By Garrett Mitchell, Staff Writer
garrett@thewoodrufftimes.com
The fall sports season has reached the halfway point, and the past two weeks have seen some ups and downs for the Wolverines’ four varsity sports as the month of September comes to a close.
Football is working past a tough loss entering its bye week, volleyball won a thriller over rival Clinton amid several defeats, and the girls’ tennis team is still finding its footing. Here is a look at where things stand for Woodruff’s fall sports teams as we reach the final week of September.
FOOTBALL FALLS TO RESURGENT CHAPMAN
The Woodruff football team fell on the road to Chapman last Friday, 35-22, to close out nonregion play with a 3-2 record.
The undefeated Panthers (5-0) pulled away in the second and third quarters after the Wolverines led 8-0 following the first period.
Jaylen Lyles scored Woodruff’s first touchdown following a fourth-down stop at the Chapman 1-yard line. The Panthers scored 14 points in both the second and third quarters to take command of the game.
Connor Davis finished the game completing 15 of 29 pass attempts for 214 yards and two scores, both to Curtis Bell, who ended the night with five receptions for 119 yards.
Lyles turned in another fantastic effort with 179 rushing yards on 27 carries and 20 receiving yards on three catches.
The Wolverines are off this week and begin conference play against Landrum at home Oct. 2.
VOLLEYBALL COOLS DOWN RED DEVILS
The Woodruff volleyball team won its most thrilling match of the season over rival Clinton, taking down the Red Devils 3-2.
It was a terrific win for the Lady Wolverines, who have also suffered some growing pains in losses to MVP and several larger schools in tournament play, including Easley and Northwestern, as well as another region match against High Point Academy.
Woodruff has won 12 matches so far this season and is 12-10 overall, one win short of last season’s total for a young team that continues to improve.
LADY WOLVERINE TENNIS CONTINUES TO BATTLE
The Woodruff girls’ tennis team continues to battle in each match and recently took home victories against High Point Academy and MVP.
Head coach Robert Vanadore said:
“The last couple of weeks have been a learning experience for our young squad. We have run into some bumps in the road after winning two in a row against High Point Academy and MVP. In all our matches, we have been competitive, especially in the 3, 4, 5 and number two doubles. Regardless of what our record states, we are improving with every match and growing into a more well-rounded team. Larson Abrams and Kaelyn Young have been the cornerstones of our gradual learning and improvement.”
CROSS-COUNTRY CONTINUES TO RUN WELL
The Woodruff cross-country teams ran well in a meet against Dorman, Byrnes and Wade Hampton.
The boys’ team finished third behind Dorman and Byrnes and ahead of Wade Hampton. Jayden Day and Sam Ringgold turned in strong races, finishing third and fourth overall, respectively, with times of 18:51 and 19:00.
The girls’ team finished second, defeating Byrnes and Wade Hampton in their race. Zoey Jayne Lawson finished seventh overall with a time of 22:58. Reese Abrams and Sydnee Cothran finished 12th and 13th overall, respectively, in a field of 54 runners.
Up next for Woodruff cross-country is the Lakelands Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 26.
