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There is still a chance scenes like this may be seen again this spring as the South Carolina High School League announced on Thursday it is waiting to see what happens with the coronavirus in the state before making a decision on the spring sports season.

SCHSL not ready to cancel spring season yet
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Local Sports

Sumter High School outside linebacker Miles Capers has started to gain the attention of Power 5 Conference football programs after switching to the defensive side of the ball last season.

Sumter High OLB Capers grows into Power 5 Conference prospect

Miles Capers made a move to the defensive side of the football for his junior season at Sumter High School. That switch turned Capers from a backup running back to a Power 5 Conference prospect for the 2021 recruiting cycle. Capers is a …

Mary Madlyn Stanfield talks with her Bomb Squad teammates after they practiced via Zoom Video Conferencing on Monday.

Local athletes try to stay fit while staying at home from virus

Sports may be on hiatus, but local athletes still have to prepare for whenever they can finally get back to athletics. The challenge is finding the best way to do that. As the entire country is trying to stay at home and practice social …

PHIL KORNBLUT

Georgia Military College CB Dial commits to USC

The University of South Carolina football program reached into a familiar place on Monday -- Georgia Military College -- to land another defensive piece for the 2021 recruiting class. USC offered cornerback Marcellas Dial (5-feet-11-inches, 180 …

The Wilson Hall girls shooting team of, left to right, Samantha Richards, Madisen Galiano and Ann Weathers Blankenship pose with their SCISA scholastic shooting state championship trophies after the trio swept all three shooting championships.

Young Wilson Hall girls shooting team sweeps SCISA championships

The Wilson Hall girls scholastic shooting team may be young, but they've got some girls that are making a big splash. The Lady Barons' 3-person squad of Ann Weathers Blankenship, Samantha Richards and Madisen Galiano wasn't even sure if it was …

Members of the Sumter P-15's congratulate each other during a game last season. The American Legion baseball season is still planning to start on its regular schedule despite the threat posed by the coronavirus.

American Legion baseball season still on

American Legion Post 15 athletic director Bill Lyons said as of now the American Legion baseball season is still a go in the face of the threat of the coronavirus. "The season is still on," Lyons said. "We won't be starting until the end of May …

From the Wire

No one will be passing through one of the main public entrances to the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club for Wimbledon this year as it was announced on Wednesday the event was canceled due to public health concerns linked to the coronavirus.

Wimbledon cancelled for first time since WWII because of virus

For the first time in its nearly century-and-a-half history, Wimbledon was canceled for a reason other than war, scrapped in 2020 on Wednesday because of the coronavirus pandemic. With Britain under a nationwide lockdown, the All England Club …

Duke's Kyle Singler, left, drives to the basket over Butler's Avery Jukes during the first half of the men's NCAA Final Four college basketball championship game Monday, April 5, 2010, in Indianapolis.

AP Was There: Duke hangs on for '10 championship over Butler

A panel of Associated Press sports writers voted in March 2020 on the top 10 men's basketball games in the history of the NCAA Tournament. The AP game stories are being republished because the sport has been shut down amid the coronavirus pandemic. …

UCLA's Bill Walton (32) falls over North Carolina State's David Thompson during a semifinal game of the 1974 NCAA basketball championships in Greensboro, N.C. North Carolina State brought UCLA down to earth after seven straight national championships, beating the mighty Bruins 80-77 on David Thompson's crucial points in double overtime in the semifinals of the NCAA college basketball tournament.

AP Was There: Thompson, N.C. State end UCLA's long run in '74

EDITOR'S NOTE - A panel of Associated Press sports writers voted in March 2020 on the top 10 men's basketball games in the history of the NCAA Tournament. They are being republished because the sport has been shut down because of the coronavirus …

The Cincinnati Bengals released cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick on Tuesday.

Bengals release Dre Kirkpatrick in defensive overhaul

CINCINNATI - The Bengals released starting cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick on Tuesday, another move to overhaul their secondary after a 2-14 season. Kirkpatrick was a first-round pick in 2012 and started 67 games in eight seasons. He missed 10 games …

Carolina running back Christian McCaffrey and his Panther teammates will now have a bigger window to get into the NFL playoffs, as team owners voted to expand the playoffs on Tuesday from 12 to 14 teams.

NFL team owners vote to expand playoffs to 14 teams

The NFL is gearing up for a normal season and playoffs - with two additional wild-card teams in the Super Bowl chase. NFL team owners voted Tuesday to expand the playoffs by one team in each conference for a total of 14 next season as they …

Prep Sports

TSA baseball opens season with 6-5 walk-off victory over Dillon Christian, fall in Game 2

Thomas Sumter Academy’s varsity baseball team opened their season in dramatic fashion on Thursday, rallying for four runs in the bottom of the fifth inning for a walk-off, 6-5 victory over Dillon Christian. Dillon Christian won game two of the doubleheader 5-2.

Saints stomp Richard Winn, advance to Saturday's title game

Clarendon Hall’s varsity boys basketball team punched their ticket to Saturday’s SCISA 1A state championship game with a 72-43 victory over Richard Winn Academy on Thursday night at Wilson Hall’s Nash Student Center.

Sumter's Justus Boone commits to Florida

Sumter High School defensive end Justus Boone announced a commitment to the Florida Gators on Wednesday on Twitter.

Lady Barons season ends in loss to Cardinal Newman

The Wilson Hall varsity girls basketball team faced an uphill climb going into its SCISA 3A state tournament quarterfinal game against Cardinal Newman on Tuesday, having lost to the Lady Cardinals 63-23 in a regular-season meeting.

Gibson's buzzer-beater sends Scott's Branch boys to Lower State title game

SUMMERTON -- R.J. Gibson scored 10 of his team-high 18 points, including a game-winning layup as time expired, in the fourth quarter as the Scott's Branch High School varsity boys basketball team punched its ticket to the 1A lower state championship game with a thrilling 55-53 victory over Military Magnet Academy on Tuesday at Jones Gymnasium.

CLEMSON

Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence and his girlfriend, Marissa Mowry, resumed their fundraising efforts over the weekend to support people affected by the coronavirus after the NCAA said it was OK to do so.

Clemson QB Lawrence resumes virus fundraiser

Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence and his girlfriend have restarted their efforts to raise money for those affected by the new coronavirus. They announced their decision on Saturday on social media. The two had set up a GoFundMe page early …

Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawerence was given special permission from the NCAA on Tuesday to raise money for coronavirus patients and their families.

NCAA says Clemson's Lawrence can resume coronavirus fundraising

CLEMSON (AP) - It turns out Trevor Lawrence and his girlfriend didn't do anything wrong when they were trying to help coronavirus victims and their families. What sounded like a noble effort but might have been an NCAA violation is OK after …

Clemson wide receiver Tee Higgins catches a pass while running drills during the Tigers' pro day on Thursday in Clemson.

Clemson LB Simmons, WR Higgins show off for NFL personnel at pro day

CLEMSON - As Clemson's pro day unfolded, NFL head coaches like the Pittsburgh Steelers' Mike Tomlin and the Detroit Lions' Matt Patricia chatted with Clemson's Dabo Swinney. And it never took long, Swinney said, before the Tigers' versatile …

Clemson's Al-Amir Dawes (2) shoots while defended by Florida State's RaiQuan Gray during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Feb. 29, 2020, in Clemson, S.C.

Dawes leads the way as Clemson edges Miami 69-64 in ACC Tourney

GREENSBORO, N.C. - The Clemson Tigers began attacking the hole, then charged into the ACC Tournament quarterfinals. Struggling from 3-point range, the eighth-seeded Tigers used strong drives and 18-of-19 shooting from the free-throw line - all of …

The Item's Wednesday Watch 3.11.20

1. Gamecock women win SEC tourneyLast week’s ranking: #3 The top-ranked South Carolina women’s basketball team defeated No. 9 Mississippi State 76-62 on Sunday to win the SEC …

More Clemson sports

USC

New York Yankee pitcher Jordan Montgomery smiles during a spring training workout. Montgomery, the former Sumter High, Sumter P-15's and University of South Carolina standout, had plenty to smile about this spring as he earned a spot in the rotation after recovering from Tommy John surgery. The start of the Major League Baseball season has been delayed because of the coronavirus.

Yankees' Montgomery feeling good while waiting for season to start

Jordan Montgomery literally came out of nowhere in 2017 to earn a spot in the New York Yankees starting pitching rotation. He went to big league camp as a non-roster invitee, earned the No. 5 spot and went on to win nine games. It's been slow …

South Carolina women's basketball head coach Dawn Staley was named The Associated Press coach of the year on Monday.

Gamecock's Staley named AP women's coach of the year

Dawn Staley helped guide South Carolina to No. 1 and has now earned coach of the year honors from The Associated Press for the first time. The veteran Gamecocks coach received 20 votes from the national media panel that selects the Top 25 poll …

South Carolina guard Tyasha Harris (52) won the Dawn Staley award named for her coach on Friday.

South Carolina's Harris wins award named for her coach

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - South Carolina point guard Tyasha Harris is this year's recipient of the Dawn Staley award. The Phoenix Club of Philadelphia made the announcement Friday. Harris became the second Gamecock, joining Tiffany Mitchell in 2013, …

South Carolina's Aliyah Boston, left, was named to The Associated Press All-America second team on Thursday. Her teammate, Tyasha Harris, was named to the third team.

USC's Boston, Harris selected to All-America teams

NEW YORK - South Carolina may have finished with the No. 1 ranking in women's college basketball this season, but it didn't have a first team All-American. However, the Gamecocks do have one on the second and third teams, respectively. USC …

South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley, center right, is among the women's college basketball coaches that were disappointed that she and her team didn't spend Monday night watching the NCAA tournament bracket reveal.

Women's basketball coaches deal with reality of no NCAAs

NEW YORK - South Carolina coach Dawn Staley knows that Monday was supposed to be the night that women's basketball got put in the national spotlight with the NCAA Tournament bracket reveal. She was set to watch the selection show with her team …

More USC Sports

Outdoors

SUMTER ITEM FILE PHOTO

Federal relief bill offers help for S.C. agriculture

COLUMBIA – Last week, Congress and President Trump approved a new bipartisan aid package to address the expanding COVID-19 pandemic. The total relief package includes roughly $2 trillion to …

Lee Reich via AP A red currant espalier grows on a fence in New Paltz, New York. Red currant plants are especially easy to train and prune as decorative (and edible) espaliers.

Espalier: how to train plants for the tracery of branches

Espalier is a way of training and pruning plants so their branches lie in an orderly and ornamental two-dimensional form. The beauty comes from the tracery of the branches. Espalier is a way to create a living border in a garden, or decorate a fence …

Opening day

My wife Ginger asked, with just a trace of delight and a smirk in her voice, "have you ever missed an opening day?" I was huddled under a blanket on the couch, looking up with my most practiced pitiful expression. My truthful answer to her was a …

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Extras
Columbia's Pridgeon continues his professional win streak

Sitting backwards on a chair, one arm stretched out in front of him, Jaylon Pridgeon watches his trainer wind gauze around his hand. Next comes the tape, between the fingers and then around the wrist …

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