County Signs: Spangler takes Clinton helm

By MONTE DUTTON Peyton Spangler closes a parley on the junior-varsity mound. (Monte Dutton photos) Click here. As has been widely rumored and thinly dismissed, Sean McCarthy is no longer head baseball coach at Clinton High School. As has been widely anticipated, Peyton Spangler is head baseball coach of the Red Devils. He is known …

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County Signs: The sporting life and the real one

By MONTE DUTTON A Wilder Stadium Friday night (Monte Dutton photo) Click here. Sports ain’t real, man. It’s better than real life. Most of my life has been devoted to it. I’ve relished that it’s not real. It’s microcosmic, perhaps in too many ways. I fear it’s becoming macrocosmic. True Grit isn’t a real depiction …

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County Signs: Clinton wrestler commits to PC

Sandro Guzman answers questions from WLBG's Mike Hughes (Monte Dutton photos). Click here. Sandro Guzman has only wrestled competitively for two years. He came in when Clinton High School started a team. That’s not where it stops. The Red Devil senior signed a letter of intent on Tuesday to grapple with the Blue Hose of …

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Holiday observations and recollections

By MONTE DUTTON Laurens catcher Bennett Edwards during the national anthem (Monte Dutton photos) Click here. Baseball had quite a run in Laurens County, and it’s weird to write that before it’s June, but I’ve got to acclimate myself to the rest of it because mostly I’ve been paying attention to the Blue Hose, Raiders …

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County Signs: Porter in charge on practice field

By MONTE DUTTON Greg Porter (Monte Dutton photos) Click here. Particularly since the Laurens High baseball team was playing afterward, I chose an overcast Monday to pay a visit to the Raiders practicing football earlier and down below. I waited a while because I wanted to see new head coach Greg Porter lead the charges …

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County Signs: Red Devils stay alive

By MONTE DUTTON Camden Finley connects. (Monte Dutton photos) Click here. The latest of life’s ironies occurred to me Thursday morning as I augmented, updated, corrected and reposted Wednesday’s crop. NIL (name, image and likeness) provides college athletes monetary compensation, yet the world “nil” means nothing. Thus could the athlete at an unmonied institution say, …

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County Signs: Raiders enjoy Coker cola in ninth

By MONTE DUTTON Coleman Coker drove in the winning run. (Monte Dutton photos) Click here. I was up until the wee hours, which are not that wee for me, failing to get Tuesday night’s results posted. Folks have more wi-fi than wife problems nowadays. Oh, wait. I don’t have a wife. It could be that …

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County Signs: A mostly bleak night on the diamonds

By MONTE DUTTON Zane McLendon has that sinking feeling. (Monte Dutton photos) Click here. A Furman release revealed that the Paladins have signed two “rising juniors.” I thought, Thank God, they aren’t falling juniors. Yes, I know, “rising” refers to someone in the next class. It’s spring, and those two promising athletes are sophomores now, …

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County Signs: Raiders conquer Northwestern territory

By MONTE DUTTON (Monte Dutton photos) Click here. Without question, a fine Laurens baseball team is the prime mover here, but as I drove to LDHS on Monday, it occurred to me that the Raiders have won every game I’ve attended to date. The biggest factor is that Laurens (21-6) has won most of its …

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