot was popularized by the American Basketball Association during the 1967-68 season. The NBA adopted the 3-pointer in 1979-80. The Southern Conference was the first collegiate basketball conference to institute the 3-point field goal, doing so in 1980. Western Carolina recorded the first 3-point basket.
Chapman’s Shawn McMillian fires up another 3-point attempt, this one against Dorman in an early-season matchup.
GWINN DAVIS PHOTO
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The Indians Varsity 1 won the inaugural YFAC Gold Bracket State Championship in the 6G age group. The game was played on November 17 at The Reservation in Gaffney. / Photo courtesy Billy Richards.
THE UPWARD STARS 15-1 team captured the SAVL Icebreaker volleyball tournament championship Jan. 12. / Photo courtesy Scott Dempsey
GAME DAY u upstategameday.com 13
Greer RB Quez Nesbitt (20) ran for more than 2,500 yards as a senior.
Best of
Courtesy / greertoday.com
FALL BALL
By JOHN CLAYTON On Twitter @JCTweetsOn
G
reat performances by teams and individuals were part of a fall sports season that had a little bit of everything in the Upstate. Dynamic offenses took the field on Friday nights as traditional powers were tested by hungry challengers, and those powers made their cases for history. Some of the Upstate’s top football players turned in dynamic performances and put up record numbers. When all was said and done, the area was without a state finalist in football for the first time in 39 years. Even so, the fall was memorable for these and other reasons . . .
14 JAN. 15- FEB. 14, 2014 u GAME DAY
Outstanding performances made for memorable season Panthers’ amazing ride
A football season that started with high hopes and big wins turned to desperate times for Chapman. But before it was done, the Panthers had tried on Cinderella’s slipper and liked the fit. After a 5-0 beginning, the injuryplagued Panthers dropped their first three Region III-3A contests, turning their remaining games into mustwins and their attention southward to Union County. In order to earn just the possibility of a playoff spot, the Panthers had to notch a wins over Union County and eventual region champion Broome -- no easy feats -- and hope that Union County would upset Chester. Chapman got past Union County 16-15 and Broome, 31-28, coming from behind and getting game-winning field goals from Brian Rubacalva in both contets. Chester ended its season on a two-game losing skid with Union County giving the Panthers
the final bit of help they needed. That was just enough to give Chapman a fourth-place finish in the region and the at-large bid into the playoffs. The Panthers upset Chapin, a No. 1 seed, and then knocked off Wren on the way to facing unbeaten Daniel. The fairytale season ended there when the Lions turned the tables, kicking a last-second field goal for a 29-27 win in the Upper State finals.
Greer’s Quez-tion answered
Greer running back Quez Nesbitt became the Yellow Jackets’ all-time leading rusher midway through the season and went on to gain 2,544 yards on the ground with 30 touchdowns in his senior campaign. Nesbitt finished just shy of 6,000 rushing yards for his career (5,944 yards), including 2,310 yards as a junior. As a senior, the 5-foot-7, 165-pound Nesbitt averaged 10.5 yards per carry. He also scored 30 rushing
touchdowns in each of the past two seasons, giving him 74 for his career.
Meadors measures up nationally
Byrnes wide receiver Shaedon Meadors did his part to give the Rebels another line in the record books with a near-record 33 touchdown catches, just one shy of the national record recognized by the National Federation of State High School Associations. Meadors, a senior named to the Shrine Bowl, challenged the record of 34 held by former Washington state receiver Kirby Moore (Boise Meadors State). He finished with 85 catches for 1,864 yards and the 33 scores as the favorite target of Shuler Bentley.
Do-it-all Darrius
The uber-talented Darrius Proctor gave Chesnee a Swiss Army Knife for its offensive and defensive backfields. Proctor turned in signature performance in the Eagles’ 35-20 win over Woodruff this past season with 300 yards of total offense, scoring two rushing touchdowns and passing for another. In the win, he had 196 yards rushing on 28 carries and completed 7 of 14 pass attempts for 136 yards and a score. The do-it-all Proctor finished the season with 1,348 yards rushing, 1,555 yards passing with 37 touchdowns (17 rushing, 20 passing). He also tallied six interceptions as a defensive back.
Arcega-Whiteside catches on
Dorman’s J.J. Arcega-Whiteside had his coming-out party against rival Spartanburg. Against the Vikings, ArcegaWhiteside caught 10 passes for 259 yards and touchdowns from 77 and 65 yards out. The Cavaliers went on to a 42-35 win, and the junior wideout established himself as one of the top players to watch in 2014.
According to recruiting sites, the 6-foot-3 200 pound two-sport standout (football/basketball) picked up a pair of NCAA Division I offers, including on from North Carolina.
Bulldogs buoyed by Tate
An unusual and unexpected beginning to the season led to the perfect ending for Boiling Springs head football coach Rick Tate. Tate, a 1981 Boiling Springs Tate graduate, took over as interim head coach from his defensive coordinator post after Bruce Clark resigned just days before the season began. What ensued was an inspiring 8-5 season that included a playoff upset of Gaffney and regular-season wins over rivals Spartanburg and Dorman. The season ended with a heartbreaking 29-28 loss to Summerville in the second round of the Class 4A Division I playoffs. Soon thereafter, Tate the interim tag was removed and Tate was named head coach at his alma mater.
Chapman LB Luke Holden (22) and the Panthers lost a heartbreaker in the Upper State Finals.
History for Hannah
Landrum freshman Hannah Phillips started out the season as a kicker for Landrum’s junior varsity football team but made school history with her promotion to the varsity squad before the opening round of the Class 2A playoffs. Phillips (featured in Game Day Volume 2, No. 3), became the first girl in school history to score in a varsity game when she kicked an extra-point in a 45-18 win over Eau Claire.
Vikings’ Feaster takes season by storm
Spartanburg sophomore running back Tavien Feaster burst onto the high school scene to help revitalize the Vikings along with first-year head coach Chris Miller.
Landrum kicker Hannah Phillips (12) became the first girl in school history to score in a varsity football game.
Feaster ran for more than 1,400 yards, averaging 8.3 yard per carry as the Vikings returned to the Class 4A playoffs. While Feaster accumulated impressive statistics as a sophomore, he also collected several early scholarship offers
from major programs. Clemson offered just five games into Feaster’s varsity career. North Carolina, South Carolina and national champion Florida State followed suit. He is considered a possible five-star recruit for 2016. n GAME DAY u upstategameday.com 15
4455 Anderson Mill Rd Moore, SC 29369 info@amrbc.org www.ChurchAtTheMill.com www.IgniteSpartanburg.com
boiling springs’ dylan thompson enters 2014 as the gamecocks’ starting qb and shares his ...
Faith & Football
“[Dylan Thompson] is without question going to be our quarterback unless he gets hurt.” COACH STEVE SPURRIER
PAMELA DUNLAP PHOTO 18 JAN. 18 OCT. 1515 -FEB. NOV.14, 14, 2014 2013uuGAME GAMEDAY DAY
dylan story here
Dylan Thompson shares his testimony at First Baptist of Spartanburg.
“I can’t tell you how excited I am. I’m just excited about the opportunity that’s in front of me. I’m looking forward to it and think it’s going to be a really great year.” DYLAN THOMPSON
D
ylan Thompson is a young man of faith. Admittedly, he’s the guy who coaches go to for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes’ luncheons and for any theological questions that might come up.
Thompson, who spoke at First Baptist of Spartanburg’s Hangar just days after his South Carolina Gamecocks finished their season with a bowl victory over Wisconsin, doesn’t mind. Besides, there’s more to his job description now. Thompson, a junior at South Carolina and former Boiling Springs star, is the presumed starting quarterback for the Gamecocks next season, and Gamecock Nation will be asked to have a little faith in Thompson. “I’m really excited about what’s coming up,” Thompson said after giving his testimony at The Hangar for the second straight year. “I’m excited about having an offense fitted around what I do.” Though Thompson is a more prototypical drop-back passer that head coach Steve Spurrier has historically used in his “Fun-n-Gun” and “Cock-nFire” offenses, Thompson has the unenviable task of succeeding Connor Shaw
as the Gamecocks’ starting quarterback. Shaw won a team-record 26 games as the team’s starter and was a perfect 17-0 at Williams-Brice Stadium. He won more than Todd Ellis. More than Steve Taneyhill. More than the cautionary tale that was Steven Garcia. And now it’s Thompson’s job to keep the Gamecocks’ train on the tracks. Spurrier confirmed Thompson’s status to The State newspaper. “[Dylan Thompson] is without question going to be our quarterback unless he gets hurt,” Spurrier told State beat writer Josh Kendall. JOHN Not bad CLAYTON for a guy who was considered by some to be a better basketball prospect than football at Boiling Springs. He got a basketball scholarship offer from Louisiana Tech and little attention from major college programs in football. The strong arm and heady play he exhibited at Boiling Springs earned him only two stars among recruiting websites, a badge of honor he still wears. “I think it should just be schools evaluating kids because you never know
how hard he’s going to work and what he’s going to do,” Thompson said. “You can’t see the character of a kid or how determined he is. We have a lot of guys who have that never-quit attitude, and you can’t grade that with a star.” Ironically, younger brother Daniel, who is now the starting quarterback at Boiling Springs, is fighting the same uphill battle as his older brother did several years ago. The rising high school senior is 6-feet tall, a height that can cost stars with recruiting gurus. “It’s crazy because this kid has just about doubled every record I had in high school,” Dylan said of his younger brother. Despite how recruiting analysts rated Dylan, he has made the most of the opportunities he has been given, notching a win over Clemson as a sophomore and seeing his most extensive action in wins over Central Florida and Missouri this past season. And now his most important chance awaits. He has already been discussing the particulars of the Gamecocks’ 2014 offense with his coaches. His stars -- both of them -- are aligned. “I can’t tell you how excited I am,” Dylan said. “I’m just excited about the opportunity that’s in front of me. I’m looking forward to it and think it’s going to be a really great year.” n
GAME DAY u GAME upstategameday.com 19 19 DAY u JUNE 2013 GAME DAY u OCT. 15 - NOV. 14, 2013 19
1
20 20 JAN. OCT. 1515 -FEB. NOV.14, 14, 2014 2013uuGAME GAMEDAY DAY
9 More A than
R E B NUM Brothers Chas Dodd and Shuler Bentley ready to take next steps
Story by JOHN CLAYTON Photos by PAMELA DUNLAP & PETE COCHRAN
DAY u15upstategameday.com GAMEGAME DAY u OCT. - NOV. 14, 2013 2121
>> Byrnes quarterback Shuler Bentley will follow brother Chas Dodd into the college football ranks when he signs his National Letter of Intent on National Signing Day, continuing a family tradition that started with father and Rebels head coach Bobby Bentley. By JOHN CLAYTON On Twitter @JCTweetsOn
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has Dodd was among the freshfaced frosh at Byrnes High School when Bobby Bentley -his step-father and coach -- tossed him a jersey.
Wearing that No. 19 -- the same number Bentley himself wore a generation earlier as a quarterback at Byrnes and then Presbyterian College -- Dodd went on to become a record-setting quarterback for the Rebels. After Dodd left for Rutgers, the number was passed to step-brother Shuler Bentley, who set more records and was named South Carolina’s Gatorade Player of the Year in 2012 as a junior and this past season.
“Bobby just sort threw a jersey at me, so I had to accept it,” Dodd recalled. “Our family knows that it’s a number that’s close to our hearts, and we try to take it with us whenever we can.” Dodd, who started his final collegiate game Dec. 21 against Notre Dame in the Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium, took his to Rutgers, New Jersey. Shuler Bentley, who ended his high school playing career in the Offense-Defense All-American Bowl in Orlando, Fla., on Jan. 3, will take it to Old Dominion in Virginia. The two grew up in a household where football and especially quarterbacking is as standard as Taco Tuesdays. It’s just part of the deal, part of a brotherhood that includes father and sons. “It was different -- I don’t think it was a lot like many other (families),” Dodd said. “Any coaching family will tell you that. There’s a lot of traveling centered around a lot of different sporting events.”
Rutgers warms up at Yankee Stadium prior to the Pinstripe Bowl against Notre Dame in December, the college career finale for Chas Dodd. PAMELA DUNLAP PHOTO 22 JAN. 15- FEB. 14, 2014 u GAME DAY
Shuler Bentley (19) with mother Paulette and father Bobby. PAMELA DUNLAP PHOTO
But finding the balance between football and family was always important. “Sometimes I think the line can get blurred, but overall, it’s very beneficial,” Dodd said. “I’d have my playbook as well as the coach, and I could sit back and ask questions. Even today, I’m able to ask and get insight from him on things.” “He had the responsibility as a coach to make me the best quarterback he could,” Shuler Bentley said. “But he always knew when to be a father.” For Dodd, that time came during his four years at Rutgers. After being recruited by former Rutgers and current Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Mike Schiano, Dodd’s college career began quickly. He was an occasional starter for the Scarlet Knights as a freshman and appeared to be set to become the team’s starting quarterback over his remaining three seasons. But when the Schiano bolted for the NFL, Kyle Flood took over and reportedly vowed to shun Schiano’s practice of rotating players in and out of the lineup in search of the hotter hand. He installed Gary Nova as his starting quarterback, and Dodd languished behind Nova, who never completed more than 57 percent of his pass attempts during his two-plus seasons as s starter and seemingly regressed toward the end of both of those seasons, determined to earn another shot despite the quarterback competition being all but closed. “That’s been difficult,” Coach
Bentley said. “With the adversity Chas had to deal with the last couple of years, I’ve tried to be more dad than coach -- I’ve tried to be supportive, encouraging.” Bentley and many of his coaching peers wondered if Dodd might transfer to a Football Championship Subdivision school, but Dodd said he was a Rutgers guy. He thought his chance would come. “The main thing for me is just he time and effort I’d invested here,” Dodd said. “I didn’t want to essentially throw that away, and I hoped that opportunity would come to play again. “I’m happy I stuck with it, and that I’ve been afforded this opportunity.” Dodd started the final two regular-season games for Rutgers, guiding the Scarlet Knights to a season-ending win against South Florida that earned them a berth in the Pinstripe Bowl. “It’s been tough -- any guy that’s not playing will tell you he wants to be out ther playing and get the reps,” he said. “But I’m happy I stuck with it.” As Dodd’s Rutgers career unfolded, younger brother Shuler Bentley’s exploded at Byrnes. Shuler led the Rebels to a state championship as a sophomore before earning consecutive state Player of the Year honors, following in the footsteps of Byrnes stars Marcus Lattimore and Willy Korn, who also won the award. This past season,
Bentley passed for 5,032 yards and 71 touchdowns and eight interceptions, setting a new state record for touchdown passes (177) and tying a state record for touchdown passes in a game with nine and setting a then state record for total touchdowns in a game with 10. “It’s been an awesome four years,” Shuler said. “We had a great team. . . . I hate that we didn’t end it with a state championship. I would have been nice to get that storybook ending, but the memories I have of this team and my teammates will always be with me.” Dodd, who is considering a preliminary offer to play in a neophyte professional league in Italy in 2014, said he has watched from afar as brother and father combined for a record-setting era at Byrnes. “It was tough in some ways because I couldn’t be there to watch it in person,” he said. “But I watched on TV when they were on and kept up. . . . Shuler always called when he broke another one of my records.” Coaching and fathering both of them was an experience for the el-
der Bentley, who will have younger sons Jake (a Byrnes sophomore) and Brook (a Byrnes freshman) on his rosters for the next few seasons. “It’s been rewarding -- it really has,” he said. “They’re the opposite of one another in a lot of ways, but they’re also exactly the same.” Coach Bentley said the past few weeks, which have included a loss in the Class 4A semifinals, Shuler’s appearance in the annual North-South All-Star Game and Dodd’s team banquet at Rutgers, have been somewhat emotional for he and wife Paulette. “It’s been a good run. I’m really proud of the boys, really proud of the men they’re becoming,” Coach Bentley said. “It’s not just what they’ve done on the football field, but that they’re becoming good people. “The biggest thing with all of it when you sit back and look at what both of them have accomplished is that both of them have used football as a vehicle. They’ve taken our slogan and put it to use -- they’ve gotten their educations paid for through football.” n
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Bringing It PHOTOS BY GWINN DAVIS
CHEERING JUMPS INTO THE RANKS OF GROWING, COMPETITIVE SPORTS By KAREN L. PUCKETT
A
few years ago, Kelsey Jarrett’s brother scoffed at the idea that cheerleading is a real sport.
“Ethan is now a believer. It’s definitely a sport,” said their mother, Joy Jarrett. “Kelsey loves cheering as much as Ethan loves lacrosse. He comes out and supports her at competitions because he knows how hard she works at it.” Kelsey, a sophomore at Dorman High School, has been cheering since the eighth grade and knows what it takes to compete with other cheer teams. “Endurance plays a big part. We run a lot, do pushups and conditioning during the summer,” said Kelsey. “Our coaches are the best. They push us to be our best.” Not to be confused with sideline cheering, competition cheer has become a major draw for local high schools that host regional events in the fall. At
Dorman, for example, cheer competition is second only to the football program in terms of money raised for its Booster Club, according to Assistant Athletic Director and Volleyball Coach Paula Kirkland. The Dorman Cavalier Cheer Classic in late fall attracted more than 2,000 spectators and more than 30 cheer teams from as far away as Walhalla and Lexington. Cheer teams at these all-day events perform on the mat for 2-and-a-half minutes,
incorporating a mix of cheer, gymnastics, dance and stunts. Scoring is left up to a panel of judges. The level of stunts these cheer teams perform is higher than what the football crowds see on the sidelines. In other words, it’s safer to perform certain stunts on a mat than on a football field. Dorman is one of the first high schools in the Upstate to have a competition cheer team, according to Coach Brandy Laney. “It has grown so much,” Laney said of the sport. “We push them as athletes, and these girls are good at it. They practice six days a week, and what they put on the mat on Saturday is a result of their hard work.” Byrnes Coach Robin Bronson has two daughters, Madison, 15, and McKenzie, 16, who began cheering for private
gyms when they were six years old and now for Byrnes. Bronson can attest to the athletic aspect of cheering. “There is a lot of wear and tear on the body. They are throwing people in the air and people are landing on them. The physical nature of the sport is absolutely incredible,” said Bronson, adding that they don’t wear any protective gear. Byrnes sophomore Ashleigh White said that Friday night cheering doesn’t compare to the hard work and commitment required for their Saturday afternoon competitions. “You get nervous but that helps you to be your best,” said White, who has cheered since seventh grade. “You get an adrenaline rush which gives you so much more confidence.” And on top of that, White added, “you have to do it with a smile on your face.” >>
Mauldin High School cheerleaders perform a routine while, top left and right, fans cheer them on during a recent competition.
COMPETITION CHEER / from page 25
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Which is not a requirement for other athletic teams, by the way. Bronson doesn’t want her girls to get burned out, either, from all their hard work. “I try to balance it with fun time, team bonding, and make sure they don’t get overworked,” Bronson said, adding that they go on outings, such as a trip to Nightmare Hollow before Halloween and raise money, such as car washes. Back on the mat, these girls learn the valuable lesson of working together. “Being on a team helps you not to focus just on yourself but on others, too,” said Byrnes sophomore Shaylyn Simmons. Shaylyn’s mother, Shea Simmons, noted the dedication required of the parents, as well, getting them to and from practices at school, paying for
private practices at local gyms, and helping them juggle their other school activities. She hopes that the payoff extends beyond any trophies her daughter’s team will bring home. “I hope they learn to work as a team and develop leadership skills,” she said. “Performing in front of a crowd teaches them how to make a presentation, and that’s a skill they’ll need later on in life.” As in other sports, cheer athletes hone their skills in the offseason. Many of them compete not only for their schools, but local gyms as well. For a list of South Carolina and Upstate cheerleading, dance and gymnastic teams, go to: http://www.uscdd.net/scteams.php .
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FAITH in SPORTS Rev. SETH BUCKLEY
the power of sport Untimely death of former Dorman standout Cortez Carson unites
T
here was a look of disbelief on the faces of players, coaches, family, and friends as we gathered for the funeral recently of Cortez Carson. Cortez was an anchor on the defensive Line for the 2009 State Championship Football team at Dorman High School. As I stood at the pulpit to address the crowd, I looked across the sea of faces and my heart was deeply stirred. In a culture where unfortunately race still divides the hearts of so many, I saw a unity that can be rarely explained. On that day, there was no black or white, but there was family...there was a Band of Brothers and Sisters. Following the funeral, I stood by Michael Greene as we both cried watching our boys and their teammates hug, love, and cry together. I said, “Michael, look at our boys…they are learning a valuable lesson right now to cherish every day, making wise choices, and to cherish the relationships that they have.” How did this unity originate? There is a powerful quote that was given by President Nelson Mandela that sums up the incredible impact that sports have in a culture. He refers to it as “sport” rather than athletics but note the passion in his words as he says: “Sport has the power to change the world…it has the power to inspire. It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does. It speaks to youth in a language they understand. Sport can create hope where once there was only despair. It is more powerful than government in breaking
Cortez Carson was the defensive anchor of the 2009 State Championship football team at Dorman High School. He passed away in November.
down racial barriers.” I read this quote at the funeral because it was through football that the community came together and became one
ED OVERSTREET / FILE
and the racial barriers did not exist. In the words, “sport can create hope where once there as only despair”…there is an obvious benefit to bringing youth together to teach the great life lessons and introduce new opportunities. The only problem with the hope that is instilled by sports though, is that it is temporary. Jesus Christ came into the world to introduce a new and living hope that is available for everyone who believes. In order for an athlete to really “get it” with his team, he must learn the importance of sacrificing his selfish will or desires for the greater good of the team. This is a total act of surrender to and trust in the fact that the head coach knows what is best and will guide you.
Spiritually speaking, until we surrender our selfish will and desires, we will not experience the true hope that Jesus came to give. We will constantly jump from sport to sport, competition to competition, all in an effort to experience the temporary euphoria and hope that comes through sports. Once the spiritual moment of surrender comes, that is when true hope will be experienced. Perry Tuttle, All-American wide receiver for Clemson on their 1981 National Championship team spoke at the Shrine Bowl player banquet at our church this year and in his closing remarks to the players and coaches, he positioned a football on the floor of the stage, placed a foot on it and said, “football, or any other sport, was never made for you to stand on. It is temporary. The only foundation that gives hope, purpose, and meaning is through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.” While I will always cherish the life lessons of hope, unity, and team that are introduced to so many through sports, my prayer is that we will always remember that last hope only comes through Jesus. And that is a hope that will last forever. n The Rev. Seth Buckley is Minister to Youth at First Baptist Church of Spartanburg. He is a former football player at the University of Alabama, where he played for legendary coach Paul “Bear” Bryant. GAME DAY u upstategameday.com 27
ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE
F
Caution against ‘No pain, no gain’ MENTALITY
requently we hear the slogan ‘No Pain, No Gain’ when we
think about training for sports. I would strongly caution against this type of mentality whether you are a weekend warrior, a youth participant or even a highly competitive athlete. Pain produces inconsistent movement perception and behavior. We should not exercise around or into pain hoping it will get better without first attempting to manage it. Simply stated, pain will cause you to move poorly and therefore cause you to perform poorly. More importantly if you ignore the pain you are setting yourself up for a more serious injury. It’s what I’ve learned about training and about rehab. It’s what I’ve learned through clinical practice for quite some time that tells me you’re not going to meet a lot of your goals by working around the pain. It’s better to take the time to understand it. Get a clear understanding of your problem and how to go about fixing it. Ignoring the pain is something we associate with a ‘warrior’ or as a courageous act for the team. Now, I’m not
talking about skipping a adequate flexibility AND workout on a day when adequate strength to your muscles are sore or perform a given movetight. The pain we’re talkment or task. For example ing about is reproducible. the reason you can’t touch It’s consistent and it’s your toes may not be simusually localized around ply due to tight hamstrings a joint. but rather your hamstrings Joint pain, unare tight because they like muscle soreness, are compensating for is a legitimate red flag. weakness in your ‘core’ KEN Muscle soreness usually muscles that causes your FINLEY changes when an aphamstrings to be tight and propriate warm-up, foam thereby limiting your abilroll or flexibility effort is performed. ity to touch your toes. Sometimes the best remedy for muscle The answer is simply stretching soreness from a good workout or your hamstring but in finding out why athletic competition is actually to get they are tight and then using corrective moving again. That’s not what we’re exercise to fix your mobility problem. talking about. This is what I mean by understanding We’re talking about sharp stabbing your pain. I wish I could tell you how many pain, dull aching pain or pain associtimes I’ve been asked, ‘Hey Ken, I have ated with swelling. If you push against knee pain. What exercise should I do?’ that type of pain, it’s going to push back. It’s going to push back harder and Wow, you must think I have a crystal ball! I have no idea what’s causing your it’s going to win. We need to systematically assess the pain and what causes it, knee pain. There is no preset program to undo what is happening to you. Your so we know the type of problem. knee pain could be a completely difOften the problem is due to poor ferent issue than another person who’s mobility. Mobility is defined as having
getting ready to ask the next question three minutes from now. To help you with your problem, I would need to examine you and then create a program for you. If you were a realtor and I called you to ask how much I should sell my house for, you would need a lot more information to help me. The same goes for your pain. We’ve got to get some information before we can proceed to a solution. Don’t be afraid that by seeking an answer, that you will have to stop doing the activities that you love to do. It is more likely that you need to make some modifications, include some corrective exercise and lower your volume temporarily. If you truly want to achieve your goals and perform at your best, seek to find out why you have pain and find out the specific solution for your problem. n
Ken Finley is a physical therapist and certified youth speed and agility specialist. To learn more about his youth athletic development programs you can contact him at
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FAITH in SPORTS
I
ONE TEAM, MANY WANNA-BE’s
’ve played a lot of pickup basketball over the years. I’ve played on indoor courts and outdoor courts. Courts with crisp nets, chain nets and no nets. I’ve played with shot clocks and game clocks. I’ve played keeping score by 1s and 2s and I’ve played keeping score by 2s and 3s. I’ve played with good foul calls and bad foul calls and even no foul calls. I’ve played in the US and I’ve played in East Asia. Pickup rules and settings may change from place to place, but I guarantee you one thing, the players are all the same. All the stereotypes are present on every court. The trash talker. The all-star. The guy with every accessory. The old guy. The tall guy. The short guy. Even the woman that none of the guys know how to guard! In pickup ball, there are rarely people that can dunk. Dunking in basketball is the epicenter where talent, ability and execution all come together. It’s not for everyone. And for that reason, everyone in pickup ball now wants to shoot three-pointers all day. Whether that player is good or not, they just launch and pray. When I played in high school, we had an abnormally tall team. At the time, I was only 5’11 at most (I’m 6’1 now). Aside from me, our point guard was the smallest
guy on the team. Our You can’t have five center was 6’9 and we Shaquille O’Neals on had at least 4 other a team. The guy can’t guys 6’3 and over. dribble or hit free So, by default I was throws. He’s not fast a shooting guard. I enough to keep up with couldn’t handle the guards. You can’t have ball particularly well, five Chris Pauls on a I was a manageable court either. While he’s shooter, but I hustled. wildly talented, he can’t If there was someone box out or defend the JASON to guard, I stepped in. big guys. If everyone If there was a loose ball, WILLIAMSON wants the ball on every I was on the floor. I play, everyone is going to often found myself practicing with get upset. the big men, rather than with the “Now the body is not made up guards. of one part but of many. If the foot In college, I was only good should say, ‘Because I am not a enough to play intramural leagues hand, I do not belong to the body,’ it and gladly did so. All of a sudden, would not for that reason cease to I found myself playing forward or be part of the body.” 1 Cor 12:14-15 even center. I had developed some Role players are valuable. I’m decent post moves and no one ever an Orlando Magic fan. My favorite expected me to be any good under players growing up weren’t Penny the hoop. Hardaway and Shaq, but rather In pickup ball today, everyone Nick Anderson and Dennis Scott. wants to be the guy shooting the They worked hard. They hit the game winner or knocking down big shots when they were needed. the three-pointer in the defender’s I loved Horace Grant on the Bulls face. Basketball strategy and and Magic. He was the rebound coaching proves that if you have and defense guy. five guys trying to shoot the same We need to help our children low-percentage shot, you’re not understand their roles on teams going to win. and in our families. Just because Scripture proves this point. they aren’t dribbling the ball down “The body is a unit, though it is the court every play, it doesn’t nemade up of many parts; and though gate their importance on the team. all its parts are many, they form one Just because they aren’t daddy body. So it is with Christ.” going to work every day, it doesn’t 1 Corinthians 12:12 diminish the value of the chores
they do around the house. CEOs don’t make companies successful by themselves. They need fantastic workers. “On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor.” 1Cor 12:22-23 The same goes for us as parents, coaches and mentors. Do we get discouraged because we aren’t great athletes? Or the best performer at work? Or the most involved at church? Don’t be! You are the body of Christ! Play your role and play it well. Understand your worth and help show your children theirs. n Jason Williamson is the Missions Pastor at The Mill in Spartanburg, SC where he and his wife, Elizabeth, have been members for the last eight years. They have two wonderfully hilarious children. Jason recently left behind a successful career as a corporate advertising executive to be in ministry full time. He is attending Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and has experience leading mission teams in the US and overseas. He blogs at www.thepressingon.com.
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