Clinton, Newberry to battle for a belt

Clinton's Corey Fountain (left) and Newberry's Cedrick Jeter share the belt ... for now. (Monte Dutton photo) https://www.scfbins.com/agents/buddybridges I didn’t get much done on Monday. It began with a trip to Clinton-Newberry Natural Gas Authority for an announcement of a new commemoration of the rivalry between the Red Devils and the Bulldogs over a week. …

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Sing a little sunshine song

By MONTE DUTTON (Monte Dutton photos) https://dunesproperties.com/agent/mark-mitchell/ The coming season provides a potential vista as gorgeous as the one at Paladin Stadium late Saturday evening. Bright skies, glorious sunshine, frivolity all about. Clay Hendrix wasn’t pleased with the Paladins’ FanFest, but, after all, it was a fest. The band was playing the fight song, not …

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Rhapsody in white

(Monte Dutton photos) https://www.facebook.com/UpstateInsuranceConsultants BATESBURG – Clinton fans who traveled to see the Red Devils take on Batesburg-Leesville probably enjoyed the season opener about as much as Shealy’s Bar-B-Que House. Corey Fountain’s Red Devils shoveled on the coals, 50-28, on Friday night, particularly in the first half. Clinton scored three touchdowns in each of the …

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Raiders tumble shy of hill’s crest

By MONTE DUTTON Nick Fowler had a shortage of options. (Monte Dutton photos) Led by running back Thomas Stanley and a duo of quarterbacks who combined to complete 11-12 passes, Hillcrest mauled Laurens, 55-9, at K.C. Hanna Stadium on Friday night. https://www.scfbins.com/agents/buddybridges There’s just no other way to put it. “It wasn’t ever good, not …

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Be true to your school, boys

By MONTE DUTTON The glistening sweat of summer days leads to Friday-night lights. (Monte Dutton photos) https://www.facebook.com/UpstateInsuranceConsultants Lots of things I didn’t like as a kid I love today. I’ve got a lot more sense now. For all you kids out there in Internet Land, this is going to happen to you. You’re going to …

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Looking for the heart of Friday night

Nick Fowler fires (Monte Dutton photos) https://www.scfbins.com/agents/buddybridges A fan can get up, walk outside, yawn, stare at the horizon and imagine a football season that never ends. It now seems plausible. It seemed as if it would never get here, and now it stretches out, barely finite. It doesn’t matter which team. It only matters …

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Devils, Raiders knighted in York

By MONTE DUTTON (Monte Dutton photos) https://www.facebook.com/UpstateInsuranceConsultants YORK – The Bill Pate White Rose Football Classic was worth the trip for both the Laurens Raiders, who played at 6 p.m. Friday night, and the Clinton Red Devils, who arrived on the artificial turf at 9. Both won – Laurens, 17-7, over Fort Mill, and Clinton, …

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Waldron reaps rewards of a tennis life

By MONTE DUTTON Chuck Waldron's next stop is the S.C. Tennis Hall of Fame. (Monte Dutton photos) https://www.scfbins.com/agents/buddybridges I have known Chuck Waldron since we entered the first grade together. He has heard distant drums – okay, the thump-thump-thump of tennis balls bouncing nearby – for all the years since. Given his lifelong devotion to …

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It’s early yet, but preseason rankings are out

(Monte Dutton photos) https://www.scfbins.com/agents/buddybridges No one has snapped a ball in anger yet, but inquiring minds want to know a media panel’s preseason rankings of S.C. High School League football. https://www.sadlerhughes.com/ Laurens plays three teams – Hillcrest, Hanna and Chapman – listed in the rankings. Clinton (Chapman, Chester) plays two, and Thornwell (Great Falls) plays …

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