Boys Tennis is State Runner up
Last year the Pinewood boys tennis team staged a miracle comeback in the state finals. After falling behind in the singles 4-2 the Panthers rallied to win all three doubles matches to capture the state championship. After Tuesday’s single’s matches the Panthers found themselves in a similar situation against Hilton Head Prep. Trailing, again 4-2 the Panthers were looking for their second miracle, but it wasn’t to happen as the Dolphins won two of the three doubles matches to defeat the Panthers 6-3.

Early on the match went pretty much as Pinewood coach Heinz Maurer expected. “Their 1 and 2 players are excellent and I knew we would have a hard time against them,” he said. “They are young, but very good, and if they continue to progress they will both probably play at division one schools in college.” Nicky Kunz playing in the #1 spot for the Dolphins dispatched Pinewood’s Josh Klingenberg 6-2, 6-1 and Mo Hookaylo defeated Panther #2 Scott Hayes 6-1, 6-2. Maurer knew that the Panthers need to split the singles and even after dropping the first two matches he felt fairly confident. “We have a little more depth than they do so I knew we could do well in the lower singles,” he said. Well is what the Panthers did do, Adam Elliget playing at the number 5 spot defeated Franklyn Bakala 6-1, 6-3 and William Wert, playing #6 won his match over Jarrett Nixon 6-0, 6-1. That left the two middle matches to be decided. In the #3 spot Jacob Cumbie put up a terrific fight, but ultimately fell to Hunter Mitchell 6-3, 6-4. It was at the number 4 spot that Maurer had hopes of splitting the singles. JT Elliget dropped the first set but rebounded to take the second set off of the Dolphins Joey Ryan setting up a deciding tie breaker. After splitting the first four points Elliget ran of six straight to give himself an 8-2 and things looked good for the Panthers, but Ryan rallied to win the seven of the next eight to even the tie break at 9 all. After trading points Ryan won the final two to capture the tie break 12-10 and give the Dolphins an almost insurmountable lead of 4-2. As expected the Dolphins number one team of Kunz and Hookaylo defeated Klingenberg and Ladson Fishburne 6-2, 6-2 for the deciding fifth point. Mitchell and Ryan defeated JT Elliget and Cumbie 6-1, 3-2 ret, but Adam Elliget and Scott Hayes were able to win the final doubles 6-3, 6-3. With the win Adam Elliget completed an undefeated season in both singles and doubles.

In girls soccer the Panthers dropped a close 4-3 decision to Hammond in overtime on Tuesday evening. The Panthers rallied to tie three times but were unable to ever gain a lead. Kimrey Angotti Smith and Courtney Angotti Smith scored early for the Panthers. Megan Fish scored with about 10 minutes remaining in regulation time off a beautiful header after receiving a cross from Courtney Angotti Smith. Smith took the ball down the left sideline and lofted a perfect pass to Fish who was left unguarded about 15 yards from the goal where she deftly directed the ball into the upper corner to knot the game a three all. In the overtime the Panthers seemed to run out of steam as the Skyhawks dominated the first 8 minutes and were able to score on a scramble in front of the Panthers net. The Panthers did get several more good chances late in the second overtime but were unable to cash in. The loss ends the Panthers season with a record of 16-3.

Tennis Moves in State Championship, Soccer teams gear up for Playoffs
The Pinewood tennis team advanced to the SCISA AAA state championship with two wins this past week. On Wednesday the Panthers defeated St. Josephs from Greenville 9-0. Josh Klingenberg, Scott Hayes, Jacob Cumbie, JT Elliget, Adam Elliget and William Wert all picked up singles wins. In doubles Klingenberg and Ladson Fishburne, Cumbie and Adam Elliget and Davis Craig and Austin Shepard picked up wins in the doubles to complete the sweep.

On Friday the Panthers took on the Hammond Skyhawks in the semifinal round. The Panthers had defeated the Skyhawks twice already, this year, 6-3 and 7-2 and Friday was much of the same as the Panthers rolled into the championship with a 7-2 win. The Panthers took four of the six singles matches to put themselves in the position of only needing one win in the doubles to clinch the victory. In singles Klingenberg prevailed over Greenberg 6-2, 6-2, Cumbie won 6-0, 6-2 over Usry, Adam Elliget topped Besley 6-1, 6-2 and Wert won his match 6-0, 6-0. The biggest singles win came from Cumbie who has lost his two previous matches against Usry. In doubles Adam Elliget and Hayes posted a quick 6-0, 6-4 win to head the Panthers into the state finals.

The Panthers will take on Hilton Head Prep, in a rematch of last year’s final. In that event the Panthers rallied, after being down 4-2 in singles to capture all three doubles and the championship. In 2006 the Panthers were the runner up to Porter Gaud.

In softball the Lady Panthers dropped a game to Northwoods 2-1 on Friday ending any hopes of securing their first region championship. The came was scoreless until the 5th innings when the Chargers were able to push across two runs. The Lady Panthers responded in the top of the 7th as they were able to get one run across, and threatened to score more, but the Lady Chargers settled down after a couple of errors and were able to get the final out. The Lady Panthers are 22-3 and played their final regular season home game on Monday. Next Friday and Saturday the Lady Panthers will compete in the SCISA state tournament in Lexington.

Both of the Panthers soccer teams wrapped up regular season play with wins over Porter Gaud. The girls won 3-1 behind two goals by Courtney Angotti Smith and one by her sister Kimrey. Courtney Angotti Smith now has 42 goals on the season. The Panthers completed regular season play 16-2 overall and 10-2 in the region. They opened the first round of the playoffs, last night at home, against Hammond. If they won that game, as results were not available at press time, they would play again tomorrow night. The boys needed overtime to defeat the Cyclones, 2-1. The boys finished 19-2 and 10-0 in the region. They opened defense of their state crown on Monday night against Ben Lippen. If both teams are able to move through the playoffs they would play next Saturday, at Heathwood Hall in Columbia, for their respective state championships.

Girls Soccer Squad Successful in England

The Pinewood Prep Girls Varsity Soccer Team took jolly old England by storm last week, scoring a total 23 goals against three British U16 teams, including one team affiliated with the English Premier League. The Lady Panthers only allowed in two goals during the three matches on Spring Break week.
Pinewood played its first match of the week on March 24, taking on the Bolton Wanderers’ U16 girls team. Bolton is one of the English Premier League teams, the top level of professional “football” in Great Britain.
Pinewood defeated the Wanderers 6-2. Earlier that day, they enjoyed a 3-hour training session led by Premier League coaches, and they also had the opportunity to tour Reebok Stadium, the stadium where Bolton plays.
The girls played on artificial turf, which was a new experience for them, and they also played in snow – needless to say, another new experience for this soccer team from balmy South Carolina.
Tuesday brought clearer weather and a match against the Crewe & Nantwich U16 girls team, a club team in Cheshire County. Pinewood defeated the C&N girls 10-0, in a match punctuated by sharp passing and well-placed shots on goal.
The final game of the week came Saturday, March 29, when the team played the Buckhurst Hills Girls Football Club U16 team. Again, Pinewood dominated the play, finishing with a 7-0 victory. The Buckhurst team offered the best competition of the week, but they were no match for the athleticism and skill of the Pinewood squad.
Scoring goals in England for the Panthers were: Courtney Angotti-Smith, an eighth grader, scoring 9; freshmen Megan Fish and Kelsey Orvin, 3 each; sophomores Morgan Stice and Francesca Kassing and senior Whitney Jordan, 2 each; and junior Kimrey Angotti-Smith and freshman Chelsea Durr, 1 each.
Also contributing to the squad’s success were: Ashley Rogers and Hannah Johnson, both seniors and defenders; Tess Miller, a sophomore midfielder; Katherine Gore, a freshman defender; Lauren Fanning, a seventh grader and member of Pinewood’s junior varsity team who played in defense; and Heather Bellin, a Pinewood alum who returned to serve as a keeper on the England trip. Bellin and Kimrey Angotti-Smith shared the two shutouts.
The England trip – which is the first international trip for any Pinewood sports team – included a second coaching session with Premier League coaches. On Wednesday the girls enjoyed training in an indoor arena at the Derby County Football Club complex, where coaches led them through a series of speed and skill drills and then observed and critiqued a 7-v-7 scrimmage.
“This trip was a great opportunity for this squad, many of who are in their third year on Pinewood’s varsity soccer team and really growing into their roles,” said Gail Osborne, head coach. “It challenged them in some new ways and will help us as we build throughout the rest of our season. The girls had to prepare for a new game against completely unknown opponents, and they really stepped up. I’m proud of the way they played consistently throughout the week, in less-than-ideal weather and against some very physical opponents.
“We’ve gotten off to a terrific start this season and were able to start our play abroad with an undefeated record back home,” Osborne said. “It’s fun to say now that we finished our British tour undefeated on two continents!”
Team Captain Whitney Jordan agreed that the trip was a great experience. “It was encouraging for the team to continue to be successful against challenging opponents, this time in an international setting. We certainly are looking forward to continuing our experience back at home.”
Among other soccer experiences in England, the girls toured Old Trafford Stadium, home of Manchester United, the team leading the Premier League as of now. They also attended a Premier League game, the Reading Royals vs. the Blackburn Rovers, which ended in a 0-0 tie.
Chuck Kuhnell, Pinewood’s assistant coach, has worked with the Pinewood’s soccer program for more than a decade and with younger club programs for years before that. He said that the 2008 team, which is off to the best start of any Pinewood girls’ varsity soccer squad, is unlike any others he has seen, and the trip to England reinforced the team’s strengths.
“In all my coaching, I’ve never seen a team come together as quickly as this one has this year,” Kuhnell said. “England is, of course, well known for its soccer success, and our guest coaches all commented on our team’s cohesion, our athleticism and our work ethic. I can’t wait to see how that plays out against our SCISA opponents as we continue our season in South Carolina.”

Soccer Goes to 3-0 with win over Northwoods
The Pinewood girls soccer team upped their record to 3-0 with a 4-0 win over Northwood Academy on Tuesday. The win gives the Panthers a 1-0 record in region play. Courtney Angotti-Smith led the Panthers with a hat trick giving her 5 goals in three games. Marissa Patton got the shut in goal. The boys team was finally able to open their season as they cruised over the Chargers of Northwood by a score of 12-0. Softball, after a week of rainouts, was also finally able to get on the field as they opened their season with a region match against Ashley Hall. The Panthers, behind the pitching of Amber Venters (1-0) rolled to a 12-3 win at home. The Panther golf team saw its record go to 4-1 with a close one shot win over Bishop England on Monday. The Panthers were able to edge the Bishops 161-162. Kamito Hirai was low man for the Panthers with a 38. Backing up Hirai were Austin Cody with a 39, Lushen Evans with a 40 and Taylor Wall with a 44. In other action the boys tennis team continued their undefeated ways (3-0) with an 8-1 win over Academic Magnet. The JV softball team dropped a close game to the Ferndale Academy varsity by a score of 17-11.

Spring Sports Get Underway
Pinewood spring sports got under way last week with most of the teams able start their seasons, despite of the rainy weather.The baseball team upped its record to 4-2 with two shutout wins. On Monday Laquan Gilliar (2-0) threw five strong innings for the Panthers giving up only 1 hit and striking out 11 as the Panthers whitewashed the Raiders of Dorchester Academy 6-0. Gilliard also went 2 for 2 at the plate, drove in 2 runs and had 2 stolen bases. On Thursday the Panthers Taylor Wall went 5 innings as Pinewood shut out the Cavaliers of St. John 10-0. Wall scattered 2 hits and struck out seven to earn his first victory of the season. Wall also helped his own cause with a three run homer in the bottom of the 4th inning. Gilliard also had a solo homer. Jarius Schumann and Chris Morgan also combined for 4 hits and three runs

In golf the Panthers went 3-1 in the opening week of the season. Monday the Panthers defeated Academic Magnet, at Wescott, by a score of 165 to 180. Austin Cody and Kamito Hirai led the Panthers with 2 over par 38’s. On Wednesday the Panthers picked up wins over Summerville and Hanahan high school. The Panthers shot 150 to defeat the Green Wave by five. Hirai was the match medalist with a 34 while Lushen Evans added a 35 for the Panthers and Cody had an even par 36. The Panthers easily handled Hanahan 150 to 199. On Thursday the Panthers dropped a close one to Porter Gaud at Cassique. The Panthers fell 154 to 153. Hirai was again the match medalist with a one under 35.

In girls soccer the Panthers picked up two wins this past week. The Lady Panthers opened the season with an 11-3 win over Patrick Henry and then added a 2-0 win over Academic Magnet later in the week. The JV girls soccer moved to 2-0 with an 8-0 win over Berkeley and a 2-1 victory over Academic Magnet. The JV boys notched a win in their only match of the week with an 8-0 win over Berkeley.

The boy’s tennis team won both its matches to open the season. The Panthers defeated both Wando and Summerville by identical 5-2 scores early in the week.

Ryan Steed Signs with Furman University
Senior Ryan Steed has signed a letter of intent to play football for the Furman Paladins next season. Steed, who is two sport athlete at Pinewood, is projected as a defensive back for the Paladins.

Steed led the Panthers team to a 6-5 record this season playing as a quarterback and cornerback. As the starting quarterback Steed was 44 for 115 for 672 yards and 9 touchdown passes. Rushing he carried the ball 100 times for 755 yards and scored 11 times. Defensively he had 4 interceptions and returned two for touchdowns. Steed also returned punts and kickoffs for the team. In addition to his 11 touchdowns he had 6 more scores on interceptions and punt returns called back on penalties. His 84 total points were second on the team behind Melvin Lesure’s 86 points. He was selected to play in the SCISA Shrine Bowl game where he named as the outstanding defensive player.

Academically Steed is an excellent student with a grade point average of 4.0 and ranks in the top 10 in his class. Steed attended public school in Mt. Pleasant through 8th grade. In 9th grade he attended First Baptist Church School of Charleston and transferred to Pinewood starting in 10th grade.

In addition to football, Steed has been a standout on the school’s basketball team where he is averaging over 18 points per game this season. He has been a member of the team for the past three years including its two state championships in 2006 and 2007.

Steed has football offers from Charleston Southern and The Citadel. He was also heavily recruited by Vanderbilt. He also had serious interest from Wofford for basketball When asked why he chose Furman he said, “It is a great academic school and they play excellent football. They are always contenders for the SOCON title.” Continuing he said, “I wanted to go where I was wanted.” Steed says he chose football over basketball mostly because he believes that due to his size he has a much better chance of being successful with football. He concluded, “I’ve had a really great experience at Pinewood. I feel comfortable knowing I will be well prepared, both academically and athletically, for my college career. I want to thank Coach Guerard for all of his time and effort.”

Pinewood football coach Pinky Guerard noted, “It was a pleasure to have had a chance to coach Ryan this past year. He is just an outstanding athlete and a terrific young man. I am sure he will be successful at Furman and have an outstanding career.”
JV and B Team Head Coaches Named
Pinewood Athletic Director, Tony Bulford, recently announced two new football coaching appointments. Bulford said that David Are has accepted the position as head coach of the junior varsity team. Are is moving up from the Pinewood B Team where he led them to a 7-3 season last year. Are was a three sport athlete at the Citadel where he played football, soccer and wrestling. After graduation, from the Citadel, Are spent 21 years in the Army as a communications officer. During his time in the Army Are had 2 combat tours and over 60 parachute jumps. He holds a BS degree from the Citadel, an MS degree from the University of Colorado and an MA from the Command and General Staff college.

Are is looking forward to the new opportunity. “I am very excited about this opportunity to coach these fine young men. The athleticism and never quit attitude displayed by the JV team last year will be accentuated by the superb crop of athletes in the rising 8th grade,” he said. “Coach Guerard really has this program headed in a positive direction and I am very honored to be asked to be part of this movement.” He concluded, “my job is to get these players ready to become part of the varsity program and I feel confident that I will be able to meet that goal.”

Bulford also announced that Russ Lloyd will be taking over as the head coach for B Team. Lloyd worked with Are last season on the B Team and feels confident he can keep the program headed in a positive direction. Lloyd has asked Brian Gable to serve as an assistant coach for the team. Lloyd said, “We will lose a number of rising 8th graders to the Junior Varsity program, but fortunately we were able to play a lot of younger players last year so we have a lot of experience returning,” he said. Continuing he noted, “we have some experience on offensive line so that will help us. I plan on making a concerted push to encourage more students to come out for the team next year.”

Bulford said he was very pleased that both men have agreed to take over the reins of the teams. He said, “Both David and Russ have a good relationship with Coach Guerard and plan on drawing from his experience and knowledge. They will give us continuity in the program from B Team straight up to Varsity.”

Middle School Basketball

There will be a Mandatory Parent’s Information Meeting for anyone who signed up for middle school basketball: Nov. 5 at 7:15PM in the Eidson Gym. Information and the required paperwork will be addressed on the Trident and Pinewood Leagues. Also, try-outs dates of Nov. 6 and Nov. 7 will be discussed. Make sure you are there. Any questions please see Coach Bulford.

Volleyball Takes Second in Augusta
The Pinewood volleyball team had a successful weekend at the Augusta Prep tournament last week. Out of a field of 12 teams the Panthers finished first in pool play on Friday with a record of 4-2. The top spot allowed the Panthers to advance to the Gold Division of play on Saturday. They captured that division with a 5-1 record to advance to the tournament finals against host Augusta Prep. In an exciting, well played match the Panthers were edged out by their hosts with scores of 25-23, 25-21 to finish as the tournament runner up. Two Panthers made the all tournament team, middle blocker Sarah Edwards and outside hitter Reigni Putnam were selected by a vote of all of the coaches. Head Coach Tracy Orvin was happy with her team’s play. “We had a great weekend. We only lost 5 games out of 14 over the course of the weekend. I think we are starting to come together and we are really looking forward to the state playoffs,” she said.

After a region match this week at Northwoods Academy on Thursday the Panthers will take part in the Wando tournament next Friday and Saturday.
Tennis, Swimming & Cross Country
The Pinewood girls tennis team is off to a 6-2 start this spring. So far this season the team has picked up wins over Palmetto Christian, Hilton Head Prep, Hilton Head Christian, Bishop England and Beaufort Academy (twice). In addition to league play the Lady Panthers also took home the first place trophy at the Walterboro Tournament last weekend.

In dual match play the Panthers are on a three match winning streak. In that streak they have defeated Beaufort Academy twice and Bishop England once. Against Bishop England Charmaine Bessent, playing in the number three spot, picked up her sixth win of the season. Bessent upped that total to seven with another win against Beaufort on Tuesday. The Panthers number two doubles team of Paige Sharkey and Anna Brewer also remain undefeated with a 6-0 record. At the Walterboro tournament three of the Panthers won their flights. Sarah Edwards, Mollie Polk and Shauna Fletcher all captured first place in their respective classifications. Brewer and Bessent finished second in their flights. The doubles team of Polk and Fletcher also finished as a runner up. Against Beaufort Academy on Tuesday the Panthers rolled to a 9-0 win. Megan Evans, Brewer, Bessent, Edwards, Polk and Fletcher all won their singles matches. The doubles teams of Fletcher-Sharkey, Bessent-Polk and Courtenay McIlvaine-Rena Smith also won sweeping the doubles.

The Panthers face Cardinal Newman today at home and hope to reverse last months 5-4 loss.

In cross country Francesca Kassing finished 84th and Katherine Gore finished 85th out of 309 runners in the Coach’s Classic in Columbia. Their placings helped the team to a 28th place finish out of 41 teams. On the boy’s side, Zach Thumes was 71st, Taylor Katsanis was 194th and Ryan Colucci 221st out of 323 runners to help the team finish 37th out of 46 teams.

The Panthers hosted their annual Swimming Invitational on Saturday, Sept 15th. Wando High School’s Warriors dominated the meet winning both the boys and girls titles. Pinewood’s girls’ team finished third and boys’ were fourth.

Once again, Pinewood made its presence known through the relays. Brielle Weinstein, Katie Iannace, Taylor Hall and Lisa Weber placed 3rd in the 200 yd Medley Relay - 2:05.98 and the 400 yd Freestyle Relay - 4:10.16. The young boy’s team made an impression by earning points in four of the relays. Pinewood’s boys earned a 4th and 5th place in the 200 yd Medley Relays, a 4th place in the 400 yd Freestyle Relay and a 6th place in the 200 yd Freestyle Relay.

Individually, Katie Iannace set a new school record with a 4th place finish in the 100yd Freestyle – 58.33. Iannace also placed 4th in the 200 yd Freestyle. Brielle Weinstein placed 4th in the 100 yd Backstroke and 5th in the Individual Medley. Taylor Hall received two 6th place finishes for the 500 yd Freestyle and the 100 yd Backstroke.

Michael Tibbs had a 5th place finish in the 200 yd Individual Medley. Marty Liner swam a personal best to obtain 6th place in the 100 yd Backstroke. Other swimmers recognized for significant improvements are Penny Sharpe, Darien Hernandez, David Soyka, Austin Lind and Taylor Greene.

Volleyball drops to 2-2
The Pinewood Prep volleyball team fell to 2-2 on Tuesday with a 3-1 loss to Hammond. The Panthers dropped the first two games by scores of 13-25 and 19-25, before winning the third gam 25-17. Hammond responded by capturing the fourth game, 25-16. Juniors Kelly Hinson and Reigni Putnam led the team with a kill percentage of .375 and .320 respectively.

On Monday the Panthers defeated Cathedral Academy by a score of 3-0. The Panthers prevailed 25-10, 25-9, 26-24. The team had a serving percentage of .876 with five members, Kelsey Almond, Sarah Edwards, Farren Beasley, Katie Hickok and Hillary Kushubar all serving a perfect 100%. Last Friday the Panthers picked up a hard earned win against Cardinal Newman winning in four games. Putnam and Hinson led the Panthers with 7 aces combined. Sarah Gaskins and Kelsey Orvin combined for 31 assists in the match.

The JV also fell to 2-2 when they lost to Hammond 11-23 and 23-25. On Monday the JV picked up a win versus Cathedral 2-0, by scores of 25-11 and 25-15. They also defeated Cardinal Newman last Friday 2-1.

Pinewood’s Swim Team Starts Season with a Bang

Even though the Northwood’s Invitational High School Swim Meet on Saturday was called early for weather, Pinewood’s girls started the season by creating a storm of their own. The girl’s team came in second overall out of nineteen teams. Right off the blocks, the girls took second place for the medley relay. The team consisting of Weinstein, Trevillian, Hall and Iannace came in with a time of 2:04.25. Megan Trevillian took first places for the 50 yd Freestyle - 27.53 and the 100 yd Freestlye - 1:00.42. Katie Iannance placed first in the 200 yd Freestyle - 2:14.61 and second in the 100 yd Butterfly - 1:08.49. Brielle Weinstein placed second in the 200 yd Individual Medley – 2:23.18. Also placing with points, Taylor Hall was fourth in the 500 yd Freestyle.

Michael Tibbs had a strong showing for the boy’s team. Tibbs placed first for the 500 yd Freestyle with a time of 5:44.50 and dropped over six seconds for a personal best and fourth place in the Individual Medley. With a personal best Darian Hernandez also scored points with a sixth place finish in the 500 yd Freestyle. Other swimmers showing significant drops in time include: Penny Sharpe, Amy Cartwright, Heather Ringley, Colleen Closson and David Soyka.