Whether locally or on the national stage, The T&D Region had plenty of prominence on the sports scene during 2010. Here's a look at the most significant people and events which took place the past 12 months:
1. Blake Cooper leads South Carolina to national title
The former Edisto High School pitcher was truly an ace for the Gamecocks during their run to a first-ever national championship in baseball. Cooper lost just two games as a senior and his dominating performance against UCLA in Game One of the finals put South Carolina in position to hoist the trophy in the final series played at Rosenblatt Stadium.
To stay or not to stay in the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs? This was the question hot on the minds of both Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference and Southwestern Athletic Conference fans during the summer as talk about reviving the Heritage Bowl under a new moniker heated up. What appeared to be a certain deal to begin in December 2011 was slowed to a crawl as details of the potential payout for the proposed game came to light. This issue is expected to be revisited in March of the coming year.
The two most consistent prep football teams in the T&D Region were Dorchester and Jefferson Davis Academy. Both ‘Raiders' lost just one game, but it took come-from-behind wins in the title games to get ‘Lucky 13'. The Raiders rallied from a 20-8 deficit to W.W. King Academy to earn a 40-36 win in the SCISA 8-man final. A week later, Dorchester Academy pulled off a dramatic finish as Nick McAlhaney launched a 25-yard touchdown pass to tight end Jamie Collins with 0.4 seconds to play for the 43-40 win over Bible Baptist.
4. S.C. State's conference winning streak in football ends.
For three years, Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference teams tried to no avail 21 times to send the Bulldogs to defeat. It all changed on Oct. 16 when Bethune-Cookman put together a perfect effort in stunning S.C. State 14-0. The two teams, along with Florida A&M, would end up sharing the MEAC title and advancing to the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs.
Only four Class A schools since 1980 accomplished what the Red Raiders did on a hot summer August night at Bruin Stadium. Withstanding a furious O-W comeback which forced overtime, B-E held on for a 49-48 victory. The game would have major ramifications for both programs as it enabled the Red Raiders to earn homefield through the playoffs and reach the Class A title game, while the Bruins came up a couple of points short of reaching the post-season.
6. Dorchester Academy head coach Stanley Gruber wins 300th game
En route to winning another SCISA title and 12 straight victories, the Raiders' longtime sideline leader entered unchartered territory in his league as a member of the 300-win club.
Former T&D Region standouts continue to excel on college level
As the nation's number-one senior at Bamberg-Ehrhardt and a four-time state champion and two-sport standout at Calhoun County, Clemson's Da'Quan Bowers and South Carolina's Alshon Jeffery were established before hitting the collegiate spotlight. They have continued to live up to their high standards as first-team conference and All-American selections and, in Bowers' case, the winner of the Bronko Nagurski Award as the nation's top defensive player.
Four consecutive state championships, 21 straight post-season victories and 19 region titles in a row all came to an end for the Saints last season. Head coach Zam Fredrick experienced his worst season since the inaugural campaign as Calhoun County placed third in Region 5-A and were bumped out of the playoffs in the second round by C.E. Murray.
8. Willie Jeffries inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame
His four-decade legendary coaching journey reached a proud destination in the hallowed halls of South Bend, Ind. Jeffries joined 23 fellow former college greats like Blackville native and former Marshall and New England Patriot wide receiver Troy Brown, former Notre Dame and Oakland Raider wide receiver Tim Brown and former Southern California and Los Angeles Rams' head coach John Robinson as the newest Football Championship Subdivision and Football Bowl Subdivision inductees into the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame.
In addition to the Hall of Fame honor, S.C. State officially named the playing field at Oliver C. Dawson Stadium after Jeffries.
9. S.C. State basketball teams reach MEAC tournament finals
The Bulldogs reaching their first tournament final in seven years was not as surprising as the Lady Bulldogs' run in which they upset top-seed North Carolina A&T to reach the finals. It turned into a "Dog Day Afternoon" in Winston-Salem as the men feel to top-seed Morgan State and the women were defeated by Hampton.
10. Ricky Sapp drafted by Philadelphia Eagles and Phillip Adams drafted by 49ers
Sapp, former Bamberg-Ehrhardt High School and Clemson star, expected to hear his name called earlier, but in the fifth round of the 2010 NFL Draft Sapp's phone rang in Bamberg and his name was called by the Philadelphia Eagles. For Adams, a decade had almost past since SCSU had a player, tight end Arther Love who was as drafted by the eventual Super Bowl champion New England Patriots, picked. But, Adams ended the Bulldogs' draft drought when he was selected in the seventh round by the San Francisco 49ers.
Contact the writer: tgrant@timesanddemocrat.com or by calling (803) 533-5547.
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