The Wilson Hall football team has run a gauntlet in the early stages of the 2023 season.The Barons opened against one of the top teams in SCISA 3A in Hilton Head Christian before snapping a long losing streak against their biggest rival in Laurence Manning. After another rivalry win over Thomas Sumter put Wilson Hall at 3-0, they now prepare to face their biggest challenge yet in the form of SCISA's most consistent winner, Hammond.While this game doesn't weigh heavily on Wilson Hall's playoff implications as the Barons sit in 3A and Hammond is a 4A squad, this gives them a measuring stick to compare themselves against before diving back into 3A play for the home stretch.Listen anywhere you get your podcasts.

It's always fun when Sumter School District meets in any field of play, and Friday's matchup between Sumter High and Crestwood on the gridiron should be no different.The unbeaten Gamecocks, who currently rank No. 3 in 5A in the latest S.C. Prep Football Media Poll, welcome a 2-1 Crestwood team whose only loss was one of the most thrilling games of the season, a 62-60 scoring explosion with Gray Collegiate.Listen anywhere you get your podcasts or read the full story here: Sumter High welcomes Crestwood for rivalry matchup full of high-flying offense - The Sumter Item (theitem.com)

Seeing the LMA Swampcats and Wilson Hall Barons go head-to-head is always a favorite rivalry on the tri-county football schedule. We brought in each team's head coach to chat about prepping for the game, establishing the tone for the season, and staying healthy. Listen below or anywhere you get your podcasts!

The Friday night lights are warming up across the tri-county area. We brought in Mark Barnes and Willie Offord, the head coaches from Sumter High School and Lakewood High School to get their last thoughts before their teams duke it out in the swamp on Friday night. Listen anywhere you get your podcasts!

The Sumter baseball community lost a legend recently with the passing of Sam Crawford, the longtime soundtrack of the Sumter P-15's and USC Sumter Fire Ants.We brought in Wallie Jones, the longtime head coach of the P-15's and Tim Medlin, the head coach at USC Sumter, to reminisce about the voice of Riley Park.

"Rain, rain, go away. Come again another day."With each day this week came rain. That meant the diamonds at Patriot Park, Riley Park and so many other fields were left empty almost all week.Entering Friday, the Lady Legends were hoping to finally play one of their most anticipated matchups of the season, a meeting of the last two undefeated teams in Southern Division 2, as they traveled to Darlington.That game, like so many other games this week, moved multiple times before the skies stayed clear just long enough to take the field at Hartsville High School.But that was just a slight reprieve at the end of the week. After this weekend, chaos begins.Stay tuned in to the Item Sports for coverage on the rest of the season. Here's hoping it's dry.  

Don't look now, but Manning-Santee Post 68 is rolling.Heading into Friday's series finale with Charleston, Post 68 was 4-0. They didn't get the chance to finish one game on Tuesday because of weather but haven't run into much trouble early in the summer. They allowed just five runs in their first four games, two of which were shutouts.Hear more about their hot start in this week's episode or read the full story on theitem.com/sports.

The Sumter P-15 Lady Storm are one of the constants of American Legion softball in South Carolina.They were one of two Sumter teams in the fold from the start, but as they enter Year 3, things are looking a bit different.Head coach Rocky Healon had a decent idea of what his roster would look like this season, but a mix of injuries, combined with an addition of a third team at Post 15, the Lady Patriots, flipped his team upside down.Listen to the full episode below or anywhere you get your podcasts!STORY: Sumter Lady Storm weathering changes as they prepare for summer season - The Sumter Item (theitem.com)

Most seniors want to leave high school with a perfect memory from their final year.For Clarendon Hall's Olivia Wilson, it was holding a state championship trophy.Wilson and the Lady Saints won their second-straight state title last week, this year making the climb up to SCISA 2A. After losing the first game of their championship series with Calhoun Academy last Monday, it was Wilson's rousing message of, "Don't let tomorrow be my last softball game," that helped inspire the Lady Saints to win the next two nights to claim their title.Listen to the full episode to hear more about their playoff run!

The Sumter High softball team may be young, but they're starting to put the pieces together.The Lady Gamecocks may only have three seniors with a roster filled with eighth-graders and sophomores, but they're ready to compete.While they finished third in Region V-5A, the team got a pleasant surprise when looking at the district brackets for the postseason. They are in District 8, one of the two districts with an at-large team and no No. 2 seed. That means the Lady Gamecocks will be at home against Cane Bay when the playoffs begin on Wednesday.Full story here: https://www.theitem.com/stories/sumter-high-softball-beaming-with-home-playoff-game-on-the-horizon,398535