Retired U.S. Navy Chief Rick Stover talks about his career in the military recently at a recent Easley Post 52 American Legion meeting.
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EASLEY — I’ve got to start this edition of Beyond the Final Score with some local military news.
The Wall That Heals, which was originally scheduled for Nov. 8-11 in Liberty, has been postponed for sometime in 2025. The specific date has not yet been released.
Girls Golf: The Easley High School girls golf team, led by Barrett Owens who shot a 77, tied for fourth place recently at the Upper State Tournament.
Anna Grace Owens added an 82 and Bella Morgan shot a 92 for the Green Wave. Not to be overlooked were Kylie Gravell (101) and Kate Saxon (105).
The top-four finish qualifies the team for the State championships at Smithfields.
Football Honor: Easley High School’s Jonathan Isham (No. 14), a senior, has been named to the North-South Football All-Star Game. Congrats!
Rec League 12U Volleyball All-Stars: Madalyn Broome, Jaliyah Butler, Abigail Garrard, Natalie Hermanns, Adabella Petit, Elaina Place, Issabell Sanchez, Natalie Shaw, Gray Tackett, Ellie Weekes, Harmony Wideman, Harmony Wideman, Kinleigh Wood.
14U All-Stars: Kennady Bearden, Kenley Cantrell, Rylee Hall, Karma Ledford, Haylee Lucas, Lannie Mullinax, Eliana Richey, Lillie Rodgers, Sarita Salazar, Emily Swaynghame and Maddie Wood.
17U Volleyball All-Stars: McKayla Alexander, Ireland Cantrell, Leilani Gonzalez, Rylee Gordan, Makenzie Herron, Katelynn Posey, Raygan Pruitt, Sophie Shaw, Zoe Smith, Olivia Sutherland, Mallory Thomas and Kassidy Warren.
Gettys Tryouts: The Gettys Middle School Boys Basketball Tryouts (for grades 7-8) will be held Nov. 7 (6:30 to 8:30 p.m.) and Nov. 8 (4 to 6 p.m.). Tryouts will be held in the gym and you must have a physical on file.
Green Wave Varsity Boys Hoops: There will be a Meet the Green Wave Night on Nov. 21 at 6 p.m. at the Easley High School gymnasium, featuring a pizza dinner plate for $5. Rec basketball players and cheerleaders will be recognized.
Sharpshooting Crews and EHS: Senior Ethan Crews tossed in 26 points to help lead Easley High School to a 49-48 win over Woodmont in their final fall league game. Crews made 11-of-20 shots from the field, which included 3-of-5 accuracy from 3-point land. He also added 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 steals in the victory.
Wren Football: The Hurricanes varsity football team (6-1 overall) steamrolled over Southside 63-0. Signal caller Colten Bagwell passed for 255 yards and four touchdowns. Jayden Legrand added 114 yards on the ground rushing.
In other football action, Pickens played on Saturday afternoon and lost a 47-7 decision to Seneca.
Clemson football: The Tigers will host Louisville on Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. in the Valley.
Lawrence and Jags update: The Jacksonville Jaguars (2-6) lost a tough 30-27 decision on Sunday at home to the Green Bay Packers. QB Trevor Lawrence threw for two touchdowns and ran for another in the loss. He completed 21-of-32 passes for 308 yards.
Hockey Fans: The Greenville Swamp Rabbits will host Star Wars Night on Nov. 9.
The Marine Corps Birthday Event: Local Marine Corps veterans are welcome to attend a luncheon on Monday, Nov. 4 at 2:30 p.m. at the Silver Bay Seafood Restaurant, located on 7027 Calhoun Memorial Highway in Easley. Members and guests can order their non-alcoholic drinks starting at 1430 (2:30 p.m.). The Marine Corps League James Howe-Luke Cisson Detachment #1145 will be hosting the event.
Veterans Day events:
Nov. 2: Veteran lunch at Golden Creek Baptist Church from 4 to 6 p.m.
Nov. 3: Veterans Day Parade at Liberty and Post 52 to host. From 1 to 3 p.m., there will be food vendors. And at 3 p.m., the parade will follow.
From Post 52 and Stover … Walt Carter, the Commander of Post 52 in Easley, took some time recently to talk about how things are going.
“Overall, I think the Post has been growing over the last several years,” said Carter. “We’ve really expanded and are into more things. We’ve really tried to evolve into more community-related instead of just raising money for charities. We’re really trying to spend the time and focus on the veterans in our community who need help or need something to benefit them.”
About the extra effort of Navy retired Chief Rick Stover (pictured in this article), Carter added, “He’s running our Honor Guard and has done a great job on it. When I found out he was a Navy diver, I said I bet he’s got some good stories. I’m impressed with him. He’s been a big plus for the Post.”
Lucas powers Francis Marion University
Junior middle blocker Caroline Lucas recorded 14 kills to help lead Francis Marion University to its eighth consecutive win, a thrilling 17-25, 25-20, 25-18, 17-25, 15-12 victory over first-place Emmanuel University (Ga.), Friday night (Oct. 25) in Conference Carolinas volleyball play.
Francis Marion improved to 10-11 overall and 8-3 in conference action, while the Lions (13-9, 10-1) suffered their first league loss. The winning streak is the longest for FMU since a 12-match string in 2021.
Lucas is a former Pickens High School volleyball player and was a member of the 2021 4A state championship team. The next day, Saturday, Oct. 26, Lucas paced Francis Marion in a 25-16, 25-17, 25-18 sweep over Southern Wesleyan University with 12 kills and a .407 hitting percentage.
With the win over Southern Wesleyan, Francis Marion captured its ninth straight win to even its overall record at 11-11, while improving to 9-3 in Conference Carolinas play. FMU will host I-95 rival UNC-Pembroke on Wednesday (Oct. 30) with a 6 p.m. start time.
Reach Jeff Holt at 864-855-0355.