A Look Back at the Year That Was for the Woodruff Wolverines
By: Garrett Mitchell, Staff Writer | garrett@thewoodrufftimes.com
Alas, all good things must end.
Woodruff High School’s commencement ceremony on May 23 marked the end of another school year and, with it, an end to Wolverine athletics until August. The 2023-24 school year was full of exciting moments and significant milestones for our school’s athletes. Our Wolverines provided memorable highlights that spanned three different athletic seasons, and will have memories to cherish forever. As the calendar turns to summer and everyone takes a break for the next three months, here is a look back at the magical moments that made the past school year one to remember for Woodruff athletics.
The Game Winner
The 2023 Woodruff football team was one in transition. With one of the youngest rosters in recent memory, 18 new varsity starters struggled at times to navigate arguably the toughest schedule in Class 3A. But with the Wolverines’ play-offs hopes hanging in the balance during a late-season game at Emerald, it was juniors T.J. Morris and Hunter West, along with sophomore wide receiver Kam Taylor, who provided one of the great moments of the season. With Woodruff trailing 35-28 and only six seconds on the clock, Morris found West in the front corner of the end-zone for a touchdown as time expired to cut the Emerald lead to a single point. Rather than kick an extra point and go to overtime, head coach Brett Sloan opted to go for two and the win. Morris rolled to his right and fired left to a wide-open Taylor in the middle of the end-zone as the Wolverines pulled off a miraculous 36-35 victory that propelled them to the playoffs. It was a magical moment that will be remembered for a long time.
Records are Meant to be Broken
One of the wonderful things about sports records is they are meant to be broken and surpassed. Woodruff senior basketball player Nick McConnell did not just break one record, but two, during a superlative final season in a Woodruff uniform. Nick became the all-time career three-point shot leader in school history with a long-distance make against Landrum in the championship game of the Battle at the Border tournament in December. He assumed the title from Darrell Parks, a 1997 Woodruff graduate and the program’s all-time scoring leader. But the sharp-shooting McConnell was just as lethal from the free-throw line. Nick finished his career with the highest cumulative free throw percentage in school history as well, ending his four varsity seasons at just under 80 percent. He shot over 82 percent from the line as a senior. Nick will be taking his talents to North Greenville University next season as the first Woodruff basketball player to sign a college scholarship since Austin Mays in 2014.
We are the Champions
Woodruff wrestling experienced an exciting season, and two of its members ended their high school careers as champions. Davis Stubbs, the Wolverines’ 215-pound weight class grappler, had come up just short as a junior wrestler in the heavyweight class. In 2024, he was back to finish the job and did just that. Stubbs wrestled his way to an individual state championship which had eluded him for two seasons, going out on top. Stubbs will wrestle for Lander University next year. Meanwhile, June Welch capped a remarkable career with another title. Welch, who in 2022 became the first female state champion in school history by winning against an all-male field, won the first-ever SCHSL-sanctioned girls state wrestling championship, too. In total, June finished as a three-time state champion with her overall title in 2022 and ladies’ titles in 2023 and 2024. Welch will wrestle in college as well and will undoubtedly be a future first-ballot Woodruff High athletics hall of fame member when she is eligible for the ballot in 2034.
Fishing for Success
The Woodruff High School fishing team has earned tremendous success over the past several years, but the 2023-24 school year was undoubtedly its best ever. The bass fishing team, who had already won a state championship, pulled off a first in South Carolina history by winning both the high school and middle school championships in 2023. The program has been among the state’s best in all classifications since its inception, and that success does not look to fade anytime soon.
Wrapping up Regions
The 2024 spring sports season had its share of memorable moments, and two teams brought home region championships. The ladies’ track and field team and boys’ soccer team each claimed their respective titles for the second year in a row. The girls’ track squad had 21 athletes qualify for the state meet in another banner season. The boys’ soccer team, meanwhile, completed perhaps the best season in school history. Coming off their region championship a season ago, Woodruff finished a stellar 16-5 and outscored opponents in conference play by a staggering 55-5 margin in eight games. The Wolverines advanced to the third round of the playoffs for the first time in school history, with thrilling postseason wins against Palmetto and Carolina High Schools. With much of its nucleus returning for the 2025 campaign, perhaps a three-peat is in the works for Woodruff soccer.
District Dominance
The Woodruff softball team won their region’s championship in 2023, but as a number one seed in the playoffs, came up short in the opening district round. In 2024, the Lady Wolverines flipped the script literally. This time, Woodruff finished as region runner-up to Union County and entered the play-offs as a number two seed in their district that also consisted of Pendleton, Powdersville, and Broome. The Lady Wolverines defeated Powdersville 3-0 before hitting the road and beating the number one seed Pendleton Lady Bulldogs, 6-2. Pendleton would then travel to Woodruff needing to defeat the Lady Wolverines twice, but after a narrow defeat in game one, Woodruff rebounded and pulled away from Pendleton in game two to win the district title and advance to the final four of the 3A upper-state bracket. It was the fourth district championship in the history of Woodruff softball, whose program was founded in 1996.
Author: Tracy Sanders
