Teams Navigate Adversity in Finding Success
High School and Middle School Sports Are in Full Swing with the Wolverines and Cubs Fielding Competitive Squads
By: Garrett Mitchell, Staff Writer
Fall sports in District Four are in full swing. From volleyball, tennis, cross country, and football, the Wolverines and Cubs programs are enjoying competitive seasons in 2021. Below is an inside look at all of the District’s fall sports teams and how their seasons are going as we move past the midway point in their respective seasons.
Varsity and JV Football
The Wolverine football program has seen its share of hardships in 2021. Still, in true fighting fashion, it has forged onward and overcame the obstacles. While the varsity football team enters region play with a 1-3 overall record, a slate of tough opponents, a two-week hiatus due to COVID protocol, and injuries have dampened a season that started in exciting fashion. The good news is, the Wolverines are healthy now at the right time and getting back their early-season rhythm as they begin Region III-3A play, one of the toughest football conferences in the state. Look for Woodruff to have a strong finish to the regular season.
“For various reasons, we have not been able to play with critical pieces of our team,” said Woodruff head coach Bradley Adams. “Each week, the available players have given tremendous effort at practice and in the game. The players are focused and giving maximum effort just as they always do.”
Meanwhile, a young Wolverines junior varsity team is growing by leaps and bounds daily. Following a rough start to the season with several defeats, Woodruff has won two games against Fountain Inn, and 4A Greer as their confidence grows behind freshman quarterback T.J. Morris.
Varsity and JV volleyball
According to head coach Heather Abrams, Woodruff’s varsity volleyball team has experienced its own set of challenges. The overall win and loss record is no indication of the talent the Lady Wolverines possess, with multiple injuries and COVID quarantines of their own forcing the squad to fight for consistency. With the home stretch of region play commencing, the Lady Wolverines are looking to earn a playoff spot as a young varsity roster with only a few seniors continues to gain valuable experience.
Conversely, the junior varsity volleyball team has enjoyed a banner year to this point, winning nine of their first ten matches in dominant fashion. With the middle school team also enjoying great success, the program is good, and Coach Abrams is optimistic about the future.
“We have been impacted with various challenges, including injuries and players in quarantine,” she said. “Amid a tough game schedule, both teams have worked to overcome challenges. The JV team has been decisive in their matches. The varsity team has had many close sets and strives to continue improving to compete with anyone on the other side of the net. I am looking forward to seeing what both teams accomplish the rest of the season.”
Cross Country
The Woodruff girls’ and boys’ cross-country teams are young and learning on the run, literally. Both teams have completed four races through September 27, with improving results each time out. Woodruff has competed in the annual Eye Opener race, the Fight Like Wyatt Invitation at Hillcrest High School, the SCA Invitational, and one home meet.
The two best finishes for each team came in their home meet and the SCA invitational with the ladies finishing third and eighth and the boys finishing sixth and eighth in their races. The boys’ team is led by junior Jayden Johnson, who ran his best time of 19:52 at the Eye Opener. Sophomore Erin McCallion leads the girls’ team and posted a personal best time of 22:02 while finishing sixth out of the pack in the home meet.
“It feels like we have a brand-new team in a lot of ways this year,” said head cross-country coach Ty Skinner. “Fourteen of our 25 runners are competing in their first cross-country season, and we have a lot of youth with only two seniors. They are a great group to coach and be around. They have worked hard and done everything we have asked of them up to this point in the season. They are improving every week.”
Girls Tennis
The Lady Wolverines’ tennis team enjoys one of their most successful seasons in years, winning seven of their first nine matches. With Region III-3A being a powerhouse in upstate tennis, Woodruff has started conference play 2-1, with the lone defeat coming at the hands of defending upper-state champion Chapman.
“It would not surprise me to find four teams in our region competing again for the upper-state title,” said head coach Lea Ann Skinner. “We are looking towards qualifying for the state playoffs again. Our Wolverines are an exciting group of young players to coach and see them in action on the courts.”
Middle School Football
Following a winless campaign in 2020, the Woodruff Middle School Cubs’ football team raced out to a much better start in 2021. In their first game, the Cubs demolished Ewing, a Gaffney feeder school, 30-14 but fell to Cliffdale in game number two. It is still early in the season for the middle school team, but the strides made from last season are evident.
“We continue to improve and fight hard,” said coach Eddie Brooks. “I am proud of our kids as we continue to get better week after week.”
Middle School Volleyball
The Middle School Lady Cubs volleyball team is enjoying an undefeated season and have been, simply, dominant. Woodruff is 6-0 on the season and has lost only two sets over those six matches. Coupled with the strong play of the junior varsity team, Woodruff volleyball appears to be on the cusp of a great talent run which should continue the 10-year run of success for the program.
Author: Tracy Sanders
