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The Sylvania Times
Wednesday, September 14, 2022 - Page 13
THREE WEEKS INTO SCMS M0X0T1TWAJLL
THE 1992 STATE ROLLS ON
SOFTBALL TITLE
In 1992 Screven County High School won its first state championship of any sort.
It came in softball and happened on October 24 with a 3-2 win over Washington
County. The Times is chronicling the week by week progress of the team. This is
week three of the Times coverage and covers games from Wednesday, September
16 through Wednesday, September 23.
A pair of nonregion games saw the Lady Gamecocks beat Metter in Metter by
16-0 on September 16 and Statesboro 8-2 on September 21. The huge date was
Wednesday, September 23 when SCHS swept Vidalia 4-3 and 8-3 in a crucial
3AA East doubleheader. The DH win over the Lady Indians improved the team’s
record to 11-1 and 6-0 in subregion play. In the sweep Fredia Albright had five
hits, Danelle Toole four with three rbi, and Brandy Bragg and pitcher Beth Thames
three each. In the blowout nonregion wins - against Metter Albright had three hits
and four rbi and Ginger Shields also had three hits against Metter while Albright
had another three hits against Statesboro as did Octavia Zeigler and Cynthia
Beasley.
SYLVANIA HIGH ATHLETICS
The Early War Years
1941-1943
Burton Kemp
Sports Editor PART XVII
Entering 1941 there
was some rebuilding
to be done at Sylvania
High School when it
came to football,
especially in the
backfield where the
four starters from 1940
- Jack Mobley, Jack
Pierce, Lloyd Glisson,
and Jack Timms - were
all playing at Georgia
Teachers College for
Coach Crook Smith. It
was the last season of
football for the school
in Statesboro until the
coming of Erk Russell.
There was also a new
Head Coach in Joe
Grugan as Jack Lyons
had departed to work
with the railroad. “It
was really good pay,” he
said. Soon afterwards
he was inducted into
the army and after his
discharge, he went
back to work with the
railroad.
The new coach
(Grugan) was another
connection to both
Vernon “Catfish” Smith
and the University
of South Carolina.
Inducted into the
Carolina Hall of Fame
in 1979 he played
football and baseball
(1937-1941) and later
coached there. Catfish
Smith was the baseball
coach at the time.
Grugan was a native
of Philadelphia and
was the head baseball
coach in Columbia from
1957-1963. He was in
Sylvania for one season.
Grugan was followed by
A.H. Harrington for the
1942 season and then
Sylvania native and
former SHS football
player Joe Johnson
for the 1943 and 1944
season. Lyons returned
in 1945.
Under Grugan the
defending First District
Champions recorded an
official record of 3-4-1
(not including a 6-6 tie
with the Savannah High
B team). Their wins
came over District foes
Reidsville 20-0
and Metter 12-0
and interstate rival
Allendale 13-0.
Included in their losses
were lopsided ones
to Claxton, ECI, and
Wrightsville as well as
a 19-6 loss to District
Champion Lyons. The
season opener was a 6-6
tie in Thomson when
Bill Mobley caught a
TD pass in the waning
minutes. Tickets for
home games went up
to 85 cents because of
a tax on each ticket. For
the years 1941-43 there
is not a lot of available
information. As for the
6-6 tie with Savannah
B, quarterback Haskell
Howard scored on a
“sneak end play.”
The starting lineup
for 1941, the last season
with any sense of
normalcy until 1946,
included Bill Mobley
and Billy Preetorious at
ends, L.M. Brinson and
Winifred Bazemore at
tackles, Edward Howard
and Coolidge Crumley
(captain) at guards,
Willard Lariscy at
center, Haskell Howard
at quarterback, Rabun
Lee and David Lane at
halfbacks, and Clifford
Pryor at fullback. Also
was Edwin Sapp,
Edward Sharp, Robert
Robbins, Vernon
Robertson, Raphy
Duncan, Ray Smith,
John Edwin Scott,
Charles Lariscy, Daniel
Howard, Marion
Graham, John Evans,
Billy Harrison, Edsel
Dickey, Wilbur Cail,
Robert Robbins, and
Robbie Bazemore.
Buddy Anderson and
Wilkes Williams were
managers and Lucius
Waters was the assistant
coach. All of these
names appeared in at
least one publication in
the area.
There is very little
to be found about
Harrington’s 1942
squad. A very limited
schedule saw SHS play
Allendale SC twice,
Statesboro twice and
there were games
with Waynesboro and
Claxton. The 1-4-1 record
included a 14-0 win over
Claxton. Willard Lariscy
scored both touchdowns
in the win over Claxton.
Charles Bragg had two
extra points. In the only
other game the team
scored points in, a 13-
13 tie with Allendale
(who gave up only four
touchdowns all season)
Lariscy also scored
twice and Bragg made
one extra point. On
November 6 SHS lost
to Statesboro who went
9-0 in 1942. Maybe one
of the highlights of the
season were a pair of
preseason exhibition
games against “Barber’s
College.” The opponents
were a team made up of
SHS alumni. The alumni
won 20-6 on September
11 and the varsity won
7-0 on September 18.
For SHS the regular
lineup in 1942 appears
to have been Edward
Taylor and Gilbert
Daley at ends, Robert
Robbins and Edwin
Lariscy at tackles,
Winson “Wink”
Thompson and N.
L. Scott at guards,
William Wells at
center, Kirby Powell at
quarterback, Clifford
Pryor (captain) and
John Evans at halfback,
and William Lariscy
(co-captain) at fullback.
Others were Preston
Scott, Wright “Hoot”
Brinson, Billy Harrison,
Wilbur Cail, Robert
Wooten, Charles Bragg,
Royce Taylor, Tommy
Odom, Edwin Sapp,
and Joe Martin.
To get it in print the
lineup for Barber’s
College included Bill
Mobley, L. M. Brinson,
William Pfeiffer, John
Scott, Pete Economus,
Toby Waters, Billy
Preetorius, Haskell
Howard, Charlie
Waters, Tom Black, and
Jack Mobley.
Joe Johnson took the
reins of SHS for 1943
and 1944. In 1943 it
was not announced
until September that
there would be a
team. A pair of games
with Waynesboro, a
pair with Allendale
SC, and single games
with Glennville and
Statesboro made up
the season and a 3-3
record ensued. There
were a pair of wins
over Waynesboro and
a win over Glennville.
The Glennville game
was played after just
three days of practice.
Winston “Wink”
Thomson scored early
and Jenkins (either
Henry or Roy) scored
two TDs and two extra
points. Allendale, who
beat SHS 30-0 and 13-
2, played for the state
championship across
the river, losing to
Olympia.
The opening day
lineup had Preston
Scott and Lindy
Sheppard at ends, a
line of Bull Taylor,
Billy Harrison, Carlton
Weaver, and Joe
Martin, and a backfield
that included halfbacks
Wright “Hoot”
Brinson, Clifford Pryor,
Royce Taylor, Kirby
Powell (captain), and
future Hall of Famer
Gilbert Daley. Finally
the quarterback was
Winston “Wink”
Thompson.
1944 will get its own
column.
With no other sports action for SCMS last week, the football Gamecocks rolled
to their second consecutive regular season win with a 36-0 thrashing of visiting
South Tattnall on September 7. The team is scheduled to host Claxton tomorrow,
September 15, afternoon. After an entire week off the softball team is still not in
action until September 20 go to Jenkins County.
Cheerleading will finally have a competition this Saturday at West Laurens High
School.
For the Gamecocks and their win over South Tattnall, Demarko Ward finished
with 148 yards rushing and a pair of scores while Abram Hilton, Cleve Mingle, and
Jailen Walker had single scores each. For the defense, which allowed but 12 total
yards of offense, Walker and James Howard were in on four tackles each while
Hilton and Mingle were each in on two tackles with each also recording a sack.
Updated 2022 SCHS REMAING SOFTBALL SCHEDULE
Day
Date
Opponent
Location
Time
Monday
Sept. 12
Claxton*
Sylvania
5:30
Tuesday
Sept. 13
@ Claxton*
Claxton
5:30
Wednesday
Sept. 14
(©Johnson Co
Wrightsville
5:30
Thursday
Sept. 15
Metter*
Sylvania
5:30
Wednesday
Sept. 21
(©Islands
Savannah
5:30
Thursday
Sept. 22
(©Bryan Co*
Pembroke
5:30
Monday
Sept. 26
Swainsboro
Swainsboro
5:30
Tuesday
Sept. 27
Bryan County*
Sylvania
5:30
Thursday
Sept. 29
(©Greenbrier (DH) Greenbrier
5:30
Monday
Oct. 3
Johnson Co
Sylvania
5:30
Wednesday
Oct. 12
SEB
Sylvania
5:00
Thursday
Oct. 13
(©Harlem
Harlem
5:30
JaMarcus Badger carries the Georgia Flag while Adam Lingerfelt carries the US flag as the team awaits its trip
through the cheerleaders run-through before the Westside games starts. Justin Smith (10) stands between (photo
by PJ Richards)
For two games the SCHS marching band endured conditions that kept them off the field for the home opener
and the trip to Bacon County. Here at Bacon County they do manage to play from the stands (photo by PJ
Richards)
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After back to back rainy band nightmares in the first games, the SCHS marching band got to play sans the rain
gear last week. Even then, with their first halftime performance, the Westside band went overtime and took more
than three minutes away from SCHS (photo by PJ Richards)
Screven County Recreation Dept
SPONSORSHIP BANNERS
SCRD offers business banners to be displayed at our youth complex year around.
The cost is $250 per banner for the first year then just $ioo/year renewal fee.
If you are interested in purchasing a banner (including your business logo and
design) to be displayed at our youth complex, please let us know.
